Photo by Patrick Daigle

Report By Craig Mathews

The Madison in the Park should really turn on now. With the cool-wet weather the fall run should intensify this week and more and more big Hebgen Lake fish will move into the system. Big fall soft hackles like our Shakey Beeleys and September Songs can be counted on to score the run-up browns and rainbows. It seems the big browns prefer the traditional orange Beeleys while rainbows like the purple. If bright and sunny trail a smaller soft hackle behind such as our peacock or PT patterns. Be looking for Baetis emergences on overcast afternoons to bring the run up fish as well as resident fish to the surface. Best areas for this activity include Grasshopper Bend as well as Elk Meadows and near 7 Mile Bridge. Have BWO Foam Emergers and sparkle duns #20. During the eves you will have white miller caddis near Madison Junction.

The lower Gibbon and Firehole Rivers will both fill with run-up fish now too so give them a try below their falls using the same flies as above along with a #4-6 Prince Nymph. The Firehole's famous Fall Baetis hatches are in full-force now all along the river upstream of The Broads during cool-damp afternoons. If sunshine prevails use soft hackles, partridge and orange and peacock and herl as well as white miller patterns.

With all the recent rains the Lamar and Soda Butte will be out for the next few days due to muddy water conditions.

The Gardner River and Slough Creek are options but check with us regarding their water conditions before making the drive.

The Henry's Fork should be fished now. The only drawback might be the weedy conditions but when the fish are up you can fool them with Baetis and Mahogany Sparkle Duns and emergers. While you will land very few fish hooked you can at least get a good run and jump out of most of these big rainbows before they become unbuckled!

The Gallatin River below Taylor Fork will likely run mud the next few days. When it clears it will fish great during BWO emergences on overcast days. When clear and warm temperatures rule fall is the time for attractors like Royal Wulff and Trude Cripples. Drake Macks may come off on the upper river too.

The Madison River between the lakes may run off-color for a few days downstream of Cabin Creek confluence, but it will fish well. Fall Baetis can emerge heavily on the right days, cool and wet are always best. This stretch also holds good populations of October Caddis. Those in the know will try big dry flies in the heaviest flows. While you will never see a concentrated emergence of this, the largest caddis in the area, you can bring some big fish up to an imitation. A salmon fly like Nick's Sunken Stone can be deadly now too.

The Madison River below Earthquake Lake is fishing during Baetis times as we discussed above. Midges are active both early and late in the day. Nymph fishing has been spectacular using small BWO nymphs and midge patterns like our $3 Dips and Shop Vacs and others.

Now too is the time for pitching big streamers into and along the banks on float trips from Lyon Bridge downstream. I always like a float from Lyon to McAtee Bridge in late September and October. Bucky has brought in some great new streamer patterns so make sure you check them out and give them a try on the rivers.

Earthquake Lake fishes well through the fall during midge and BWO times. Rainbows will group into little wolf packs and cruise the lake taking naturals and the right imitations of both insects. Brown trout can be taken along the shoreline stripping streamers off the banks or presenting a hopper on bright-warm afternoons.

Cliff Lake presents challenges in late September as fish cruise the shoreline off the closed road along the western shore. I remember September afternoons walking the old road stalking the shore in search of patrolling fish often only a few inches off the shore. The can be taken with dry muddlers and hoppers or a #16 Mahogany Sparkle Dun.

Straight, Indian, Lava and other small streams I the Park must be fished now too. While the brook trout living in these waters are not large there are certainly no prettier fish in the world this time of the year as these jewels head into spawning time.

I look forward to seeing you soon at Blue Ribbon when we can visit about the wonders of Yellowstone country and fishing it too, in our favorite time of the year.