May 2022
Updated 5/13/2022

The Upper Madison has provided anglers with some great fishing this past week. The streamer fishing has picked up noticeably and the nymphing remains consistent. Black sculpin patterns like a Trevor or Mini Dungeon have seemed to be the streamer of choice for most anglers. Don’t be afraid to mix olive and white patterns in as well to help cover your bases. Dry fly fishing is picking up day by day as we are starting to see some caddis and march browns around the valley. Not a ton of bugs yet but there are sure to be more on the way. Fishing the lower section around town will be your best bet for some dry fly activity. As expected, we are still seeing low flows being released from the dam so be prepared to cover ground to find fish when wading. Hebgen Dam is releasing flows around 640 CFS and Cameron is flowing around 835 CFS. I would expect to start seeing the river color up slightly over the next week or so as we start approaching the first week of June which is historically peak runoff time. Don’t let the off-color water fool you though as it can be a great time to come and hunt some bigger fish on streamers.

Nymph’s:

Mega Prince (#6-8), Black and Olive Rubber Legs (#8), Spanish Bullet Perdigon (#16), Red or Pink San Juan Worm, Crystal Serendipity (#16-18), Jiggy Micro May Olive or Red (#18) and Peacock Perdigon (#14)

Dry Flies:

Missing Link Caddis (#16), Peacock Caddis (#14-16), Guide Chute Adams (#14), Parachute March Brown (#12), Mimic May (#14), Mini Hot Mayfly Olive (#18), Rio Film Critic BWO (#18), Cripple March Brown (#14)

Streamers:

Black or Olive Trevor Sculpin, Pine Squirrel Leech Black and Natural (#8), Peanut Envy Black, Mini Dungeon Natural and Black (#6), Black Bugger (#4), Smoke Sparkle Minnow (#6)

Looking for some fly tying material to create these patterns? Check out our fly tying collection online or stop by the shop! As temperatures warm up, continue to practice your best fish handling techniques. Avoid fish pictures for the gram whenever possible so that we can continue to have healthy fish populations for years to come. Give our Cold Weather Gear collection a gander to ensure that you’ve got the proper warmth to maximize your time out on the water. Tight lines, and pray for snow!

- MRFC Guide John Kelley