February Midges

February 17, 2011 — 10:43 am | Posted by Cam Coffin in Fishing Reports

You have to check out this short video of midge fishing on the Madison this past Monday.

Phil and I with my friend, Steve from Jackson in tow, fished the river last Monday. We waded through snows along the $3 Bridge stretch and had very good midge fishing as you will see. Steve is pictured here with a nice rainbow taken below $3 Bridge.

Yesterday, Wednesday, I returned to fish again, this time by myself. I brought snow shoes along which proved a good move as the snow is 2-4 feet deep in places. I fished both up and downstream of the bridge with good success.

Fishing both days from noon to 3 pm was incredible. Midges emerged, clustered and egg-layed and the trout rose to them in all likely spots. Best flies were G Gnat Emergers, Zelon and Scotty's Midges for surface flies and Steve did well with the small red blood midge although there were so many fish rising that subsurface fishing was not as productive as the dry fly action.

One fish of note is pictured below. It was a large trout and I saw it rising below the rock as shown in the photo. As I worked up to the rock I hooked and landed a few good rainbows and one nice brown. All the while concentrating on several rising trout well below the rock. My attention became directed to a large rock at the head of the pool as I would detect a wink of white flash just below it. I sat on a boulder 10-15 feet downstream of this rock and watched for the white flash. It became readliy apparent that the white I was seeing was a trout's mouth open to take midges. I'd watch as the trout would rise and brush against the rock knocking midges off it following up by rising to these midges as they road the current just below. I fooled the trout with a Scotty's Midge, got a good run and a jump and it threw the hook....a fine brown trout!

With only a few days left of the fishing season, it closes Feb 28th on the Quake Lake to McAtee Bridge stretch, you an bet we will fish it in the next 10 days, weather permitting. Stay tuned for more!

a pre-spawning colored up rainbow

the brown creating a wink of white as it rose to midges it knocked off this boulder

an almost neon colored rainbow ready to head into the spawn

foam mat with midges, you can see a couple trout rising in the foam mat, note their riseforms disturbing the foam. i hook 2 from this foam by dragging my fly...hard to compete with so many midges!

a cluster of mating midges...reason a Griffth's Gnat sometimes works

Comments

Very nice, the pictures,video and all. Happy New Year! (belatedly)

It’s just great how all of you have adopted “new media” approaches and share with us your fishing experiences. This will contine to make your organization the premier place to stop in West Yellowstone for all (most?) things fly fishing

Thanks for your efforts.

By Art Hanel on 02/17 2011
Pretty neat, midges in the foam, hard to beat but you guys desevre it, with all the Winter you have had. Great pictures, The blog makes the Winter shorter. Thanks

regards

By Spence Benoit on 02/17 2011
Spring has sprung here in MN. Have enjoyed your all your posts this past winter in between stacking firewood and keep the home fires burnin. Hopefully I’ll make it back to god’s country again this year or even better move there…time will only tell. Like the all the pics!

By John Moszer on 02/17 2011
Now that’s a fishing report! Great commentary, stunning photos, and a video to boot! I must inquire sometime on your foam “drag” technique. Thanks again for sharing the experience.

By John Bearden on 02/20 2011
Fabulous post Cam! Thanks. Have fished those exact slicks countless times. See you in April.

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