Our 2016 prices are up in the book a trip section of the site...They have not changed!  Although winter is just beginning to settle in on the Madison river, we are already preparing for the 2016 fishing season.  Dates are booking up fast this year so now is the time to plan a trip. The prices for our Madison River float trips have not changed but we are expecting some pretty significant changes for the fishery this year.  Perhaps the biggest news coming in 2016 is that the upper Madison River will now be open YEAR ROUND! 

Earlier this year the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and parks proposed and took public comment on several changes to the regulations governing the use of the Madison River.  The most significant of the approved changes will be that the Madison River will now be open to fishing from Hebgan Lake to Ennis Lake year round.  A public meeting to discuss the Madison river rule changes with FWP biologists was held in Ennis.  The meeting was an interesting one with a strong emotional reaction heard from the public.  A portion of the proposal aimed to simplify the rules by making the entire river open to killing one trout per day.  The strongest opinion seemed to be against this change despite urging from biologist that opening 1/3 of the Madison River to taking 1 fish per day and reducing 2/3 of the river to the same limit from the current 5 fish limit would reduce the overall numbers taken.  Further, it seemed that nobody had read the portion of the proposal that would make the Madison River from Hebgan dam to Ennis Lake artificial only and outlaw bait fishing.  Judging from the public response to the proposal as a whole, it seemed as though the entire thing might be thrown out.  

The biologist noted that whether approved or not there would likely be little impact to the fishery in terms of strength and population.  Rather the intention was to simplify complicated regulations and create more public access by opening more of the river year round.  I for one am in favor of more public access to our fisheries and am excited to be able to fish and guide on the upper sections of the Madison River during April and May this year.  These are some of the best months to fish the Madison with relativly few other anglers around.  Opening weekend may not be as silly as it used to be but this should be a really fun spring to get out on the upper Madison River.

This year fall was a great time to be fly fishing in southwest Montana.  Lots of big fish hit the net and there was no shortage of really nice days to be on the rivers and lakes.  Fall and early winter are one of my favorite times of year to be on the water.  The cotton woods and willows are turning yellow, the light is low and beautiful and the big browns are out of there summer haunts.  Without a doubt October and November are the best times of year to hunt for that brown trout of a lifetime.  Lake fish that are uncatchable in the summer move into our rivers where anglers actually have a chance at them.  Never knowing what you might hook into on the next cast is exhilarating through the fall even after having seen a seasons worth of Montana trout on the fly.  

The Madison river near Ennis Montana fished really well this fall.  As the summer crowds faded and the weather cooled the fish really seemed to start feeding on bigger flies with the kind of recklessness that we usually see in the spring. The Madison is performing well into the late season, depending on the weather there might be a nice enough day or afternoon to get out.

We can get some wild weather swings in a day of fishing here on the Madison. Afternoon thunderstorms can rip across the valley and hammer the Madison range with rain and lightning. We can usually see them coming and they usually pass quickly... and they are pretty darn beautiful when you're not in them.

We have seen a few popping out below varney bridge in the last 2 days.  They are a little late on account of all of the cool weather we have been having.  There should be some good dry fly action to be had over the next few weeks.  Even on a mediocre dry fly day it can be a lot of fun to see a few fish crush a size 4 foam dry and catch your fill on droppers.  It can be chaos out there... Boats everywhere all chasing the dream.  The best time to catch it is real early and real late.

It is already happening on the big hole river and rock creek.  It is one of the most sought after hatches and among the hardest to hit.  People spend years trying to catch a good day of salmon fly fishing.  Hitting it right means seeing Montana trout rise to eat a size 4 dry fly, which is one of the coolest things in fly fishing.  Aquatic insect emergences are primarily a function of water temperature.  If you want to hit the hatch look at the snowpack and the weather.  They are probably going to start hatching when the water temperatures have been in the mid fifties for a sustained period.  On the Madison this will usually happen around the third or fourth week of June.  However, even if you come out during the hatch some days will be better than others.  If you put in a little time you are likely to find some pretty awesome dry fly action and some great nymphing in between. Check out the usgs stream flow site for a graph of Madison river water temps.  www.waterdata.usgs.gov/mt/nwis.