Montana Angler Fly Fishing Blog

Patagonia is one of those places that you’ve got to experience at least once in your lifetime. If you love fly fishing, there’s no place like it. Spanning Chile and Argentina, the region holds a vast diversity of fishing opportunities. Trophy trout are a reality here, as are dramatic landscapes...

The family that fly fishes together has a lot more fun together. When planning the next great family vacation, making the trip to Montana to fly fish as a family could check a lot of the "vacation super-hero" boxes. It is well-known that Montana is home to some of the best fly fishing rivers, spring...

The Smith River in Montana is one of the state’s prized fly fishing rivers. The main season for floating and fishing the Smith River kicks off in April and runs into July. In some years late September and early October can also provide floating and fishing opportunities. The Smith River is managed...

Magic Waters Lodge Trip Report 2024 “Hold on, here comes a big one!” shouted Jaime over the thundering whitewater as he maneuvered the 14’ raft through a slot in the rocks and over a class IV drop. With a 5-weight rod in my right hand and grasping the frame with my left, I peripherally noticed a...

Fishing the Smith River in central Montana is one of the most anticipated Montana fishing trips of the year. The river’s 60-mile journey from Camp Baker to Eden Bridge features carefully managed floating and camping regulations. Only a few outfitters are specially permitted on this river and private...

The traveling angler is frequently faced with the first world problem of deciding between making a return trip to a favorite destination vs.checking off new locations from the bucket list. With so many amazing locations to visit across the globe and not enough time to see everything, returning to...

Our recent January hosted fly fishing trip to Argentina and the Carrileufu River Lodge marks my fifth to Patagonia and my third to Argentina. I feel very fortunate to be able to share these trips with our guests and I have really grown fond of Patagonia. The culture that I grew up with in New Mexico...

We have all heard it, “you should have been here yesterday.” Such a statement begs the question, “Why yesterday?” The reason yesterday was better most often relates to the environmental conditions of yesterday. A myriad of conditions heavily influence the behavior of trout. Where trout are found...

Cut to the scene: snowcapped mountains backdrop green valley bottoms while clouds build on the horizon. It is spring season here in Montana. Each day brings the potential for sunshine, snow, rain, and more sunshine. For those that know the Montana fly fishing, spring season is a long time favorite...

There’s something to be said about spending time at the vise preparing a number of flies for your next fishing trip. While relaxing, tying a few bugs, and daydreaming about future fishing days is a nice way to spend a couple hours, there are also times when you need to go into full-on production...