Do you hold to this Spring Fishing Philosophy?
Many of our loyal Montana Fish Bum Blog followers have asked why the fishing reports are always so varied this time of year. The short answer: it’s spring fishing. We have to go back a ways for the longer, geek-ier answer. All the way back to ancient China and the philosophy of Yin/Yang. The Chinese philosophy of Yin/Yang espouses how seemingly contrary forces are interconnected in the natural world and how these forces give rise to one another. For example light leads up to periods or darkness, which in turn yields back to light. I lost some of you so here’s the short version = opposite yet related. Most Montana anglers would loosely agree with this line of thinking, especially when it comes to spring fishing. Of course you still don’t see many Yin/Yang bumper stickers pasted to the back of mud covered trucks driven by guys with cowboy hats.
Spring is the time when most anglers are getting excited for the first warm days of spring and the hopes that eager trout will feed with abandon. However, for as many days as this holds true the opposite occurs. Our warm days and nights in Montana raises the water temperature to excite the baetis, caddis and March Browns, but it also starts melting snow in the mountains. The melted snow raises the river flows, colors up the water and in most cases cools the water temperature down delaying the hatch or putting the trout off the feed.
Or the Dude's Philosophy?
This situation holds particularly true during late April and early May here on the Yellowstone River when the Mother’s Day Caddis hatch occurs. Caddis fishing in here in the spring can be a real start and stop adventure. One day the caddis will pour off the river then a couple days of warmth with blow the river out. The caddis hatch will slow down and when the river gets warmer they’ll start going again. This could scenario could last several days, even weeks. Damn the Yin Yang!
So as anglers are anticipating the greatest of all spring hatches here in Montana we would suggest taking up the philosophy of “The Dude”*, which would be “forget about it and just go fishing man” (PG version). It’s not possible to plan for good fishing, you have to put in your time. When you fish enough you’ll realize that all fishing days are great, the catching just balances itself out over the years. In the battle of holding to the best philosophy of spring fishing in Montana we hold true to the Dude.
* If you don’t know who the Dude is we suggest watching the Big Lebowski next time the river blows out.
Mother's Day Caddis Hatch from 2009
As many of you know (since we love talking about it!) we are getting close to our annual Mother’s Day Caddis hatch on the Yellowstone River. We have seen some – I repeat some – caddis on the river. In total we’ve seen a few dozen adults over the past several days and plenty of pupa starting to drift and migrate. So, we are getting close.
The recent warm weather has melted some of the lower snow and the Yellowstone has come and cooled off a bit. The magic number for the full blown hatch is when the water temperatures go upwards of 54 degrees.
So if we had to guess? Within the next week we should start seeing some good caddis fishing. So keep your thermometers handy and check the river temps often over the next several days – or you can just read our blog and we’ll let you know.
Remember we do have a great spring fly fishing rate from now until June so come on out and enjoy a Montana fly fishing trip this season!
Yellowstone River Brown Trout
Summary: We received reports from two guides today, both floated in close proximity to town (Livingston). Both reports were good but less than spectacular, which was surprising due to the great water temps and perfect spring weather. Maybe such great conditions just freaked the trout out today as they’ve seen massive extremes in weather over the past couple weeks.
Best Technique: Both boats caught a good number of fish (about 15/boat), using a variety of techniques, but shallow water nymphing (about three feet) in the foam holes was definitely the most productive.
Weather & Water Conditions: 65 degrees, light downstream wind with water temps between 48 and 52.
Hatches: Light midge and baetis in the afternoon.
Best Bugs: King Prince, Tungsten Pheasant Tail sz 16 & zebra midge or black copper john sz 16-18.
Mother's Day Caddis Fishing on the Yellowstone River
Spring fly fishing in Montana on the Yellowstone River, Madison River, and the Spring Creeks of Armstrong, DePuy, and Nelson can be some of the best of the year. In fact many of our summer guests ask us when we get time to fish. The answer – spring time! While the weather can be variable the fishing is quite consistent. Those of you considering an early season get-away, here’s a rundown of what you can expect.
The weather and conditions are varied so come prepared for temperatures from the low 40′s to mid-60′s. On occasions there is snow, which should not stop your fishing, but if it does, this is also the prime time for wolf watching in the nearby Lamar Valley of Yellowstone National Park. Buffalo, elk, and other game, that grew weary over the harsh winter, often fall prey to the wolves at this time and the packs can be seen from the road! This wonder has drawn world-wide interest and many people are coming to our region specifically for this event.
The benefits of springtime travel in Montana have not caught on nationwide, but for the passionate community of people who love the West, it is the only time to be here. For “locals”, this early fishing season is a treasured un-crowded time unlike any other. It’s often been suggested Montana natives named it the “Mother’s Day Caddis Hatch” so they could have the best dry fly fishing for themselves for three weeks before.
As for what you can expect for the fishing:
A Beautiful spring time Cutthroat
March – early April bring us great midge and baetis fishing. The water is usually low and clear, so good presentation is the key to fishing success. That said, the fish are eager to eat after the long winter’s cold. Water temperatures warm and the fish get active. Warm afternoons are best, especially on cloudy days even if it’s snowing outside. The added bonus is that if the weather turns cold and snowy Bridger Bowl ski area is only 35 miles away – ski in the morning and then fish the afternoon hatch!
Mid April – early May really gets us excited. One of the most spectacular hatches anywhere in the world is right around the corner – the Mother’s Day Caddis hatch on the Yellowstone River. Describing this hatch, when it’s full blown, is almost impossible. You might think we’re exaggerating, but that’s why we’ve included some photos so you can judge for yourself. The river has an orange hue when the hundreds of thousands of caddis hatch in the afternoon. In the beginning stages of the hatch trout are eager to feed on these tasty morsels along the river banks and in back-eddies. While the caddis hatch gets most of the attention the March Brown’s can be just as spectacular. What trout wouldn’t want to eat a size 12 to 14 mayfly after a long winters slumber?
In an effort to get some of our long time summer fishing clients to get a taste of the greas Montana spring fishing we offer a 15% discount from our standard guided fishing rates. So if this sounds like an interesting time of year let us know and we can fill you in on more details. This opportunity is available from March until the first week of June.
