Upper Madison River Fishing Report

Flows below Hebgen have bumped up to 820 cfs from the 760 we had two weeks ago, and the water is cold and clean top to bottom. Yesterday's peak temp at Kirby was 63.1°F, and with the nights we've been having, mornings are starting in the low 50s. Fish are comfortable and feeding through the whole day, which you can't say about much of Montana in a normal September. Hoot owl came off the Madison back on August 31 and there's no reason to think it comes back this year. That said, honest reports from the valley over the last couple weeks have run the gamut. Some days have been lights out, others have been a grind, and that's normal for this time of year. The fish are here, they're healthy, and they're just being complicated. Cover water and don't camp on a run that isn't producing. The between-the-lakes stretch has been the most consistent water on the river. Stable flows, cold water, and hoppers still bouncing around in the afternoon sun. Remember that fishing from a boat is prohibited from the Quake Lake outlet down to Lyons Bridge, so that's wade water, same as Ennis Bridge down to Ennis Lake. Floats legally start at Lyons. Down through the Fifty Mile Riffle, the wade fishing at the usual access points has been better than the float fishing lately, mostly because low, clear water lets waders pick apart the good buckets while boats blow past them. Bug-wise, we're in the transition. Terrestrials are on borrowed time but still working, especially ants, which have been out-fishing hoppers on the tougher days. There was a legitimately great Trico spinner fall reported between the lakes recently, so if you're on the water early and see fish sipping in the slicks, don't assume they're on midges. The bigger story going forward is Blue Winged Olives. Any overcast, drizzly afternoon from here on out can produce a real hatch, and the first good BWO day of fall is one of the best days of the year on this river. Fish have already started keying on small olive nymphs subsurface even without a visible hatch. Streamer fishing is picking up too as the browns start thinking about October. Nothing crazy yet, but a Sparkle Minnow or Zonker worked through the deeper slots is moving fish, particularly on the low-light ends of the day. Clarity is excellent everywhere, no tributary issues, and Hebgen sitting a few feet from full pond means the Bureau shouldn't throw any surprise flow changes at us. If you want to understand what those gauge numbers actually mean for your day, the flow data page walks through it. Bottom line, this is the reach I'd fish today. The park water is a dawn-only bet and the Lower is good but not this good.

Tactics for today

Fish a single hopper and cover water in the afternoon, banging the banks and the inside seams. Don't dead-stick it, a little twitch sells it in clear water. If the hopper eat is slow, drop a #16 ant off the back before you give up on the surface. Subsurface, I'd run a black rubber legs with a Juju Baetis trailer through the deeper runs, dead drift it under an indicator, then let it swing out at the tailout. That swing eat at the end of the drift has been producing. Long leaders and 4X or lighter on the flats, the water is too clear for rope. If clouds roll in, re-rig for BWOs immediately with a #18 olive sparkle dun and fish the soft seams and back eddies where the duns collect.