West Yellowstone
Flow 296 CFS Normal for the park reach.
Water temp 63.1°F In the good range.
Madison River Conditions
Live flow and water temperature from all three USGS gauges, refreshed every 30 minutes. Latest reading Thursday, August 13 at 10:30 AM MDT.
Upper Madison
Flow 988 CFS Good wading water.
Water temp 60.1°F In the good range.
Lower Madison
Flow 1,220 CFS Typical. Watch the temperature more than the flow.
Water temp 69.3°F Warm. Morning fishing only, and land fish fast.
What these numbers mean
Flow (CFS) is cubic feet per second, the volume moving past the gauge. On the Upper Madison, 800–1,100 CFS at Kirby is comfortable wading and 900–1,400 is a normal summer range. Higher flows push fish toward the banks and make wading through the boulder runs genuinely hard; lower flows make them spooky.
Water temperature matters more than flow once summer sets in. Trout feed well between about 50°F and 65°F. Above 68°F they are stressed, above 70°F a hooked fish recovers poorly, and when water reaches 73°F for three consecutive days, Montana FWP imposes hoot owl restrictions: no fishing from 2 p.m. to midnight. The Lower Madison reaches that most summers because it draws warm water off the top of Ennis Lake.
The West Yellowstone gauge runs warmer than its flow would suggest year-round, because the Firehole feeds the Madison geothermal water inside the park.
For thresholds by season and fishing style, see how to read Madison River flow data.
The three gauges
- West Yellowstone (USGS 06037500): Yellowstone Park to Hebgen Lake. West Yellowstone report · USGS page
- Kirby (USGS 06038800): Hebgen Dam to Ennis Lake. Upper Madison report · USGS page
- McAllister (USGS 06041000): Ennis Dam to Three Forks. Lower Madison report · USGS page
Readings refresh every 30 minutes. Flow and temperature come straight from USGS; the clarity call and the fishing read come from the twice-daily report.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the Madison River flows right now?
The table above shows live discharge in cubic feet per second from all three USGS gauges, refreshed every 30 minutes. The Upper Madison at Kirby is the reading most anglers mean by "Madison River flows".
What is a good CFS for the Madison River?
On the Upper Madison, roughly 800–1,100 CFS at Kirby wades comfortably. Typical summer flows run 900–1,400 CFS. Much above that and the banks fish better than the middle; much below and the river gets thin and the fish get spooky.
How warm is too warm to fish the Madison River?
Trout begin to struggle above about 68°F, and hooked fish recover poorly past 70°F. When water reaches 73°F for three consecutive days, Montana FWP imposes hoot owl restrictions: no fishing from 2 p.m. to midnight. The Lower Madison hits those numbers most summers.
Which USGS gauge should I watch for the Madison River?
Kirby Ranch (06038800) for the Upper Madison below Hebgen Dam, McAllister (06041000) for the Lower Madison below Ennis Lake, and Madison River near West Yellowstone (06037500) for the reach inside Yellowstone National Park.