The Madison continues to fish well. Flows on the Upper river are holding at right under 1,000 cfs. The cooler weather and rain earlier this week bumped flows a little bit, but water clarity was not that affected.
The Lower remains locked in the grip of the tubers, but should be starting to fish better very soon. September is almost here, and already the mornings have a chilly bite to them. Once the water cools off some, and the idiots go home, this stretch of river will fish well.
The Upper from Hebgen to Quake is a little low, but still fishing well. From Quake down to Ennis is pretty damn good. Hoppers and ants are the hot item right now. Fish them from about eleven till dark. Float a hopper right through some of the darker, deeper water either near the bank or in the middle of the river. There is nothing quite like watching a big brown lazily swim up, look at your hopper and then eat it. There have been some scattered reports of ant flights along the river so be sure to have some in your box.
Caddis and mayflies are providing the rest of the trout’s diet. Look for morning hatches of mayflies and then afternoon and evening hatches of both. Also, Spruce Moths are still in evidence along the treed sections of the river. Fish this hatch in the mornings.
With so much other water fishing well, the Madison is not as heavily pressured as it has been in recent years. Take advantage of the lull.
Tags: River - Madison
