Montana Angler Fly Fishing Blog

What is "Rest and Rotation" and Why Is It a Bad Idea for the Madison River

A Madison River Recreation Plan is currently in development. A high quality recreation plan is important for preserving the quality of experience that all users currently enjoy on the river. As the popularity of river based recreation increases nationally and as Montana’s population increases, so...Read more

The Negative Effects of Banning Boats for Public Fishing Access on the Madison River

Recent petitions have been filed to propose rules that would be part of a recreational plan for the Madison River. One of the petitions recommends banning boats for public fishing access on 18.6 miles of the Madison River . We support a recreation plan for the Madison River that includes setting...Read more

Jurassic Lake Lodge Argentina Fall 2019 Trip Report

This was it, I was finally going to check off a long-standing bucket list trip: fly fishing in Argentina . I was sure the fishing at Jurassic Lake (aka Lago Strobel) couldn’t live up to the hype. Stories of endless numbers of giant rainbows that are eager to eat scuds, leeches and large dry flies...Read more

6 Weight Fly Rod Review Series - Part One, Head to Head Lawn Casting

No fly rod is the perfect rod on every river, on every given day. I have often fallen in love with a rod on one river, fishing in one style; only to curse it later under different circumstances. I have also found that over and over again that the rod I enjoyed most behind the fly shop is not the...Read more

Alaska September Fly Fishing Trip Report; The Bristol Bay Region at Intricate Bay Lodge

Everything seems to be a little bigger in Alaska; rivers, mountains, fish and bears all seem to be supersized. When it comes to exploring Alaska’s famed fly fishing , the renowned waters of the Bristol Bay area offer the highest density of salmon and trophy rainbow trout rivers in the world. This...Read more

Steelhead Scouting Mission to Southeast Alaska

Wild fresh run Pacific steelhead are considered by many to be the ultimate gamefish on a fly rod. These electric sea run brethren of the rainbow trout grow large in the prolific waters of the North Pacific before entering coastal rivers prior to spawning. One of the most remote and least explored...Read more

5 Tips for Twitching Hoppers

Many of Montana’s most famous trout rivers flow through agricultural valleys flanked by towering mountains. These fertile valleys provide an ideal habitat for large populations of grasshoppers. The bulk of aquatic insect hatches take a pause in mid summer (with a few exceptions like tricos). Once...Read more

Spring Creek Fishing Styles

After fishing some of the bigger rivers and catching some “easy” trout there comes a time when it is fun to try something different or a more challenging endeavor. Spring creeks can also make a better angler by focusing on smaller intricacies that might not be noticed on larger rivers, like small...Read more

Montana Fly of the Month: April

Fly of the Month: April 2018 El Camino, Skwala Stonefly tied by Andrew Grillos April fly fishing in Southwest Montana brings a wide variety of options, a favorite option is trying to hit the skwala stonefly hatch on one of our Montana Rivers . Certain rivers have larger populations of these small,...Read more

A Seasonal Guide to Fly Fishing Montana's Smith River

The Smith River is the crown jewel of Montana’s off-the-beaten path fisheries. The Smith is a small but float able river that winds its way through a limestone canyon that effectively divides the Big and Little Belt mountain ranges. Scenery is spectacular with a blend of lush meadows, towering...Read more