DECEMBER 2024

UPDATED 12/6/2024

Happy Holidays from the Madison Valley everyone! We all had a great Thanksgiving and now we are into December. The first week has treated us really well with days in the 40s and 50s with little to no wind. The weather looks like it is turning the page this weekend with some snow and temps in the 20s. With all the warm weather we have had this week, the river down by town doesn’t have any slush in it YET. Ennis Lake is frozen with about an inch or 2 of ice so I would assume the river will get slushy down by town soon. It’s flowing at 960 CFS at the Cameron gauge with water temperatures fluctuating between 34 and 32 degrees.

Now that the big game hunting season is over, Ennis has gotten quiet and we are starting to fish quite a bit more. Most of us have been either going up high around Three Dollar Bridge or staying close to town in Valley Garden. We have found success up river throwing nymphs and streamers. Also, one of the guys at the shop got lucky and landed a few fish on a small dry fly last weekend at Three Dollar with cloud cover. Typically now until May you can see some great baetis/midge hatches up river on cloudy days.

As always our shop in downtown Ennis is stocked to the brim with flies so don't be afraid to swing by and check them out for yourself. Also feel free to swing by the shop for a more in-depth and up to date fishing report or general fishing advice. Just a reminder as well it is now barbless hooks only from Varney bridge to the Lake so pinch those barbs. Enjoy your time on the water this weekend and be safe out there!

Hot Flies:

Streamers: Krystal Bugger, Sculpzilla, Lil Kim, Sheila, Mini Dungeon, Peanut Envy, Trevor Sculpin, Mike's Sculpin, Karnopp's Space Invader.

Dry Flies: Mini Hot Mayfly Olive, Johnson's Mimic May BWO, Parachute Adams, Edible Emerger Olive, Missing Link Caddis.

Nymphs: Pat's Rubber Legs Olive, Jig Pink Egg, Jiggy Egg Oregon Cheese, TBH Jiggy Duracell Brown, Jig Formerly Known as Prince, Olsen's Hare's Ear Blowtorch, #4 Rubber Leg Black, #16 Gold Lightning Bug, Chartreuse French Dip, CDC Hustler.

- MRFC Guide Nicko Opinsky