Madison River Montana
The Madison River begins its run in Yellowstone National Park where the Firehole and Gibbon rivers meet. About 130 miles later, the Madison merges with the Gallatin rivers to form the Missouri river. The fishing areas are the Upper and Lower Madison.
The Upper Madison River runs 55 miles through a large, scenic valley from Earth(quake) Lake to Ennis, Montana. This stretch of the Madison is basically a continuous riffle which makes this river such an amazing fly fishing destination. The season runs on this section runs from the last week in May through February. It is walk/wade from Quake Lake to Lyons Bridge and floating allowed after that.
Below Quake Lake, the river runs pretty fast a furious for a bit with large boulders to navigate. That said, a short way down stream is the “slide” area offering truly excellent fishing. “$3 Bridge” is a great parking area, also offering excellent fishing. This is generally our first stop when fishing the Upper Madison.
June starts the salmonfly and the golden stones hatch which brings exciting fishing to the river. The hatch begins in Ennis, Montana, working its way upstream with your catch being a mix of trout and whitefish.
Upper Madison Trout Fishing Schedule
1. Adams – Sizes 16-20
2. Royal Wulff – Sizes 14-18
3. Caddis – Sizes 14-18
4. Pale Morning Dams – Sizes 16-20
5. Stimulators – Sizes 4-12
6. Grasshoppers – Sizes 6-10
7. Ants & Beetles – Sizes 14-18
1. Pheasant Tails – Sizes 14-18
2. Prince Nymps – Sizes 12-18
3. Copper John – Sizes 14-18
Streamers
1. Woolly Bugger – Sizes 4-12
2. Girdle Bug – Sizes 4-10
3. Zonker – Sizes 6-8
Ennis Lodging
El Western Cabins & Lodges
Lure-Me-Inn
Rainbow Valley Lodge
Sportsman’s Lodge
Fly Fishing Guides
Trout On The Fly
Fly Shops & Gear
Ennis, Montana
Shedhorn Sports
Campgrounds & RV Parking
Ennis RV Village