Madison River Fishing

Main Species Present: Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Mountain Whitefish

The Madison River is truly one of the country's finest. Originating at the confluence of the Firehole and Gibbon River in Yellowstone National Park, it earns its reputation as a legendary trout stream. It is no mistake that this river resides in the dreams of trout fisherman across the continent. The Madison River has it all. It starts in Yellowstone National Park as a large spring creek where anglers can find some of the most challenging dry fly fishing in the world. Between Hebgen Lake and Ennis Lake it is a fast-flowing foothills river with one of the highest trout per mile counts in the nation and an excellent salmon-fly hatch. In it's lower reaches, it is a huge, high plains river with challenging fishing for some of the largest brown trout in the Western United States. Any fisherman can find what they are looking for on the Madison.

The Madison River's upper reaches lie in Yellowstone National Park. The upper reaches of the Madison may be the most famous and the most challenging trout water in the country. It is said that less than 30% of the fisherman who work this stretch catch fish. This may seem to indicate that there aren't many fish, but it's quite the opposite. The upper Madison has an excellent population of resident rainbows and browns, as well as substantial numbers of lake run rainbows and browns from Hebgen Lake in the spring and fall. But the upper Madison is glassy, smooth, and slow flowing, like a large spring creek. And the fish are enormously pressured. This means that your presentation must be close to perfect to find success here. The fishing is somewhat seasonal in nature on the upper Maddy. The fishing is great right when the river opens in spring. There are spring run rainbows to fish for from the lake. Those fish are primarily caught on streamers and wet flies. But the resident fish are always willing to take a very well presented dry fly. The hatches on this stretch of river are amazing. The fishing stays very good until about early July, when the water begins to warm up. The river, despite it's high altitude, is prone to warm water temperatures because it is heavily influenced by hot water geysers. The fishing can stay good all summer in cool years, but in hot years, it can be very slow from mid-July to early September. If it's cool enough, the upper Madison fishes well during the summer with hopper patterns in the afternoons and trico imiatons in the morning. In fall, browns run up from Hebgen Lake to spawn, and the fishing can be great from early October to the close of the season in November. These browns can be massive, in the 5-10 pound range, so heavy gear is called for. This is streamer fishing for the most part, and there are apt to be crowds.

Below Hebgen Lake, the stream is quite different. Warm water is no longer a problem during the summer, as Hebgen Lake dilutes the effects of the hot springs. The short stretch of stream between Hebgen Lake and Quake Lake is an excellent area to fish for both rainbow and brown trout, and it is an excellent spawning ground as well. Below Quake Lake, the Madison begins what is commonly referred to as the "Fifty Mile Riffle". This long stretch of water is, as the name indicates, basically one long riffle. Few dangerous rapids exist, but almost all the water is at least moderately fast. This part of the river is the most popular place to fish the Madison, and for good reason. First and foremost, the fishing is beyond world-class for rainbow and brown trout. Massive fish are possible, and several thousand trout reside in each mile of stream. There is excellent wading access to this stretch, but most people like to float it. The mid-June Salmonfly hatch is the main event on this stretch of the Madison. It can be hit or miss, but when it's really on, the fishing can be absolutely out of this world. Less known, but arguably better dry fly fishing occurs later on in the summer, starting in late July and lasting through most of September. This is hopper fishing. The middle reaches of the Madison flows through great hopper country, and fish will focus on them to the exclusion of everything else during mid-day hours. This can equal the best fishing of the year. Other great dry fly opportunities on this stretch of the Madison come in April and again in October, with the Blue-winged Olive hatch. This, in start contrast to the salmon flies and hoppers, is far and fine fishing, and exact imations can be necessary. That said, locals say a #16 Parachute Adams will get the job done as often as not during the Olive hatch. Other good hatches include Pale Morning Duns, Caddis, and Golden Stones.

This "Fifty Mile Riffle", finally comes to an end at Ennis Lake. Below the lake, fishing is an early and late season affair. From September to late June, the fishing can be epic for brown trout, but during the summer, the fishing really slows down. Water temperatures can raises into the mid-seventies, which occasionally causes fish kills. Still, this part of the Madison is beautiful, and if you happen to get here in the early season, you could have a great day. Late season is also great, offering some of the best big-trout streamer fishing in the state of Montana. While this part of the Madison is primarily a streamer and nymph fishery, dry fly fishing can be fantastic as well. Early to mid-June brings the Salmon-fly hatch, and world-class, if somewhat inconsistent fishing. Olives also hatch well here in the spring and fall and can get lots of trout looking up. The Lower Madison is also a good winter fishery. Egg patterns, and sometimes midge dries, take trout in the cold months. The Madison finally ends at the confluence with the Gallatin and Jefferson River. This of course forms the beginning of the great Missouri River.

Every trout fisherman owes it to themselves to fish the Madison River at least once in their lifetimes. It is one of the true great, wild trout streams in America, and the beauty of the river is unmatched anywhere.