The Diverse, Lower Madison River

The lower Madison River is considered to be the stretch below, or downstream of Ennis Lake. Ennis Lake was formed in 1901 by the creation of the Madison Dam which sits just inside the mouth of the Beartrap Canyon. The reservoir is shallow and warms quickly during the long days of summer. The lower Madison stretch that is baffling to many anglers – and among the most popular – is between the Warm Springs FAS and Black’s Ford FAS, both of which are located along Highway 84.

• Warm Springs fishing access site is at the bottom of the Beartrap Canyon, approximately 7 miles downstream of Ennis Dam. The river is wide and gentle in appearance between Warm Springs and Black’s Ford. Much of the river’s character in this stretch is created by ice gorging in the winter and weed-bed development in the summer. Absent are the narrow riffles, fast runs, and deep pools normally associated with western rivers. Identifying productive holding water can be the most difficult aspect of fly fishing the lower Madison River.
• Public access is permitted on both sides of the river between Warm Springs and Black’s Ford. Boat and recreational launches are only allowed, however, at the designated boat ramps (Warm Springs, California Corner, Canaday, Damselfly, Black’s Ford) and hand-launch zones as marked. Accessibility makes the lower Madison a great choice form many local anglers and river recreationalists.
• The water between Warm Springs and Canaday is considered “the best” as it is characterized by deep runs around the weed-beds, a few mid-river “rock gardens,” and long glides of mixed depth. We find that this fishes best early and late in the day during seasonal hatches, including Midges, Blue-Winged Olives, and Pale-Morning Duns. This section is good for streamer and nymph-fishing year-round, both for the wading and floating angler.
• The river between Canaday and Damselfly can be the most productive in terms of the average size and number of trout an angler might catch in a day. The structure here is more difficult to read than elsewhere with an emphasis on productive water being found near “buckets” that are created by moving ice jams in the winter and spring. These buckets are small depressions in the river-bottom which provide shelter from overhead predators and productive current seams. A handful of islands and mid-river boulders provide some nice holding water, especially during periods of higher flows in the spring and early summer.
  
• As we make our way downstream of Damselfly fishing access site, the river straightens out and closely follows the highway to Black’s Ford. There is a small group of islands just above Black’s Ford which can make for some nice wade fishing opportunities early on summer days. Outside of these islands, most of the productive water here is along the roadside riprap and mid-river weed-beds. Surprisingly enough, this is where some of the largest Brown Trout are found on our guided fly fishing trips on the lower Madison River.
  

Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks actively surveys and manages the lower Madison River fishery. They offer a wide range of information about the fishery including access points, Montana fish populations, and more on their website.

Although it is technically a tailwater fishery, the aquatic invertebrate population here is much different than the typical, cold-water tailwater such as the Bighorn or Missouri rivers in this region. Midges, Caddis, Mayflies, and Stoneflies make up the hatching insects and have varying degrees of importance throughout the year. Crayfish, Sculpins, and even Bullheads are very important to the trout on the lower Madison and often are the lead fly choices on a standard nymph rig for the lower Madison River.

Recommended Nymph Patterns for the Lower Madison

The dry fly angler can expect to find rising trout throughout the year between February and early November throughout the lower Madison. Midges start off the year, followed by BWO’s in April, Caddis in late April, Stoneflies in mid-May, and the PMD’s throughout June. Brown Drakes are usually around for a couple weeks in mid-June, offering some of the best dry fly fishing of the year in the morning and evening hours. The summer dry fly fishing is usually best on a variety of attractor patterns like small hoppers, Royal Wullfs, and Purple Hazes fished early in the day. The classic “Match the Hatch” style of dry fly fishing is best around the Midge, Mayfly and Caddis hatches during the winter, spring and fall times of year.

Recommended Dry Fly Patterns for the Lower Madison

The “patented” streamer drag may not have been invented here, but it was perfected here by fly fishing guides in the 90’s and early 2000’s. This technique of fly fishing is simply dragging a large, lightly weighted sculpin or crayfish under an indicator rather than stripping or attempting to dead drift the flies. Feeding trout that hold in the skinny water found throughout this stretch of the river will move a long way to chase a slow, dragging baitfish pattern most of the year. Traditional streamer fishing , using floating fly lines rather than sink-tips, can be productive as well throughout the year.

Recommended Streamer Patterns for the Lower Madison

Challenges and Rewards

The shallow nature of Ennis Lake has dramatic effects on the water temperature throughout the lower Madison for most of the summer. Fly-fishing should be limited to the morning hours for most of July and August as daytime water temperatures often exceed 70 throughout the summer. The river is under “Hoot Owl” restrictions - meaning fishing is limited to the hours between midnight and 2 pm throughout most of the summer. Conditions can change quickly throughout the summer, so it is always a good idea to check the current fishing restrictions listed on the Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks website.

Recreational river traffic is busy along this stretch of the river during the warmer times of year as well. Expect to see a wide range of river users actively enjoying this resource from early June through September. The savvy angler understands that an early start is the key to avoiding the crowds of recreational river users on the lower Madison River. If you plan to put your boat on around 9 am, on a July weekend, expect to spend the day surrounded by masses of folks floating in rafts, tubes, and various forms of modern-day pool toys!

The lower Madison is consistently one of the favorite choices of our Bozeman fly-fishing guides, whether we are fishing with clients or on our own. We are fortunate to have such a quality, wild-trout fishery that is close to Bozeman, offers a variety of fly-fishing, and has a healthy trout population that includes Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout, Cutthroat Trout, and even a few Brook Trout, too. Although the river ecosystem has changed over the years, the trout adapt along with the changes, continuing to make this unique fishery one of the better ones in Southwest Montana.