Montana Angler Fly Fishing Blog

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...

Fly fishing in winter is not talked about much by many Bozeman, Montana, fly fishing guides. Several reasons exist why you don't hear much about winter fly fishing in Montana. It is often too cold to fish, and the skiing at local resorts like Big Sky Resort or Bridger Bowl Ski Area is good enough to...

Magic Waters Patagonia Lodge is located near the city of Coyhaique in the Aysen Region of Chile. After five trips to the area over the last few seasons, I’ve come to think of the trout water in this part of the world much like my home waters near Bozeman, Montana. A diversity of spring creeks...

Few places in the world are as synonymous with great fly fishing as Bozeman, Montana. Within an hour’s drive of Bozeman, anglers have their pick of the Yellowstone, Gallatin, Madison, Missouri Rivers, the Paradise Valley Spring Creeks, and dozens of smaller creeks and rivers, plus a variety of lakes...

Yellowstone National Park is the only place on the planet where native trout swim in waters also created by the flowing water from geysers. There are many amazing places where anglers can pursue great fly fishing. There are massive brown trout in Patagonia; tigerfish in southern Africa; bonefish...

What does it take to be a great angler? Is it a 10-pound trout on 6X? Catching two permit in one day? Or, matching the hatch when a trout is sipping size 24 dry flies on a spring creek? Accomplishing all three of these--however rare or amazingly difficult they may be--doesn't necessarily make...

The Smith River is a small to medium-sized freestone river providing perhaps the best mix of beautiful scenery, consistent hatches, and a variety of fish habitats and stream characteristics in Montana. If fly fishing in Montana is known for broad valleys with views that go on for miles, rugged...

Seeing is believing, right? If you can see a fish, you should believe you can catch it. However, oftentimes, if you can see a fish, it is also likely that the fish can see you. Whether you are fishing a crystal clear spring creek in Montana’s Paradise Valley or casting to pods of rising trout on the...

Planning a fly fishing trip in Montana should be as much a part of the fun as going fishing in Montana. With a variety of rivers like the Madison, Yellowstone, Gallatin, and more, choosing when and where to fish some of Montana's best fly fishing rivers, creeks, and lakes might seem a little...