Hebgen Lake-Quake Lake: 5/11/2011

Between the lakes has been fishing well, but it is seeing plenty of angler traffic at the moment. Cabin Creek is dumping a fair amount of mud into the river and the road below Campfire Lodge is still impassible due to snow. The river is at 1,140 CFS at the dam and Cabin in pumping in more water to boot, so expect to see much higher water than is normal for this time of year. Nymphs are certainly the best option, though a few fish are eating streamers when the weather has been cloudy. The normal nymph rigs with stonefly/dropper combos are working very well, just make sure to get the flies down quickly and get good drifts.
Madison Quake Lake to McAtee Bridge: 5/11/2011

While there is an online fishing report dated 5/7 saying, “Fish the Madison River around Raynolds Junction with pink san juan worms for best results”, the Madison really is closed until the third week in May between Quake Lake and McAtee Bridge. We wouldn’t make this up, though I bet any anglers following this advice had great fishing and the river all to themselves before encountering the game warden.

McAtee Bridge to Ennis: 5/11/2011

So far, the Madison has stayed in good shape below McAtee despite the rain the area has received. With warm weather in the forecast the end may be in sight, but for now the Madison is still fishing well. We’ve found most of our fish by fishing nymphs under an indicator, though streamers have also been effective. A Silli Leg Stone in #6 teamed with a Beadhead PT or Micro Mayfly dropper is pretty tough to beat. There are quite a few Baetis hatching, but dry fly fishing has been really spotty thus far. Caddis and March Browns will probably appear in good numbers right when the river goes out for good, but if you are headed down to fish, make sure to have some imitations in the box.

Gallatin River: 5/11/2011

Dirty water hit the Gallatin like a ton of bricks early this week as rain pummelled the system and blew out the river below the Taylor’s Fork. Visibility was down to about 6 inches. Flows have dropped and a few more frozen nights and rainless days may bring the river back into fishable shape, however, run off may be started for good. Keep an eye on the flows. Upturns in the graph mean dirty water. If you want to hit the Gallatin despite the dirty water, make sure to bring Silli Leg Stonefly Nymphs in #6’s. These are some of the most effective flies when the river is off color.

Hebgen Lake: 5/11/2011

Hebgen is still iced over in the main body of the Lake. Bits of open water are appearing along the north shore, however none are large enough to really offer any fishing. Snow blocks road access to the South Fork Arm and Madison Arm and it doesn’t look like it will be passable for some time. Our warm weather has accelerated the rate of snow loss, but Denny Creek Road still has more than a foot of hardpacked snow on it and is only passable by snowmachine.