Montana Fishing Trips

Wilderness Fly Fishing

The Bob Marshall Wilderness offers exceptional Montana fly fishing trip opportunities for fishermen of any skill level. But getting to these remote backcountry locations isn't easy. That's why we pack you and your gear on horesback and provide a guided packtrip to some of Montana's most abundant fishing locations. Our guests tell us they catch 50-70 fish nearly every day!   

Fly fishing Montana is many angler's dream, and the headwaters of the Bob Marshall readily fulfill that quest.  Rivers are lightly fished, and you will not see many, if any, other fishermen on the river.  The scenery is unmatched and unspoiled.  The days are warm and inviting.  If you're looking for that extraordinary Montana fishing trip experience, you owe it to yourself to give this a try.

Lower North Fork Sun River

Father and son fly fishing trips are popular with our guests, igniting a life-long passion for fly fishing in these young anglers.  For accomplished and well-traveled fishermen, these remote mountain streams offer an unparalleled trout fishing experience.  What makes this place special for Montana fishing trips is the remarkable combination of seclusion, abundance of wild trout, and unmatched scenery. 

You can fish all day and rarely see anyone else on the river.  Our guides take you to great stretches of water, often by horseback, which are pretty difficult to get to any other way.  We then can move up and down the rivers at our own pace without any competition or running into anyone else that isn't fishing with you.  The trout are wild, and live in these crystal clear waters that are fast and cold.  Many of our fishermen are astounded with the amount of fish they catch on perfect days, and the degree of consistency.  The fish vary in size from pan-size, to much larger.  They feed voraciously on terrestrial insects, and are unbelievable fighters once you hook them.  They race up and down the river, often going airborne fighting the line.  It's an amazing experience.

The quality of action on top of the water is unmatched almost anywhere in the world.  We've had fishermen travel the world, including South America, Alaska, Russia, and more.  They consistently tell us the quality of dry fly fishing action in the Bob Marshall gives no quarter to any other place they've ever been.  We recommend the brightest agitators that float high on the water, and you will see these trout race out of the depths of the crystal-clear streams and just hammer those flies again and again.

Often you can catch 20 fish in a single river hotspot hole, with each seeming to take a turn at attacking the dry fly.  These trout just don’t see that many flies during their short summers, so they don't seem to care too much - and that makes these waters extra special. 

Seasons and Weather

Backcountry summers are pretty short. The snow runoff lasts until late June, and the water quality stabilizes in mid-July. Often, our snowpack lasts in the high basins well into July. Our waters run high and murky until early July. But by mid-July, they are running clear and cold. The best Montana fishing trips begin as soon as the water clears. The days are warm by then, but the evenings and early mornings can be chilly. You don't need waders for mountain fly fishing, but you will need to pick your river crossing locations a carefully this time of year. Mid-July to late August is when we see the most consistently good weather. And that is a good thing for our fishermen.  Our days gradually warm to the 70-80's through the end of July and into August.

August is the hottest month in the backcountry. We can get daytime temperatures in the 90's and mild evening temperatures. We get an occasional thunderstorm in August, but they are fast moving and infrequent. The terrestrial insect population explodes with activity this time of year and can put the trout into feeding frenzies on sunny afternoons.  From time to time we get requests for Montana fishing trips around Labor Day.  This is a great time to fish, as the nights are starting to cool but the days stay agreeably warm. This is the lowest water flow time of the year, and we seek out the headwaters where the streams are coldest and most predictable.

Flies and Lures

These fish live yearlong in hard water conditions where the rivers freeze over in the deep of winter. They withstand the angry surge of spring snow melt, and otherwise spend their time in very cold and unforgiving water.

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