Montana Advice

[flythrower]

Hello all,

My 2 brothers and I are planning a trip to Montana next year and I'm a bit overwhelmed with all of the aspects of the trip. I have searched this topic and read some on here, however I thought it would be helpful to get some fresh information etc.

Southwest montana is where we're headed, flying into Bozeman. Any thoughts / suggestions on bodies of water, guides, lodging, rental car etc would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

JEFF

 

[nimrod]

It's hard to go wrong out there. Depending on how long you're there you can fish out of Bozeman, West Yellowstone, Gardiner, Cody, WY or other places. I've stayed mostly at locally owned motels rather than chains and more often than not for under $100 a night. If you're camping there are lots of options.

I rent a car from the Bozeman airport. I've searched for cheaper options but haven't found any. I have found that it pays to keep looking at rates even after you reserve a car as rates sometimes come down.

Guides/shops I've been happy with include North Fork Anglers out of Cody, Parks out of Gardiner, Slide Inn (Galloup) on the Madison, Blue Ribbon Flies in West Yellowstone and 4 Rivers out of Twin Bridges. While it's ALL good I've had the most action out of Cody and Twin Bridges. I tried the latter for the first time this past summer.

If you're out there in August you might rent a boat on Hebgen Lake for "gulpers", large (mostly) rainbows that feed on the callabaetis hatches. I've been hit and miss with that but when you hit it right it's lots of fun.

If you want some specifics on motels and waters feel free to PM me.

 

[englishprof]

Great information here.....if you haven't found it already.

http://www.bigskyfishing.com/River-Fishing/River-Fishing.htm

 

[boychick]

Great area to fish. If you have time explore some of the water in Idaho too.

 

[Mike]

I have bicycle toured and camped through a substantial portion of SW Montana. Depending upon how far SW you want to go in Montana, the Beaverhead River is well known as it the Big Hole River. I have a particular liking for the Big Hole Valley as the scenery is something to behold. There is also a beautiful limestoner-like spring creek north of Dillon and just off the main road that made me want to stop pedaling and pull out rod. My biologist colleagues tell me that I made a mistake....I should have fished. Camping is great in Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming, and if you are looking to save a lot of money as well as get the entire outdoor experience, I'd recommend it. It is so enjoyable in the west, in fact, that my wife and I prefer it over cabins and motels. We have camped primarily in National Forest campgrounds, but I have seen campsites established at fishing access points along some of the major, well-known fishing rivers, but I have no experience with those.

 

[Rolf]

Just a note. When you’re looking at rental car options, try to get one with unlimited mileage. You can eat a up a lot of miles in hurry out there. Good luck!

 

[Wetfly01]

flythrower,

Check your PM.

 

[Tups]

You might try the St. Joe River in the Idaho panhandle. It is a Wild and Scenic river surrounded by National Forest. Access is easy and the streamside camping is free. You want to fish above the town of Avery. I fished it first wk in September and did very well. Regs are C&R for wild cuthroats. I didn't catch anything but cuts. River also has Bull Trout, which I believe are more active in the fall.

 

[Tups]

St. Joe River Idaho panhandle

 

[Chaz]

Stayaway from West Yellowstone, if you want to avoid tourists. Otherwise there are plenty of places to go. Dillon is good, the streams around there are quite good. Beavhead is the headwaters of the Missouri R. and that is very good fishing as well as tributaries of it. A trip for a couple of days to Missoula is also posible depending on the time you have.

 

[brookieaddict]

flythrower,ya its Montana, but you still catch fish the same way here as there. Don't let it throw you off of your stroke.

 

[flythrower]

Thanks guys, for all of the information.

Wetfly01 - check your PM

brookieaddict - very true.....it is Montana and a big trip but important to remember the basics and not get off of your game. The fish aren't any smarter out there.

 

[nimrod]

"The fish aren't any smarter out there. "

They're also, in general, larger and more plentiful. You'll have a blast.

 

[marcq]

i think anyone agrees that wherever you go you will have a blast. Montana changed me. i can attribute most of my trout success to this trip. im sure all the guides oout there know how to get you on fish but if you want a suggestion we went out with wild trout outfitters and our guide was Bryce Connery. guy was top notch. put us on fish and taught me a ton. we fished the gallitan river it not the best stream out there but it worked for me. also fished in Wyoming for cuts which was cool to.

http://wildtroutoutfitters.com/our-guides/

http://www.paflyfish.com/forums/open-forums/paflyfish-general-forum/montana/2,9312,103348.html#forumpost103348

 

[riz]

i second 4 rivers in twin bridges. I was there 1 year ago and had a fantastic time. numbers and size are out of this world. great bunch of guides and their package deal is great. BTW there is no night life in twin bridges

 

[jdaddy]

I've been out a few times staying around 10 days on average each time.

Flights: You are in the middle of nowhere. Check flights from Harrisburg and Pitt. You are probably not going to find a lot of variance in price so don't try to save money there. Time is money, so look for quickest flight with the least lay over times. Pro Tip: some of the layover terminals have amazing beer opportunities.

Rental Car: As noted above you need unlimited mileage but that is pretty much standard now a days. Couple months ago I got a mid sized SUV for 10 day for around $320 including airport fee, taxes, etc. I use Yahoo for car searches. Unlike hotel rooms and airfare you can book rental cars with no deposit and grab lower fares when they become available.

Lodging: Obviously dependent upon where you want to fish. Which leads to the question, how much $ do you want to spend? We can avoid all the additional conversations if you want a lodge trip with guides. If you are doing the trip yourself then we can talk about lodging.

As to where to fish? Honestly I told Jay to leave me on the Bighorn and he could or could not come back for me as I did not care. That is simply an amazing river. It's a few hours from Bozo. Nice cheap cabins there and great guide services if you need them. Don on this forum is a guide out there and I am sure he could put a good Bozo trip together for you.

Having said all that, give us more of your expectations, ie how much you want to spend, how long you will be there, etc and you will get more detailed suggestions.

But seriously. Bighorn.