MYSTERY MONSTER
A few weeks back, we took a client out on the Missouri. During the morning, the river fished lights out, but after lunch the bite died down so we decided to spend the last hour on Upper Holter Lake.
Quickly, a handful of rainbows were brought to the net. Our client was fishing a Callibaetis nymph and a balanced leech under a bobber when he said he hooked into a monster fish. Our guide saw the silhouette under the boat and immediately pulled the anchor, thinking he didn’t want to lose what looked to be a state record brown trout.
After a long fight, the fish finally showed itself to be a huge pike. Once landed, it measured out at 40 inches. Just goes to show you that you never know what can happen when you get your line in the water.
LAKE EFFECT
That story is a good lead into the fact that this is a wonderful time to fish our lakes. The classic stillwater patterns like balanced leeches and Chironomids are winners as usual, but during hot days you can really have fun fishing terrestrials–ants, hoppers and beetles are bringing fish to the surface and making for some exciting lake dry fly fishing. Flying ants are a favorite meal for local trout especially those in Hebgen Lake and we’ll often use a Royal Wulff to mimic these insects.
Another dry fly to try on the stillwater is the spruce moth. These bugs hatch in pine trees during hot, dry weather, but are attracted to water making them a favorite meal of trout, especially those inhabiting lakes surrounded by coniferous trees. Look for them from mid-morning to mid-afternoon and you can also find some stragglers around during dusk. If you don’t have a specific spruce moth pattern in your box a #14 tan caddis will usually do the trick.
The spruce moth will also work on a lot of local rivers, including the Gallatin, Madison, Yellowstone, and the Firehole in Yellowstone National Park.
Again, fishing terrestrials on the rivers this time of year should bring fish to the surface, though some days have been better than others. Usually waiting for the water to warm up a bit to fish these patterns is a good bet.
FUTURE FISHING FORECAST
If you checked the weather report the other day in Bozeman you might have noticed a dip into the 50s overnight. There was also a forecast for a stretch of unseasonably cool weather on tap for Southwestern Montana.
During late summer when we start to see cooler evening temperatures it is a sign that we are getting closer to the fall run when fish move upriver to spawn. This usually starts to happen around the second of week September. A hallmark of this time of year is the brown trout migration from Ennis and Hebgen lakes into the Madison River as well as from Upper Holter Lake into the Missouri River. As they head to their spawning areas, the rainbow trout follow them creating an uptick in action as the mercury drops.
Usually these large fish are tough to target as they hide in the depth of the lakes but as they move into the river systems they are much easier to find. This means it is a great time to book a guide and chase a fish of a lifetime.
Also, since most summer vacationers and people with kids have gone back home, you often have the rivers all to yourself. It is one of our favorite times to fish our waters and hope you come out this fall and experience Montana fishing at its best.
FANTASTIC FEEDBACK
Right now, we have 74 reviews on Google, and all of them are five stars, so we just wanted to take a second to say thank you to everyone who has gone out on the water with us and taken the time to give us such great feedback on their trip.
These high marks mean the world to us and are a testament to the hard work and professionalism of our guides who go above and beyond to make sure everyone who goes fishing with Trout On The Fly has a fun and worthwhile experience.
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