Thinking of trying the Madison River above Hebgen Reservoir for migrating browns and ‘bows? Better get there at first light anywhere on the river because there are more fly-fishers visiting than there are fish moving! Streamers are the name of the game, and the best days are ahead because we are in for a stormy weekend. That stormy weekend will extend the current good fishing on the Firehole River.
We are in “brown trout season” with the Madison and Lewis River systems featuring large, migrating brown trout and the same soon to happen on the Gardner and Snake Rivers. That means streamer presentation. The exception is the Firehole River where the fall season is ongoing. That means BWO life cycle, miller and soft hackle patterns. Watch the weather: it can change to the worst in a hurry!
We have not heard much about fishing success on the lake other than it is OK. But we are now in the month when weather cools off and fishing picks up on the lake. That means we are sure to get information, so such will begin to trickle in.
With flow (220 cfs ) just about where it should be below Mackay Dam, wading is safe. Afternoon BWO, all day midge and some hopper activities are attracting resident brook and rainbow trout. Small nymph patterns, with and without a bead head, will always produce here. Look for cool mornings, but afternoons will be as comfortable for fishing as it gets.
Look for fish responding to BWO, mahogany duns, morning tricos, afternoon caddis, ants, beetles and hoppers anywhere you try the river from Last Chance to below St. Anthony. Crowds are gone just about everywhere, but especially from the Last Chance-Harriman section. A killing frost could happen any day, especially on the upper river and wipe out hoppers and slow ants and beetles. But BWOs and caddis will remain active for quite a while. Streamer fishing will pick up on the lower river as browns begin to migrate.
Even through flows are where they should be ( 5980 cfs at Irwin, 6590 cfs at Heise, 3100 cfs at Lorenzo), action has slowed a bit, especially around riffles, during these bright, clear days. We need some stormy (with rain) weather to help increase fish activity. Regardless, as we move through October, streamer fishing will pick up as brown trout migrate to spawning areas.
We are yet to have a killing frost, so grasshoppers are abundant in the valley. The lower Teton River offers good hopper fishing as well as active BWO and caddis. Hoppers also remain in higher elevation meadows on the Teton and Blackfoot Rivers, and will be present until a killing frost wipes them out. Warm River, just below its spring, is not visited much this time of year, so offers solitude as well as AM tricos, BWO and caddis activity with a few hoppers and other terrestrial insects thrown in for resident brook, brown and rainbow trout.
Daniels Reservoir, even though water is low, remains a good bet for fishing. Slowly retrieved leech and streamer patterns on an intermediate line work well but, but midge patterns under an indicator seem best. Fishing on Springfield Reservoir is picking up a bit ( midge pupa also traditional nymph patterns under an indicator), but weeds remain in enough quantity to limit wet fly fishing in shallower water. Twenty-Four Mile Reservoir is filling, so give it several days for fishing to pick up using same techniques as on Daniels Reservoir. Chesterfield Reservoir also needs some cooler weather to bring water temps down to spread fish out. Want to catch a grayling? Horseshoe Lake off the Cave Falls Road is the place to do it. They are small (up to 12-13″), pretty, and not as numerous as the rainbow trout present. You will need a non-motorized boat or flotation device to get out in front of the lily pads to present soft hackle, midge and speckled dun life cycle patterns.
Reservoir administrators are capturing water for the next irrigation season. This means downstream flows will decrease thus driving resident salmonids to deeper water where they find more overhead cover. Several of our smaller streams with reservoirs are effective by these water collection actions. For the fly-fisher this means concentrating on deeper water. Streamer, weighted nymph, and woolly bugger patterns should be in the fly box. Such as stripping these through the deep water or suspending such patterns underneath an indicator to drift through that water are effective presentation techniques.
With flow reduced to normal seasonal amounts, now is the time to walk-in or boat fish the river almost anywhere from Menan to American Falls Reservoir. It offers a less crowded alternate to the South Fork and lower Henry’s Fork. Brown trout are starting to migrate to spawning areas, so under low light conditions streamer fishing will be the best way to encounter them. Midge and BWO hatches will provide top water fishing in some locations. Remember that the river is big and powerful, so wade carefully and do the same if boat fishing ( know where diversions are) is your way to fish.