Madison River
Dam: 794 cfs
Kirby: 839 cfs
Varney: 875 cfs
The Upper Madison is closed to fishing from Quake Lake to McAtee Bridge as well as from Ennis Bridge to Ennis Lake until May 17th. The sections that are currently open to fishing are the Madison between Hebgen Dam and Quake Lake and between McAtee Bridge and Ennis Bridge.
With another great Winter Season behind us, your options will be pretty limited on the Upper Madison until the general opener on May 17th. Mac to town is pretty much a slush party for the time being, so those of your wanting to throw a line in the Upper Madison will want to head between the lakes until the lower river becomes more accessible. As we head into early March, you can expect to see the first pre-spawn rainbows heading up into the system and nymphs and streamers will be the name of the game. Small $3 Dips, midge larva, baetis nymphs, and pat’s rubber legs are always good choices up there, as are red brassies, eggs, and san juans when the fish start to run up in greater numbers. Streamers will be a quality over quantity game until the water temps start to climb into the low to mid 40’s, and you’ll generally do best by sticking to the dark day/dark fly, bright day/bright fly rule of thumb. Some of our favorite Spring patterns up there are sex dungeons, boogie men, and other food based imitations.
