Upper Madison River at Valley Garden Fishing Access, Ennis MT

      October 19th 2013 is a day I wont forget for a long time. My friends and I had sacrificed sleeping in to get up early and hit the water as soon as the sun came up. We werent even 5 minutes from leaving Bozeman when a one hundred and sixty pound white tail buck ran right in front of us. We hit him, and hit him hard, killing the massive buck instantly. My buddy (along with the rest of us) were so shook up that he wanted to get his truck looked at. This was the first time I've ever been in a car that hit a deer.

US 84 outside of Bozeman, Tobacco Root Mountains

      So now its seven in the morning and the other guy and myself still wanted to fish. The destination was Valley Garden fishing access near Ennis, Montana. It was about a forty-five minute drive from Bozeman and the sun was coming up fast. We drove forward hoping not to hit another deer. The drive on US 84 from Bozeman is gorgeous. Just after Four Corners you cross the Gallatin River. Climbing up a few gradual hills gives way to a spectacular view of the Madison and Tobacco Root mountains as you make your way to the Lower Madison River and Bear Trap Canyon, another great destination I previously blogged about. After meandering through tight corners in the canyon, in which you drive among, show off a stunning view of high mountain peaks to monotonous plains You then climb an imperceptibly steep pass that parallels the historical Bozeman Trail. Reaching the top of the pass gives one an incredible view of the Madison Valley. The amount of space viewable seems endless. Ennis lake lies in the distance to the east below the immense Madisons, and the Tobacco Roots smash right up to the foothills a mile away to the west. Passing the small town of Mcallister there is a short drive to the old town of Ennis. Ennis has a lot of character and some great stores, including a fly shop and Shedhorn Sports, for anyone visiting the town. I recommend stopping at the Ennis Cafe for a pre-fishing breakfast or post fishing lunch.

      After leaving Ennis, you drive towards West Yellowstone for about one mile, driving from the main street which is only a few blocks long . You will see a sign for Valley Garden fishing access and take a left hand turn there. The road follows massive benches and the scenery continues. The huge peaks of the Madisons hang over you to your right. You journey through the small one horse town of Jeffers and five more minutes you've reached Valley Garden fishing access site.

       There is sign with a board full of camping information and hunting restrictions. There is a small parking area there with a trail leading to that part of the river. You can instead keep going to what looks like campsites but there is a bigger parking lot and boat launch there. There is an outhouse at this location.

          I like to walk down river from here about a mile or so. I've seen people walk much further down than I have, possibly to get away from what some solitude hunters would call a crowd. I was surprised to see another person fishing between the islands, then on the way back we saw a few more, but nothing crazy. There was definitely plenty of water for everyone. I like to hike down and fish back up, taking my time fishing and walking to all the islands that are scattered throughout the river. The Upper Madison here seems like half a mile wide sometimes. Its huge!! Much of the water in the fall will be ankle to knee deep so finding the fish means finding the deeper holes, pools, and runs. This involves a lot of walking unless you know the good spots. Ill let you figure those out ;) The scenery in the river itself is absolutely outstanding. I havent fished a prettier place in Montana than at Valley Garden. The fishing the day I was there was spectacular. Easily a twenty fish day. My friend, who had hit the deer, had a fifty fish day the weekend before.

Here you can see several islands scattered through this section of the Upper Madison

           The islands attract a lot of the trout along with the side shoots between the islands and the bank. This particular day I was using a double eggy rig. Thats right, I had two of the same flies on my leader. The fall brown trout spawn was underway and the fish go crazy for eggys. Why not use two I figured? Well it paid off. I managed to hook into a very nice brown trout in a micro hole and he lept, and lept again. I kept looking at my buddy with such excitement every time this football sized trout jumped into the air. He ended up burying himself in some very thick moss. When I went to retrieve I made the mistake of grabbing the leader with my hand and he broke right off. I saw him and so did my friend so I felt a lot better about losing him. The amount of fish in this section is very high. Most are small trout ten to twelve inches, and a lot of them, but there surely are trophies to be caught here.


          I will return to Valley Garden, maybe in the spring next year. Its an easy drive and like I said the view alone is enough to leave the skunked angler very satisfied. The long distances between what seems like one shallow riffle requires a lot of leg work but when you do find deep water, the fish are stacked in there. I hope this has encouraged someone who is unfamiliar with the area to give it a try. There are so many great fishing areas in SW Montana that many unknown gems like this will never be fished by some. Happy fishing and tight lines to all!