The Madison River fly fishing during the spring months can be some of the best fly fishing in Montana. Close to Bozeman, MT, the lower stretches (Ennis Dam north to Three Forks, MT) is an easy drive to have good angling with dry flies, nymphs, and streamers.

The fly fishing on the Lower Madison River has started to pick back up with the emergance of the Mother's Day Caddis hatch and trout are starting to key in on the pupae and adults more and more each day. The weather this weak could slow the hatch a bit but the fishing should still be good. The flows out of the dam are changing each day it seems so keep an eye on the graph to get a good idea of what the river is doing. The water is a good color right now above Cherry Creek, the creek is dumping a little bit of off-color water but not enough to make the river below too murky to fish.  Trout are currently feeding on a mix of the patterns hatching and the aquatic insects that are prevalent annually. Caddis Pupae/Adults, sowbugs, scuds, annelids (worms), midges, and Baetis nymphs are all catching fish. Our Bozeman fly fishing guides have found success using Chartreuse Sparkle Pupas and FB Sowbugs.

The water temperatures dropped low to around 44 degrees this last week and are just starting to warm back to that 50-degree mark, this could present some decent dry fly fishing below Bear Trap Canyon if the Caddis aren't delayed too much from the rain. Target the deeper areas and riffles near the bank.  It is always a good idea to stop by some fly shops in Bozeman, Montana for the most up-to-date gear and information on your way to the water.

Not much for rising fish the last few days with the bright sun and warm weather but a mix of insects are hatching and the overcast provided this week could entice some rising fish with March Browns, BWOS, and Midges. We are still a couple weeks away from Mother's Day Caddis, they usually appear at the end of the month.

Streamer fishing has been decent and some larger trout are being caught on small flashy bugs and crayfish. Retrieval speed seems to be day-to-day, start slow and progressively start moving your fly faster through the water column if you aren't garnering any attention from the trout.