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Insects

Brown troutRainbow troutMountain whitefishBrook troutCutthroat troutSteelheadEuropean graylingMarble troutSea-run brown troutResident brown trout

Techniques

Reading waterMatching a hatchNymphingDry-fly presentationStreamer fishingSwinging a flyCatch and release, done properlyTying flies you will actually fish

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Rivers
White River, ArkansasDavidson RiverPenns CreekLetort Spring RunFarmington RiverPere Marquette RiverNorth Umpqua RiverDeschutes RiverSan Juan RiverFryingpan RiverYellowstone RiverBighorn RiverTraun RiverBeaverkill RiverRío GrandeGreen River below Flaming GorgeRiver WharfeHenry's Fork of the SnakeSoča RiverAu Sable RiverTongariro RiverSouth Platte — Deckers and CheesmanRiver TestMadison River
Brown troutRainbow troutMountain whitefishBrook troutCutthroat troutSteelheadEuropean graylingMarble troutSea-run brown troutResident brown trout
Reading waterMatching a hatchNymphingDry-fly presentationStreamer fishingSwinging a flyCatch and release, done properlyTying flies you will actually fish

Madison River · access

Southwest Montana, United States · United States

By The Fly Desk · Published 2026-08-04

Licence and rules

Licence and rules. Montana requires a conservation licence plus a fishing licence for anyone 12 and older. Nonresident season and 10-day licences are both available, and a separate stamp covers the Yellowstone Park boundary water upstream of Madison Junction. Fees reset each year — confirm on the Montana FWP site before you buy, and carry the licence on you, not in the truck.

Season

Fishable all twelve months; the season is defined by whether the salmonfly hatch has started and whether Hebgen is spilling

Flow

Roughly 1,100–3,000 cfs at the Kirby Ranch gauge; spike flows follow Hebgen Dam releases

Hebgen Dam releases are posted daily by the US Bureau of Reclamation and are the single most useful number in this valley. A rise of more than about 500 cfs overnight turns the wade stretch into a wading-hazard zone and pushes fish to the banks; a stable or falling flow makes the same water easy. Water clears within 24 hours of a release because the dam releases from the bottom of the reservoir.

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