Upper Madison River Fishing Report
Upper Madison River Fishing Report
7/3/2026
Walk Wade Stretch (Between the Lakes, Upriver of Lyon's Bridge, Downriver of Ennis):
Salmonflies are sort of still around in the very upper sections and you may still find a fish or two willing to give them a look but it was a relatively light and quick run this year. It's possible we start to see a few more numbers with the upcoming warm and sunny weather.
The bulk of the bugs in the area are going to be PMD's, Caddis, some Yellow Sallies, and if you're really lucky you'll stumble in a Drake Hatch.
Float Stretch(Downriver of Lyon's Bridge to Ennis):
Pretty similar to the walk wade stretch but with a few less bugs as the Salmonflies have moved their way past this stretch. You may still be able to get a few fish to eat a Goldenstone but you're going to have to commit to it.
If you want to streamer fish, the mornings, before the bulk of the bugs start moving, is going to be the move. small bait fish patterns and sculpins are where we like to start.
Dries will be in the range of 10am to 2 pm and again just before dusk.
Nymphing is always going to be the number producer. As the season goes on, the Madison fish will start to get more and more picky. It's important that you are switching flies, probably way more than you think!
Dries: Henry's Fork Golden Stone #10, Water Walker (Yellow) #10, Chubby Chernobyl (Royal, Purple and Royal, Tan, Golden) #10, Parachute Adams (Gray, Copper) #16-18, PMD DOA #16, Elk Hair Caddis (Tan) #14-18, Cornfed (Tan or Yellow) #14-18
Nymphs: Zebra Jig Thin (Purple, Rusty Brown, Red) $3 Dip(Black, Red, Copper) #16-20, Olive or Pearl Perdigon #16-18, Yellow Hotspot Perdigon #16-18, Lightning Bugs #16-20, Pat's Rubber Legs #10-14.
Streamers:Sex Dungeons, Barely Legal, Sparkle Minnows and Zonkers will move fish for you. Play with color and profile every day. Skinny vs. big heads, dark vs. light, etc. Don't be afraid to throw a streamer under your indicator and dead drift it!
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Thanks for checking out our Madison River Fishing Report brought to you from Big Sky, MT.
