Montana Angler Fly Fishing Blog

The Smith River is Montana's penultimate overnight river camping and fishing trip. The primary fishing season on the Smith River runs from late spring through early summer, and then again in September and October. Of all the months of fishing on the Smith River, May is the most dynamic. With pre-...

New Zealand’s South Island is the final frontier for fly anglers, the proving ground to test your skills against the most impressive trout on the planet. Unrolling that perfect cast and watching a big brown come up to sip your dry fly, it just doesn’t get much better than that. Located a world away...

Those of us lucky enough to live around Bozeman have largely chosen to do so because of the close proximity to good fly fishing. The ability to get in a quick pre- or post-work/class fishing session is better in Bozeman than almost anywhere else, with several great rivers within an easy half hour’s...

Although this was only my second trip to Magic Waters Lodge, it felt like a home away from home. The owners of the lodge, Eduardo and Consuelo, have carved out a place for guests to stay and feel like family, enjoy delicious meals, experience a wide variety of fishing opportunities, and all in a...

The world is a big place and holds more unique fly fishing destinations than any one angler can visit over the course of a lifetime. There are few things I love more than travelling to see new waters in novel locations. Sometimes, however, a place simply demands return visits. New Zealand is on the...

Montana first started its Automated Licenseing System (ALS) several decades ago. The system was created to streamline the process of buying a fishing license as well as protect personal information, as purchasers had to give their social security number to obtain a license. Things are changing once...

If you spend enough time around veteran fly fishing guides in Montana, the weather and its impact are going to come up in conversation. From stories about bluebird days and twitching grasshopper patterns to fishing through the rain on a great day of streamer fishing, the weather dictates fly fishing...

Do you love to fish streamers but think it’s only a fall season game? You’re not wrong, but you are missing out on some of the fun—you just need to adjust your skills. When fishing in winter, fishing tandem nymphs below an indicator can get it done, but fishing streamers has the potential to be a...

The most experienced fly fishing guides have spent years on the water. For a fly fishing guide who can catch trout in any condition and on a variety of fly fishing rivers, they've often been there and done that. To catch fish consistently, and to catch big fish consistently, certain skills come into...

Even the most experienced angler will tell you that one of the biggest appeals of fly fishing is that there is always something new to learn or a new place to fish. In our area, we’re lucky to have abundant access to both float and walk-and-wade fishing options, and many of these waters offer both...