Madison River Fishing Report
The Tackle Shop Fly Shop and Fishing Guides in Ennis, Montana
Madison River Fishing Report 2-1-19
The Madison river near Ennis was flowing slush free this morning. It looks like Saturday might be a great day to get out and fish. The boat ramps from Varney to Valley garden are all accessible. Fish will be holding in the slower deeper water. Nymphing will be your most productive method of fishing. This week our rig has been Crystal Meth Sucker spawns patterns with a zebra midge trailer. Angler should fish slow and methodical because fish will be pretty sluggish and might not take your offe...
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Madison River Fishing Report 1-25-19
The Madison river near Ennis has been pretty slushy the past couple of days. This weekend looks like the thermometer might reach into the low 40's. If this happens the river will clear up and could possibly give anglers a chance to wet a line. Fish will be holding in the deepest slowest water you can find and if you find one there will likely be more in that spot. Nymphing is the name of the game this time of year and you will typically have to fish a spot several times before you get any act...
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Fishing Report for the Madison River in Montana 1/19/2019
January 20 2019 Fishing this time of year is a game of degrees. If the degrees are to low you might as well spend the day cleaning the garage to save time in the spring. The El Nino we have been seeing has produced a winter full of days with degrees above the threshold. It is also a game of location. The fish are not spread randomly like in the summer. They concentrate on deep slow locations where they save energy. The Madison is not known for deep or slow so the wintering holes are not ev...
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Madison River Montana Fly Fishing Report for October 18, 2018
Fishing on the Madison River in Montana continues to impress. Fall is in full swing, fish are being caught on streamers, nymphs and some dries. The real challenge is timing the water temps. We had a considerable cold snap which has lowered the water temps. Look for temps in the upper 40's to low 50's. This happens on sunny days about mid afternoon. Below say 44 it is a no go. The fish are just to cold. We have been seeing the best fishing about mid afternoon. Good hatches of BWO come o...
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Madison River Montana Fishing Report for October 2, 2018
Fall has arrived big time in the Madison River Valley and the fish can not be happier. The fishing has stayed strong with the cooling waters and changing leaves. The lake run fish from Ennis Lake have started to show on the fall migration to spawn in the cold Madison waters. Lots of streamer activity river wide. Most of the big game is sub surface with streamers and nymphs. We like the sculpin stuff on a slow drift. The pure nymph guys are still getting some fish to eat with the prince s...
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Madison River Fishing Report 9-15-18
Well, we are mid way through September and the Madison Valley is starting to get that fall feeling. Mornings are starting to get a little colder, jackets are staying on longer and the fisherman are hanging out at the local cafe later drinking coffee. What a great time to be on the upper Madison River. The trees and brown trout seem to mirror each other in their gold color change. With these changes, it’s time to change fishing tactics. Nymphs and streamers will become a big part of the game...
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Fishing Report for the Madison River in Montana 9-7-2018
Indian summer is here. While it might be september the fish are still in summer mode. Lots of dry fly action river wide. Remember that the mornings are still a little chilly and the best fishing has been starting around 10:30 and extending to about 5. It takes that long for the river to warm up a few degrees and get the fish moving for the day. It also takes that much sun to get on the hoppers and make them move around and become trout food. If your going have a good breakfast and th...
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Madison River Fishing Report 8-25-18
The last week of August is upon us and boy what an august we have had. The upper Madison River here by Ennis has fish amazingly well. We have enjoyed what some have considered the best hopper season we have seen in years. The Madison river flow today was still about 1,200 cfs and the temperature has been ranging from the mid fifties to the mid sixties. The Madison Valley has been seeing some pretty cold nights as of late and there seems to be no hurry to get out at the crack of dawn. The fis...
Read MoreMadison River Fishing Report 8-19-18
The terrestrial fishing on the Upper Madison near Ennis has been the best we have seen in years. The water temperatures have been ranging between from the mid fifties to the mid sixties. While the river flows have been hovering around 1,260 CFS which is a little bit higher than norm for this time of year. These two factors may be what has lead to this great fishing. Wade Anglers have been having great luck fishing at Valley Garden and the Three Dollar Bridge access sites. Float Anglers have b...
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Madison River Montana Fishing Report for August 10, 2018
August is here and the Fly fishing is still really good on the Madison River. Not sure if it is the amount of snow we had this winter leading to more water in the river or the fact that the dam is finally fixed and drawing cold water from the bottom of the lake but the fishing has been out of sight for August. The Madison River is a dry fly fishermans paradise right now. Hoppers, ants, caddis, moths and attractors are getting it done river wide. We can not remember when the dry fly fi...
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