Dec…2016. Winters can be tough around here. Some critters don’t make it through. Found this one today…birds and coyotes had it picked clean.Since this was a whitetail buck in his prime, I would suspect something other than old age, disease or starvation lent to his early demise.
Christmas Day, 2016…RBMF Base Camp.
December 19…2016. A River Runs Through It…the Ennis Campground, that is. 20 below zero weather and the Madison River gorges up, running over its banks and going wacko wherever it wants, flooding out the campground and running over towards O’Dell Ck. and then down through Valley Garden…wild scene.
Valley Garden Campground also locked down…but you could jump the fence and ice skate to the river.
Valley Garden campground & boat access.
23 below zero…FEAR NO ROCK…fear no snow drift…stay inside…work the remote.
Ennis High School Mustangs…2016 State Champs!
View from my boat…mouth of Wolf Ck…Madison River…Nov. 2016
Nov.1…West Yellowstone sets all time record for rainfall in Oct. Good news for the trout, good news for the Madison and good news for the flyfisher!
Oct….2016. One of many nice bows for John B. on the O-Leech.
Oct…2016. Found this “Headway” bong in the river today…it was in pretty rough shape…broke in half…had a few caddis larvae and midge pupae hanging on to it…they seemed real happy!
I guess half a bong is better than no bong at all.
Oct. 20016. Fall fishing on the Madison continues…the browns are colored up…here’s a good one caught by one of the good guys…nice fish Buddy!
Oct…2016. A really good Madison brown for Andy Stone.
Oct…2016. Fished with these tree huggers today…can you tell we had some fun? Thanks Eiljah and Naomi!
Sept. 29…2016. Big bows for Will today workin’ the O-Leech!
Sept. 27…2016. Davey hooked up solid last night. One of those special evenings on the Flats with rainbows on the feed.
Sept.22…2016. Second straight day of rain in the valley and snow in the hills…much needed and thankful!
Sept. 15…2016. Had some good fishing with Wallace on the flats…went 10 for 11 on rainbow in the morning…nice work on the O-Leech!
Sept. 14…2016. Check out this beauty we caught today…nice fish Dave!
River is running with low flows…697cfs out of Hebgen Dam…860cfs at Varney…this is the shallowest it has been all year, making for easy wade fishing and some dry fly fishing in the afternoon with hopper and attractor patterns.
Waters temps range from low 50s in the morning to around 60 degrees in the afternoon.
The weather forecast for the next week looks good with cool nights and sunny days in the mid-70s. Indian summer!
Fishin’s been real good this summer with Dirty Mike Elliott and “The Chief” Kent Rockwood.
Late Summer…2016. Ants, hoppers, baetis and night stones on the river…leeches, damsels, tricos and callibaetis on the Flats…a lot to look forward to!
my Deer Hair Callibaetis Spinner
Hook: Mustad 94840 dry fly, size 12
Wing: mule deer flank hair, stacked & tied spent wing
Body: Fly Rite #19 light tan dubbing, extra fine
Tail: blue dun hackle fibers, splayed
my Callibaetis Emerger
Hook: Gamakatsu L10-2H nymph 2x strong, size 12
Body: Borden’s Hare-Tron #4 golden brown dubbing, picked
Rib: gold wire
Tail & beard: drake mallard flank fibers
Head: peacock herl, no bead
my O-Leech pattern…size 12 is best
Aug 29…2016. Another big fat brown for Dr. Bell today…caught on the Little Red Fly! Released alive to swim away.
Aug. 28…2016. A beauty of a brown trout today for Dr. Jerry Bell…caught on the Foamy Ant!
Dr. Jerry Bell
Flows are up a bit with an increase of outflow at Hebgen: 985cfs…good news.
Foamy Ant #14
Aug. 23…2016. Just a dandy big fish for Dennis today on the Little Red Fly! Released alive.
Aug. 22…2016. Big fat buster brown, yah it was a good day with Kay and Dennis!
Aug…2016. Great seeing old friend AJ “Fat Boy” DeRosa. AJ is the owner/outfitter at Jackson Hole Vintage Adventures…check out his website…a unique outdoor experience.
JACKSON HOLE VINTAGE ADVENTURES
Aug. 14…2016. Big finish today for Cindy B!
Aug. 13…2016. River otters watching us fish today.
Aug. 11…2016.Excellent again this morning on the tricos…many sippers, slurpers and gulpers…way to go Mary and Cross…these girls can fish!
Aug. 9…2016. A beauty of a brown trout on a dry caddis today…we fished the Varney stretch…nice fish David!
Aug…2016 Summers Farm & Ranch…two generations of fly fishers and great Idaho potatoes!
Bert Summers with a fine Madison River brown trout.
Danny Summers 1955-2011
Summers Farm & Ranch…Sugar City, Idaho
Aug. 4…2016…Big release at Hebgen…1550cfs out of the dam…flows are strong…water temps hanging in there: 59 deg. at Varney this morning…Bear Trap is rolling…weather is hot and dry…entire Jefferson R. closed to fishing…we are lucky here on the Madison…I think.
Aug. 2…2016. Trico madness…hundreds of large trout sipping thousands of tiny flies on top. One of several nice rainbows today for Elly!
Aug. 1…2016. The 20/20 Club.
If you can catch a twenty inch trout on a size 20 fly you are in the Club. Not many can do it. A lot of stuff can go wrong. But every once in a while a plan comes together. Welcome Raney Sachs to the 20/20 Club…well done Raney!
Tricos, Spruce Moths, Adams, Griffiths Gnat, everything worked…all dries, all the time…nice fish Elly!
Late July in the spruce fly hatch with Jerry and Tina and Kitty and Caroline and Dean!
July…2016. Always a good time on the river with John, Nancy and Arin!
July 21…2016. View of the Blue Lake fire this afternoon from our river float trip. Fire is near Axolotyl Lakes in the Gravelly Mts.
July 20…2016. Callibaetis in town…tricos, too. Flats alive with risers…water temps: 64deg. South end…72deg. North end…hot and glassy!
July14…2016. Mottled sculpin, “cottus bairdii”…local name: “bullhead”…the big trout love them…they eat them…this one is a lunker!
Sculpins are canniballistic. Males are known to eat their young if one contracts some kind of virus or fungus. The males also eat small females. Therefore older females are usually chosen for mates over younger females.
July 8…2016. Fuzzball in his element, Madison Flats, slick calm, heavy midge hatch, smooth.
July 5…2016. Several large trout for Dianne and Amy Catherine…great day!
June 28…Always a good time on the river with long time clients Paul and Ellen.
June 26…A good day on the river with Joe H. We like the salmon fly hatch!
June 24…Whopper brown today for Dylan C. on the bullet-head sofa pillow…22 incher…nice!
River is clear…most of the flow coming from the feeder streams since Hebgen Dam is now cranked down to 545cfs…1210cfs at Varney. Big flies concentrated between McAtee & Varney.
June…2016… fun day in Varney with Kaitlyn and Troy. A few big bugs in here and lots of caddis, sallys & mays. Water is low.
Wild roses in bloom along the river means salmon fly time!
June 19…Good morning on salmon fly nymphs
with Mike Treloar and Hunter Shumacher…we floated the Storey-Varney stretch. Salmon flies starting in Varney. River is low and clearing.
June 18…Excellent on the Flats before the wind came up…seven trout all on the O-Leech..six bows and a brown…quite a few fish rising to a tiny midge/chironomid. The salmon fly hatch came and went in a hurry over on the Big Hole. Headed out to look for big bugs on the Madison today.
JUNE 13, Great day on the river with Elise and Byron…caught 10 nice ones to 18″…we floated the Lyon to Palisades stretch. River is green and very fishable…running 1050cfs at West Fork…Squaw Ck clear, Standard Ck. clear, Horse Ck. clear, Moose Ck. clear, Wolf Ck. clear…Hebgen Dam is buttoned down to 663cfs…expect an early salmon fly hatch this year…
June, 2016
mushroom photos by Randy Brown
APRIL, 2016
Workin’ at it…rollin’ them out.
2016 Fishing Season
Madison River is Open for Fishing Year Round. From the Quake Lake outlet to Ennis Lake we are open! Come to Montana and go fish!
To all the good labs…past, present, future.
Toots The Wonder Dog