Written from the oars and the wading belt by a guide who's logged more dawn launches than alarm-clock snoozes.
Winter on the Upper Madison isn't for the faint of rod tip, but the payoff is solitary runs and trout that sip midges as delicately as a Parisian café goer. Most days start below freezing; wait for the mercury to crawl above 20°F before you head out. Walk-wade between Raynolds Pass and Three-Dollar Bridge where the geothermal seeps keep gravel warm and bug life ticking.
Peak midge activity occurs between 11 AM and 2 PM when water temperatures rise a few degrees. January 15 through February 28 typically offers the most consistent action. Avoid holiday weekends when local anglers crowd the accessible spots near Highway 287.
#18-22 black midges under an indicator, occasional surface eats on cloudy afternoons. Zebra Midges in black/silver and red/silver (#18-20) produce consistently. For surface work, try a Griffith's Gnat (#20) or CDC Midge Cluster when fish feed in the film. See our full hatch chart for more patterns.
USGS gauge at Kirby Ranch hovers 850-950 cfs, stable but icy edges. Water clarity runs excellent, often over 10 feet visibility. Temperature stays 34-38°F except near thermal areas where it can reach 42°F. These warmer pockets concentrate fish and insects.
Barbless isn't required but makes mitten-season releases humane. Always check the latest Montana FWP regulations before you go. Carry traction devices for icy banks. Cell service is spotty between West Yellowstone and Ennis; tell someone your plan.
I keep hand warmers in my wader pocket and dunk my indicator rig every 30 seconds to prevent ice buildup. Fish the sunny bank in the morning, then switch sides as shadows move.
Ice breaks, rainbows slide upstream to spawn, and the first real stonefly, the Skwala, crawls ashore. Water is still gin-clear, so 4x fluoro and stealthy side-channel approaches pay off. A 9-foot 6-weight helps punch through variable wind.
Skwalas appear around April 1-5 near Cameron and migrate upstream through mid-May. The hatch peaks between 1 PM and 4 PM on warm afternoons (air temp above 50°F). Mother's Day Caddis (Brachycentrus) kicks off the first week of May and runs strong for three weeks. This overlap, roughly May 5-20, is my favorite time on the river.
Between Palisades and Varney the river warms earliest. The stretch from Lyons Bridge downstream to Ruby Creek fishes well on sunny April days. Avoid the upper reaches near Quake Lake until late April as water stays too cold.
#10 olive/brown Stimulator or Norm Wood Special on top; #10 Pat's Rubberlegs below. For the caddis, carry #14-16 tan Elk Hair Caddis (dry), Lafontaine Deep Sparkle Pupa (emerger), and Beadhead Caddis Pupa in olive and tan. Match the size to what's on the water. I fish a caddis dry with a trailing pupa 18 inches behind.
Launch before 9 AM to stay ahead of the drift-boat train on weekends. Tuesday through Thursday sees 50% fewer boats than Saturday. Opening weekend of Montana's general season (third Saturday of May) brings heavy pressure; plan accordingly.
Rainbow trout spawn March through May. Watch for gravel redds (light-colored oval patches) and avoid wading through them. Target fish in the pools above and below spawning areas, not on the beds.
By late June the river is a carnival: chest-deep salmonflies slap your face, ospreys holler overhead, and every trout with a pulse looks up. The hatch usually kicks off around June 25 in the lower canyon and marches upstream to the Slide Area over 2-3 weeks.
June 20-25: Hatch begins at Beartrap Canyon. June 25-July 1: Peak action from Ennis to Varney Bridge. July 1-7: Hatch moves through Varney to McAtee Bridge. July 5-12: Upper Madison from Slide to Lyons Bridge. July 10-15: Final push near Quake Lake outflow. I track water temperature to predict timing. Once the river hits 52°F consistently, salmonflies start crawling.
Snowmelt spikes flows to 1,400-1,800 cfs; wade carefully. The river often colors up during peak runoff (late May to mid-June) then clears as salmonflies emerge. Watch the USGS gauge at Kirby Ranch. Optimal fishing sits between 1,000-1,500 cfs. Above 2,000 cfs, boat fishing becomes the only option.
7-weight rod with a #4-6 Chubby Chernobyl in orange/black; 2-ft dropper to a #10 black Rubberlegs when fish won't commit. Specific patterns that produce: Norm's River Hi-Vis (#6, orange), Henry's Fork Foam Stone (#4-6), and Pat's Rubberlegs Salmon (#6) for nymphing. Golden stones follow the salmonflies by about a week, so carry #8-10 yellow/gold patterns too.
Fish the fins, soft water behind mid-river boulders, after 2 PM when adults start dropping eggs. Morning produces better dry fly action as bugs warm up and fly from streamside willows. If fish are stuffed, switch to a smaller #10 golden stone or even a hopper. The trout see hundreds of salmonflies daily; something different often triggers strikes.
Bring more big flies than you think you need. I lose 3-5 per day to willows. Book lodging early; every motel from West Yellowstone to Bozeman fills up. Consider camping at Ruby Creek or Palisades to beat the traffic.
Once stoneflies fade, trout switch to terrestrials with gusto. A steady west-slope breeze knocks hoppers in all afternoon; come dusk, #16 tan Elk-hairs blanket the air.
Hopper fishing turns on around July 15 and stays strong through Labor Day. Best action runs from 11 AM to 5 PM when grasshoppers move through bankside grass. Caddis hatches pop every evening from 6 PM until dark. August brings reliable Trico spinners (#20-22) in the morning on slow flats near Cameron.
High-viz peach Morrish Hopper (#8-10) tight to grass, mend upstream, twitch once. For color, tan and yellow work well on bright days; pink or orange patterns show up better in low light or choppy water. Carry some foam ants (#14-16) in black and cinnamon for selective fish. A beetle pattern (#12-14) fools the trout that refuse everything else.
Midday water temps can touch 70°F by late August, especially below Ennis Dam. Play fish quickly and avoid long fights. Keep fish in the water during release. Better yet, take a siesta from noon to 3 PM on the hottest days and fish the cooler morning and evening windows. Our daily reports include current water temperatures.
When caddis start bouncing on the surface around 7 PM, switch to a #14-16 CDC Elk Hair Caddis or X-Caddis. Fish a dead drift first, then skitter the fly on your backcast to trigger aggressive takes. Tan and gray colors match the predominant Madison caddis species.
Air turns crisp, crowds evaporate, and big browns get color and attitude. Baetis (#20 olive) blanket slicks on overcast afternoons. Strip a #6 olive Sparkle Minnow near gravel redds, but keep it moving to avoid spooking spawners.
Baetis (Blue Winged Olives) peak from September 15 through October 31. The best hatches happen on overcast, drizzly days between 1 PM and 4 PM. Brown trout begin staging for the spawn around October 1 and actively move through November. Big males get aggressive and territorial during this window.
The Upper Madison from Quake Lake to Lyons Bridge holds excellent fall fishing. Water clarity improves as irrigation draw-down ends. Look for pods of rising fish in the long flats above McAtee Bridge. The Lower Madison below Ennis Dam fishes well for streamers targeting brown trout staging at tributary mouths.
For Baetis: #18-20 Parachute Adams, Sparkle Dun, or CDC Blue Wing Olive for dries. RS2 and WD-40 (#18-22) work for emergers. Streamers for browns: olive Woolly Bugger (#6), Sculpzilla (#4), or Articulated Leeches in black/olive. Fish streamers on sink-tip lines with short strips and long pauses.
Spawning brown trout are easy targets but stressed. I prefer to target them with streamers rather than nymphs on redds. Give paired-up fish space and resist the urge to cast at every visible trout.
Back to fleece gloves and winter midges. Flows level out under Hebgen outflow control around 900 cfs and fish dogpile in deep green buckets. Euro-style nymphing with 4mm tungsten flies shines when guides ice.
November 1-15 can still produce good dry fly fishing on warm afternoons with late Baetis. After mid-November, focus shifts entirely to nymphing. December days are short (sunset around 4:45 PM), so plan a 10 AM to 3 PM window. The week between Christmas and New Year sees almost no fishing pressure.
Some access roads close after snowfall. Three-Dollar Bridge and Raynolds Pass remain accessible via Highway 287. Check Montana road conditions before driving. The stretch from West Yellowstone to Ennis gets plowed but can ice over fast.
Zebra Midge (#18-20) in black/silver and red/silver. Frenchie (#16-18) in olive and pink. San Juan Worm (#14) in red and wine. Perdigon (#16-20) in various colors. Jig hooks help reduce hang-ups on the rocky bottom. Fish tight-line methods with light tippet (5x-6x fluorocarbon) for best results.
Late June through early July offers the most exciting fishing during the salmonfly hatch. However, September and October provide excellent dry fly fishing with smaller crowds. For technical challenge, April's Skwala hatch rewards patient anglers with rising fish on clear water.
Yes. The Madison River is open to fishing 12 months a year. Winter fishing (December through March) targets midges in slower water near geothermal areas. The river never freezes completely thanks to dam releases and warm springs.
The salmonfly hatch typically begins around June 20-25 in the lower canyon near Beartrap and moves upstream over 2-3 weeks. By early July it reaches the Slide Area near Quake Lake. Water temperature of 52°F triggers emergence.
Spring (April-May) brings the Skwala stonefly hatch and Mother's Day caddis. Water runs clear before runoff, typically 800-1,100 cfs. Rainbow trout spawn during this time. Expect variable weather with snow possible through mid-May.
Peak season (late June through August) sees heavy boat traffic, especially on weekends. Fish early mornings before 9 AM or late evenings after 6 PM. Weekdays are noticeably quieter. The Upper Madison near Yellowstone stays less pressured than Varney to Ennis.
Check our other resources to plan your Madison River fishing trip: