The Slower Lower?

It's officially springtime in the Rockies and that means that fishing is getting good. The local favorite spot this time of year seems to always be the Lower Madsion around the Beartap area. For years, the fish in this piece of water were very successful in eluding my best efforts and the river lived up to its reutation as the "slower lower." Over the last few years, my luck has changed over there to the point that I usually can pick some fish and sometimes can do damn well. Is it me, the river, the fish, the bugs, presentation...? Don't know why, but it has happened.

This strecth of the river, according to FWP reports from a couple of years ago, has about 3000-4000 catchable trout per mile. Rainbows and Browns are evenly represented between Warm Springs and Black's Ford. I tell people this and they think I'm crazy, but it's just what the report said...so don't shoot the messenger.

Anyway, I've been out quite a bit the last week and doing very well. The midge fishing is getting pretty good, actually got a 20 incher on a wee dry last Saturday. The nyphing has been really consistent with San Jauns in any color and good enough that I really haven't tried too much of anything else.

The nymhed fish have been coming out of buckets around the weedbeds and deeper pools in the bends. I've been just wading around next to the highway and poking at the water with pretty good scuccess. Hoping to see some Baetis pretty soon and to start seeing the fish eating more Crayfish as well. It's been good, so hope it keeps up.