The Upper Madison has been fishing as good as it gets lately. The dry fly fishing has been hit or miss but the nymphing has been strong and trout are now very opportunistic. The best fishing is early so plan on an early start. On hot sunny days the fishing slows down after 3pm. If you are lucky enough to get some cloud cover it can fish later into the day. There are still some nocturnal stones around so larger size 6 rubber legs can still produce but trout are now also moving well for larger rabbit strip laden streamers. Trail your favorite big fly with a small caddis in the morning and then transition to a smaller 20-16 attractor nymph behind it. Long leaders when nymphing and fluorocarbon help. Don't let too much slack form between your indicator and flies because Upper Madison trout have a pretty quick spit reflex on your bugs and a quick hook set is key. The river is flowing lower than average but fishing is still great and it is fly soup on the water on a daily basis. This is helping to produce some of the best dry fly fishing in years over epic hatches like the salmonfly, golden stones, pmds, caddis and yellow sally. It is fly soup on the entire river. Nymphing is still the best producer day in and day out and it is important to match the hatch on the nymphs too – golden stone nymphs trailed by caddis early, then pmds followed by small attractor nymphs after 2pm is a good bet. The morning fishing has been better than the afternoons most days
Trout can be holding virtually anywhere in the river. If the banks don't produce, change your game plan and try fishing center river pockets and runs. Stonefly nymphs like a Pat's rubberlegs is a great option to get a handful of trout to the net. We've been seeing plenty of caddis, golden stones, yellow sallies and some PMDs as well. Trail a $3 dip, GC hare's ear, quilldigon, or FKA prince off of your Pat's rubberlegs to cover all of your bases. The salmonfly fishing has been his or miss. Give a big foam bug a try like a flutter bug or a water walker to prospect for some big surface eats.
The mornings and evening present the best opportunities for dry fly fishing. Come to the river armed with foam run caddis, parachute Adams and flutter bugs to get your dry fly fix.
Flies for the Madison Right Now:
Beadhead PTs in sizes 18-22
Juju beatis in flash or tan in sizes 16-20
Rogue Foam Stones in size 4-6
Parachute Adams in sizes 12-18
Royal PMXs in sizes 10-12
Pats Rubberlegs in brown/tan or brown in sizes 8-14
Pheasant Tails in flashback or natural in sizes 10-16
Rainbow warriors in sizes 14-20
The Month Ahead:
The next few weeks should continue to produce some good fishing. The fishing scenario isn't going to change much in the coming weeks from the current report. Terrestrials will become more important and the beetle and ant fishing should improve.
Long Term Fishing Forecast:
The Upper Madison is a very consistent fishery and this season should continue to produce good results up and down the river. The reports listed above should hold out into mid September. Things start to change a bit later in the fall with some baetis mayflies becoming an important factor. Fall fishing is always good on the Upper Madison.