Madison Valley Ranch
My friend, Scott Carver, President of PlanSource, invited me to conduct a casting clinic for some of his clients at his lodge, the Madison Valley Ranch, located on the east side of the Madison River, just downstream from Jeffery, MT. The clinic prepared his guests for a great day’s fishing on the Madison. And the lodge offered them unparalleled hospitality and gourmet food. Trust me, it was gourmet. The evening menu read like those in other four star restaurants. Yes, it was four star food.
The Madison was a bit reluctant to give up its fish, but the weather was excellent, and the guides were the best in the area. Everyone caught at least some fish, basked in the glory of a sunny day on one of the nations’ finest and very scenic trout streams, and reveled in the accommodations and the food.
The pond at the lodge held big Kamloops rainbows, and although they were not pushovers, they took a snail fly or damsel nymph very well. Of course they fought hard because they were big and they were Kamloops. I used my 1003 (10 foot, 3-weight) Hardy Zenith on them. It has plenty of butt strength to fight big fish and the thin line kept line drag to a minimum as the fish cut through submerged weeds. Great fun.
The Madison Valley Ranch consists of several very nicely built and comfortable log structures.
The pond in front of the lodge was framed by the Madison Range and held big Kamloops rainbows.
Kamloops are noted for their hard fighting and bright colors.
The rainbows in the pond varied from a couple of pounds to 4 or 5 pounds.
The big males seems more elusive than the females, and once hooked, they fought like demons.
The Peacock Snail fly and Marabou Damsel Nymph proved excellent choices.