January – March | Winter Midges & Hot Springs Steam

Winter on the Upper Madison isn’t for the faint of rod tip, but the payoff is solitary runs and trout that sip midges as delicately as a Parisian café goer. Most days start below freezing; wait for the mercury to crawl above 20 °F before you head out. Walk‑wade between Raynolds Pass and Three‑Dollar Bridge where the geothermal seeps keep gravel warm and bug life ticking.

Bug menu:

#18–22 black midges under an indicator, occasional surface eats on cloudy afternoons.

Flows:

USGS gauge at Kirby Ranch hovers 850–950 cfs—stable but icy edges.

Regulations tip:

Barbless isn’t required but makes mitten‑season releases humane. Always check the latest 2025 regs before you go.

April – May | Spring Skwala Wake‑Up

Ice breaks, rainbows slide upstream to spawn, and the first real stonefly—the Skwala—crawls ashore. Water is still gin‑clear, so 4× fluoro and stealthy side‑channel approaches pay off. A 9‑foot 6‑weight helps punch through variable wind.

Hot stretches:

Between Palisades and Varney as the river warms earliest.

Flies:

#10 olive/brown Stimulator on top; #10 Pat’s Rubberlegs below.

Crowd watch:

Launch before 9 AM to stay ahead of the drift‑boat train on weekends.

June – Early July | Prime Time & The Salmonfly Circus

By late June the river is a carnival: chest‑deep salmonflies slap your face, ospreys holler overhead, and every trout with a pulse looks up. The hatch usually kicks off around June 25 in the lower canyon and marches upstream to the Slide Area over 2–3 weeks.

Flows:

Snowmelt spikes to 1,400–1,800 cfs; wade carefully.

Set‑ups:

7‑weight with a #4–6 Chubby Chernobyl; 2‑ft dropper to a #10 black Rubberlegs when fish won’t commit.

Guide cheat:

Fish the fins—soft water behind mid‑river boulders—after 2 PM when adults start dropping eggs.

Mid‑July – August | Hoppers, Ants & Evening Caddis

Once stoneflies fade, trout switch to terrestrials with gusto. A steady west‑slope breeze knocks hoppers in all afternoon; come dusk, #16 tan Elk‑hairs blanket the air.

Hopper‑bank recipe:

High‑viz peach Morrish Hopper tight to grass, mend upstream, twitch once.

Midday siesta:

Water temps can touch 70 °F; wrestle fewer fish during the hottest window to reduce stress.

September – October | Fall Baetis & Big Brown Pre‑Spawn

Air turns crisp, crowds evaporate, and big browns get color and attitude. Baetis (#20 olive) blanket slicks on overcast afternoons. Strip a #6 olive Sparkle Minnow near gravel redds—but keep it moving to avoid spooking spawners.

November – December | Low‑Key Nymphing

Back to fleece gloves and winter midges. Flows level out under Hebgen outflow control (~900 cfs) and fish dogpile in deep green buckets. Euro‑style nymph with 4 mm tungsten flies when guides ice.