Brrr….honestly not many of us around here have given much serious thought to trout fishing for the past couple weeks. It’s been cold, damn cold. 10 days ago we endured a weeklong stint of weather harsh enough to make us question our sanity if only momentarily. We’ve come through that now relatively unscathed and at the moment it just looks more frigid than it really is outside. Still not all that fisher friendly with the wind rattling the windows but at least the river is actually flowing again. There really haven’t been many days recently where I’d advise driving any distance to fish here. You really need to pay attention to the weather reports and give us a call before making the trip. It can be dead calm in Bozeman and blowing 30 here in Ennis. Conversely it can be nuking here in town and quiet as a cathedral up at the Slide. It certainly pays to find out the scoop before eating the gas to drive over here. On the good days though, and there will be some of those coming up, the fishing can be surprisingly good. Even on the warmest days for the next few months the fish won’t be inclined to move very far for a meal, they will however, tend to gather in the slowest, deepest spots and hug the bottom so if you find one, you’ll generally find a few. The challenge is getting the bugs in their faces; sometimes it takes a while to get it right. At this time of year, if you’re not catching fish it’s generally not the pattern that’s to blame. Virtually any general-purpose nymph will work. I like Hare’s Ears, Princes, Lightning Bugs and Yellow Sally nymphs and of course adding a San Juan or Atomic Worm to your rig can be helpful. The weight you add to your rig is the critical component. You want your bugs bouncing right on the bottom but not hanging up too much if you can help it. A fine line there I know. You’ll need to keep making adjustments until one of three things happens, you catch a fish or two, you convince yourself that there are, in fact, no fish in that hole or (and this is probably the most likely scenario) you start daydreaming of a warm wood-stove a couch and a TV out of the frickin’ WIND!! Anyway, like I said, choose your day wisely (today the water temp at Kirby nosed 37 degrees for a bit) and you can find yourself a few blessed hours of relief from work, the tying bench or day-time television

Stay tuned for continuing River updates!

If you are in town, stop by the shop and ask us about the right bugs and stretch of river. We’ll hook you up with the best of both. We guarantee we have the best and most innovative patterns you’ll see anywhere!

Contact us for Madison River Fishing Company's 2008 Fly Fishing Catalog featuring the best fly tackle on the market. Give us a call at 800-227-7127 or email us at mrfc@3rivers.net and we will send you a copy.

We also offer Montana fly fishing schools and Montana guide services.

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