Madison River Fishing Report

The Madison river fishing report from The Slide Inn is the most thorough and accurate report you will find on the Upper Madison River. These reports are written by people who are on the river every day and people you can trust to give you the straight scoop. If you are looking for the latest Madison river fishing report, be sure to give the shop a call and one of our staff members will bring you up to speed.

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Madison River Fishing Report

October 23, 2019July 1, 2019

Madison River Fishing Report for June 30th, 2019

Dam: 776 cfs

Kirby: 1,080 cfs

Varney: 1,830 cfs

The Upper Madison has been fishing well and the insect activity is just about to explode throughout the entire river. We should also start to see a little bump in flows at some point this week, as Hebgen is just shy of 99% full and it will definitely be welcomed by all the fish living at lower water levels above Lyon’s Bridge. The forecast for the week ahead is calling for near perfect weather, with nighttime lows in the 40’s and highs in the 70’s so now is a great time to hit the Upper Madison if you get the chance.

Madison River Fishing Report

April 7, 2020June 23, 2019

Madison River Fishing Report for June 23rd, 2019 Dam: 822 cfs Kirby: 1,240 cfs Varney: 1,920 cfs Just when it was starting to feel like Summer again we had another cold front move in and received a decent amount of snow on the Solstice…Reason number 21,384 we love Montana. The drop in water temperatures will …

Madison River Fishing Report

October 23, 2019June 16, 2019

Madison River Fishing Report for June 16th, 2019

Dam: 1,100 cfs

Kirby: 1,850 cfs

Varney: 2,940 cfs

The Upper Madison has been fishing well these days and we are currently sitting at roughly 2 feet of visibility and green above the West Fork. We should start to see a little rise in water levels over the next few days as afternoon thunderstorms have been producing a pretty decent amount of rain in the valleys as well as in the mountains. I wouldn’t be surprised if they start to increase flows out of Hebgen by the weekend either, as the lake is 94% full with more rain on the way and we will keep you updated as conditions start to change.

Madison River Fishing Report

October 23, 2019May 22, 2019

Madison River Fishing Report for May 22nd, 2019

Dam: 1,260 cfs

Kirby: 1,640 cfs

Varney: 2,080 cfs

It’s been cold and wet on the Upper Madison over the last week, and the cooler temperatures have slowed much of the melt from the surrounding creeks as a result. As the inflow into Hebgen has decreased, so has the outflow and we are currently sitting around 1,650 cfs above the West Fork and just over 2,000 cfs around town. These are great flows for this time of year, as we are usually too high and dirty to do any floating below Lyon’s by the third week in May. Visibility in the upper wade stretch is around 3 feet and green, and most of the mud being dumped in by the West Fork isn’t completely mixed until you get to Palisades. Clarity is just fine around Ennis as well, particularly for throwing nymphs and streamers.

Madison River Fishing Report

October 23, 2019May 10, 2019

Madison River Fishing Report for May 10th, 2019

Dam: 1,500 cfs

Kirby: 1,670 cfs

Varney: 2,040 cfs

The Upper Madison continues to fish extremely well, and it appears that we may have turned a corner today, as highs in the sixties and seventies are in the forecast for at least the next week. That should definitely get the creeks going, and I think it’s safe to say that our Spring runoff is just around the corner. We have seen the West Fork of the Madison and Cabin/Beaver Creeks putting in some dirty water over the last five days but the colder nights have prevented them from really getting going. A little color is never a bad thing though, and the upper portions of the river will continue to fish through the rise as long as it comes up gradually.

Madison River Fishing Report

October 23, 2019April 30, 2019

Madison River Fishing Report for April 30th, 2019

Dam: 1,790 cfs

Kirby: 1,850 cfs

Varney: 2,130 cfs

Fishing on the Upper Madison has been solid lately despite the cold snap and brutally frigid winds that came in over the weekend and lasted through Monday night. Obviously you want to keep an eye on the forecast these days if you plan on floating, as 25-30 mph north winds are not anybody’s idea of a good time. The good news is that you can usually find a little shelter in the upper wade stretches as well as between the lakes if wind is an issue. From the looks of things we are going to start warming up a little bit around here on Thursday, with highs in the fifties and sixties expected through the weekend. All the ramps are good to go in the float section with the exception of Ennis, but it shouldn’t be more than another week or two.

Madison River Fishing Report

October 23, 2019April 23, 2019

Madison River Fishing Report for April 23rd, 2019

Dam: 1,890 cfs

Kirby: 2,000 cfs

Varney: 2,290 cfs

More good reports have been rolling in this week, as the Upper Madison continues to hold its own well into April and the fishing has been excellent. Wind has been the biggest factor as far as floating is concerned, but you can always find some shelter in the upper stretches if 25-30 mph gusts are in the forecast. Otherwise we are looking at perfect spring temperatures this week, with highs in the mid fifties to mid sixties and relatively warm nighttime lows.

Madison River Fishing Report

October 23, 2019April 16, 2019

Madison River Fishing Report for April 16th, 2019

Dam: 1,610 cfs

Kirby: 1,610 cfs

Varney: 1,830 cfs

The river continues to fish well despite cold water temps this month, and the best window of opportunity seems to be in that 10:00 – 5:00 range. We should start to see water temperatures warm up quite a bit this week, as the forecast is calling for sunshine and highs in the fifties through Friday. All the boat ramps from Raynold’s to Burnt Tree are open for business, but it’s still going to be a while before Ennis and Valley garden are ready to go. You still can’t back a trailer down to the water at Raynold’s but you can get it close enough to slide your boat down on the snow. Also worth noting is that the road down to Three Dollar Bridge was plowed last week, which will save you the 10 minute walk down from the highway parking lot.

Madison River Fishing Report

October 23, 2019April 3, 2019

Madison River Fishing Report for April 3rd, 2019

Dam: 1,120 cfs

Kirby: 1,150 cfs

Varney: 1,260 cfs

The Upper Madison has been fishing well again this week, and access has gotten a little bit better as the low lying snow has begun to recede. There’s still quite a bit on the banks between Quake and Pine Butte, but we should should start to see a little more grass showing in those sections with the mix of rain and snow in the forecast through next week. Otherwise our snowpack in the Madison Range remains above average with 112% of moisture content, and we are expecting more snow in the high country in the weeks to come.

Madison River Fishing Report

October 23, 2019March 20, 2019

Madison River Fishing Report for March 20th, 2019

Dam: 1,060 cfs

Kirby: 1,100 cfs

Varney: 1,180 cfs

It’s been absolutely beautiful on the Upper Madison over the last week or so, and highs in the low to mid 40’s have been a welcome relief from the sub-zero temperatures we experienced for much of late January through February. The current snow water equivalent in the Madison Range is still sitting at 119%, so we are still in great shape for what should be another great season in 2019 and you can bet that we haven’t seen the last of Spring snow up the mountains.