When to Come and What To Expect:
Fly Fishing: Outside Yellowstone National Park – June – Madison River (Hebgen Lake to Ennis Lake)
The fishing on the Madison River starts way earlier than the month of June. We are starting our fishing guide for the Madison outside the park at the first of June to coincide with the opening of the fishing for Yellowstone National Park. Those that come to Yellowstone don’t usually want to confine themselves to fishing only within the park. Most anglers also fish other nearby famous destinations.
The first two weeks of June usually falls during the runoff period. The fishing can be okay upstream of West Fork all the way to Quake Lake but below West Fork, it is usually the middle of June before the runoff ends. The water below Hebgen Dam varies greatly depending on the amount of current being released. Cabin Creek and Beaver Creek usually also aid in mudding up the water about the second week of June.
The middle of the month of June begins the most popular hatch on the Madison River, the Salmonflies. They start upstream from Ennis Lake around the middle of June and move upstream as to Raynolds Bridge in a period of about 14 days. This can provide some of the best fishing of the year. They continue all the way to Hebgen Dam and well into the month of July. Starting the last week of June, you may see some Golden Stoneflies and Little Yellow Stoneflies begin to hatch also.
PMDs, or Pale Morning Dun mayflies hatch just about the entire month of June on the Madison River. You will also find some small Blue-winged Olive hatches occurring but the larger baetis species end their hatch on the Madison by the second week of June.
All in all, the fishing can be good on certain parts of the Madison during June. You will have to check the local conditions of the runoff and of the discharges from Hebgen Dam. Both of these drastically affect the fishing during June but if you hit the right area, at the right time, it is usually great fishing. Your odds are greatest of catching things right on the Madison River if you fish the last week of June.