Upper Madison Reports

                Fishing has been unusually good on the Upper Madison for this time of year.  Ice hasn’t been much of a problem around Ennis like it normally is in January.  The wade only stretch of river up around Reynold’s Bridge and $3 is fishing well. 

         Fishing can be decent if you can find a day without too much wind and cold.  Heading up between the lakes or around Raynold’s Pass is going to be the best bet during winter.  Nymphing is going to be most reliable, but you may see some fish rising to midges when weather conditions

If the wind dies down a bit the upper should fish great, especially up in the walk and wade water and between Hebgen and Ennis.  Midge hatches have already been good and should continue with all the warm weather we’re having.  One thing to keep in mind is that the fish up there can find some calm pockets to rise in

      Fishing is still decent if you can avoid the very windy days.  Higher up on the river in the wade only section is more protected from the wind.  Ice is starting to form down around Ennis which is another reason to head up high.  Nymphing is going to be most productive, but you might still be able

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.

The Upper Madison has been one of the better options for fishing with water temperatures still above 40 degrees.  Streamer fishing continues to be productive with some large browns being taken.  Of course the cloudy days are usually best for throwing streamers.  Nymphing with the rubberlegs, worms, small mayfly or midge nymphs and eggs has been most reliable.  The wade section up

If you like to pitch streamers, now is the time to fish the Upper.  We’ve heard that the streamer fishing has been better than the nymphing and you have a good chance to catch some nice fat fall browns.  Overcast days are better, as usual.  

Overcast days or morning and evening should be doing really good as far a dry fly activity. Both Baetis and midges should be getting in gear, but like I said don’t expect to see them unless it’s overcast or early morning or late evening low light conditions. Nymphing has been a good fall back option if the dry fly fails to

The Upper has remained consistently inconsistent but we’ve had some good trips up there fishing streamers and “eggy wormy sh*t.”  The fish are definitely getting more aggressive and easier to find.  If dry fly fishing is more your thing, there have been some baetis out.  Dry fly fishing has been a little more consistent in the upper

      The Upper Madison has seen better fishing with the rainy weather over the last week.  Nymphing has been very good and small streamers have also worked well.  Dry fly fishing with baetis has also been productive at times.  Nymphing rubberlegs or worms with little mayfly nymph trailers has been the most reliable.  Nasty weather has had

         More tough than good fishing on the Upper Madison as of late.  Small nymphs are the best bet to catch fish now, but rainy weather should make for better fishing this week.  The weather forecast is perfect for good BWO hatches.  Trout should be less spooky and willing to rise to dries and chase

The upper has probably been the most consistent of everything around Bozeman the last week or so, which isn't saying too much! We've been having some good days above Palisades and below Varney, but are still having to work pretty hard at it parts of the day. Bright sunny days keep some fish looking up for small attractor patterns mid-day as there are

Me and Toby hit the Upper for a quick afternoon’s fishing. Wasn’t great, but wasn’t bad either. Caught a few fish in the deeper runs on worms and small baetis nymphs. Most of the action was on top with attractor dries. Wulffs and humpys were best. Fish where holding in seams and pockets behind rocks. We literally ran into

Me and Toby hit the Upper for a quick afternoon’s fishing. Wasn’t great, but wasn’t bad either. Caught a few fish in the deeper runs on worms and small baetis nymphs. Most of the action was on top with attractor dries. Wulffs and humpys were best. Fish where holding in seams and pockets behind rocks. We literally ran into

Reports are picking up on the Madison.  The channeled stretch around Ennis is starting to see some lake fish up so the potential is there for some big guys.  More fish should move up as it gets colder.  Baetis are just getting going on the upper walk and wade stretch.  The more overcast the weather, the better chance you have for

One of our guides went and fished the Upper Madison on a rare day off yesterday.  The stretch between Valley and the lakes fished pretty well for him so he’s headed back to the Upper for a guide trip today.  Today’s weather might even turn things on that much more so keep your finger crossed.  The Upper can

The Upper is still in late summer mode.  You can catch some fish on hoppers and other terrestrials but you might do better nymphing.  Streamer fishing should be picking up as it gets cooler.  Our guys are fishing the Lower.

There aren't a lot of folks fishing the middle and lower river right now so it's not a bad choice to get away from some people and throw dries. Lots of small fish are coming up to small attractor dries throughout the day. Nymphing is more consitent in the upper reaches (above Palisades) with small mayfly nymphs. You'll still see plenty of

The Upper Madison has been fishing more consistently this week.  The fishing pressure has lightened up with most people now heading over to the Yellowstone.  Hoppers have been getting a few fish, but ants trailed behind a hopper are working best for dry flies.  The flying ants are just starting to show up on the river, and they can make for some

More of the same on the Upper.  The hopper bite still hasn’t really turned on except when the fish feel like it.  Small attractor dries catch small fish and nymphing/streamer fishing will take the larger ones.  Some days are better than others, yadda yadda yadda.  Is it any wonder that a lot of us Bozeman kids would rather

The Upper is easily the toughest river in the area to do reports on.  One day we’ll hear great reports, one day bad.  On some days two different floats within a few miles of each other will fish completely differently then trade patterns with each other the next day.  When the Upper is good, it’s been very good.

Early morning and evening fishing has been best on the Upper Madison.  Early morning pmd's have been good and evening caddis hatches are still bringing some fish to the surface.  Hoppers, ants and a variety of attractor patterns will catch a few fish throughout the day, but afternoons have been a bit slow.  Spruce moths are out flying around in the

  The place to be on the upper Madison right now is Palisades and above for some dry fly fishing. The middle and lower reaches of the upper river (Macatee-Ennis) have been characteristically inconsistent the last week. That’s not to say that you can't go out there and get a bunch of fish on dries in the middle of the river, just

The Upper Madison fished well today.  The trips I talked to actually had very good dry fly fishing through out the day and just knocked them dead for a stretch on nymphs.  Fish were eating Chubby’s and other foam dries, and big girdles and bead heads were working below the surface.   

The Upper continues to fish well with stonefly-beadhead nymphs rigs. General attractor beadheads have been working, but so have caddis pupas. Fish are also willing to rise to attractor dries. Hoppers are out and we’ve heard some decent reports of fish chowing down on them up there, so make sure you have some with you if you’re headed that direction. Some

The overcast weather we have going on should make for some better mid-day dry fly fishing on the Upper Madison.  Keep and eye out for PMD’s, Epeorus, caddis, and sallies etc.  We’ve heard of some large fish eating streamers; that bite should also be better with the clouds.  Small nymphs will still probably be the most consistant.

Yellow Sallies, pmd’s and caddis are the main hatches now that the salmonflies and goldenstones are gone.  The best time to throw dries is mornings and evenings. Smaller mayfly and caddis nymphs are bringing the most consistent action.  Nocturnal stones and terrestrials will start making for good dry fly fishing over the next couple of weeks.  Streamers work best during

There are few big bugs still flying around, unless you want to go into the Park, otherwise Stonefly madness is over until next year. There are a few Sallies flying around still, but very few and you’d be better throwing caddis, PMD’s and attractor dries if you want to fish dries. Nymphing has been the best bet especially lower down toward

  We've had boats up there the last few days and we'd say that the river has been fishing " not great."  We are getting some fish on Yellow Sally and Caddis dries here and there but not with much consistency. Nymphing with stonefly nymph and mayfly droppers has been the most reliable. The boat traffic is concentrated in the Lyon's to

Fishing remains steady on the Upper Madison.  Fishing with salmonflies and goldenstones is slowing down, but fish are still eating a few of them in upper stretches of the river.  Caddis, pmd's and yellow sallies are hatching and are becoming more reliable as the big bugs fade out.  When dries aren't working well the nymphing is reliable with stonefly, mayfly

The word has certainly been out on the upper the last week and it's been busy with the heaviest boat traffic being in the Lyon's to Story Ditch stretch of the river. We've had boats out throughout the river and have had sporadic dry fly fishing the last two days on Salmonflies and Golden Stones. There are decent numbers of caddis, yellow

Fishing on the Upper  Madison continues to be good.  Salmonflies are still out up the length of the river and evening caddis are starting in the walk and wade water, (probably the rest of the river as well).  Caddis aren’t really popping until late in the evening.  There are also a lot of different stoneflies out so you can

The flows continue to drop on the Upper and fishing has been good. Salmonflies are out and fish are feeding on them. Over the last few days we’ve had some really good reports of dry fly fishing on Salmonflies. The bugs are still below Palisades, but I’ve talked to some that have caught fish on the dries much higher even though

The West Fork is finally dumping in clear and salmonflies are out.  We haven’t heard of fish being on the adults yet, but with the quickly improving conditions that could happen any day, including today.  Goldens and Yellow Sallies are also out and the nymph fishing is already greatly improved from a week ago.  The big bugs are up at

The Upper is still dirty below the West Fork all the way through to Ennis Lake. Fishing above the West Fork, in the walk/wade section, remains steady but fairly busy. Visibility is still only a foot or so. Worms and dark stonefly nymphs followed by worms or small bright beadheads have most consistent. Fish are still holding close to the bank so avoid walking

The clarity on the Upper above the West Work is still fluctuating daily between 10-14in. That’s still plenty fishable but it’s really getting busy up there now because it’s one of only handful of areas of moving water that fishing, and this being a holiday weekend it’s only going to get worse as far as the

Flows on the Upper have been on the downturn over the last few days it’s still very dirty but above the West Fork has cleared to about a foot. One of our guides was up there yesterday fishing for fun and caught some fish. Worms, stonefly nymphs, and small beadheaded caddis and mayfly nymphs have been producing fish. Don’t expect anything

Flows on the Upper Madison are up today, and visibility has decreased to almost zero.  Nymphing had been good this week before the hot weather, and hopefully water clarity will improve quickly with cooler weather in the forecast.  Stonefly nymphs, worms and shiny mayfly or caddis nymphs had been working this week when fished in the softer water near the banks.  Fishing

The walk/wade section on the Upper continues to be one of the better options around that isn’t a lake. Darker stonefly nymphs are still the best producers with a variety smaller beadheads and worms off the back. Dead drift sculpins are still a good choice too. Right now the West Fork of the Madison is the main culprit behind the bulk of

The walk/wade section of the Upper is still fishing good. Below the West fork, and hence below the walk/wade section the river is very dirty with only a few inches of visibility. Stonefly nymph’s followed by small dark or bright bead heads have been producing fish. Worms and sculpins have been fishing good too. I’ve had a few people

The Upper has been fishing good lately in the walk/wade section. There is about a foot to a foot and a half of clarity, which is plenty. Bigger stonefly nymphs and small dark colored beadheads have been doing well. Also sculpins, both stripped and dead drifted have been producing fish. The further down towards Ennis the dirtier the river has been. Between the lakes

It sounds like the walk and wade water is still a viable option.  The water is very high and dirty but if you really want to fish a river, you could actually catch a fish there.  Throw big junk around the banks and stay out of the water.  Wading is a bad idea and unnecessary.  If you’re dieing to

Flows on the Upper have slowly been edging up over the past few days, but all the feeders are dumping. The river in the town of Ennis has barely a few inches of visibility. There maybe some clearer water between the lakes, but there will be half the fishing population of Gallatin County too. If it is busy you could fish Hebgen, which has continued

The Upper Madison in the walk and wade water has been in pretty good shape, especially compared to most of the other rivers around.  It’s not gin clear, nor are you likely to see pods of rising fish, but it has continued to give up some solid nymph and streamer fishing.  You might do well on smaller bead heads if the

The upper is clearing up a bit thanks to some cold nights the last few days. There is 1-2 feet of visibility throughout the stretch and it is green in color. We fished up around Pine Butte today and did well enough on nymphs. There was a heckuva BWO hatch mid-day and we even saw some sporadic rises. Probably not a bad choice for the

The Wade section of the Upper Madison currently has enough visibility for good fishing.  Below the West Fork is still very muddy, and the storm this weekend could make things worse.  Streamer and nymph fishing have been good in the soft water near the banks and behind rocks.  Fish have been eating stonefly nymphs trailed by worms or beadhead mayfly and caddis

The Upper is running high with visibility fluctuating up to 10 inches or so.  More visible flies such as stonefly nymphs and worms trailed by flashy mayfly or caddis beadheads drifted close to the bank will still catch fish in high water.  Conditions might get worse with all the rain in the forecast this week.

While flows have remained relatively stable, most of the upper Madison is pretty dirty.  Below Hebgen damn is still clear but the creeks just above Quake Lake are dirtying up the lake and the river below.  Hopefully things will be a little clearer for opener, (tomorrow) but we’ll just have to wait and see.

We’re still hearing great reports from the Upper Madison.  Caddis have shown up between Varney and Ennis.  There are also some March Browns and Baetis our.  The clarity is probably some of the best around for now.  Hopefully it will stay that way for a while.  The same rubberleg and beadhead nymphs that have been working for a

The Upper had been running clear while everything else dirtied up, but the flows are edging up so I’d expect there to be some color to the water but nowhere near the amount in some of the other rivers. From what I’ve been hearing sculpins and stonefly nymphs have been working well. Other small beadhead stuff should be good too. I

As far as the insect activity goes it seems as if the Ennis Valley is frozen in time, literally. By all accounts it still feels like late March, early April up there. There’s still some good midges hatches and some BWO’s when the sun shines and warms the river a bit, but the March Browns still haven’t show themselves

The Upper’s been fishing great. Goldenstone nymphs with Baetis off the back have been dynamite. I’ve had a few people say they’ve taken fish on Salmonfly nymphs, but I’d wait a little while longer for that personally. Midges and Baetis have been out on overcast/snowy days in good numbers. Streamer fishing has been reliable too. Don'

If you’re looking at fishing the Madison the Upper has been fishing better than the Lower. Nymphs are still probably your best bet; however, there are still midges and Baetis (BWO’s) have began to hatch a little too. As far as nymphs go a stonefly nymph with a beadhead or Baetis nymph off the back should serve you well. Don&rsquo

Fishing on the Upper has been good. Stonefly nymphs as well as other standards: worms, eggs, small beadheads, midgy stuff, have been good. There are still some midge hatches around but not much as far as BWO’s as yet. Streamers are still a good option. Varney, Eight Mile, Burnt Tree are all open. Don't forget that from Ennis Lake to Ennis and

We’ve been hearing the same reports from the Upper for awhile now. Seems like there is still a strong stonefly nymph bite (Goldenstones especially), with basic Montana fare off the back: Lightning Bug, Price Nymph, Pheasant Tail, etc. We are still hearing decent streamer reports too. No word as to whether the boat ramp conditions are improving or holding steady, but if you

We’ve been getting some mixed reports from the Upper Madison. It seems though that McAtee to 8-Mile if fairly clear to float but I’ve heard there’s still ice around the Ennis ramp. Other than that stonefly nymphs seem to be the best game in town up there with a small midge off the back. Smaller streamers wouldn’t

The Upper Madison is starting to thaw out.  8 Mile and Varney were open enough to put a boat in, but check ramps before you float.  Worms, eggs, baetis, stonefly and midge nymphs should catch fish in the deeper holes.  Midge dry activity should continue to pick up as the river temps warm.  Remember that Quake to McAtee along with Ennis to

Just got in a fresh report on the Upper Madison. The there is open water from bank to bank in town (Ennis), but shelf still exist throughout most of the river. There hasn’t been much midge activity but with temps in the high 40’s and drizzle weather the right conditions are in place for some good midge hatches. The weather is also

The sections from Quake down to McAtee Bridge and Ennis Bridge to Ennis Lake are still closed until the third Saturday in May (May 21st this year). From all accounts there’s still lots of drifted snow and ice hanging around up on the Upper Madison, but if you should decide to go up there look for midges or twitch a few small streamers.

The Upper Madison is now closed from Quake to McAtee and again from Ennis Bridge to Ennis Lake.  Much of the legal water is icy so floating is probably not a great option right now.  The Upper will fish better as the weather improves.

It's not any warmer up there than anywhere else right now! Keep in mind that the river closes from Quake Lake to McAtee and Ennis to Ennis Lake at the end of the month. There is lots of ice around Ennis right now - wouldn't float up there anyway right now. Once the weather warms, expect to find some good fish in the