News from Blue Ribbon Flies

October 26th, 2023

Welcome to the Blue Ribbon Flies Newsletter!

Thanks for taking the time to read our weekly newsletter, and as always if you have questions or comments don't hesitate to give us a shout at 406-646-7642! Our current hours are 7:30am to 4:30pm.

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What's Happening in Yellowstone Country

A semi live view of the shop!

Intro by Josh Almond

Welcome to the final newsletter of our 2023 fishing season. It's amazing to say that we're already coming to a close. Much like my previous three years here at Blue Ribbon I never came close to fishing everything I wanted to fish over the course of the year. I still got to check out a lot of new water and learned some new things that I'm looking forward to taking advantage of in the future. There is never enough to time it seems, especially considering the abundance of water we have available to us. I'll start putting together my list of what I want to explore next summer at some point this winter. It will probably be pretty ambitious but it should give me no shortage of options when I get time to fish.

For the final few week of fishing in the park it seems as if we'll be cold and covered in snow. Day time highs look to be hovering in the high 20's to mid 30's for most of the week. So sleep in, have an extra cup of coffee and enjoy a big breakfast before heading out. Expect your best fishing to be on the Firehole, Gibbon and Madison in the park. Raynold's and $3 Bridge should also be good options after the weekend once it starts to warm back up. Wherever you end up keep an eye out for redds and be sure to give them a wide berth should you come upon one.

This past weekend I was able to get out and do some fishing on the Madison down in the valley. I had visions of trout rising carelessly to bwo's in the clouds, unfortunately that never happened for me. Thankfully I found some fish very willing to chase and eat streamers. While not as delicate as presenting a #22 Sparkle Dun it's still a highly visual game that makes for entertaining fishing. The real beauty of the day was that I had a ton of water to fish without another angler in sight. Looking ahead at my weekend I'm not sure I'll fish on Sunday as it looks a bit cool for my taste, but Monday definitely looks like an option!

For next week we may not do a newsletter or maybe not a traditional one. The last day of fishing in the park is Tuesday, October 31st and we may close the shop for a few days to take a breath after a great season.

As always give us a call at the shop, swing in or shoot us an email if you have any questions!

Fishing Report

A buttery streamer eater on the Madison.

Photo by Josh Almond.

The Firehole will probably be our best option for the last few days of fishing the park. The warmer water will be beneficial with the extremely cold temperatures we are forecast to see. If we get the high cold sun look for small soft hackles like a #16 Spider Hare and Partridge or #16 Snipe and Purple to fish well. You can also do well swinging small Pheasant Tail Flashbacks during Baetis season. An olive #8 Super Squirrel could also be a good idea.

The Madison in the valley We wouldn't recommend arriving early with the cold temps as a bunch of iced up guides is never fun. Once the early afternoon hours hit there should be some good nymphing and streamer fishing. If you're lucky maybe some fish will be up on midges. For flies we would have #18 Crystal Serendipities, #22 Improved Zelon Midges, #16 Shop Vacs and #8 Sparkle Yummies in olive.

The Madison in the park picked up at the end of last week and has started to become a bit more consistent. This weather may slow down the morning bite but it should still offer good fishing. It may be beneficial to fish closer to the junction to take advantage of the warmer water coming out of the Firehole. Nymphing the slower runs will be the most productive option with flies like #10 Black Rubberlegs, #16 Guide Dips and #18 Zebra Midges being mainstays. For soft hackles look at trying a #6 Lucky Bucky or maybe one of the new #10 Shakey Variants. On the streamer front we are still liking #6 Montana Intruders and #4 Goblins.

Flies of the Week