The Smith River
The pinnacle of Montana fly fishing, the Smith River is a trout fisherman’s dream. Spanning 60 miles over a five-day float trip with no public access between the put in and take out, there is no other experience quite like a Smith trip. Starting just outside the town of White Sulphur Springs, the river flows north through a scenic limestone canyon with some cliff walls reaching four hundred feet high. The fishing over the course of this five-day trip is fantastic, with ample opportunities at large brown and rainbow trout on every day of the trip. Impressive hatches running the entirety of our Smith season from May to early July keeps the fish looking up and feeding. After a full day of fishing and enjoying the canyon scenery, guests can expect to arrive to at boat camp for an evening full of storytelling with friends and family, a few drinks around the campfire, and a delicious meal provided by our expert staff.
The Clark Fork River
Running westbound directly through the heart of Missoula, the Clark Fork offers fantastic fishing opportunity for both expert and novice angler alike. The Clark Fork’s size and characteristics change dramatically over the 200-mile section that we fish. Often referred to as the “Upper” and “Lower” Clark, Missoula acts as a middle point dividing the two zones, creating easy access to anywhere you and your guide may want to go for the day. West of town, the Lower Clark is the culmination of water from all the other rivers we fish. Long banks and deep foam eddies often produce sizable Rainbow and Cutthroat trout throughout the year. Known to be some of the hardest fighting fish in the area, there is almost always a good hatch of some kind happening on the Lower! East of town, the Upper Clark Fork has a much smaller and more intimate feel to it. The Upper Clark snakes its way through a cottonwood river bottom, which creates amazing trout habitat in the form of quicker riffled water, cut banks, and sunken logs along the river’s edge. There are certainly a higher number of brown trout on the Upper River, offering a very balanced number of Brown, Cutthroat, and Rainbow trout opportunities for anglers to catch.
The Bitterroot River
The Bitterroot is known for big fish on dry flies! Just South of town, the ‘Root’ is almost always the first river we begin to fish each spring. The Bitterroot valley is more temperate than the other valleys in the area. Best known for the Skwala stonefly hatch that begins in early March, there is a reason why the spring fishing has gained so much notoriety in recent years. The Bitterroot runs through a miles-wide floodplain. Thick forests of Cottonwood trees cover a loose substrate of polished granite river rocks formed by eons of shifting river paths. Each Spring the force of the river, swollen by the rain and melting mountain snow, moves gravel and redirects river currents. As runoff recedes in early summer every year, we have the unique opportunity of learning new braids of the river and finding all the new trout habitat that is created in the process. The mellow gradient of the Bitterroot creates a target rich environment for anglers to cast at and presents a variety of different challenges for even the most skilled of anglers.
The Blackfoot River
Made famous from Normal Maclean’s ‘A River Runs Through It’, the Blackfoot River is as beautiful and scenic a river as we have in the area. Flowing out of the Bob Marshall Wilderness, cold, fast moving and oxygenated water provides perfect stonefly habitat. Highlighted by the June “salmonfly” hatch- bugs the size of hummingbirds fly around by the thousands. It is a sight directly out of a National Geographic film. Hitting this fabled hatch on the right day can produce the most exciting and explosive big-dry fly eats of the year. The Blackfoot holds cold water throughout our season and is home to a number of different hatches all producing fantastic fishing opportunities. There is always a fun and engaging day to be had on this famous river!
The Missouri River
Home to the largest tailwater fishery in the state, the Missouri river below Holter Dam boasts some of the highest fish counts and likely the largest average fish size in the state. Focusing mainly on the first 25 or so miles below Holter Dam down to the town of Cascade, the “Mo” offers a variety of different fishing styles and opportunities to meet your skillset and preference. From headhunting rising brown trout in the shallow grass beds, to deep water nymphing big inside bends in for sizable rainbows, there is many different techniques to be utilized on this amazing river. Being a tailwater river, the Missouri is truly a year-round fishery that can provide aquatic insect hatches of epic proportions. Weather permitting; we usually start on the Mo in early April with the emergence of Baetis and midges. Overlapping PMD and Caddis hatches dominate June and July. Hoppers and other terrestrials throughout the summer and smothering tiny Trico hatches carry into the early fall. We often finish out our guide season on the Missouri well into November with the blue winged olives and Pseudocloeon mayfly hatches. Many guests return here year in and year out to experience the different hatches the Mo has to offer. No matter your skill level and experience, there will always be an exciting day to be had on the Mo!
Rock Creek
Only floatable for the month of June, Rock Creek offers some of the fastest paced fishing in the state. Flowing into the Clark Fork about thirty miles east of Missoula, this wonderful fishery runs through a narrow drainage with riverside access along the majority of the waterway due to Rock Creek Road running the length of the creek. This road provides ample access for rafting and wade fishing anglers alike. Moving at a fairly steep gradient, anglers will find no shortage of action and opportunity throughout the day. Often noted as to as having some of the most prolific stonefly hatches in the area, being there on “the day” can lead to some of the most consistent dry fly fishing found in the west.