Today
72°F
Sunny
S 8 to 14 mph · 0% precip
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Today’s verdict
Current River Conditions
As of (12 days ago)
This intel is a couple of weeks old — conditions may have shifted.
As of ~2 weeks ago, conditions were fair.
The upper Madison is fishing well right now, and the recent cool nights have only helped things along. Water is clear, fish are active throughout more of the day than they were a few weeks ago, and the fall vibe is setting in fast — cottonwoods are already starting to turn. Hoppers and ants are the go-to surface options, with dry-dropper rigs also producing.
Nymphing with rubberlegs and smaller patterns in the buckets has been effective, though reports range from slow to pretty good depending on the day and angler, so patience and persistence matter.
The lower Madison is a different story right now — much of it remains under significant restrictions, with hoot owl rules and even a full drought closure in effect on certain sections. Water temps have been running dangerously high through much of the summer, making catch-and-release fishing a real mortality risk. If you're set on fishing the lower, know the current regulations cold before you go, and honestly, there are better options elsewhere until conditions improve.
760 CFS is on the low side for September — this stretch typically runs 881–1,220 CFS.
With flows lower than usual, wading is generally easier and more forgiving — but beds still shift and cold water saps strength fast, so read the water, stay within your limits, and check conditions on-site. You remain responsible for your own safety.
At 60°F, the water is in the prime range for trout — cold enough to fish and to handle fish safely.
Weather
—Clear
Wind SSE 11 mph
Sunrise 7:04 AM · Sunset 7:37 PM
Observed (1 hour ago)
NWS / weather.gov · fetched 13:00
Today
72°F
Sunny
S 8 to 14 mph · 0% precip
Tonight
37°F
Partly Cloudy
SE 0 to 14 mph · 1% precip
Tomorrow
70°F
Sunny
NNW 0 to 13 mph · 1% precip
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Size #16
Size #12-20
Size #6-10
Conditions are estimates from USGS data. Always assess on-site conditions and use your own judgment.
The McAllister gauge sits on the Wade-to-Varney section — what most anglers mean by "the Madison," the stretch trip reports call the "Fifty Mile Riffle." It's a long-record station between Hebgen Dam and Ennis Lake with live flow and water temperature, so it reflects the water you'll actually fish.
Location
© OpenStreetMap contributors · © Geoapify
Helpful Links
Montana fishing resources
Other Montana rivers with live conditions
The Madison is a celebrated wild-trout river with distinctly different upper and lower fisheries. Below Hebgen Dam, the Upper Madison is a fast, boulder-filled tailwater commonly called the “Fifty Mile Riffle.” It supports strong populations of rainbow and brown trout and provides both famous walk-and-wade reaches and productive float sections. The Lower Madison is broader, warmer and more weed-lined, with excellent spring and early-summer fishing but frequent temperature concerns in midsummer. The river fishes year-round in selected reaches, with spring midges, blue-winged olives and caddis preceding the major salmonfly and golden-stone hatches of early summer. PMDs, caddis, yellow sallies and terrestrials carry the fishery through summer; fall favors BWOs and streamers. Nymphing and dry-dropper fishing are the most consistent techniques, while large dries can be excellent during stonefly season. Streamers are valuable during higher water, cloudy periods and fall. Access is generally good, but anglers must observe wade-only sections and monitor warm-water restrictions on the lower river.
Hatches
Tactics
760 CFSFlow
60°F−1°Water temp
72° / 37°WeatherSize #14-22
