Guys,
I have a trip planned to Montana in mid to late September and I would like to float the Yellowstone or Maddy and chunk streamers. My question is two-fold- one, would either one be fishing better at that time, and two does anyone have a suggestion for a guide service?
I have googled and found maybe a few hundred guides, but instead of going blind I thought I would consult the wisdom of FAOL.
Thanks in advance!
Dustin
Mid to late September is a great time to fish southwest montana.
I have never hired a local guide, but a great resource is www.troutfitters.com I go their for the fishing reports section.
Don’t neglect to bring a dry fly rod, too. Typically there are excellent BWO hatches if the weather is ugly (even moderately) and the terrestrial fishing is usually still solid.
Three solid choices: 1- Craig Matthews and company at http://www.blueribbonflies.com/ 2- Kelly Galloup at http://www.slideinn.com/blog/ 3- Bob Jacklin at http://jacklinsflyshop.qwestoffice.net/
You can’t go wrong with any one of these.
Kelly.
I think I’d ask our guide in residence who also guides the Yellowstone for his advice. He writes a regular column here: Tom Travis.
LF
Even though he doesn’t advertise it here, Longs for cutts is a guide out of Parks Fly Shop in Gardiner Mt.
Jeff
DW,
I have used the Bozeman Angler Fly Shop as a guide service in the past for drifts on the Yellowstone. Good guides and they know the river.
Larry —sagefisher—
Blue ribbon flies
It is really surprising what can show up in some of these threads. I have been reading a lot about Parks Fly Shop and about every word on their web site and have watched all of the tying videos and all seems very good. I certainly didn’t know that Longs for Cutts was a guide out of there. I wish I had the funds to make a guided float trip on our up coming trip up there. Also Lady Fisher has given some good advice both to me and the original poster since she lives almost on the banks of the Yellowstone. I hope to be fishing the Yellowstone in a few weeks my self.
Best guide on the Yellowstone is Matthew Long, Long Outfitting in Livingston. He knows the river, knows the fish and treats his clients to an incredible best shore lunch, not just soggy sandwiches and pop. I’ve floated with Matthew numerous times and they were all memorable, catching many, many fish. He is a real gentleman and treats his clients with great respect. I met many anglers that floated with other guides though the years and they did not have similar experiences. He also knows the spring creeks like the back of his hand.
I do not spend much time these days on the Madison, but there is no question in my mine that Kelly Galloup at the Slide Inn is the guy I’d check with for any streamer fishing there.
We fish streamers a lot on the Yellowstone - I’m only 15’ from it from May to October - and at that time of year our best fishing with streamers is when the water gets off colored from periodic thunderstorms. In addition to the suggestions for the Yellowstone you’ve already received, I’d personally contact Bob Bergquist (Geo. Anderson’s Fly Shop in Livingston) and consider fishing the Yellowstone downstream from Livingston.
John
p.s. The Yellowstone is fishing great right now!
Thank you everyone for the info. I am going to research the outfits that are recommended. I have never fished from a drift boat and am really looking forward to it.
Dustin
Dustin, Since you’ve never fished from a drift boat I would highly suggest you set a low chair outside where you can cast and practice casting SITTING DOWN. It isn’t the same, keep you backcast UP. Practice now before you go, you’ll be glad you did.
Hugs,
LF
Thanks Ladyfisher, that is great advice. I think I will drink a couple of beers first, just to make it as realistic as possible.
DW, just in case no one told you, if you are the person in the front of the boat, some boats have a “casting yoke” and it goes like this: stand in the yoke with your rod, make the cast where directed, “the pocket on the right above that log” watch your fly, watch downsteam to where your next cast will go, mend, mend, pick up your cast (deep water load) make one backcast and place your cast. Make your next cast, watch your fly and again downsteam where the next cast will go, mend, mend, pick up your cast, make one backcast and place your cast. Repeat unless your guide stops on a riffle corner where you get out and fish as directed. Then back in the boat and repeat previous order until next stop or lunch. Continue after lunch until you reach the take-out or your arm falls off. Please remember Weatherford is at about 500 ft altitude. Yellowstone River below Livingston is nearly 5,000. Unless you are accustomed to this altitude you will be a little dizzy for a day or so. If you’re out of shape it can be worse. You may think you want a couple of beers first, not recommended S We want you to have a wonderful time really.
I got back from Montana yesterday after floating the Yellowstone for 2 days with Walter Wiese (Longs for Cutts) out of Parks Fly shop in Gardiner. On the first day, we floated from Gardiner to Yankee Jim Canyon. Day 1 fishing: started at 70 degrees and calm, ended at 50 degrees with rain and 40 mph winds, blowing straight up river. Day 1 catching: solid throughout the day, when a decent cast could be made. Walter said it was the hardest sustained winds on a trip he had ever experienced. Put about 25 in the boat with the best being a 17" rainbow.
Day 1 started out beautiful:
And ended up brutal. I’m smiling because I am not rowing.
In between, we caught these:
continued
A nice cutt from day 1:
I will say that even with the wind blowing 30-40 mph, when a cast could be made with a decent drift, it would draw a strike. It felt pretty good to catch as many as we did considering the conditions.
On day 2, we floated from Grey Owl to Livingston, planning to throw streamers in the morning and dries later on. It started out streamer weather cloudy and cool, about 50 degrees with little wind. The bites were scarce for a while, but we finally got the color down and it picked up; we caught fish using a streamer with a bead head dropped off the back. A lot of the reason the bites were scarce was me getting used to chunking a heavy fly on sink tip line. Wally coached me through it and we began to hit pay dirt:
By this time the wind picked up to about 15-20 mph, and the action on top started. Caught this rainbow right at Carter’s Bridge.
We caught several other nice fish including some good cutts down toward Livingston. Overall, it was a great trip in spite of the non-stellar conditions. Walter Wiese is good guy and a great guide, very knowledgeable about what the fish were eating, and I was impressed at how we were almost constantly in good position to cast, even with the heavy wind. I would highly recommend Walter for a guide trip. And no, he did not pay me or give me any flies to write this. Plus he has a cool dad. Thanks Wally.
Thanks for the report! Awesome!
TT.
