Guide Recommendations

keith bigelow · Webmaster

Guide Recommendations

ONEWEIGHT · Senior Member

I've fished Western Montana the last 5 years during the summer.� We've hit the Clark Fork, Bitterroot and Rock Creek.� I've come across a guide I highly recomend from John Perry Outfitters named Chris Dombrowski.� A great guide and teacher who is a ball of energy.

ConcordBob · Veteran Member

I fished Southwest Montana last summer and worked with a guide named Brian McGeehan of McGeehan's Guide Service. Their web-site is Bigskyangler.com.

Brian is out of Bozeman Mt. I would highly recommend him.

We fished the Madison and Yellowstone Rivers with Brian. We did a float trip and a wade trip on the Madison and we also did a float trip on the Yellowstone.

Brian also works the Gallatin, Ruby, Beaverhead and a few others.

I also stayed at the Madison Valley Ranch in Ennis MT for a few nights. This is a great facility run by great folks. Food was excellent. Also you could walk to the Madison Channels section after dinner to fish. This was a great way to end the day.

shon42073 · Senior Member

Thats one heck of a trip kbigelow I am jealouse. Next year I may drive from cali. to yellowstone and fish lots of places along the way. Its something I've always wanted to do.� When you guys have fished places like montana is the wind normaly an issue ? I think of big wind swept rivers.

keith bigelow · Webmaster

No, I've never run into wind problems during the summer.� I usually fish July, August or early September.� September can be a little iffy if an early snow�storm arrives.

I've spent a lot of time fishing the Snake River and it's tributaries�around Jackson Hole as well as the Madison, Gallatin, and Yellowstone Rivers.� They are all within about 100 miles of each other and makes a great 2 week trip.� You can fly into Jackson Hole or Bozeman or West Yellowstone.� There are lot's�more small rivers in and around Yellowstone with easy Hwy access, as well as some great wildlife viewing.

I blogged my trip last year, day by day.� If you're interested you can view it at http://www.webdesignbykeith.com/roadtrip2007/

I hope to take a couple months this summer and use Bozeman, MT�as a base camp.� I learned to throw streamers last summer and had a blast catching big browns!!

ONEWEIGHT · Senior Member

Captain,

When we fished Upper Rock Creek, about 6000' elevation, we got a pretty windy day, but it wasn't any huge deal . . . nothing we wouldn't deal with up at Tahoe.� The big thing with Montana is the amazing per mile fish count on many of the rivers.� Rock Creek is phenomenal for fast action, with good size fish, and not�at all overun with fishermen.� Actually you can go all day and see a couple of floaters and no other waders on the river.� Some of the rivers are slower, but still great fishing.�� When you make a good drift, it's not a matter of whether or not you get a take . . . it's when you're going to get that strike and how large will the fish be!

keith bigelow · Webmaster

just wondering where upper Rock Creek is located?

thanks

shon42073 · Senior Member

Sounds and looks like an amazing trip guys !

Nohackle · Senior Member

My brother and I used to go to Idaho and Montana every year for a 2 week trip.� We did it for 26 or 27 years, always in late Sept and early Oct.� We focused mostly on spring creeks.� Our first destination was Silver Creek near Picabo, Idaho.� We'd fish it for a couple of days.� The next destination was the Henry's Fork near Last Chance, Id.� The Henry's Fork is only a short drive from West Yellowstone, Mt.� If we had time, we would fish the Yellowstone, the Gallatin, the Madison or Firehole.� Our next destination would be the spring creeks near Livingston, Mt., Armstrong, Nelson, and Depuys spring creeks.� These are fee fisheries, but the most dependable dry fly fishing I have ever experienced.� We'd make reservations for these�streams one to two years in advance!� After fishing these streams,�we�would head on home, fishing the same streams we hit on the�way up.� Although I haven't made the trip in 8 or 9 years, I have tons of info on fishing these spring creeks if you want it.�

ONEWEIGHT · Senior Member

Upper Rock Creek is the headwaters for Rock Creek.� It is located right outside of Philipsburgh.� Access is limited, lots of private grazing land.� Realistically, it can only be floated.� We're making another 7 day run in the area the last week of June.� We're staying on Rock Creek, and depending on conditions with runoff will also hit the Bitterroot, Blackfoot, Clarkfork and maybe the�Madison.
Rock Creek is all brownies, Cuthroats and Cutbow crossbreads.� Whirling disease whiped out the rainbows, but the browns and cuts are resistant to the diease.