Fishing The Upper Madison River In Spring

The Upper Madison River draws anglers from around the world. It features some world class fishing paired with awe-inspiring views. Some of the best hatches of the year take place on this river. Fishing the Upper Madison River in spring is one of the best times of year.

First, a note about spawning fish. Spring is rainbow trout spawning season, and you’ll find actively spawning fish all along the river. They’re especially concentrated in the Valley Garden’s stretch below Ennis and above Ennis Lake. Lots of these lake run fish move up into the river to spawn.

Leave them alone. Don’t mess with spawning fish. They’re busy, and physically stressed and the last thing they need is somebody trying to catch them. Don’t fish over redds, don’t walk through redds, just leave them be. Let nature do its thing. Keep an eye out while you’re wading in gravelly areas, you’ll see redds around. Avoid them.

Due to the spawn, egg patterns work really well. Again, DON’T FISH OVER REDDS. But there will be lots of eggs in the water, and an egg or egg cluster makes a great trailing fly in a nymph rig. Bright orange and peach are good colors. A “bacon and eggs” rig with a worm pattern followed by an egg cluster can be deadly.

As far as hatches go, spring sees a couple really good ones. During April and May you’ve got Blue Winged Olives as a main course. This hatch is most prolific on cool, cloudy days. Your average overcast, drizzly spring day is ideal BWO weather. Fish an adult with an emerger behind to cover two parts of the hatch, and bring a box of nymphs as well for when they aren’t on top yet.

Another hatch you’ll encounter when fishing the Upper Madison River in spring is skwalas. There certainly aren’t quite as many as on other rivers like the Bitterroot in the western part of the state, but they are there. Fish a dry fly against the bank and hang a rubber legs or zurdle bug off the back of it to cover two stages of the hatch and two feeding opportunities.

Once we hit May, salmonflies and PMDs are on the horizon. They’re getting closer each day! The salmonflies are a major draw to this river. It can take years of trying to hit the hatch “just right”, but it’s worth the effort. More to come on that soon!

Fishing the Upper Madison River in spring is worth the trip, every time. You can’t go wrong with this river any time of year. Fishing it before spring runoff bumps flows and dirties the water is a great time. It also can be a sanity saver in these weird times. It can get pretty busy over there, so please practice proper social distancing. Give everyone the room you’d want!

Once this lockdown is lifted, take one of our raft rentals out on the Upper Madison! They’re the ideal fishing platform. See you out there.