Shaping up for an ideal weekend forecast that could bring a solid hatch of BWOs or possibly even a few very early Mother's Day caddis on the Lower Madison. Flows on the Lower Madison are slightly above average but have leveled out some. As the daytime high temps slowly increase expect Cherry Creek and Bear Trap Creek to add some color to the river, but because outflows from the dam are still above average, fishing should still be consistent.
Even though water temps on the Lower Madison are climbing to the high 40s, most trout are still in the buckets and deeper runs, despite the sporadic midge hatch or sparkling of Blue Winged Olives in specific areas. Crayfish, sculpins, worms, and rubberlegs are still the norm, with baetis and midges trailing behind them. Prospecting with dry flies you can find a few trout rising to midges or Blue Winged Olives. Streamer/swing fishing can be quite productive as well. A few larger fish are being caught on very slowly stripped or dragged streamers. White and olive have been the best colors, especially on these bright sunny days. If you are headed into Beartrap Canyon, be sure to read our blog on Fishing Big Canyon Waters.
Flies for the Lower Madison River Right Now:
Parachute Purple Haze in sizes 12-18
Buzzball in sizes 14-18
Lightning Bugs in sizes 16-18
Firebead and hot bead SJ wormies in sizes 10-14
Zebra Midges in red or black in sizes 18-22
Sawyer PTs in sizes 18-22
Clouser crayfish in size 8-12
Pheasant Tails in sizes 16-20
Little Spankers in sizes 18-20
Pat's Rubberlegs in sizes 12-14
Sparkle Minnows in bright colors in sizes 2-6
Home Invaders in purple or olive in sizes 2-6
The Month Ahead:
The fishing on the Lower Madison will continue to improve in the coming months as temperatures rise. Midges can bring some smaller fish to the surface and Blue Winged Olives and March Browns will as well. The possibility of caddis can occur as we get deeper into April, but for the next few weeks BWOs and midges are the primary hatches. The bigger trout tend to feed subsurface on the Lower Madison so the standard fair of worms, crayfish, Zonkers, eggs, baetis, etc will be standard producers.
Long Term Fishing Forecast:
The Lower Madison can fish great up into the early summer when the temperatures finally shut things down in late June or early July. As we move into the early summer, expect consistent hatches of PMD’s, yellow sallies, caddis, golden stones and a few salmon flies.