Lower Madison River Fishing Report

Lower Madison River Fishing Report

3/31/2025

Be sure you've purchased your 2025 fishing license before heading out on the water! You can get a new license here.

Keep an eye out for spawning fish this time of year. If you see a fish sitting in shallow water on top of gravel that looks cleaner than the rest of the river bottom be sure to leave it alone, DO NOT try and catch that fish, that fish wants to make more fish for us!

Don't let the forecast for the week ahead make you rule out the Lower Madison from your fishing plans. This time of year, the Lower Madison has some of the best early season opportunity for anglers. The next few weeks you can expect to see good nymph, streamer, and dry fly fishing options on this river and with increasing regularity as we head into the month of April. If there is a break in the wind this week, be prepared for a BWO emergence.

FWP has been doing a lot of shocking and tagging of the trout on the Lower Madison this winter so keep an eye out for blue or yellow tags. To learn more about the trout tagging program click this link.

Whether you are float fishing or walk wading, spending some time in deep, slow runs will be how you find a lot of opportunities. Moving too fast or not taking the time to fish the same run at multiple depths can keep a lot of anglers limited this time of year. While nymph rigs are going to be the primary way of fishing for the next few months, dry fly fishing during prolific midge or baetis hatches can be really awesome on this river. Water temps are staying pretty low still, but have just started getting into that 40 degree range so you can bet to start seeing some Blue Winged Olives on the Lower Madison pretty regularly. Check water temps for the Lower Madison here.

Worms, leeches, annd rubber legs are the attractor patterns that we like and one of those will likely always be on a nymph rig unless we are fishing small emergers or dry flies during a good winter time hatch. Pairing a variety of small midge larvae, caddis larvae, and midge or mayfly emergers will help you find fish all day long. You can't really go wrong with a fly right now as long as you fish it at multiple depths and put it through the same run a few times.

Dries: Buzzballs #18-20, Para-Sipper BWO #18-22, Parachute Adams (natural, purple, patriot) #18-20, Midge Cluster #18-20, Brook's Sprout Baetis #18-22, Double Vision BWO #18-20, Para-Wulff Adams #16-18

Nymphs: Jig Crossfit Midge (red, black) #18-20, Nyman's Shop Vac #16-18, Guide's Choice Hairs Ear(Olive, Natural)#14-18, Perdigons (Black, Pearl, Green, Purple) #18-20, Spanish Bullet Perdigon #16-18

Streamers: Sex Dungeons, Barely Legals, Copper Zonkers, Sheila's Sculpin, Silk Kitty, Mini Kill Whitey, Li'l Kims have been productive.  Play with color and profile every day. Skinny vs. big heads, dark vs. light, etc.

Our Fly Fishing Guide School has helped lots of anglers achieve their dream of being a fishing guide. With schools throughout the spring and fall, there is likely a week of fishing that will fit your schedule. Check out our Montana Fishing Guide School to become a more rounded fisherperson or to jump-start your career in this amazing industry. 

Even the NY Times has caught wind of the growth of women in the fly fishing industry. Gain the skills to fish confidently on your own in our Montana Women’s Fly Fishing School. 

Thanks for checking out our Madison River Fishing Report brought to you from Big Sky, MT.