Hebgen Dam 1060 cfs

Old Kirby Place 1810cfs

Varney Bridge 2870 cfs

Lower Madison 3540 cfs

A couple of big things happened in the last 48 hours. The first big thing is that the beginning of our run off or spring melt has started and we will now be watching gauges and creeks to keep an eye on changing conditions. The second big thing to happen in the past 48 hours is the Governor Bullock state in a press conference that quarantine restriction for people traveling to the state of Montana will be lifted on June 1.

Touching on the second part of the big news first, this is good for many Montana families that are dependent on the tourism industry to make a living. I think a fairly large collective sigh of relief happened yesterday. It is still likely to be a down year overall but maybe now the tourism industry doesn’t starve to death. The quarantine requirement will be lifted on June 1st. Along with this it sounds like the west entrance to Yellowstone National park will also open. Currently it is only open on the Wyoming side.

As this is still evolving we are going to continue to be flexible as we do not know exactly what variables will still effect travel to the state. Things like lowered flight options, restrictions in a travelers home state, general fear of flying are all likely to have an effect on the overall travel to Montana over the coming months and if this impacts a planned trip to fish here on the Madison I want to make sure that you are still taken care of. I will still be asked that anyone that is sick to avoid going for that day or days. There will still be lots of hand sanitizer (bring your own too), boat cleaning, wiping down of vehicle surfaces and in general best practices to keep myself and my anglers as safe as possible.

Moving back to the first part of big things that has happened in the last 48 hours, runoff is finally here. The Madison River really spiked up the last the couple days and has mae for some very muddy conditions through town. The fires up on top of the Gravelly Range a couple years ago have contributed to more mud coming out of both Ruby Creek and Wigwam Creek during the melt. This is new as over the past 20 years these have not typically been a major source of silt and dirt for us. This has added to a faster muddy condition on the lower portion of the river near Ennis. Having gone all the way to top floor yesterday afternoon there is a distinct mud line from the West Fork of Madison. above that all the way to Quake lake for now has great color and clarity. Cool wether and night will generally help with the clarity and the flows to some extent. But its here and we will be making adjustments and conditions change.

As of now it looks great above the West Fork. Now is a great time to start thinking about lake fishing if you have the chance or are in town. Hebgen Lake is fun place to be over the coming months and can offer a welcome change to fishing big muddy water.

On a side note I was invited to participate in new Podcast series being presented by the good folks at Eastmans and hosted by Brian Barney called Eastmans on the Fly and can found where you normally find your podcasts. I think its about two weeks out or so. He also hosts a great hunting podcast Eastmans Elevated. It was a fun, very casual and I am sure that I rambled on a bit. Thank you again for having me.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Thanks for tuning in and as always…

Keep you tip up!

Brian Rosenberg