From below Ennis Lake to the headwaters of the Missouri River is the stretch known as the lower Madison River. It cruises through the Bear Trap Canyon Wilderness Area and can get gnarly before calming down and widening out on its final stretch into Three Forks. There, it meets the Jefferson and Gallatin rivers to form the Missouri River.
Fishing has been awesome on the lower Madison and it should continue for the forseeable future. For nymphs, this time of year it is hard to beat a nymph rig with a worm or zirdle up top to an egg, 16 pill popper, size 14-16 sweetmeat caddis, jigster baetis, green machine, holo midge, frenchdipity or a sz 16-20 zebra midge behind the top fly by 12-14". Streamer fishing is really starting to pick up as well especially on the overcast and cloudy day. For streamers, sculpzilla's, montana intruders, sparkle minnows, micro dungeon, mini dungeon, foxy Cleopatra, and munchy minnows have been awesome for us put there. For dry flies they have been on midges and blue wing olives for the most part and the smaller the better. For midges we like to run the buzzball, midge cluster or a comparadun trico and for blue wing olives, we all love the film critic and the smokejumper baetis in sizes 18-22.
Parachute Adams (16-20), Purple Haze (16-20), Paradrake (10-12), Sparkle Dun (16-20), Film Critic (16-18), X-Caddis (14-18), Elk Hair Caddis (14-20), Stubby Chubby Cinnamon/ Yellow (12-18), Buzz Ball (16-18)
Mills Cowbell Cray Tan/ Olive/ Rust (6), Snapping Craw (8), Mini Peanut Envy (1), Rubber Leg Krystal Bugger Olive (6-10), Hale Bopp Leech Black/ Brown/ Olive (10), Strolis Micro Head Banger (8)
Pheasant Tail (14-20), BH Hare’s Ear (14-20), HE Blowtorch (12-16), Purple/Pink Blowtorch (14-16), Quilldigon Natural (14-18), Perdigons, Olive/ Brown/ Black/ Pink/ Purple (14-18), Iron Sally (12-18), Squirminator (10), Twisted Worm (10), Shagedelic Mop
