Winter snow pack accumulation for the Madison Range and May rains were slightly below normal for this time of year but Northwestern Energy had enough reservoir capacity in Hebgen to support flushing flows this spring.  The Madison is expected to have normal conditions through the salmon fly hatch and with anywhere near normal summer rainfall we should excellent fishing conditions in 2020, especially since outflow from Hebgen has been restored to historical conditions.

For those interested in f...
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2019 is shaping up to be a lot like 2018 with projected higher than normal snow pack which, along with Hebgen spillway repairs and return to historical operations, should provide excellent seasonal flows and water temperatures on the Madison.  2018 was the first year since 2008 that Hebgen returned to its historical operating profile and conditions were excellent all season.  The Madison is fortunate to have a lot of attention focused on it by Montana Department of Fish and Game, due to its i...
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The salmon fly hatch is over and the Madison is returning to summer conditions with cool water temperatures and long term average flows.  Storage in Hebgen and Ennis Lakes should be adequate to maintain these conditions throughout the summer.  Northwestern Energy spillway replacement at Hebgen has been carried over through 2016 and the Madison has not returned to its historic operation of cooler bottom discharge but is scheduled to be fully restored in 2017.  In the meantime the aquatic condi...
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With the effects of El Nino SW Montana is experiencing a mild spring and fishing on the Madison is picking up early as was the case in 2015.  March Browns started appearing in late April and the famous 'Mothers' Day' caddis hatch is underway as of May 2nd.   The rainbows had been active earlier in the month but are now spawning and browns are now more active as the water temperature are warming into the 50's already.  

Spillway work still needs to be completed on Hebgen this summer so there ma...
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Fishing is off to an excellent early season start due to the mild winter and minimal spring runoff.  Salmon flies began arriving on the Madison June 10th and river conditions are lining up well for the hatch.  Caddis and little yellow stone flies are also showing up in good numbers for what looks to be a great fishing season.   More as the summer progresses but with Hebgen having maximized water storage in response to the low snow pack this year we expect conditions on the Madison to be only ...
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May 5, 2015
Fishing is off to an early and robust start on the Madison.   An unusually mild winter has supercharged the early season and with expected minimal runoff due to the low snow pack and continued unseasonably warm weather we may have an early salmon fly hatch in 2015.  Even better news is the most recent biologist data which shows this years' average size and number of trout in the Madison is improving and near historic highs, notably for rainbows in the upper sections and browns in t...
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