Madison River Fishing Report
The Tackle Shop Fly Shop and Fishing Guides in Ennis, Montana
Fishing Report for the Madison River in Montana 6-29-2019
Salmon flies are here on the Madison River and the fish are starting to really take notice. We have seen the big bugs up above Varney all the way down to Ennis. It has been very sporatic this year with big bugs in only certain locations and miles in between. Not the blanket see them everywhere type of hatch. When you do find them the fish in the last day of so have been eager to rise. Standard salmon fly stuff of chubbies, water walkers, and other floating orange and black foamies are g...
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Fishing Report for the Madison River in Montana 6-24-2019
Salmon flies are almost here and any day could be the day. We are thinking the full hatch will begin on the 25 or 26. We should have some good dry fly fishing shortly after that. The big bugs are about to join the party. The river is in great shape and flows are 1830 at Varney and 1180 at Kirby. The thing we need to keep watch of is the water temps. As soon as it hits say 54 we are game on. Caddis fishing in the evenings on dry has been great recently and will only get better as we m...
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Madison River Fishing Report 6-18-19
Summer is officially here and with it the fishing is really heating up. Water Flows have been consistent the last couple weeks and the water is staying cool. Big nymphs and streamers are still the name of the game right now as everyone awaits the long sought after salmonfly hatch. We predict the big bugs to start coming out around June 26th, but to be honest at this point it’s just a guessing game. At this time larger nymphs will start making their way towards the banks. This is a great tim...
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Fishing Report for the Madison River in Montana 6-12-2019
The Madison River is still in remarkable shape for being the center of runoff. People are catching fish river wide if you play the right game. Current flows are 1710 at Kirby and 2540 at Cameron. All fishable. We will see if the current 70's weather throws more mud into the river. It is expected one more push of mud and big water. For the record no salmon flies yet. A call we have been getting at the store daily. Expect them in Ennis around the 24 of the month. If you want to ca...
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Memorial Day Weekend Madison River Fishing Report
Right now the Madison River at Varney Bridge is 1920 CFS and at Kirby it is 1490CFS. These flows are almost perfect. The river is that happy shade of bugger green everyone is looking for just in time for the weekend. This will not last so get after it while it lasts. The first few days of 70's and we are off to the races again with real runoff. We have a little window here just in time for the long weekend. We are seeing the entire river fish well right now with standard spring stuff...
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Fishing Report for the Madison River in Montana 5-22-2019
This cool weather is a blessing if your around to fish the Madison River right now. The flows have gone down and the water color is that great bugger green that everyone loves. This is a small window for fishing and expect flows to come back up once the warm weather hits again. Until then take advantage of some darn good fishing. More or less anything sub surface will get the job done. If your a nympher, try stone flies, worms, eggs, caddis, or mayflies. We have been doing best with...
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Madison River Fishing Report 5-17-19
This last week of sun has taken it's toll on the Madison's feeder creeks. The West Fork is now pumping in more mud by the day and has increased flows significantly with current flows reaching 3,100 CFS. With the flow being higher right now some of the bridges may be harder to navigate under so use extreme caution.Right now is a great time to be fishing big streamers and nymphs tight to the banks. People have picked up a number of fish on natural sculpin patterns and zirdle bugs. With rain in ...
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Fishing Report for the Madison River in Montana 5-10-2019
Well spring has finally showed up in the Madison Valley and we could not be happier. Temps are forecast to be in the 70 this weekend. This will do a few things for us. First, it should warm the water enough to spark the March Browns , skwala, and hopefully the Mothers Day Caddis Hatch. Right now near town we are seeing March Browns and Blue Winged Olives. The second thing 70's might do is spark some runoff. Two days of 70's do it. There is already some brown water coming in from the ...
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Madison River Fishing Report 5-5-19
The weather has finally started to get better. The final grasp of winter has given way to more spring like conditions here in Ennis. The Madison river is still running clear and the fish are getting more active. We are still seeing midges and on cloudy warm days the blue wings have started to fly around. The fish still aren't keying into dries but they should start with this warmer weather. Nymphs and streamers will still be your best way to catch fish so don't forget your bobbers and weight...
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Fishing Report for the Madison River in Montana 4-19-2019
Good weather is on the horizon and the Madison River is in Go Mode. Good fishing can be had river wide. Most of the ramps are open with the exception of the Ennis Town and Valley Garden. These will still be a while. Think mid-May for these. Mayflies are on the menu river wide. BWO are showing up. Think warm afternoons with cloud cover and no wind for the epic dry fly fishing. Look in the slicks behind rocks and in the inside curves. Skwala are also around so throw the big bug with a dropper ...
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