Madison River fly hatches are among the most prolific of any found throughout the Rockies. Mayfly hatches along the Upper Madison are the first to appear in March. By mid April, the entire river from Yellowstone downstream to Ennis—and beyond—is alive with hatches and trout activity.

The following hatch chart lists the major aquatic insect hatches and terrestrial emergences for the Madison River. Hatches and emergence dates may vary from chart figures due to fluctuations in annual weather patterns and water flows. Hatches first appear along the Upper Madison and work their way north downstream to the Lower Madison.

Recommended Madison River Dry Fly Patterns

The abundant and consistent fly hatches along the Madison River keep trout rising to the surface year round to feed. Dry fly fishing is the most common technique employed by anglers who fish the Madison. Most late spring to mid-summer dry fly fishing focuses on the salmonfly, golden stonefly, caddisfly, PMD, and Yellow sally hatches, as well as the emergence of terrestrials. BWOs and midges account for most fall and winter hatches. The following fly patterns are popular for dry fly fishing the Madison River through spring, summer, fall and winter.

Recommended Madison River Flys for Nymphing

Aquatic insects are available for trout to feed on year round. That’s why fishing the Madison using nymphs constantly produces catches. The trout on the Madison River love nymphs, and a large percentage of the trout caught on Madison are caught using nymph patterns. The following nymph patterns match a majority of the larvae hatches on the Madison River and are recommended for nymph fishing brown, rainbow and cutthroat trout.

Recommended Madison River Streamers

Streamers are a favorite of big trout on the Madison River. If you want to catch a giant Brown or trophy Rainbow, no better way than to fly fish some streamers. The following streamers keep trout biting all year long along the Madison.