...to start fishing the Lower Madi again.
Sunday, September 9, 2007
River-Lower Madison
Section-Warm Springs to Black's Ford
Well Ags, it was a shotgun start around 9:00 AM at the Warm Springs put it. There were lots of guides out and it seemed the Lower was the spot. First part of the float yielded a nice strike on a crayfish. I attribute angler error to missing a nice 16-18 " rainbow. We couldn't get anything on the streamer in the upper section. Right before the bridge in the honey hole we pulled out a nice slot bow on a green bow river bugger. Toad alley below the bridge was tough but Bryan Grossenbacher's client pulled a toad brown out of there on a size 16 lightning bug. After the proverbial toad alley is the shoals on river left. I had some nice hopper action through there a couple weeks ago so I threw on a club sandwich and a slabby 16" bow hammered it. It was the best fight I have ever seen from a fish that size. That section is still pretty weedy and shallow so the "one fly" was the way to go. After that I put random nymph droppers off the hoppers and we picked holes to the take out yielding some nice double hook ups on little guys. My guy in the back missed a nice brown on his hopper a little after cherry creek. "Gotta let'em eat!" If I had a little more experience in the boat I think it would have been a really good day on the lower. When the sun is poppin get those hoppers out there and don't be afraid to fish the shallow water. Take care and NEVER SQUEEZE A FISH!
-Meade
