THE GALES OF NOVEMBER
NOVEMBER 2023
UPDATED 11/10/2023
The legend lives on! November has brought mild temperatures to the Madison Valley with only one great snowfall to date. Water levels are still looking great as we’re sitting around 1060 CFS at Cameron and 825 CFS flowing out of Hebgen. Water temperatures dropped to 34.52 degrees at Cameron, the lowest mark we’ve seen in the last week. We’re throwing the snowpack chart back up so keep an eye on that throughout the winter. As of now, The Madison basin is at 91% of our normal Snow Water Equivalent for this time of year.
November is typically a nymph oriented month on the Upper Madison. Euronymphing can be especially effective on the upper reaches of the river as the temperature begins to drop. If fishing out of the boat, running a Pat’s Rubber Legs as the lead fly is always a foolproof plan. We’re beginning to downsize our tippet and fly size dramatically to help catch wary fish.
Streamers: Olive Mini Dungeon, Black Dungeon, Black Silk Kitty, Olive Mini Loop, Lil Kim, Black Screamer, Olive Trevor, Sparring Partner white/gold.
Dry Flies: Parachute Purple (14-16), Griffith's Gnat (18-20), Parachute Adams (16-18), Missing Link Caddis (12-14),
Nymphs: May It Be Baetis (18-20),Jiggy Micro May Pheasant Tail (16-20), Lightning Bug Gold (16-18), Spanker Red #14, Prince (14-16), PMD (14-16), Black Rubber Leg (8-10), Pheasant Tail (14-16).
We're in the midst of our annual Fly SALE. Checkout our SALE flies here for killer deals on your favorite patterns. If you're interested in what the river looks like here in town, give the live cam a gander below!
- MRFC Guide Danny Eiden
