Madison River Fishing Report
The Tackle Shop Fly Shop and Fishing Guides in Ennis, Montana
Fishing Report Upper Madison River 3-20-2016
With the week ahead of good weather now is the time to break out the rod and waders and get to the Madison River. The fish have really got on the feed the last few days and it might just be some of the best fishing of spring. The guys doing the bobber lobber thing are still king on numbers. Worms, eggs, and stone fly nymphs are catching fish river wide. The streamer guys are moving a few fish and catching some really big ones. If your looking for the fish of the year throw streamers all ...
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Fishing Report Upper Madison River 2-29-2016
With the constant stream of El Nino fueled weather we have been seeing the fishing has got really good. The river is in good shape the entire length with just some shelf ice below Valley Garden the reminders of the gorge this winter. Most guys are still doing best with sub surface nymph rigs. Eggs, worms and rubber leg's are the name of the game right now. Keep them down in the fishes face with some lead and your sure to get bent. In fact the fishing has gotten significantly better ov...
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Fishing Report Upper Madison River 2-20-2016
The spring like weather we have been having has made the fish think spring. They have been getting active river wide. The entire river is in good shape to fish with the exception of Valley Garden area. This area has had some significant ice gourging this winter and there is still lots of ice shelves along the bank. The warm windy weather has us all thinking spring including the fish. We still have been having our best luck with the standard spring fare of San Juans, eggs, zebra midges a...
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Fishing Report Upper Madison River 2-1-2016
More seasonal weather has produced some good winter fishing on the Madison River. The river is in good shape with not much gourging. The gourging that has happened is mostly in the channels section below Valley Garden. If you stay above that the water should be open with just the occasional shelf ice. The river temps are still really low and in the range one would expect during the winter. This makes the fish sluggish and holding in the deepest and slowest water. Concentrate on this al...
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Fishing Report Upper Madison River 1-27-2016
More seasonal weather means good winter fishing on the Madison River. Lots of great reports river wide. The river as a whole has been staying in good shape. The dreaded gourging of many years has been confined right now to the Valley Garden area downstream. Everything above Valley Garden on the Madison is gourg free and open. The nicer weather has also helped the fisherman with lots of folks swinging in to get a few flies on the way to the river. Reports we have been getting are all g...
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Fishing Report Upper Madison River 1-17-2016
The weather monkeys are telling us that even though we will be getting some snow in the next week the average temps should be about normal to above normal. This can bring some great fishing even some dry fly fishing if the dreaded winter wind stays away. I think a good place for the wind is South Dakota. If we get good days the midge fishing should pick up and the dry fly shot will increase. If you just want to scratch the itch and get a bent rod go with the bobber and the typical winte...
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Fishing Report Upper Madison River 1-6-2016
If you need to scratch the itch and get a line wet or if you need to try out the new waders or rod you got for christmas you might just be amazed at the quality of winter fishing on the Madison River. The river as a whole is looking good and there are good reports from the Bear Trap Canyon as well as between the lakes and near Reynolds Pass. I would stay away from the area between Ennis and Ennis Lake. The river has gourged this area and lots of ice shelves are unstable and dangerous. I...
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Fishing Report Upper Madison River 11-7-2015
We have seen our first dose of winter here on the Madison River and snow now covers the valley. Most sportspeople are now hunting and chasing furry tasty critters which leaves the river empty. From now till spring the whitefish are spawning. These wonderful fish are broadcast spawners so they loose a bunch of eggs. The fish are on the look out for small egg patterns. Whitefish eggs are yellow to peach in color and small about a size 14. Guys who have been throwing these have been report...
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Fishing Report Upper Madison River 9-21-2015
The fall and even winter like weather we have been seeing the last week has super charged the river and made the fish hungry. Every year we get a storm around the middle of September that marks the transition from summer to fall and we have seen this event. This adjusts the fish to fall mode and to start feeding more aggressively. It also gets the browns all stirred up and ready for the big dance of spawning season. The water temps in the river have dropped significantly and it has turned...
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Fishing Report Upper Madison River 9-8-2015
With the fall like weather the Madison has produced some really big fish as of late. We have been seeing some really fall like weather and the result is cooler water temps. Some mornings the water temps are in the high 40's and we need to wait till it warms up to get the fish active. This is totally different from what we have been seeing most of the summer. The nymphers and bobber lobbers are doing the best and keeping the rod bent most of the day. Most are throwing some sort of bunny f...
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