ENNIS LAKE:
Ennis lake is located just minutes from Ennis, Montana which makes it a great addition to an Ennis based, Madison river fly fishing trip. Ennis Lake is an amazing and under appreciated fishery. The southern half of Ennis lake is shallow and easily wadable in many places. Pods of large trout cruise the shallows where the Madison river flows into Ennis lake. In July and August a morning on Ennis lake is a frenzy of large trout rising to intense hatches of callibaetis and tricos. We arrive by boat and wade the flats to stalk the rising fish. The fish in Ennis lake are as spooky as they are large but if you make some good cast to a group of risers one will choose your fly from the swarm of natural bugs and tear line off your reel. In the heat of the day hatches usually fade and if a breeze hits the water we usually leave Ennis lake and finish the day with a short float on the Madison river near Ennis. Ennis lake usually fishes well from spring through fall but the best hatches come in July and August.
The rising fish in Ennis lake are often called gulpers because of the loud slurping sound that they make on the quiet surface of the lake during a calm morning. Ennis lake is a large lake and the best fishing is usually near where the Madison river empties into the lake on the south end, which is halfway across the lake from the nearest boat ramp. The amount of bug life in Ennis Lake and the size of the trout eating during a hatch are amazing sights. This is head hunting and sight casting at its best!