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 really picking up on the lower Madison especially with the cloudier and colder weather as of late. Fishing has been good with dries, nymphs and streamers so i would have everything with you in case they are on something specific. For dry flies, we have been hearing good reports with bwo's in the shallower stuff below beartrap and tons of midges up near the dam. For nymphs, this time of year it is hard to beat a double nymph rig with a rubber legs or zirdle up top and a sz 18 bead beatis, sz 18 copper top duracell, sz 16-18 green machine or sz 16-18 serendipity 16-18" or so behind the top bug. Streamer fishing is also starting to get great out there and some of our favorite streamers this time of year would be the sculpzilla, sparkle minnow, woolly bugger, dead drift crayfish, Mills' cowbell cray, blanco's heisenberg, baby and double gonga, micro and mini dungeon dungeons, barely legals, and mini peanut envy's.
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
