Hello, Angie here from Bob Ward & Sons…let’s talk fishing success in spite of the cold & snow, around Bozeman & Butte!
BOZEMAN says the Blue Winged Olives & the fall Baetis are swarming over the GALLATIN river, & if that’s not enough, try subsurface with Egg Patterns in the tailouts for Rainbow Trout…Mega Hares Ears in a sz 8, Copper Johns or Silver Lightning Bugs in a 12 are also superb go-tos! The UPPER MADISON is sizzlin hot lately, with the well-defined deep holes on the river below Varney really producing, & the fish biting at Sculpins, Stoneflies, Egg Patterns, Emergers, pretty much all the old reliables! The LOWER MADDY likes your Egg or Worm patterns, or if you want to try some Dries, this chill will bring the Midges & Baetis out! Stay out of the WIND tho! Deaddrift your Uglies on the YELLOWSTONE, or try try a Swimmin Jimmy Rainbow or a Buck Rogers Whitefish stripped REAL slow! For nymphs here, we like the Clousers Crayfish in sz 8, Dark Brown, or a Gold Lightning Bug, in a 12-14! Don’t forget about the EAST GALLATIN, a great place to fish in the fall, if you hit the deep pools or river bends with your Streamers….just go smaller here than you would in the bigger venues, sz 6 to 8 is a good estimate! Try stripping Olive Zonkers, a Conehead JJ Special, or Bling Minnows.
BUTTE says to go for the San Juans or Flashback Beadheads on the BIG HOLE, or meet with some success with yellow or brown Streamers in smaller sizes, like a sz 6 Yellow Space Invader…JEFFERSON RIVER sports just about perfect water temps for this time of year, & the larger the Streamer here, the better….an Olive Buck Rogers in a 0, for instance! The BEAVERHEAD has been excellent at most fishing accesses with Spinner Baits or Rapallas producing the best catches. GEORGETOWN LAKE has been darn decent for the bait fisherman this past week, which shouldn’t change…get out your Powerbait, Crawlers with Garlic Marshmallows or Orange Jointed Rapallas near the shore or on the lake! DELMOE RESERVOIR is still a sweet spot as well, get your jointed Rapallas out here, or head to CLARK CANYON & troll Panther Martins before the ice hits!
SKI-BA-DEE-BA-DOO Sale continues for another weekend, until Nov 11th, at the Butte & Bozeman Stores, & don’t forget that we’ll tune up your skis for the new season here in the store as well…that’s a $50 value for $14.99! While there, check out the latest in technology clothing to keep you VERY warm this winter, no matter which outdoor activity you choose! Of course, I’ll be going strong with fishing advice thru the ICE season & into Spring, so back next week with more!
