Lots of people are still calling and emailing to ask about the heat drought conditions.  The weather has not been hot for weeks now and we have had lots of rain here on the Madison river.  The Madison was relatively low...around 1000 cubic feet per second near Varney bridge until yesterdays rains caused it to rise around 20%.  The reason for the low water has more to do with the cool weather than lack of water.  Hebgan lake which provides most of the water that flows dawn the Madison River is still 96% FULL !  It was so cool and rainy yesterday that I am looking at fresh snow on the mountains.  Likewise,  relatively low daytime high temperatures and frequent afternoon thunderstorms have kept the water temperatures well within the happy range for trout.  So why is the river low?  The most likely explanation is that because the water temperatures are fine, the water is being held back to conserve it in case it gets hot again in August...smart move!

Flows and temperatures on the Madison river have been good...but hows the fishing?  It has been pretty good most days with some really great days and a few tough days mixed in.  It is not the sure thing huge numbers days that it was a month ago but we are putting up some really great days and seeing a lot more of the big fish coming out to feed on streamers and dries in this low water.  Yep...there have been a couple tough days in the mix too.  Hoppers are starting to work and the streamer fishing is really picking up now that the early season hatches are fading away.  

Alicia and I had a fun Madison river float on a cloudy afternoon between thunderstorms.  

This one ate a hopper!

A hopper dropper double!  One measured 19 and the other 21!  A strong start to the Madison river hopper season.

Lately there have been lots of people asking about the water conditions on the Madsion river and throughout Montana.  Some of the rivers in western Montana have seen "hoot owl" closures recently due to the unusually hot weather that we had over the past few weeks.  Basically a hoot owl restriction means that a river is closed to fishing from 2pm to midnight (the hottest part of the day).  The upper Madison river near Ennis has no closures or restrictions right now.  Rivers that have seen hoot owl restrictions recently include the Big Hole, Bitter Root, Blackfoot, Clark Fork and Jefferson rivers.  Most of these rivers are in the Missoula area and the only one that we outfit on is the Jefferson.  Currently the water conditions on the Upper Madison are really good and the trout bite has been really good too.  How can the Madison and Missouri rivers have great water conditions when other rivers in western Montana are being shut down in the afternoon so fish don't die from being caught in hot water?  The answer is that rivers with a dam usually have plenty of water even if for one year the snowpack is really crummy. 

How much water is in the lake above the Madison?  Hebgan lake is currently over 97% full!  
http://www.usbr.gov/gp-bin/arcweb_hebr.pl

Daily Reservoir Data as of 07/07/2015

Pool Elevation is 6534.1 Feet
Pool Elevation to Fill 0.8 Feet
Reservoir Storage is 376824. Acre-Feet
Reservoir Storage to Fill 9357.5 Acre-Feet
Reservoir Inflow is 1009.0 CFS
Reservoir Outflow is 1009.0 CFS
Reservoir is 97.6 % Full*
Reservoir Flood Control Pool is filled 0.0 %
Madison River Flow is 1009.0 CFS


What do the flow and water temperature conditions on the upper Madison look like?  Really good as well 1400 cubic feet per second flowing at Varney bridge is more than enough for easy floating and good fishing.  Likewise the water temperatures on the Madison river are getting plenty cool at night to keep the fish happy.  Last night the water temperatures were down to 61 degrees and several nights ago they were below 60 degrees.  These fish are only dealing with really hot water for a short period during late afternoon each day.  Thankfully that time period is also when the fewest boats tend to be on the river trying to catch them.  Overall we are expecting good water conditions and good catching to continue through the summer.