Mother Nature is throwing it back to the good old days on the Madison River, with recent rain, forecasted high-country snow, and a slight drop in flows (West Yellowstone at 342 CFS, Varney at 1110) making for a gloriously cool, cloudy, and fishy June. Whether you’re wading or floating, the trout are absolutely cooperating from Hebgen all the way down to Ennis. Between the lakes, tributaries like Cabin and Beaver are clear but likely to bump with the weekend weather, so you’ll want to pack everything from rubber legs and hot spot jigs to Iron X Caddis and PMDs to match the heavy hatches. Just remember to cover water, pack your bear spray as a daily fashion accessory, and keep an eye out for the somewhat elusive Salmonfly hatch.
While the fishing is hot, river etiquette is the name of the game if you don’t want to be that person on the water. Keep your catches wet, fish barbless, and if a trout swallows your fly, cut the tippet instead of performing amateur throat surgery with your hemostats. When you’re out there, treat your fellow anglers with kindness, pack your boat out efficiently at the ramp, and give upstream rowers a ton of breathing room—because the Madison moves fast, and 100 yards disappears a lot quicker than rookies think. Oh, and park your boat on the bank when taking a break; dragging your anchor down the riverbed is a major vibe killer.
Check out the full report by Big Sky Anglers here!
