MADISON RIVER
A man is fishing in a river with mountains in the background.

Madison River, Lakes & Streams

A River Runs Through It

The Madison River

El Western Cabins & Lodges is located in the Madison River Valley along Highway 287 in Ennis, MT. Ennis offers a host of mountain lakes, rivers and streams but it's the perfect waters of the Madison River that gives Ennis the distinction of being in the center of the "Golden Triangle" of fly-fishing. The "Golden Triangle" consists of the section of the Madison River that travels through Southwest Montana, Eastern Idaho, and Northwest Wyoming. 

 

The Madison River, flowing over 23 miles, begins in Yellowstone National Park, leaving the park via West Yellowstone, MT, approximately 70 miles south of El Western Cabins and Lodges. 

 

The river is usually talked about in several distinct sections, including Hebgen lake, Custer Gallatin, Quake Lake, Ennis Lake and Cliff & Wade Lakes. In between these lakes is fine Madison River flowing fine and true, guests enjoy fishing, white water rafting, tubing and more. 

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Golden Triangle of Fly Fishing

Plenty of award winning water is accessible for a day of fishing from Ennis. The Ruby, Firehole, Yellowstone, Gallatin, Beaverhead, and Big Hole rivers and Hebgen, Quake, Ennis, and mountain lakes have earned Ennis the distinction of being the center of the "Golden Triangle" of fly-fishing.


The amazing fishing guides below can help you get “the big catch”, and help you scout those beautiful Rainbow, Brown, Cutthroat, & Brook Trout, as well as the Whitefish, and Arctic Grayling.

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Hebgen Lake

Located 55 miles south of El Western lies Hebgen Lake. A man made reservoir considered Montana's premier still water fishing. 15 miles long and 4 miles wide Hebgen Lake offers a host of recreation opportunities beyond fishing, including climbing, hiking, biking and scenic drives.


Custer Gallatin National Forest offers many different angling experiences for detail and information visit:

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Quake Lake

El Western Cabins and Lodges is located 52 miles north of Quake Lake Visitors Center. Measuring five miles long, one-third of a mile wide and 190 feet deep, fishermen enjoy fishing Quake Lake along the shores or by boat.


Cutthroat and brown trout are stocked yearly and float tube fishing is recommended here because of the many timbers below the surface and the occasional high winds. However, those timbers create great places for the fish to live, making dry fly fishing ideal.

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Ennis Lake

Ennis Lake is a shallow reservoir that separates the upper and lower Madison River. Ennis Lake is 8 feet at its deepest and warms up nicely in the spring months. The lake offers many shallow flats providing the perfect weed-beds ideal habitats for trout. This lake provides the best wade fishing conditions but can be accessed by drift boat as well.


The north shore of Ennis Lake offers a day use area facilitating picnicking, swimming, boating, waterskiing and of course fishing. 

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Cliff & Wade Lake

Both Cliff and Wade lakes sit on a geological fault, that formed chasms and filled with water; cliffs surround much of the lakes' shorelines.


Cliff Lake is the larger and somewhat more isolated of the two, but offers some exceptional canoeing, especially in the remote coves. Wade Lake is more easily accessible and receives more use; it is spring-fed and stays partly ice-free in the winter.


Both lakes support many nesting raptors and hikers enjoy looking for prairie falcons, bald eagles, and osprey. 

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Bring the Kids

Located 0.9 miles north of El Western Cabins & Lodges, Lions Park offers a playground, walking/running track, baseball and softball fields, picnic area, open spaces, and fishing for kids 12 and under. The fish hatchery south of Ennis stocks the pond with trout each year.


The scenery is beautiful and with a little luck, you get to hear "I GOT ONE!"

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