Madison River

I’m sure a few of you reading this are football fans like me. Seattle seems to have had a generally successful run since about the 2010s, with obvious jubilation in 2013, followed by tear-jerking (or, in my case glasses glasses-throwing across the room and breaking them) despair in 2014. To those Millennials and older, or perhaps some Gen Z and below anglers who are dialed into their football history, the Monsters of the Midway elicit memories of imposing dominance. The 1985 Bears. Coach Ditka. Mike Singletary. Richard Dent. Refrigerator Perry. Icons in the football world. I couldn’t help but call back to that imposing connection on our latest fishing adventure on the Madison River in the Madison River Valley of Montana. 

We connected again with our good friends Ed and Jeanne Williams of the Rainbow Valley Lodge in Ennis. Of course, we talked about fishing, but also some updates on life: their trip to Disneyland with their grandkids, the most recent trip to Argentina, among other things. Down-to-earth hosts who enjoy seeing their guests enjoy themselves. 

The plan had been to fish the Jefferson River, to the north of Ennis, and explore the Jefferson River Canyon. Unfortunately, the weather didn’t cooperate, and the river wouldn’t make for a productive fishing day. Having had as much success as we did on our last episode on the Madison, a quick audible was in order. Fishing again with Hunter and Sam, outfitting out of the lodge, we knew we’d get into some beautiful country and big fish.

The first day was wet. Very wet. Like, I’m glad we have our rain gear, and no wonder there wasn’t anybody else on the water kind of wet. It made me appreciate the professionalism and love for guiding the river I saw from both of our guides for the trip. Both Hunter and Sam are what I would describe as “good dudes”. Easy to talk with, personable, and genuine. That, paired with their knowledge, patience, and excitement for the water, made them the guides I’d absolutely recommend if you head to Ennis to fish in a beautiful part of the country. 

The fishing produced some great memories and tons of fish. My buddies Ty and Alex were in the second boat helping with filming, and between both boats, nearly 40 fish were caught that first day. Nonstop action with each angler trying to outcatch the other. Our guides instigated the goading as we came together - “Add three more to the scoreboard”, “Well, we got a 19’er, how small were your fish?” The solid number of fish was one thing. Getting bit non-stop is always fun. 

Again, nearly double-digit fish were caught by every angler. But the size of these fish is what was most impressive. Routinely, we were pulling in fish in the high teens. Browns, rainbows, and whitefish all with shoulders on them the size of linebackers. While the one legendary fish didn’t come, I was never disappointed when I hooked up. Every fish was seemingly in the respectable 13-15-inch range, with some bigger chunkier fish encroaching on the 20-inch size. And the fight? World-class. It was like being in a phone booth with a big offensive lineman. At times, the fish would seemingly be pulling the boat with it as it swam, dove, and jumped during our battles. 

Ironically, one of the more memorable fish was a small one that I didn’t even land. Like a quarterback scanning the defense, I did my best to set myself up for a positive play. 15 feet out from the bank, approaching some tree roots, I had an excellent line on the fish. 

The hook set was decisive. But this fish was tenacious. Immediately jumping out of the water like you’d hope from a classic rainbow trout battle. It must’ve jumped at least half a dozen times. It ran at me, seemingly knowing the weak spot in my offensive attack. On its final jump, it spat out the hook and swam back to safety, having bested me. All I could do was smile and chalk it up to a well-executed play by my opponent. 

The second day was a completely different experience. Like going from a dome in Dallas to the frozen tundra in Green Bay, it was sunny, comfortable, and a day where you’d be just as happy doing yard work outside as you’d be fishing. Well, maybe not quite as happy as fishing, but you get the idea. My coach, Hunter, wanted to change strategies and get into some technical fly fishing. He tied on some streamers for us, and away we went. Varying my retrieval, we hoped to get into the larger fish you’d expect from using streamers compared to nymphs. Within my first three or four casts, I hooked into a solid fish. Unfortunately, the battle was short-lived, and I never saw it surface. But I think it had the potential to be that 20+ inch fish that had eluded us. 

Not to be outdone, we kept floating down the river. A multi-play, methodical drive marching down the field, catching the same solid-sized fish as the day before. Towards the end of our float, we reached a slower pool of water that Hunter said had historically held some big fish. A guide’s knowledge and experience came to my benefit. 

Like my first missed fish, within only a few casts in this new water, I hooked the fish and was locked into a one-on-one battle.  Some pulling, some steering, and some muscle later, we landed what was close to a 20-inch fish. Impressive enough in size and more than formidable as an opponent, it led me to reflect on the past few days of fishing and the fables that come with it. Monsters of the Madison indeed!

Mountains come out of the sky and they stand there. Snow-covered peaks create a breathtaking backdrop as we work our way down the fast-flowing, slightly off-color river. I could say a whiter shade of pale, but I’d be pushing the 70s music lyrics references a bit too much.

Matt and I are floating the Madison River, Epic, Historic, Blue-ribbon… pick your adjectives. At first glance, I wondered “Where do you even fish this?” To the untrained eye, the river looked uniform from side to side, a fast-moving, rocky, never-ending flow of energy. 

Hunter and Sam, our guides from River Borne Outfitters, had briefed us on the strategy to fish for this untamed wild river. “Today you’re going to be fishing buckets” Hunter elaborated, “When the water is running this fast, you want to target the small back eddies, slicks, and close to the shore. You’ll see the holding water better as the day progresses. It requires some accurate casting but it’s not that hard. The fishing can be really good, but I’m a bit worried about the color of the water.”

For my part, I was glad to be fishing and not rowing. We rapidly drifted past large boulders that would easily have flipped a less skilled rower. “That’s why you fish with a guide”, I thought.

Suddenly Matt called out “Fish on!”. I looked back and his rod was doubled over with the weight of a solid fish, which revealed itself with a series of impressive jumps, clearing the surface a good three feet. A chrome bright, wild (that’s the only kind of trout in the Madison) rainbow was giving Matt a good battle. He skillfully took his time and brought the glistening 18-inch fish to the net. Scooping him up, Hunter let out an excited “skunks out of the boat” and it was the start of a memorable day on one of Montana’s most amazing and wild rivers.

We had arrived the previous day at the invitation of Ed and Jeanne Williams, owners of Rainbow Valley Lodge. Ed and Jeanne had moved from California to Ennis, Montana over 35 years ago and taken over the lodge, growing it over the years into a destination for the rich and famous, and the average person. The two of them radiated an aura of enthusiasm and hometown friendliness that I have come to treasure over the past two years of living in Montana. We felt as if we had new friends we could return to year after year, and indeed, many of their guests expressed the same feelings to us. Not the largest lodge in Ennis, but certainly the most homey and one you’d want to return to year after year. Heated pool, rustic pine wood interiors, and beautiful flowers everywhere give you that “western feel” you are looking for when traveling to Montana’s fishing destinations. The impressive collection of fishing memorabilia in the lobby could keep an angler’s attention alone, not to mention their well-stocked O’Dell Spring Creek Fly Shop. The evenings are a gathering of guides and guests, chatting about the day’s fishing adventures and making new friends and acquaintances. 

“Shoulder Season” is the term Ed had shared with me about the lodge’s seasons. Spring and fall anchored a full and busy summer of guests coming through Ennis to fish the famous Madison and use Ennis as a base camp for the 70-mile drive to Yellowstone National Park. Ennis is the last major town on the road to the north Yellowstone entrance. As such, come the end of the school year it rapidly fills up with tourists and summertime adventurers streaming to visit America’s most iconic national park. Anglers stream in as well, as the Madison River shares its impressive fishing with fishermen from near and far. 

While the summer is a busy time for the lodge, spring and fall are another matter, and visitors can experience a slower and more relaxed pace if they’re willing to take a few chances. For us, the weather was outstanding with a day in the upper seventies and sunny. The recent warm-up had increased river flows to over 2,500 cfs (cubic feet per second), which had us drifting at a solid pace, but not too fast to catch fish. And as we found out as the day progressed, the visibility at about 18 inches was just fine for fish catching.

Soon after Matt’s nice start to the day, I watched as my strike indicator ducked under the water. I gave a quick tug and felt the heavy pressure of a nice fish. Unlike Matt’s fish which had treated us to a fun aerial display, my fish was a bulldog, the sign of a nice brown trout. Headshakes and hard runs kept me focused and I worked the fish back to Hunter’s waiting net. He skillfully scooped up the brown-speckled fish and after a quick measurement, we released a nice 16-inch thick brown trout.

Our setup for the day was a quality 5-weight Orvis rod and reel, floating line, and 8-foot leader. A pair of size 8 girdle (stonefly) bugs tied 18 inches apart were the fish enticement, and bites were monitored by orange strike indicators (all the better to see in the early morning sunny glare). Our instructions – when in doubt, set the hook!

While “bucket fishing” requires a degree of accuracy, it is a technique that lends itself well to intermediate and even beginner fly anglers. The casts are not terribly long, and if you miss the sweet spot of the “bucket” there is enough underwater structure that you still have a good chance of getting a hookup. While the Madison does not have the fish numbers of the Missouri, there are still plenty of fish to be had, and Sam explained that guides only promote catch and release on the river, so numbers have remained very consistent over the years.

As I noted earlier, this river, at springtime flows, in my opinion, would be a degree of difficulty I would not recommend to beginners behind the sticks. There were more than a few large boulders that could easily pin or flip a driftboat. So, if your rowing skills are marginal, leave the boat at home and hire a guide. Or wait for the slower flows of summer, but plan on having to share the river with a whole lot more anglers. 

We continued the float catching fish at a regular pace, beautiful rainbows and brown trout, and an occasional whitefish. We didn’t catch any of the great white buffalo, AKA arctic grayling, but Hunter assured us they were in there. Brent, our film crew for the weekend, even caught his first trout on the fly with the help of his guide, Sam. The big fish of the day was Matt’s 20-inch brown he caught at the end of the day (what a way to finish!).

If you’re looking for the true western trout fishing river experience, keep the Madison River in mind, and don’t be afraid of fishing those shoulder seasons. You’ll find more than a few big-shouldered trout willing to share their day with you.

Rainbow Valley Lodge, Ed and Jeanne Williams, 800-452-8254

River Borne Guide Service, 406-581-2953, guides Hunter Schumacher and Sam Hall.