MURKY WATER SPARKS FEEDING FRENZY
Updated 5/26/2021
Springtime in Southwest Montana can prove to be a rollercoaster of conditions, but it is one of our favorite times of the year to fish the Madison. A much needed cold snap consisting of snow and rain has prolonged runoff for now and brought some clarity back to the river. The flows near Cameron have come down from 1700 CFS to about 1300 CFS. With warmer weather in the forecast, we might see these flows bump up bringing some more color into the river with the melting snowpack.
Nymphing has been very good along the entire river. Deep buckets are still holding fish but they have started to spread out so make sure you do not overlook any water and adapt to changing depths. A #8 Coffee/Black Pat’s Rubber Legs with a #16 Natural Cdc Prince is a can’t miss nymph rig this time of year.
This last week’s conditions have decreased dry fly activity significantly but warm weather on the horizon could create an explosion of bugs along with an army of hungry fish eager for some action on the surface. The Caddis hatch should get back to full force along with the March Browns, BWO’s and the occasional Skwalla.
Diminishing water clarity has sparked a feeding frenzy in the streamer game, casting to the banks with a varying retrieval tempo has started to produce some great fish. Sculpzillas, Mini Dungeons, and Buggers in natural, olive, or black have been our go to streamers.
That’s all for this week's fishing report. Remember you can always swing by the shop or give us a call for a more up to date fishing report. Tight lines!
PSA: Remember to practice safe fish handling with the low water levels that we are currently experiencing. Let's all be good stewards to the river and its inhabitants!
- MRFC Guide Travis Stott
