Today's Read
Madison River is fishing around blue-winged olives and midges. Start with the patterns below and adjust only after fish show you something different.
Ennis, Montana
Best Flies For Madison River
Fish the inside seams and softer buckets with a two-fly nymph rig early, then watch for blue-winged olives and midges once cloud cover settles in.
Bugs & Best Matches
What's active
Fish this
Blue-winged olives, size 18-20, late morning through mid-afternoon
Parachute BWO, size 18-20, dry; Split Case BWO, size 18-20, nymph
Midges, size 18-22, morning and again in the soft evening light
Griffith's Gnat, size 18-20, dry
Skwala stoneflies, size 8-12, afternoons along grassy banks and slower edges
Pat's Rubber Legs, size 8-10, nymph; Skwala Chubby, size 8-10, dry
General subsurface
Pheasant Tail, size 16-18, nymph
How To Fish These Flies
- Start with an indicator rig: stonefly or heavier jig up top, BWO or midge trailer 12-18 inches behind it.
- Work riffle tails, inside seams, and the softer edge of deeper buckets before the hatch starts.
- If fish begin showing on top, shorten up, drop the indicator, and fish single dries or a dry-dropper tight to bank structure.
Current Conditions
FlowDam-controlled spring flow that usually stays fishable unless runoff muddies the lower river.
Water TempCold enough to keep the best feeding window from late morning through mid-afternoon.
WeatherCloud cover and wind matter more than raw air temperature here. Overcast tends to improve BWO activity.
Rating7/10
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