Madison River Fishing Report
The Tackle Shop Fly Shop and Fishing Guides in Ennis, Montana
Fishing Report for the Madison River in Montana 4-14-2019
Things are heating up around Ennis on the Madison River and the fishing is getting better by the day. The long range forecast is for more spring like weather and that will only make the fishing better. Right now the Madison River is still in early spring mode with stone flies, worms, eggs, midges and just the start of BWO. The water temps are in the low 40"s by 2 pm on most days and the fish are starting to take notice. What we really need is a few days of warm to kick it off. The wate...
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Fishing Report for the Madison River in Montana 4-5-2019
Fishing has been getting better on the Madison River this week. It is still a weather dependent thing. Get a good day and the fishing is great. Old man winter shows up and it is slow. The water temps are starting to rise and the fish are getting hungry. We have yet to see those big spawning rainbows in the river. Everything is a little later than normal. We still have lots of ice on the banks from about 8 Mile downstream to the lake. Burnt Tree has a large ice burg in the ramp. To...
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Madison River Fishing Report 3-22-19
we are starting to see less snowmobile trailers and more boat and raft trailers here in Ennis this week. winter has finally given up some and the Madison river has started to open up some. Anglers have been floating Lyons to McAtee and some have even floated Varney to Eight mile. The fishing is still kinda slow but Anglers are having success out there. most of the ramps are still hard to access and most of the floaters have been rafts. there is still quite a bit of ice and snow at most of th...
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Madison River Fishing Report 3-15
We are finally starting to see some blue skies here in Ennis. With this nicer weather Anglers are bitting at the bit to get out of the house and wet a fly. The past couple of weeks were pretty tough on the Madison River. With record cold temps the river froze up and gorged through town. However there are still places to fish if you want to get out. your best bet right now will be below Ennis lake or above Lyons Bridge. Reynolds pass has been fishing well for the folks willing to wade through ...
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Fishing Report for the Madison River March 2, 2019
If you have been in Montana the last month and survived you deserve a round of applause. It has been the coldest and snowiest month that any of us can remember. Our snow pack went from 80% to over 120% in the shortest month of the year. Most of the access sites are closed to gorged river or snow. If your looking to fish around Ennis the gorge made it up to just above Burnt Tree and not quite to 8 Mile. Everything from Burnt Tree downstream to the lake will be a month before it is fish...
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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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