Upper Madison River Fishing Report
Date: 09/04/2025
Posted by: Toby SwankCurrent Conditions
The Upper Madison River has been fishing well, even with no hatch activity. The cooler nights have extended hopper eats into the late afternoons. With the system seeing much more comfortable water temps for trout, streamer fishing has picked up again as well.
Hopper-dropper rigs continue to be the most productive setup. Running golden or tan patterns like water walkers, thunder thighs, and natural hoppers like the dave’s hopper have all been getting eaten consistently. Fishing a single hopper in the afternoons and running a lightning bug or gold beadhead pheasant tail underneath in the mornings.
Nymphing remains a solid option as well. Larger attractor nymphs, like a rubber-leg stonefly or a worm pattern, paired with a smaller mayfly or midge imitation, have been working well. Long drifts down the middle of the river and along drop-offs are where most of the action is.
Streamer fishing is worth doing for more than just a few hours again. Our guides have been having good and bad days of streamer fishing on the upper, but have been seeing some nicer fish. Fishing black or olive when it’s sunny and white and yellow in the early hours or during afternoon cloud coverage. Patterns like the mini dungeon, baby gonga, goldie, peanut envy, and rusty trombone are all solid choices, fished on a floating line or lighter sink tip.
Overall, while hatches are sparse right now, the Upper Madison is offering steady fishing across the board. Hopper-dropper rigs, nymphing, and well-placed streamers are all in play, giving anglers plenty of options. It’s a great time to mix up tactics and let the fish tell you what they want.
Additional Resources:
- Upper Madison River Fishing in September
- Ennis Fly Fishing in September
- A Guide To Bozeman Fly Fishing in September
Stream Flows
Flows
Recommended Flies
Golden Thunder Thigh Hopper
Gold Lightning Bug
Olive Inferno Gons
Black Pat's Rubberleg
Olive Mini Peanut Envy
Giant Orange Rogue Foam Stone
Olive Mini Dungeon
Golden Morrish Hopper
Upper Madison River Fishing
The Fins and Feathers "Upper Madison River Fishing Guide" features a comprehensive overview of the river stretches and seasonal highlights with Madison River fishing tips from our Bozeman fly fishing guide staff.
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