Madison River, Montana Fishing Report
Some of my greatest childhood fly fishing memories took place on Montana’s Madison River, in a short, fast-water stretch between Three Dollar Bridge and Quake Lake. Last week, I revisited my old stomping grounds and created new memories. Based on the fishing, it might be a good time for you to do the same thing.
That’s because, right now, water clarity is excellent on the Madison. Even though I fished more rainy days than sunny ones, the rain didn't influence water clarity at all, and I found a few fish. Air temperatures were in the 80s, and wet wading was the way to go, which is always the case here—you can’t fish from a boat on this stretch although you can use a boat or raft to access the water and float through to lower sections.
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The primary hatch was brown caddisflies ranging from #14-20. However, the trout didn't seem to key in on caddis dries like I thought they would. I was disappointed to find little surface activity in the afternoons and evenings. During my days on the Madison I only got a few quick grabs, and a handful of refusals on top. If I were to hit the Madison again tomorrow, I would make sure to have an arsenal of caddis in my fly box, including a lot of nymphs. I caught most of my fish under an indicator. The brown trout, especially, seemed to key in on a #14 rock worm, but a #12 black salmonfly nymph produced a few trout as well. Other flies to take along the trip would include #14 Tan Taylors Gut Instinct, #16 N40 Caddis, #12 FB Pheasant Tail, #16-18 $3 Dip and the same size Lightening Bug. Various black stonefly nymphs work, too.
To change things up I swung a couple small olive streamers through a few runs, but didn’t get any grabs. But, streamers are always a good bet on the “Fifty Mile Riffle” and it would be smart to pack a selection of these, in various colors, if you choose to fish the Madison this summer or fall. Morning hours are best for the streamer bite, but you can throw them when things slow down in midday hours, too. The Madison’s browns eat mouse imitations, too, so you might want to pack a few of these and try them when things are slow, and when you fish into the dark hours.
The dries I threw included #10 black Moodah Poodah, #10 orange Stimulator, #10 tan Fat Albert, #14 brown Elk Hair Caddis, #16 brown Henry's Fork Caddis, and #12 March Brown. The only action I had was on the #10 black Moodah Poodah, the #14 Elk Hair Caddis, and the #16 Henry's Fork Caddis. Caddis emergers should be part of your Madison River mix and LaFontaine’s Emergent Sparkle Pupae always is a good bet.
The crowds were not bad at Raynold's Pass. There were always people on the river, but a little hiking along the riverbank got me to some great pools that I could fish at my own pace. Everyone was respectful and willing to share a fishing report.
Looking for more advice on when, where, and how to fish the Madison? Stop by our Ponderay flyshop, and lets talk about one of my favorite rivers.