Even with a lack of hatches, the Upper Madison is fishing well. We are very close to some early Blue Winged Olive hatches but for now it is a prospecting game on the Upper Madison. Tandem nymph rigs are the go-to now but some anglers are holding faith and hunting with a hopper or large ant or beetle pattern.
Whether you are nymphing or fishing terrestrials, long leaders are key and when nymphing use fluorocarbon. If nymphing don't let too much slack form between your indicator and flies because Upper Madison trout have a pretty fast spit reflex on flies and a quick hook set is key. If you are lucky enough to get some cloud cover the river can fish later into the day. Nymphing is still the best producer day in and day out and it is important to match the hatch with your nymphs too – golden and nocturnal stonefly nymphs or a streamer trailed by a caddis early in the morning, then pmds followed by small attractor nymphs later in the day is a good bet. Maybe a sunken ant? There are a lot of them up there. Keep an eye out for the flying cinnamon ants and match that hatch if you're lucky enough to run into it. The morning fishing has been better than the afternoons on most days.
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:
Even though the mornings on the Madison River are cool, we are still not quite in the fall season mode on the Upper Madison. Until we get some hard morning frosts to kick start some fall Blue Winged Olives, 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 fall 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.