Category Archives: Madison River

5 Tips For Fishing The Lower Madison At High Water

The “Lower” Madison is one of the most reliable float fisheries in our area during runoff. Though the river will get high, it only rarely becomes too muddy to fish, making it a good option in May and June when the Yellowstone is blown out. The “Lower” refers to the section of the Madison River...Read more

New Options for Spring Fishing on the Madison River

Fishing regulation changes for 2016 have opened up some great new options for anglers on the Madison River. Previously, much of the river was closed between the end of February and the 3rd Saturday in May. Now, the entire river from Hebgen Lake to the Missouri River, nearly 100 miles of productive...Read more

5 Tips For Fishing The Salmonfly Hatch On The Madison

The annual Salmon Fly hatch on Montana’s Madison River is one of fly fishing’s most storied and anticipated events. Salmon Fly time is hands down your best shot at landing a true trophy trout on a dry fly. The sight of a 3 inch long insect splashing about the surface is enough to draw even the...Read more

The Best Techniques for Fishing the Madison River's Large Rocks

Fishing large rocks on the Madison can produce big results

Rocks always hold trout in streams and rivers. Island rocks on the Madison river are like normal rocks on steroids and are probably the single best type of trout habit found in a river. Island rocks are special types of medium to large rocks that are surrounded by much smaller sediments like sand...Read more

May Fly Fishing: Montana's Mother's Day Caddis Hatch

The annual Mother’s Day Caddis hatch is one of the most anticipated events here in Southwest Montana. While it may not be quite as famous as the Salmon Fly hatch, the fishing can be every bit as good, if not even better. The sheer number of bugs that take to the air during the peak of the hatch is...Read more

The Madison River's Return to Greatness: Recovery from Whirling Disease

The Madison River has recovered from Whirling disease

Montana's Madison River has long been one of the most famous and revered rivers in the world. The river often is listed as the number one trout river in North American and appears in books with titles like "50 places to fish before you die". In the mid 90s everything changed for the river when a...Read more

Spring Fishing on the Madison: Two Firsts

I took my wife to the Lower Madison to fish on a partly sunny 50 degree afternoon. It was certainly nice to be on the water again this spring, which has produced high quality spring fishing. We parked the truck and took a short walk before fishing a deep bucket (depression). I immediately hooked...Read more

Madison River Fly Fishing: 5 tips for the fall

Fall may be the best time of year to fish the Madison river. The amount of angling pressure sharply drops, with kids back in school most of the tourists have left and a majority of the locals take to the woods to hunt deer and elk. As the temps drop and lead to cool nights and crisp mornings the...Read more