The conditions lined up perfectly for fall dry fly fishing the Madison river. I envisioned writing this article talking about big fish rising behind every rock. The weather called for air temperatures in the 40s, clouds, and light rain. Exactly what you want for fall dry fly fishing the Madison river.
As many of our trips so often go, it didn’t go as expected. I fell for my high expectations. Though it’s hard to have a bad day of fishing in Montana. Here is a recap of two days of headhunting the Madison River.
Fall Dry Fly Fishing The Madison River
Xavier and I planned to head out to the Madison with our pontoon boats. Xavier has been a great friend to have on the river, and I have truly enjoyed showing him around some of my favorite rivers this year.
The Madison holds a special place in my heart like it does many of us fly fishermen. The scenery, water type, and hard-fighting fish are a hint of what makes the Madison so special.
We planned to float in our pontoon boats; stopping along the way to fish a few runs and find fish rising. Scuzzy weather is the perfect condition for the Pseudocloeon. A small green mayfly that hatches during the fall on many rivers in the West. This hatch has been one of my favorites due to the challenge it brings.
The day started with a few hiccups. My heart sank as we neared Ennis and headed up the Madison Valley. The wind was ripping at 20+ mph. The culprit to many horrible days of fishing in Southwestern Montana. Not what you want to see when you have size 20 flies in mind.
We ran into our second issue when rigging our boats as Xavier left his oar locks in a bag at home. A devastating discovery. Fortunately, we were able to overcome both issues. The wind was much calmer in the section we were floating, making it a beautiful day. Xavier was able to makeshift his oars into position using a spare fish pond strap, a wading belt, and an ample coating of duct tape. By 11 am we were floating down the Madison River.
Using the pontoon boat as transportation is something I wish I did more often. It was so peaceful and calming floating down the Madison. Nothing like changing up your regular fishing patterns and trying something different. We floated by two pairs of bald eagles perched on the bank, reminding me how grateful I am that a trip like this is just another Saturday.
We stopped a few times on our way down waiting for the afternoon hatch to occur. Xavier moved a few fish on streamers while I nymphed a half dozen fish. With all the riffles and runs the Madison offers, it was difficult to float by good-looking water.
A storm rolled in letting way to light rain and dark clouds. It was time to start looking for noses. We had yet to see any bugs, and we went by slick after slick without seeing rising fish. I was getting concerned.
Finally, around 3 pm I saw what I thought to be a rise while floating by a slow cushion behind a boulder. We rigged the 5wt and approached a few trout rising to psuedos.
If you have ever fished the pseudo hatch, you know it is not an easy task. The fish are picky after the summer season, the bugs are small, and the flies are hard to see. We struggled with the glare of the water and cycled through flies trying to find one we could see. Xavier fooled a decent brown on a size 18 last-chance cripple, then I hooked a rainbow on a size 20 EP fiber comparadun. Of the five or six fish rising in front of us, we hooked two before the hatch was over and the fish stopped feeding.
These were the only fish we saw rise the rest of the day. I was slightly disappointed as I had hyped the dry fly fishing to Xavier, only to have a 30-minute window. Though it was a great float where we found the solitude you look for when fly fishing. We saw three other anglers on our float. Not bad for what many say is the busiest river in Montana.
With my dry fly urge not satisfied, I thought I’d give it another go on Sunday. This time solo, I headed out for the afternoon with dry flies on my mind.
I was the fourth car at Three Dollar Bridge. A sight that is much more common than depicted in fly fishing media. November through March are the few months you can find solitude on Montana’s famous rivers. It’s when I spend most of my time on rivers like the Madison. We can only hope it stays that way.
Arriving around noon, I spent an hour nymphing before the bugs came off. I had a tough go of it. The one fish I caught was a solid brown that ate the three-dollar dip. With all the pressure these fish see, sometimes a small, dull fly is your best bet.
Around 1 pm, I cut the nymphs off and put the nymph rod in my backpack. I spent the rest of the afternoon looking for noses in the shallow slicks. Today the hatch lasted much longer. I was able to find a few rising fish between 1 and 4 pm.
I had a blast fishing shallow water with small dry flies. I approached rising fish on my knees and fooled five fish, landing four. The highlight was landing a 17-inch bow that was rising in 6 inches of water. I could see his tail come out of the water as he nymphed back and forth before he slowly rose his nose to take an adult.
The Madison is a special place and a great playground to hone in my dry fly skills. I have a few ideas for fly patterns to tie after this trip as well as a few changes in the leader formula. I left the river satisfied, challenged, and excited for next time. The best way to leave after a day of fishing.
My Setup
The Orvis Helios 9 foot 5wt 3F continues to prove its ability as my dry fly rod of choice. I use a Scientific Angler Trout Taper fly line. This weekend I used an 11-foot leader, starting with a standard taper 9-foot 3x leader with a few feet of 5x attached.
As I mentioned, we had trouble seeing our size 18 and 20 flies in the dark conditions. We cycled through parachutes, sparkle duns, klinkhammers, and comparaduns trying to find a fly we could see. Many of the flies we tried had white posts, which were impossible to see with the white glare shining off the water. I’m planning on tying a few flies with black or pink indicator hints for days like this.
My most effective fly was a size 20 EP Comparadun. I tie this fly with grey and white EP fibers for the wing. Could I see it? Not really. I was lucky enough to guess where my fly was and set the hook when the fish rose in the vicinity.
What Did I Learn?
I learned a lot in this weekend’s outings. While I am going to hit the vise to tie a few new patterns and incorporate 6x into my fishing, my main takeaway was how close you can get to rising fish.
The Madison has many conflicting currents that make it difficult to get long drag-free drifts. With the fish rising in shallow water and many rocks between me and the fish, I needed to get close to the fish to make the proper drift.
By slowly moving into position and staying low, I got within one or two-rod lengths of rising fish. By spooking a few, I learned how close I could get without startling the fish. I then was able to make an accurate first cast and fool the fish without presenting many bad drifts over the fish. What an intimate experience it is to be so close to rising trout with snow-capped mountains in the background.
What Left Me Curious?
This weekend’s adventure left me with two questions to ponder.
Why was the hatch so sparse and short-lived on Saturday? The conditions seemed perfect for a fall pseudo hatch. If I were to dream up a perfect day of fall dry fly fishing, Saturday would have been it.
Sunday was partly cloudy, with a few periods of high sun. An overall warmer day and the hatch seemed to be heavier and last longer.
The difference between the two days was the water temperatures. The water temperature stayed warmer on Sunday compared to Saturday, which may have made the hatch last longer. See the picture below. I have a feeling this is my answer and would love to hear any feedback/insight you have on water temperature and pseudo hatches.
The second question I left the river with is about October Caddis. Has anyone experienced great fishing on October caddis dry flies? I stumbled upon one on the bank as I walked back to my truck.
I have never seen more than one or two while on the water. I have been tempted to fish a caddis adult for a full day and see if any fish show interest. I’d love to hear any insight and any experiences you have had with the October caddis hatch.
2 thoughts on “Fall Dry Fly Fishing The Madison River”
Nick – I love the way you write, if you can figure out what makes hatches last longer or predict them then I sure you will never have to work again and can fish every day. Try a CDC wing instead because it will float better than other materials and you can tie them a little longer and powder them with Shimazaki for visibility. Look in your mail box, I’m sending you some stuff. PS at the end of the day/hatch when the fish were really picky I fished your cripple and the last four fish ate it confidently- another weapon for the fly box! Gregg
Hi Gregg!
I am just seeing this comment! It made my day. Thank you for reading my article and sending your advice. Haha, that would be the ultimate skill!
I am heading back out tomorrow and will check the mailbox before I leave just in case they came late tonight. I look forward to giving your flies a try. I’m happy those flies fished well for you and that I am not the only one who has had success with that pattern. I look forward to future conversations with you as we continue to learn together! I truly appreciate the time you’ve given in my writing.
Comments are closed.