There is a specific gravity to the Madison River. It is not a quiet stream, nor is it a gentle one. It begins in the geothermal heat of Yellowstone National Park, where the Firehole and the Gibbon rivers meet, and it runs north through a wide, windswept valley until it joins the Jefferson and the Gallatin at Three Forks to form the Missouri. Over its course, it changes character five times, but it never loses its power.
To fish the Madison is to understand the force of moving water. In the "Fifty Mile Riffle" between Quake Lake and Ennis, the river is a continuous, unbroken run of heavy water over boulders. There are no deep, quiet pools here. The trout hold behind the rocks, in the seams of the current, fighting the river every minute of their lives. They are strong fish, built for heavy water, and they strike with a violence that will test a man's knots.
The Madison is famous for its Salmonfly hatch in late June. The large bugs crawl out of the river and into the willows, and the trout lose all caution. But the true test of a fisherman on the Madison comes in August, when the wind blows down the valley and the grasshoppers are blown from the banks into the water. Casting a large dry fly tight to the bank in a heavy wind requires discipline and a tight loop.
The Sections of the River
The Madison is not one river, but many. Above Hebgen Lake, in the Park, it is a meadow stream, winding through tall grass and holding large, selective brown trout. Between Hebgen and Quake lakes, a short stretch known simply as "Between the Lakes," the water runs deep and fast, holding fish that migrate from the reservoirs.
Below Quake Lake begins the classic Madison. The river runs over the rocks of the 1959 earthquake slide, tumbling down into the valley. From here to the town of Ennis, it is a wide, fast freestone river, best fished from a drift boat, though a strong wader can find his spots.
Below Ennis Lake, the river enters the Bear Trap Canyon. The water here is warmed by the shallow lake above, and the character of the river changes again. It becomes a canyon river, deep and mysterious, holding some of the largest brown trout in the system. It is wild country, full of rattlesnakes and heavy rapids, and it demands respect.
The Hatches
The rhythm of the Madison is dictated by its hatches. The season begins in earnest in March, when the Blue-Winged Olives appear on overcast days. By late June, the Salmonflies begin their march up the river, starting near Ennis and moving a few miles a day toward the slide. It is a spectacle of nature, and the fishing can be extraordinary if you can time the hatch correctly.
As summer progresses, the Golden Stones and Pale Morning Duns take over. By late July, the Caddis hatches in the evening are thick enough to choke a man. And then comes the hopper season, stretching through August and September, until the first hard frosts quiet the insects and the river settles into winter.
To fish the Madison properly, you must understand these rhythms. You must know when to throw a large, ugly foam bug, and when to drop down to a size eighteen Sparkle Dun on fine tippet. The river will reward a man who pays attention, and it will punish a man who does not.
Open-source photograph