Hebgen Dam 1560 cfs

Old Kirby Place 1610 cfs

Varney Bridge 1810 cfs

Lower Madison 2290 cfs

The first major thing of note is that the flows on the Madison River have come up a fair amount in the last week and a half. This is not an early push of runoff water. This is increased release flow from Hebgen Dam as the powers that be continue to draw down the lake level in anticipation of runoff. The extra water is always a welcome addition when it helps give more space to move around and get into places that we would not normally be able to get to.

The fishing and the catching has been fairly steady and reasonably good. Fish are starting to move around or spread out a little more than a couple weeks ago. Fish are starting to show up in spots that might be considered summer spots. Mainly we are nymph fishing but the last couple days the streamer bite has been very good. This time of the year it change quickly with regard to what they will eat or eat well.

The best part about this time of year is that we are starting to see more bugs. I saw my first BWO’s of the year. Lots of Midges and we are also starting to see some Skwallas as well. All this means that fish will start to look up more at some point. This is what we wait all winer for. As fish begin to see more insects on the surface we will start to see more fish eating dries. This is all fantastic news as it really means we are shifting away from our winter fishing patterns into our spring and summer fish holding patterns. We will see more BWOs over the next couple weeks as well as our first March Brown hatches and this really kicks off our dry fly fishing.

Thanks for tuning in and keep your tip up!

Brian Rosenberg