Happy Fourth of July! Weather outlook is calling for bright and sunny and a steady warming trend for the upcoming week or two. Be prepared for a stray afternoon thunder-boomer or two. We are entering summer mode around here with the better fishing happening early and late in the day. Stay safe out there!
Box Canyon (1310 cfs out of IP dam, add another 200 below the Buffalo River) – Flows have come up this week with irrigation demand down in the valley and a drier than normal June. Luckily, clarity remains good throughout the system. We are expecting flows to top out around 1500-1600 cfs over the next couple of weeks. There are still some Golden Stones as well as PMDs, Flavs, Caddis, and some Grey Drakes on the lower end. Other than that, run a dry-dropper rig or tandem nymph rigs with Perdigons, CDC Pheasant Tails, Crackbacks, etc. Streamers are always a good bet as well. Be careful out there at these flows; the pleasure tubers and paddlers will be out en masse this weekend.
Last Chance and Harriman – Hopefully flows will settle in and not fluctuate too drastically the next couple of weeks. Fingers crossed but no promises. Fishing has been hot and cold out back and through Harriman State Park. The increases in flow coupled with windy conditions have made the catching unpredictable for the most part. There have been good pockets of dry fly fishing, however, particularly early and late if you can find some spinners. If you’re heading out, have PMDs #16-20, Flavs #14ish, Caddis #16-20, Rusty Spinners #14-20, and Ants and Beetles of all shapes, sizes, and colors. We are still seeing some Green Drakes and Brown Drakes, but those hatches are on the wane. Expect to see some Grey Drakes as well, especially as the flows come up. Pay particular attention to the banks as the fish are certainly cruising and hanging tight at these flows.
Warm River – Warm River to Ashton has been producing pretty well if you’re willing to mix things up. There are Golden Stones, Caddis, and PMDs. You might see a random Flav or Green Drake as well. Your best bet will be running dry-dropper and nymph rigs if you’re not finding any fish actively feeding on the surface. Have some streamers as well.
Below Ashton (2100 cfs below Ashton, 1290 cfs at St Anthony) – The Lower River has been a bit persnickety the last few days – bugs and no fish, or just no bugs. Honestly, things will start to slow down even more as temperatures are expected to hit low to mid 90s next week and water temperatures will rise enough that it will be better to leave those fish alone until the Fall. Have Golden Stones, Caddis, Rusty Spinners, and PMDs. The terrestrial game should really start picking up.
Madison River (about 955 cfs out of Hebgen, 1500 at Cameron) – The Big Bugs are around! We’ve had some trips run that direction this past week and have had solid reports of great dry fly fishing with Salmonflies, Golden Stones, Caddis, and PMDs. Dry-dropper rigs have been very productive as well.
Henry’s Lake – It’s getting to be time to target the creek mouths and springs. Have an assortment of Leeches, Scuds, Chironomids, Renegades, and Damsels. Keep an eye on the wind and stay safe.
Hebgen Lake – There are some fish up eating Callibaetis and Caddis. Gulper activity will only get better as the weather warms in the coming weeks.
Yellowstone NP – I got pretty solid reports from The Yellowstone River opener. There are PMDs and Caddis as well as some Stoneflies. The Gallatin is in great shape and fishing well as is the Gardner. The Northeast Corner is shaping up. The Madison and Firehole are getting too warm to fish for the next couple of months; best to just leave them alone unless you can find an early morning spinner fall.
Stop in and say hello. We are here from 7am to 9pm daily. We look forward to seeing you all.
-Campbell
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