Upper Madison River Fishing Report
Date: 06/30/2025
Posted by: Toby SwankCurrent Conditions
The upper Madison River is fishing well these days for the fly anglers during this prolific hatch time of year in Southwest Montana. Water conditions are ideal and holding steady along the sections below Quake Lake, commonly referred to as the “50 mile riffle”
Salmonflies and golden stones are still around the upper river with fish continuing to eat the big bugs. Although this bite is sporadic, our Bozeman fly fishing guides continue to find some big fish willing to eat the big dries with reckless abandon around Palisades.
Yellow sally, PMD, and caddis activity contribute to the dry fly feeding, with caddis being of particular significance later in the day.
Dry dropper setups using large attractor patterns like water walkers and chubby chernobyls trailed a few feet by a heavily-weighted perdigon style nymph have been reliable for good numbers.
The unsettled weather of last week produced some epic streamer days! Early morning sessions will continue to produce some nice fish this week, with the Varney to town and Lyon’s to Ruby Creek sections being our preferred options.
Mid-river nymphing near boulders and through the pocket water has been really productive for good numbers of small to medium-sized fish. Our guides have been running tandem nymph rigs about 4’ in length from the indicator to the first fly. Generalist fly patterns like a prince nymph variation with a small nymph dropper have been our most solid options.
Additional Resources:
- Upper Madison River Fishing in July
- A Guide To Bozeman Fly Fishing in July
Stream Flows
Flows
Recommended Flies
Black Pat's Rubberleg
X caddis
Chubby Chernobyl Pteronarcys
Yellow Saly Bullet
Tungsten Jigged Prince
Rainbow Warrior Jig
Tungsten Soft Hacke Pheasant Tail
Olive Mini Dungeon
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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