Yellowstone River: Gardiner to Big Timber

Winter doldrums are quickly being replaced with spring bliss.  Fish are just as eager as we are about the longer days, some warm sun and bugs hatching.  We're noticing good amounts of midges just about every day now.  Fish are starting to look to the top as well.  And you know it's spring time when the blue wing olives start. There have been a couple of afternoon emergences already.  It will only get better!  Keep an eye out for the March Browns to start as well.

As far as techniques and patterns, there's been a bit of everything.  Streamers fished relatively slowly, nymphing, and dries have all been producers.  It's likely that anglers may have to incorporate all three techniques throughout a full day's fishing in order to remain consistenly hooked up.   For the dries: Parachute Adams and  Griffiths Gnats have been hard to beat.  You could also try small Royal Wulffs, H&L Variants and the like as well and do just fine.  With the coming of the March Browns, don't be afraid to bump up to some larger sizes.  Some days the fish are really on them, others you see boatloads of these big mayflys go unmolested while the midges and baetis get whacked.  If you are nymphing you should be fishing mega Princes,  small Princes, FB Pts,  red and/or black copper john's, and lightening bugs.  Try dropping these behind medium sized stonefly patterns like a brown or black girdle bug  and you'll be effective.

The Madison River: Remember the main river is closed from below Quake to MacAtee Bridge until May 20!  In the areas that are open (between the lakes and below Mac, we're having very good results.  Running the nymph rigs in all the clearly defined slicks, eddys, and classic Maddy structure has proven its worth over and over.  You should be fishing with brown and/or pumpkin colored rubber leg stonefly varieties as well as big ugly black on black and throw a little trout candy on the back .  Our best dropper flies have been copper johns in red and black, FB PTs, black soft hackles, lighting bugs, and zebra midges.  All in smaller sizes like 18s and 20s.   The Red Juan is also accounting for a lot of bent rods! Try fishing bunny fur Zonkers trailed with the same small beadheads on a near tight line dead drift while in the boat going from wading spot to wading spot. 

The Gallatin River: A great place to fish in the spring!  The flow  levels are in the very wadeable fishing range at  just a smidge under 400 cfs.   It's almost strictly a nymph deal right now.  There are some midges in good numbers and keep an eye out for the spring baetis here real quick.  Seems the water temps are pretty darn chilly and fish are somewhat recalcitrant until it warms a bit.  Fishing a medium small san juan or an egg pattern (bows are spawning!) teamed with a BH Copper John, FB PT, miracle midge, UV midge, or other midge pupa on a longer dropper and you're good to get started.  Baetis may show on the cloudy days for brief interludes.  That activity will increase throughout spring.  The venerable hi-vis Para Adams will once again come to the forefront of every serious flyfishers go-to choice once fish start to rise.   If they won't take it straight up, try trimming the tail off completely.  This makes the pattern look just like an emerger caught in the surface film.

Spring Creeks: Skinner Ranch's East Gallatin  access will have solid midge and baetis shows. The Milesnick Ranch property- Ben Hart and Thompson creeks and the East Gallatin are off limits until May 20.  (Book opening day NOW- it's a good one!)  Fish are looking for the bugs from the midday hours with the emergence of the first bugs through the late afternoon unless it's really cold.  Nymphing with smaller beads and emerger patterns will be your best bet until the activity  on the surface really ramps up around 1 PM.  Sticking to the smaller sizes of 18 and down, midge pupa, miracle nymphs, very small san juans, pts and micro princes have have been some of  the go-to patterns. You don't always have to have them under an indy 5 feet up the leader.  Try the indy about 16 inches to 2 feet above the fly with either no extra weight or a very small size #8 or 6 split shot.   Once fish are up on top feeding, we've been doing quite well with very small hi-vis para Adams (20), Griffiths Gnats, rusty spinners, double wing spinners, and very small Royal Wulffs.  

The Paradise Valley creeks have been a slam dunk as of late.  Loads of fresh fish have been showing up every day from the Yellowston.  all these rainbows are prime spawning specimens!  Fishing has been silly at times.  And you don't have to be bothering the fish on the redds in order to have a near constant bend in your rod.  It's not hard to find the redds and to see all the fish getting it on.  Try fishing the deeper pockets and seams that are downstream of the frolickers and you'll find fish that aren't too preoccupied by the othe sex to eat.  Needless to say, egg patterns and anything small and red seems to work just fine.  These fish are not super selective right now.  Forget the 6X.  You can get it done on 4X no problem. Also helps land these great fish quickly!  Go rock 'em!