Fishing on the Lower Madison is back on the menu. Look for the buckets and deeper runs. Crayfish, sculpins, worms and eggs are the norm, with baetis and midges trailing. Streamer/swing fishing can be quite productive as well. If you get an overcast day with no wind the dry fly fishing can good in the slow slicks.
Flies for the Lower Madison River Right Now:
Bloom's Hi-Vis Caddis in sizes 12-16
CDC Caddis in sizes 12-16
Parachute Purple Haze in sizes 12-18
Lightning Bugs in sizes 16-18
Sawyer PTs in sizes 18-22
Clouser crayfish in size 8-12
Little Spankers in sizes 18-20
Rainbow Warrior in sizes 16-18
Zirdle in sizes 6-12
Sparkle Minnows in bright colors in sizes 2-6
Home Invaders in purple or olive in sizes 2-6
The Month Ahead:
With the water temps on the Lower Madison back to a good range for feeding trout expect the river to come back to shape pretty quickly. The Lower Madison is known for some great fall Blue Winged Olive hatches as well as some October caddis. Streamer anglers are going to need to wait a little longer--possibly into late September--for the weeds to die off otherwise you are going to be mostly de-weeding the entire time.
Long Term Fishing Forecast:
We made it through another summer on the Lower Madison! That means we will enjoy another great late fall and winter on the Lower Madison for an ideal local option for anglers in Bozeman and Big Sky.