Madison River Fishing Report, June 19, 2026

2026-06-19 (June 19, 2026)

Summary

At a glance: Hebgen Dam 699 CFS, climbing | Kirby 842 CFS | Varney 1,100 CFS | Ennis ~914 CFS, 53.4°F (May 22 baseline, stale) | Reservoir 99.6% full and rising | Wind: 30 to 40 mph spells on the middle river | Salmonflies projected June 16, likely live or imminent

Note. Hebgen Dam continues to ramp releases as the reservoir sits essentially full. Expect rising, coloring water on the Upper through the weekend, with wade lines shifting day to day. Sustained valley wind of 30 to 40 mph remains a real factor on the middle river. Check the gauge before you wade, and give yourself margin.

The Upper has fished decently through a windy stretch, with weather rather than water as the dominant variable. That balance is now changing shifts: the weather is clocking out as the governing force and the water is clocking in. With Hebgen essentially full, Northwestern Energy has been ramping releases out of the dam, and Slide Inn expected flows to keep stepping up day over day until releases match inflow. The practical effect is twofold: the salmon fly hatch gets nudged slightly later, and the streamer bite should improve meaningfully as the river comes up and colors.

Down by Ennis, Trout Stalkers' late May read still informs the lower river picture. The caddis hatch below town was on, with adults, pupae, and larva all in play, and pods of risers were workable on cloudy windows. Their May numbers (914 cfs at town, water at 53.4°) predate the ramp, so treat them as a baseline rather than today's reading. The "big bugs on deck" call they made in May has now arrived on Slide Inn's June 16 projection date.

MRFC's April 23 post (Cold on the shoulder) describes a very different, colder shoulder season river: Baetis and midge hatches on snowy days, caddis on the Lower and near town when the sun broke, and good to great nymphing in slow water. Useful as background; do not rely on it for current fly selection.

Best techniques

• Nymphing is the workhorse by a wide margin on the Upper. Run small Pat's Rubber Legs and TJ Hookers in #10 to #12 with Olive Caddis Larva, Zebra Midges, Dips, and smaller Perdigons in #16 to #18. BWO nymphs still earn takes on colder days, but it has been mostly a caddis and small stonefly game.
• Through the float section, drop tungsten off a Royal Micro Chubby for a fun two-fly rig.
• On the lower river around Ennis, the caddis hatch is the show. Adults to Elk Hair Caddis, Missing Link Caddis, and Finfetcher Caddis on top. Oikawa's CDC Caddis is a newer Trout Stalkers favorite that has fished well. In the film, Lawson's Caddis Emerger and RIO's Edible Emerger are working. Jig Prince suspended below a chubby has been a go-to throughout the system.
• Dries on the Upper are improving with small attractors and adult caddis but still trail nymphs.
• Streamers are on the cusp. Slide Inn has done best on Mini Envys, micro envys, Mini Whiteys, Double Screamers, Mini Loop Sculpin, and Bangtails in black, olive, yellow, olive/black, and natural. Down at Ennis in muddier water, Trout Stalkers has done best on Mini Dungeons, Slum Lords, Dungeon Yellow, and black Woolly Buggers. Retrieve matters as much as pattern: try a slow twitch or jig, then a hard strip back to the boat, changing color and speed until something works. We dignify this as a system.

Hatches

• Caddis (adult, pupa, larva) are the dominant active hatch, especially below town.
• Small stoneflies continue to produce on the Upper.
• BWOs still hatch on colder, overcast windows.
• Midges remain steady in the film.
• Salmonflies were projected for emergence around June 16; they should be live or imminent as of today. Word travels fast once they crawl. The North Slide shop in Ennis is the place to call for big bug intel this week.

The Fly Box

Nymphs: Pat's Rubber Legs, TJ Hookers, Zebra Midges, Dips, BH Pheasant Tail, Spanish Bullet (French), Olsen's Hare's Ear Blowtorch, Jig Prince, San Juan Worm

Emergers: Lawson's Caddis Emerger, RIO's Edible Emerger

Dries: Royal Micro Chubby, Elk Hair Caddis, Missing Link Caddis, Finfetcher Caddis, Oikawa's CDC Caddis

Streamers: Mini Envys, micro envys, Mini Whiteys, Double Screamers, Mini Loop Sculpin, Bangtails, Mini Dungeons, Slum Lords, Dungeon Yellow, Woolly Buggers, Sparring Partner

Outlook. Flows climb through the week toward an inflow match, so plan for rising, coloring water and shifting wade lines. The salmonfly emergence should be moving up from the lower river beginning around now. Streamer fishing should keep improving as the river comes up. Wind stays the wild card, so favor sheltered water below Varney or higher up when it howls. Call ahead to the North Slide for the current big bug line.

Sources and Thanks

Shop	Report date	Coverage
Slide Inn (Galloup's)	June 10, 2026	Madison (Upper, nine days stale)
Montana Trout Stalkers	May 22, 2026	Madison (Ennis/Lower, baseline only)
Madison River Fly Fishing Company	April 23, 2026	Madison (historical reference, ~8 weeks stale)