Lower Madison River Fishing in the Fall
October and early November fly fishing in Montana brings to mind the golden hues of fall that fill the landscape and the angler’s net. Anglers fishing the lower Madison River embrace the solitude as the crowds of summer are now long gone. Each day brings new challenges with ever-changing weather, but the wild trout of this iconic Montana river are at their best following the first few cold fronts of the season.
Expert anglers embrace cloudy days, knowing there will be pods of rising rainbow, cutthroat, and brown trout to be found on the shallow flats upstream of Black’s Ford fishing access site. Novice anglers can expect tight lines throughout a day of nymph fishing the deep runs and buckets. Weather permitting, the lower Madison River is rated among the best fly fishing in Montana for anglers of all skill levels.
Fall Lower Madison River Fly Fishing Hatches
Blue-winged olive mayflies hatch in prolific numbers on cool, cloudy days from mid-September through October on Montana’s lower Madison River. Mid-day emergences bring trout to the surface in slow-sipping pods throughout the river along US HWY 84. The adventurous angler can find solitude and rising fish well up into the Beartrap Canyon when conditions are ideal.
Lower Madison River Fly Fishing Techniques for Fall
Dry fly and streamer fly fishing often draw anglers to the lower Madison River in the fall. However, nymph fishing is the most productive method. Crayfish are a favorite food source for the Madison’s wild trout, becoming particularly active as water begins to cool in September and October.
Nymph fishing with tandem setups that include a crayfish imitation as the lead fly and a Baetis nymph dropper is the most reliable setup. Our Montana fishing guides prefer lightly weighted crayfish patterns like a Zirdle or Clouser Crayfish fished about 5 feet below a strike indicator with no added weight. The intention is to keep the fly slowly moving rather than “dead-drifting.” The Baetis dropper nymph drifts freely behind the tumbling crayfish fly pattern and can be incredibly effective when the trout are keyed into the smaller bugs.
Streamer fly fishing can be tricky as the weed beds start to break up and floating grass can make stripping streamers problematic. However, October and November are prime months for streamer fly fishing the lower Madison River. We prefer to use floating fly lines or lines with short, slow-sinking tips rather than the more traditional heavily weighted sinking lines.
Bozeman Fly Fishing Guide Pro Tip:
"Go big" is our motto in the fall when fly fishing Montana on the lower Madison River. Big flies and big floats. Streamer fly fishing between Black’s Ford and the Missouri River Headwaters during the fall is a Montana fly fishing classic. The experienced angler fishing here can cover a ton of water in search of a few trophy brown trout with big streamers on these epic floats that can cover over 20 miles of river.
Our Lower Madison River Fly Box for Fall
Lower Madison River Fly Fishing Trips in Fall
The lower Madison River is one of our preferred day-trip destinations for our guided fly fishing trips near Bozeman during the fall months. Located about 20 minutes from our meeting point near 4-Corners, it is convenient and productive for anglers of all skill levels this time of year.
Floating and fishing is always preferred as we can cover a lot of water and concentrate our efforts on the best runs and buckets over many miles. Wading becomes the standard once the weather begins to turn from fall to winter sometime in late October.
Montana fly fishing trips to the lower Madison River can be booked online, via e-mail, or by calling us at 1-406-468-5019. Contact Us with questions or for help planning your fly fishing trip near Bozeman.