MADISON RIVER
MADISON RIVER The Madison River originates in Yellowstone National Park and flows nearly 150 miles before joining the headwaters of the Missouri river.
The Madison river fishing is divided into the upper stretch and lower stretch each of which seems to be completely different waters. Both the Upper Madison and Lower Madison are some of Montana’s premier wild trout rivers and have been classified as a blue ribbon.
Upper Madison is known as the “50 Mile Riffle” and anglers attempting to wade fish will likely agree. Drift boat fishing is the norm here and with numerous access points, cold dam fed water, and a lot of healthy trout this is a must on every anglers list of place to fish.
The Lower Madison is shallow below the Ennis Lake dam, but we consistently catch our largest trout of the year on this piece of water. While most of our fishing on the Lower Madison is done with larger nymphs and streamers there are many opportunities for the dry fly fisher as well.
Montana Fly Fishing Guides, LLC. is a licensed Madison River Special Recreation Permit holder MSRP #2
GUIDE RATE $700
- Includes rods, reels, flies and catered riverside lunches
- Suitable for most ages 12 & over
Best Fishing Times
That’s a tough one… The Madison River can fish well really anytime between March through October. It really depends on what your fishing preference. The Lower Madison river can fish well even in cooler weather as the shallow water warms quickly and often has trout active on early hatches. Mid-May through mid-June can be affected by our annual spring run-off, but the Lower Madison can still fish quite well barring unusually high flows. Late July through August typically have the Lower Madison too warm to fish, but the Upper Madison drawing cool water from lakes above the dams can fish quite well.
The Fishing Experience
The Madison is often referred to as the 50 mile riffle, being that the fast, shallower water has an almost never ending riffle. This makes for quality water for both the angler and trout alike. Drift boat fishing is the norm, but wade fishing riffle corners is also common.
Madison River Hatches
Salmonflies, Golden Stones, Yellow Sallies, midges, several Caddis and multiple Mayflies are all present at various times of the year. Often over looked the crayfish on the Lower Madison can be one the most affective way to land that trout of a lifetime.