PMB and BWO on the Madison.
It has been 2 decades since we’ve seen such incredible early season dry-fly fishing here. Pale Morning Dun, Baetis (BWO) and Green Drake mayflies continue to emerge in number on rivers like the Henry’s Fork and Madison. Big trout rising to their hatches, best on cool-rainy days, and we’ve seen lots of those lately.
Caddis mating swarm along the river.
Evening caddis activity is cranking up on the Madison, and salmon flies are showing up above Wolf Creek as well. Make sure you play the short video showing an evening caddis mating swarm so common now along the river from Ennis, Montana to Earthquake Lake.
PMD and Hydropsyhe Caddis
My fishing buddy, Yvon Chouinard, is here and we’ve had some incredible fishing this week. I got Yvon off his fishing soft hackles kick, and back to fishing dry flies when every big fish in the river was rising to emerging mayflies during rain and hail storms last Monday and Tuesday.
Yvon scores a nice Rainbow.
Last Wednesday my good friend and fishing partner Terry, my wife Jackie and I drove into the Park to fish. While we waited for a rain storm to move in and get the PMD mayflies emerging in number we hiked along the river to revisit an old poacher’s cabin, then an Indian hunting pit I’d located years before. You never know what you’ll find hiking along our area rivers.
Ruins of an old poacher’s cabin.
Indian hunting pits along the river.
Once the PMDs rolled off we had nonstop dry fly fishing to big rising brown trout for 2 hours before the sun peaked out and the PMDs shut off for the day.
It is important to remember the 3 clues to Caddis emergences and trout rising to them on rivers as John and I wrote about in our little “Fishing Yellowstone Hatches”. The first, trout are seen leaping out of the water as trout chase emerging Caddis pupae and their momentum carries them out of the water.
The second clue is that there are NO insects on the water. Adult Caddis are very difficult to see drifting on the surface.
The third clue is that most of the feeding fish are bulging and splashing in fast water sections of the river when the trout take the pupae from the surface and turn downward. In slower water you will see quiet dimples and porpoise rolls or tails breaking the surface.
If you remember these simple clues you will be successful taking fish on emerging Caddis, I guarantee.
And, have X and Iris Caddis patterns in your fly arsenal. Then you can’t miss fooling even the most selective caddis feeding trout. Let me know how you do.
Nice Rainbow Trout took an X Caddis.
Until next time, thanks for reading and please support our partner conservation organizations, and keep on fishing!