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MT · McAllister
Madison River
Primary gauge: USGS 06038500 — Madison River near McAllister, MT
FISHABLE
- Flow 455 CFS — within May normal range
- Temp 47°F — prime trout
Flow
455 CFS → Provisional — USGS
Steady over 24h
Water temperature
47°F Provisional — USGS
cold for trout
Latest observation: (17 minutes ago)
Conditions are estimates from USGS data. Always assess on-site conditions and use your own judgment.
Why this gauge
USGS 06038500 (Madison River near McAllister, MT) is the canonical gauge for the Wade-to-Varney "Fifty Mile Riffle" — the stretch most anglers mean when they say "the Madison." It is a long-record gauge (1939–present, 80+ years) with flow, temperature, and gage-height series, sited at a hydrologically representative point between Hebgen Dam and Ennis Lake. Hand-curated per Pitfall #2: never auto-select primary gauge.
Trends
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Popular Flies
Nymph
limited recent reports — best signal we have within 60 days
Sources
Every value on this page traces to one of these fetches. Raw snapshots retained indefinitely.