Lower Madison Reports
Monday, February 6th
Fishing has been quite good over on the Lower Madison. We've caught a break from the wind this weekend which has made it much easier to fish. Looks like there is no major winds forecasted for at least the next couple of days, so now is a good time to head over for some good
Monday, January 30th
The lower continues to be at above normal flows for this time of year, but the water and fish are in great shape for some winter fishing. The wind has been an issue though, so be prepared to deal with some heavy gusts and not much in the way of dry fly fishing unless we geat a break or you find some really well protected
Monday, January 9th
The warm weather has kept the ice to a minimum which is making for some decent fishing on the Lower Madison. Wind has been bad on many days, but there have been some calm days with good fishing. Fishing can turn off when they mess with flows, so check the flow chart to make
Monday, January 2nd
We just got a good report from the Lower Madison. Bob got to the river about 11:30 today and there were trout rising to meet him. He did well using little midge dries, especially something new he snuffed out on the internet. Bob’s good for that. The dry fly fishing lasted for about an hour then the fish went down.
Tuesday, December 27th
Well, the Lower had been fishing really well. Then yesterday they decided to start jacking up the flows again. The Lower is back up to 1900cfs. We’re not sure what it’s going to do to the fishing that had been so good for December, but we can’t imagine it’s going to help. Oh
Monday, December 26th
At least one friend of ours had a Merry Anglers Christmas on the Lower Madison Christmas Day. The fish were up on midges until the wind kicked up and put them down. Fishing was very food for the ten to fourteen inch fish we normally see up on midges this time of year. The Lower has some ice but is in pretty
Friday, December 16th
Fishing has been decent on the Lower Madison due to the warm December weather we are experiencing. The water is still cold which means the fish aren't going to swim too far out of the way to eat. Most fish will be holed up in the slower, deeper buckets during winter. Nymphing with worms, eggs and
Tuesday, November 29th
The Lower Madison is a good winter option when the wind isn't blowing too hard. Worms, midge larva and eggs have all been catching some fish. The streamer bite is hit or miss with the water now being very cold. Colder weather in the forecast will make for more slush and shelf ice
Saturday, November 26th
Both the Lower and Upper portions of the Madison were slushy this morning around 11am. We're are supposed to get three days of mid to high 40’s though which should clear things up for a little while before the next cold front come through.
Thursday, November 17th
The Lower Madison is one of the better fishing options during winter. Unfortunately I just received a report that the river is dirty from wind stirring up Ennis Lake. It shouldn’t be a problem for much longer though because Ennis Lake will soon freeze over. Fishing has been good
Monday, October 31st
The Lower Madison has been very good recently. Fish have been chasing after streamers most days, and Baetis hatches have fish up rising on cloudy days. Dry fly fishing is usually better if you head up in the Beartrap Canyon. Nymphing has been reliable with crayfish, worms and small mayfly nymphs.
Thursday, October 20th
The Lower is still a little high for this time of year, but the flow levels themselves (~1,700cfs) are very conducive to hungry trout. Seem that there have been a few slower days here and there, but for the most part the Lower has been fishing really well. Dry fly fishing on overcast days or in the evenings has been good with both Baetis and
Thursday, October 13th
Flows have been stable on the Lower for a few days and fishing has improved. All the usual nymphs have been working, plus we’ve been finding some fish surface feeding on overcast days. Tuesday was especially good and today should offer similar opportunities. If the flows remain stable the river should continue to offer some fine fall fishing. We
Sunday, October 9th
The Lower Madison fished kind of slow yesterday, but a couple of our clients did take some nice fish. The best flies seemed to be a little random, but fish ate the usual suspects like crayfish and small bead heads. Fishing was definitely better in the morning, which may have been due to another random change in the flows. Hopefully they&rsquo
Saturday, October 8th
The Lower was starting to pick back up but the dam regulators have really been messing with things. Yesterday the flows went from about 1550 to 1,960 cfs. We had boats over there and they did pretty well. Almost all the fish caught after the surge were on a copper zonker. The fact that the fishing kept up at least some while the
Sunday, October 2nd
Fishing was poor on the Lower Madison today, but at least it wasn't nearly as bad as the Upper Madison. Small bwo nymphs have been working best, and some fish will still eat a dead-drifted sculpin or cray. I got to guide actual skilled anglers today and I was pleased to see the trout were
Wednesday, September 28th
Flows on the Lower have been stable for about a week now, which has been a nice change to fish and fishermen alike after last week’s turbulent flow changes. We’re still not sure why they pulsed the river so much last week. The cooler nights have definitely been making it feel like Autumn around here, and as a result there is
Friday, September 23rd
Today’s fishing on the Lower Madison was rough. The weeds are a big mess right now. There have been some small fish up on little stuff through out the day, and you may want to fish dries or dry droppers just to avoid the salad. We’ve heard there’s been some nicer fish up in the evening
Monday, September 19th
Fishing on the Lower has been going through a little bit of a slow spell, especially for the great fishing we’ve been seeing on it this year. It hasn’t helped that the wind has been blowing like a banshee for the last couple of days. Hopefully when they quit playing with the flows, the wind dies down a bit,
Monday, September 19th
Fishing on the Lower has been going through a little bit of a slow spell, especially for the great fishing we’ve been seeing on it this year. It hasn’t helped that the wind has been blowing like a banshee for the last couple of days. Hopefully when they quit playing with the flows, the wind dies down a bit,
Wednesday, September 14th
Fall fishing should be going with the change in the weather. That should mean lots of baetis and maybe some sulphurs. We’ll see if the weather holds out. If it gets warm again you should be able to have some success with terrestrials. For that matter, they should work to some extent until winter sets in.
Tuesday, September 13th
For some reason unknown to us, they’ve been jacking the flows on the Lower Madison. The flows have come up about 200 cfs in the last couple of days. It seems to have affected the fishing, although it’s still OK. Our guides did notice that the water had a tinge of color to it but clarity was still pretty
Thursday, September 8th
The lower has been nymphing well the last few days with crayfish and little nymphs, but we're seeing an improvement in the hopper fishing as of late too. Shorter days and cooler nights have kept the fish pretty active throughout the day but expect to see a slow down mid-afternoon on the hot days. One of the most consistent fishereis around this year and
Monday, September 5th
After a really slow day on the 3rd, we had a great day with clients on the Lower Madison yesterday. It was the normal program of nymphing with a crayfish on top and a little lightning bug underneath. It was Rick guiding out there so of course he was using his Zic. Hopefully he or Steven will get some more tied up
Sunday, September 4th
The Lower Madison had been fishing very well up until yesterday, which was tough to say the least. The water temps are dropping fairly fast, which is good for the fish, but still may have unsettled them for a bit. There was also an area of high pressure that pasted through yesterday, which doesn’t help. Whatever the case, the fish should be back
Thursday, September 1st
Cooler weather today made for better conditions on the lower and a total absence of tubers! Some Tricos in the morning and a prolific Pseudo hatch in the afternoon, but very few fish coming up, which is alright as the sub-surface bite has been pretty good the last couple of days. Expect to have some good fishing over there so long as the temps stay
Monday, August 29th
Morning fishing has been best before the afternoon heat makes for warm water and slower fishing. The water will cool off to a better temperature for trout with the cooler weather forecast this week. Fish have been eating crayfish and smaller mayfly or caddis nymphs. Hopper and ant patterns have also been working
Thursday, August 25th
The float section of the Lower Madison is still fishing pretty well. We’ve had boats on it the last couple days and the same program has been repeating. Nymphing in the mornings with a crayfish or sculpin trailed with a small bead head dropper, then some hopper fishing in the afternoon, especially if the floating weeds are messing things up, (which
Tuesday, August 23rd
The Lower has been its usual finicky late-summer self. The fishing has either on or off depending on the day, with very little middle ground. The days that it’s fishing good you’ll know about it. Nymphing will be the best bet, but later in to day you will probably see yourself forced to the surface due to lots of floating weed.
Saturday, August 20th
Cooler nights have made for some more active fish on the lower as of late and lower flows has made it easier to get to them too. We've been doing well with the standard boat rigs, but are also starting to do well with small nymphs and the odd hopper bite. There are some PMD's still around along with some Pseudos later in
Thursday, August 18th
Early morning fishing has been good on the Lower Madison. Afternoons have been slower with warmer water temperatures and floating weeds. A hike up into the Beartrap is a good option to avoid the tubers and find a bit cooler water. Small caddis or mayfly nymphs will get most of the trout with a few eating sculpins or crayfish. Hoppers have
Friday, August 12th
Fish are still eating on the Lower, but it wasn't exactly red hot. In the morning fish were eating sculpins and crayfish trailed by a little Lightning Bug or Soft Hackle Lightning Bug, with the Lightning Bug variations catching most of the fish. We hooked a few good sized fish as well. Midday was more of the same, but we also
Monday, August 8th
Although the lower has been fishing well, it can still be pretty spotty in the afternoons. Expect to see lots of floating grass later in the day, which makes for some tougher nymphing conditions. The fish are really in the buckets now and they are pretty accessible in these lower flows. The best strategy right now is to fish a sculpin or crayfish with
Sunday, August 7th
Our guides had a great day two boat, half day float on the Lower Madison today. Paul’s boat landed a 23 inch brown with big beautiful black spots. Fish were eating sculpins and lightning bugs and the bite was definitely on. Rick caught some fish on cray’s, as well. We didn’t ask about hoppers; sounds the
Wednesday, August 3rd
Our guides had another really good day on the Lower Madison. Sounds like the best fishing was in the a.m. and fish were eating sculpins and lightning bugs. One huge brown got off just at the boat and one of the boats also had two fish on one rod, (they didn’t land them but it sounded exciting). There were
Wednesday, August 3rd
Fishing continues to be solid on the lower with a variety of sculpins and small nymphs throuhgout the day. There is the odd fish eating hoppers and attractor dries as well, but they aren't quite on them enough to call it "hopper fishing." Weeds and floating grass are more of an issue in teh afternoons now, so be prepared to clean some flies if
Tuesday, August 2nd
The Lower is still fishing well with olive or tan sculpins and crayfish. Small caddis pupa or Lightning Bugs off the back have been the dropper of choice. Also there has been some hopper action in the afternoons, which is nice as the floating weeds have been getting bad around that time. Water temps have been easing off the last few days but are still
Monday, August 1st
Dead-drifting sculpins with a little bug is still finding some really nice fish on the lower for the persistent angler. There were lots of small caddis out and about today during the cloudy morning and a few fish were seen coming up. We switched from lightning bugs to small caddis pupa patterns this morning and found the fish were on them just a bit
Sunday, July 31st
The lower has been fishing really well as of late. Water temps are getting up there so the afternoon bite is a little slower and you need to be more careful with fighting and handling the fish - especially on warm days. Flows are continuing to drop and the mid-river buckets are all pretty much visible and fishable at this stage. Although nymphing remains
Saturday, July 30th
Morning and evening fishing has been good on the Lower Madison with slower fishing during the mid-afternoon heat and inner tube hatch. Caddis and pmd hatches have been coming off until mid-morning and caddis have made for good evening dry fly action. Yellow sallies are also still around, and a few trout are starting to eat hoppers. Nymphing is the best with
Sunday, July 24th
Fishing on the Lower has been up and down and so have the flows. Over the last few days they’ve messed with the flows dropping the river to ~2,600cfs then back up to ~3,300cfs and now below 2,500cfs. To sure what might be causing them to do this, but it sure is affecting the clarity. I’ve heard that it has cleared
Friday, July 22nd
Flows are once again on their way down today (probably will change in a couple of hours...that's just how this year has been) and the river was clearing throughout the afternoon. There is still enough water in there to make for tougher fishing than one would expect by just looking at the river. You need a lot of weight to get down
Thursday, July 21st
Flows out of Ennis Lake increased late yesterday and sporadically today, so there was more debris floating in the river today than there has been the last week. The river is slightly off-color as well with about 2 feet of visibility, but this should improve quickly. Our guess is that the color is also a result of the heavy winds earlier in the week. There
Wednesday, July 20th
Ok, we may have jumped the gun with yesterday's proclamation of this as being the best choice in the region. The river was dirtier today than it has been, probably as a result of the heavy winds stirring up Ennis Lake the last couple of days. Flows have remained stable so it shouldn't last long, but there is still a foot or so
Tuesday, July 19th
It's probably the best choice in the region right now and should be for a week or so. Flows are high enough to keep the fish "fresh" in the buckets while providing enough holding water in the skinny stuff for the bigger fish. There is a little color to it but not much...just enough to keep them from being too spooky (it'
Thursday, July 14th
Fishing in the Lower hasn’t been great, but it has been reliable. The flows like everywhere else are still unseasonably high but they’re not so high that the fishing is suffering. Most fish are being taken on crayfish, sculpins, worms, and small flash beadheads. Fish will be holding closer to the banks or out in the old buckets if you
Monday, July 11th
Fishing on the Lower Madison continues to get better with lower water levels and improving water clarity. Crayfish patterns took most of our fish yesterday with a few fish taking streamers and beadhead nymphs. Putting some movement into the crayfish seemed to better catch the attention of the trout, Dry fly fishing will start coming around soon, and some fish have been
Wednesday, July 6th
The river level has come down from the peak it reached last week, and the fishing is beginning to improve on the Lower Madison. Nymphing is the best way to catch fish now, but streamer fishing has also be productive at times. The water is still muddy, so use larger flies that the fish will see. Make sure you use enough weight
Saturday, July 2nd
The flows came down last night and leveled off right around 6,000cfs, which is still very high for the Lower. I had a few reports this morning and the unanimous verdict was dirty, dirty, dirty! Give a few days and we might some clearing on the Lower.
Wednesday, June 29th
Fishing was decent yesterday with crayfish, worms and flashy nymphs taking trout throughout the day. The hot weather has added some more water to the river today, so the water clarity might be looking worse than yesterday. Hopefully the river will be clearing from here on and fishing should continue to improve.
Sunday, June 26th
After peaking at just over 7,000cfs a few days ago the Lower slowly has come down to about 6,750cfs. The clarity is still low to none be I’ve had several people come in and say they’ve caught fish, not many but some have been big fish. Same old dirty water flies: dark stone fly nymphs, sculpins, and crayfish, small dark or
Friday, June 24th
The river went way up today and with that came all that one could expect - reduced visability and lots of debris. We'll be keeping our eye on the river to see what happens if the flows stabilize for a day or two. fishing was much tougher today but it was still possible to get a few fish near the banks. A lot of
Thursday, June 23rd
The lower is about the only show in town right now with the exception of the spring creeks and some private water (good luck getting on any of them right now!) As of today, there was a foot and a half of viz and somewhere between green and brown in color. It fished well enough, despite the upward spike in flows, and will hopefully
Thursday, June 23rd
Fishing was good on the Lower Madison today with visibility at more than a foot, but it will probably get worse with very muddy water making its way down from the Upper Madison. Yellow Sallies, caddis, goldenstones and even a few salmonflies have all been hatching this week, but you won’t find many fish rising to them in the dirty water.
Wednesday, June 22nd
The Lower it still high and running fast; however, if you have access to a boat the it’s fishing good. It’s simply too fast in many areas to fish it from the bank. Stonefly nymphs and sculpins with worms and dark beadheads off the back have been producing fish. The fishing isn’t that hot but I’ve talked
Thursday, June 16th
The Lower is still very high and dirty. If you want to fish the Madison I would strongly recommend going up to the Upper in the walk/wade section, as the Lower isn’t the fishiest place right now. If you did fancy fishng the Lower though, then try large stonefly nymphs right up on the bank with worms trailing behind. Or try big
Friday, June 10th
The Lower has come down a bit from the monstrous 6000 plus flows it saw for a couple of days but it’s still awfully damn high at 5200. If it continues to drop it might be a decent option again but we really can’t recommend it for now.
Tuesday, June 7th
They increased the flows on the Lower substantially last night, about 600cfs, so the fish may need a day or two to acclimate to the new flows. I haven’t heard anything within the last couple of days water clarity wise, but I’d imagine it’s not great. Wading probably wouldn’t aid your fishing at all, as the fish
Sunday, May 29th
Not much we can say here except that the river has been dirty, but just barely fishable. Conditions seem to be changing out there almost daily as the flows go up and down. Right now the river is very dirty below Cherry Creek, especially on that side of the river, and has maybe a foot of visibility throughout the rest of the river upstream of
Wednesday, May 25th
The clarity on the Lower is just about as unpredictable as the whether in Montana. However, if you want to hit a river then the Lower Madison is probably your best bet. They did raise the flows last night quite significantly which will probably have made it muddier, but the Lower can handle mud. If you can safely reach your favorite bucket then that should
Saturday, May 21st
Clarity has been good enough for nymphing and streamer fishing on the Lower Madison. There is lots of mud making its way down the Upper Madison now, so it won't be long now before the Lower gets really dirty. Worms, crayfish and larger black buggers have fishing o.k this week, and now is a good time to try some of the
Monday, May 16th
They spiked the lower this morning and several people have confirmed that it is very muddy. It is also very very windy down there today 30+ mph with gusts close to 50mph. I wouldn’t bother with the Lower until conditions improve. If you did feel the need to fish; however, then make sure you’re using highly visible stuff: worms, flashy nymphs, large-dark
Saturday, May 14th
Caddis fishing on the Lower was probably a little better than the night before. The wind was up and out of the north so it took a little longer for things to get going. Clarity was much improved from the day before, as are customers had reported to us. Thanks guys, we always appreciate the info. Some nicer fish were
Friday, May 13th
Well, the Mother’s Day Caddis are indeed out on the Lower Madison. Fishing last night was far from spectacular but we did have a few fish up eating trude’s, Elk Hair Caddis, and Mother’s Day Caddis Pupa. We didn’t see fish up on the surface until later, probably around 7:00. Most of the fish up
Thursday, May 12th
Yesterday afternoon there were good numbers of bugs on the Lower Madison and visibility was acceptable but for the most part the fishing was subsurface. Eggs and Prince Nymphs did better than Elk Hairs, even with lots of caddis out and about. The Lower did climb a bit and then leveled off and so far today it’s staying level. If
Tuesday, May 10th
Flows remain stable on the Lower Madison for now, and the water is a green color with plenty of visibility for nymphing. Baetis have been coming off with a few small fish rising to them in the dirty water. Caddis will really get going with the warmer weather, so hopefully the clarity will improve enough for dry flies. For now the best
Thursday, May 5th
Mother's Day Caddis were hatching as far up as greycliff yesterday afternoon, and water clarity had improved to about 16 inches. Up in the Beartrap is usually best for good caddis dry fly fishing, so hopefully water clarity will be good enough by the time the caddis are hatching in the canyon. With stormy weather in the forecast look for continued baetis hatches.
Wednesday, May 4th
Water clarity is still the biggest factor on the Lower. There’s been a lot of wind out of the south near Ennis which is the worst for stirring Ennis Lake up. To compensate for the uncertain water clarity is take flies both flies for muddy and clear conditions to the river with you and leave whichever isn’t need in the vehicle,
Saturday, April 30th
Bad news from the Lower. Visibility is back down to less than a foot, probably due to heavy wind stirring up Ennis Lake. There are still tons of Baetis on the water but the fish aren’t coming up to them through the dirty water. Hopefully the plug of dirty water will pass through quickly now that the weather is a
Wednesday, April 27th
The Lower Madison saw an absolutely amazing hatch of Baetis yesterday. I got to the water around noon and fish were already up. Fish ate the usual Baetis stuff like sparkle duns and emerger stuff, but my best fly was the good old Parachute Adams in size 16. I did catch a couple of fish dropping a little green machine of the back
Tuesday, April 26th
The Lower has been fishing good, normal nymph stuff like, crayfish, Goldens, worms, and pink stuff has been good. There have been some reports of solid Baetis hatches though, so if you’re looking for some dry fly then you might want to consider the Lower. The water temperatures are looking good for Baetis and we’re supposed to get overcast weather for
Friday, April 22nd
We heard our first reports of caddis this morning! Friends of ours have been hiking and fishing with tenkara gear in the Bear Trap for the last couple of days. They saw some caddis on the water starting around noon. Sounds like the fish were on the numerous Baetis and midges, (and tenkara flies) but it’s still great to hear
Thursday, April 21st
Ever since Ennis Lake iced out last week the Lower’s has had variable clarity. The reason behind this for those that don’t know is that Ennis Lake in a very shallow lake, so when those spring winds agitates the lake a lot of silt and debris, deposited over the winter, gets stirred up and in turn comes down the Lower. That
Sunday, April 17th
Even with the dirty water, the Lower has been fishing well. Red and pink worms, scuds and eggs have been producing. Surprisingly, we’ve even heard some reports of risers in the dirty water. As the water clears we should get some good midge fishing. Tons of bugs have been on the surface. We’ve heard reports that
Thursday, April 14th
The Lower Madison has turned to a green milky color with about 18" of visibility yesterday and it looks like it may actually be getting better. We'd expect it to be off color for awhile but the fish will settle into it and eat dead drifted streamer and crayfish pretty well despite the color. The worm bite has been the most consitent the last few
Tuesday, April 12th
The Lower Madison has become muddy with Ennis Lake having turned over. Hopefully it will turn over from brown to green after a few days. If you want to fish it try throwing some large nymphs or streamers. Black can work well in dirty water.
Saturday, April 9th
They’ve been messing around with the flows quiet a bit recently, which has been messing with fishing quality. The reason for this, I think, is they nearly completed repairs to Ennis Dam, which was broken last September when a bus sized rock fell on it. Judging from pictures they’re done with construction part, so they maybe putting it through its paces.
Tuesday, April 5th
The Lower has been hit or miss with the fluctuating river flows and some nasty wind blowing. Baetis are just starting to hatch and should get better as the water continues to warm. Nymphing with the usual crayfish or worm trailed by baetis or caddis nymphs remains best. Streamer fishing has be decent up in the Beartrap on overcast days.
Thursday, March 31st
Still the same program on the Lower but water temps are on the rise which means we should see baetis before too long. Fish are still eating crayfish, worms, and bead heads and the midges are still popping on overcast days when the wind doesn’t blow too hard. Keep an eye out for little gray sailboats as the weather warms.
Friday, March 25th
The Lower is still fishing great. Midge fishing continues to improve although we still haven’t heard the epic reports of last year. Nymphing has been especially good. Crayfish, lightning bugs, and worms are all still catching fish. Midge pupas have also been taking fish, especially when the midges are active and the occasional fish is up.
Sunday, March 20th
We’ve had some great reports form the Lower this weekend! Yesterday was fantastic. Lots of people were catching fish, including some really nice ones, and as soon as I right a blog complaining about the lack of dry fly fishing, trout start eating midges on the surface. Most of the risers were small but big fish have been eating subsurface.
Thursday, March 17th
The Lower continues to fish well. Yesterday the crayfish bite was a little off for us up in the Canyon, but the fish were happy enough to eat a worm trailed by a lighting bug. We did find a few fish up on midges but not as many as we expected for such ideal dry fly conditions. It stayed calm an overcast
Saturday, March 12th
The Lower has been very windy for the past week or so, that’s supposed to change this starting tonight through early next week. The crawfish bite has been amazing lately, also eggs and smaller attracter nymphs. The worm bite hasn’t been that good though. The midges have still been good on overcast or snowy days with little to no wind. The
Saturday, March 5th
There have been some great reports of morning midge hatches from the lower over the past few days and today’s snow should only help things. Other winter fare such as crayfish and worms with small beadheads off the back should produce fish when the midges aren’t cooperating. Look for fish in well defined runs or mostly likely in buckets.
Friday, March 4th
Fishing on the Lower Madison was very good yesterday. Midges popped in the morning and the fish responded. It sounded like an awful lot of fish were up, including some big ones. When the sun came out the surface feeding ended but good nymph fishing continued. Standard midge dries, like Griffith’s Gnats and Parachute Adam’s will take
Sunday, February 27th
It's nice to see that the forecast is calling for a little warmer weather today - should get up into the 30's. The flip side is that they are also calling for winds in the 10-15 range from the SW and this is supposed to last a few days. Compared to the 50+ mph winds we've seen this winter...10-15 should be a walk
Friday, February 25th
The lower has been a great choice all winter long when the weather has been cooperative. Once the current cold snap moves through, start expecting to see some decent midge fishing on the "less balmy" days. Once we get a few days in the 40's, with little wind and some cloud cover - we should start seeing the prolific midge hatches we've all come