Montana Fly Fishing Guides
Missoula Fly Fishing Guide

Best Fly Fishing Guides In Missoula Montana

by MAngler

If you’ve gotten to this far in your research, you may have decided to come to Missoula for your fly fishing vacation. With that decision, your next question is where do I find the best fly fishing guides in Missoula Montana? That’s a seriously loaded question, and it may in fact be the wrong question. Here’s why.

The Missoulian Angler fly Shop been outfitting guided fly fishing trips in Missoula for over 30 years. Our shop staff has a combined 110 years of fly shop and industry experience. The owner and outfitter of The Missoulian Angler Fly Shop is a fifth generation Missoulian, with a family history of over 100 years fly fishing in the Missoula Valley. We have literally seen it all. Not only do we hand pick the very best fly fishing guides Missoula has to offer, but we also make it a point to handpick the right guide for our guests. It’s our goal to make you want to come back to Missoula year after year, and that starts with the best guide….. for you.

When you book with us, we ask you a series of questions, ranging from how much do you fish to dietary restrictions.  These questions may not mean much to you, but they are critical to us. It allows us to match you with the best possible fly fishing guide for your needs. We have guides who’ve fished the Missoula rivers their entire life, and guided for 20+ years. We have guides who are just starting out in their careers. Believe us, it’s not always as simple as “I want the best fishing guide”.

As an example, we have many guests just starting their fly-fishing journey, and while they want to catch fish, they also want what we refer to as FlyFishing 101. These guests may not be the best match for that intense guide who is consistently catching the biggest and most trout in Missoula, but has been there and done that with beginners. It takes a lot of patience and teaching ability to put a beginner on trout. The Missoulian Angler has many guides who love teaching beginners, love seeing the look on their face as they catch their first Montana trout.

That intense guide, however, may be just perfect for the seasoned fly fisher. Experienced anglers know what they’re doing. They know how to fish, and how they want to fish, be it streamers, nymphs or dries. They’ve gotten a guide to put them on the best fish at the opportune moment. The fishing experience they’re looking for is completely different from the novice angler, so their guide is chosen completely differently.

We excel at booking multi-boat trips for people with widely divergent skill levels and interest. When a family makes a booking, we know there’s usually one or two serious fishermen and then those who will fish but aren’t going to put 8 hours in, which are usually the kids. We put the less intense fishers with our most fun, most talkative guides! We have guides who school teach in the winter, then guide in the summer. They know kids. They bring squirt guns, extra cookies and all kinds of things that will be of interest to those who might be floating, but not fishing full time. Want to jump off the raft into deep water? Go for it! At the end of the day, the less interested fisherman has had an amazing experience. They want to go “fishing” again. 

At this point, we hope you’ve realized asking for the best fly fishing guides in Missoula Montana may not be the best question.  Instead, what fly fishing guide will fit your specific needs, and make the most of your Montana fly fishing trip. Many of the shop’s staff have guided the Missoula area for years, so we know what goes into making your float or wade fishing trip memorable. That’s what we love to do, and we take tremendous pride in doing it. Our goal is to give you the experience of a lifetime fishing our beloved Missoula Rivers like the Bitterroot River, Blackfoot River, Clark Fork River, Rock Creek and Missouri River.

When you call to book your guided fly fishing trip, let us know exactly what you want out of your day on the river, and give us as many details as possible. The more you chat, the more we understand what you’re looking for. While you chat, we’re taking notes! After all, the day is yours and we’re here to help you, and your guide, get the most out of your day on the water. If you want to maximize your fish count, you need to tell us. If you want to learn new techniques like streamer fishing or nymphing then we’ll match you with the appropriate teaching guide. If you want one big fish, again we need to know. And if you just want to go float some of Montana’s best rivers and enjoy the scenery with a little bit of fishing in the mix then we will make that happen for you.

Missoula Montana is blessed with some amazing fishing guides. We hire from a pool of over 50 Missoula guides, so there is a match for everyone, whether you’re wading or floating. We’re here to make sure the guide you get is the best guide in Missoula……. for you.

Montana Fly Fishing Guide Chase Harrison
Missoula Fly Fishing Guide

Maximize Your Missoula Montana Guided Fly Fishing Trip

by MAngler

You want to get the most out of your fly fishing trip to Missoula, MT. We definitely want you to get the most out of your trip!!! And that boils down to one simple word- communication. For those who have booked with Missoulian Angler Fly Shop, you know we have a series of questions we ask at booking. This helps us ascertain what your needs are on the river. During this process, we’re also trying to figure out what you want from your day. But as the customer, you should never be bashful about saying what your expectations are for your fly fishing trip. If you say you want to catch a 24 inch trout, we’re not giving any guarantees, but we’re going to do everything we can to make it happen. The same goes for dry flies, or nymphing, or whether you want beautiful Montana scenery. We’re here to maximize your day.

Missoula is blessed with over 350 miles of fishable waters, including the Blackfoot river, upper and lower Clark Fork river and Bitterroot river, all within about a 75 minute drive. And the guides are on the river every day- their ears are to the ground, they know where the fishing will be good. But most Missoula fly fishing guides haven’t chosen where they’re going to fish before they meet with you. It’s a game time decision. Which means guides want your input, and they can then make the best decision. But if they receive no input when first meeting, they’re going to make a shuttle call and head off to the river. They’ve made their choice, and it’s the best choice they feel they can make. But it doesn’t help your  to find out you want to fish nothing but dries when they’ve already chosen a prime nymphing float. So when you meet your fishing guide, let them know what you’re thinking, let them know what you want from YOUR day.

This bears remembering. The choices you make may affect the quantity of fish you catch. If you want to throw streamers all day, or float the dry, your fish count may be lesser than if you ran a nymph or hopper/dropper. So if catching a lot of trout is your goal, be guided by your Missoula fishing guides! It’s  what they do for a living, put people on fish. Your fish count will go up dramatically if you do as the guide recommends. But that’s not in stone. It’s YOUR day. Fish any way you want. The guide is there to make your day the best it can be, no matter what’s going on. But none of this happens without communication. Make your day, make the guides day, and let them know what you’re thinking. It’s a win/win situation.

Want to fish with one of our guides? Click learn more below for info.

Montana Guided Fly Fishing Trip
Fly Fishing Hot Topics

Teaching Your Spouse How To Fly Fish

by MAngler

At the Missoulian Angler Fly Shop, we see this all the time. A customer walks into the fly shop and says, “My spouse wants to learn how to fly fish. Now what?” After teasing them about buying expensive tackle, a raft and a new truck to haul it, we get down to the things we’ve found important when couples start to fish together.

The biggest difficulty in getting a spouse to fly fish is teaching them how to cast.  We’re going out on a limb, and will make this statement. Most fisherman can make THEIR cast work, but few have studied fly casting, and fewer still know how to teach someone else to cast. The fly shop has seen this teaching technique way too often, which consists of someone saying, “No, that’s wrong. See, watch what I do. No, that’s wrong.” Not the best way to learn how to cast a fly rod. George says he always knew when his Mom and Dad played tennis together. They didn’t speak for two days after!

Ron may have had the best solution. Back when he was teaching his wife how to fly fish, so were many of his friends. So he and Bob Powell, Duncan Oswalt and others would switch up the fishing partners. Ron’s wife went with Bob, and down the line, so Ron was never teaching his wife. He was teaching someone else’s wife, and he said it was less fraught with tension. Might be any easy out! Though Ron was a fly fishing guide in Missoula and Alaska for 20 years, so he’s a pretty good casting instructor.

Unless you’re a well-studied caster, The Missoulian Angler Fly Shop recommends getting your spouse a fly fishing lesson. The Missoulian Angler offers one on one casting instruction, and our instructors have a combined 65 years of casting teaching experience. There are other avenues to find instruction as well.  The important thing may be to find an outside instructor to get the ball rolling with casting lessons. This will save a lot of relationship angst in the long run! But if you choose to teach your spouse, just remember this. You weren’t born with a fly rod in your hand, so don’t expect instantaneous perfection from your spouse. Remember to nurture, not criticize. Stay positive, and don’t practice too long. This is the hardest part of teaching fly fishing to a beginner. Letting the student flail is part of their learning- knowing when they need to be left alone is the most difficult lesson the teacher needs to learn!

Another thing to bear in mind is why your spouse is learning to fly fish. In all probability, their initial reason to learn to fly fish is to spend time with their partner. This means the fishing spouse needs to change their expectations on the water. Your time is no longer your own. No more walking a mile upstream to even start fishing. If you want your spouse to fish with you, you need to stay close until they become comfortable. At the beginning of this process, you’re less fisherman and more ghillie. Tough in the short run, but good in the long run.

Also keep in mind a new fisherman may not be ready to be on the river from 6:00 am to 9:00 pm, in the rain on a 52 degree day. They’re just learning to fly fish, and probably won’t have the stamina or interest to fish all day. Here’s a couple of solutions. You can curtail your fishing times to fit your spouse’s needs. But this is our favorite. Bring along their favorite beverage. Cheese and crackers. Ask them to bring a book or magazine. Spend a little more time in making up a real lunch, not the two Snickers bars you eat during the day.

This is subtle manipulation here, so pay attention!

You are trying to make this FUN for your spouse. They’re already going to be struggling with the fishing- make sure they DON’T struggle with anything else. So good food, good beverage, diversions when the fishing is slow or frustrating, and a willingness to be flexible on your end are critical. If your spouse isn’t having any fun because you’re on a fly fishing trip, and not a picnic with them, they’re not likely to go fishing as willingly the next time. It’s even more basic- if they’re not having fun, you’re not having fun. Continue to ignore their needs, and soon they’re not fishing. So make a fuss. Celebrate the fact that your spouse is fishing with you. Make the extra effort, make it fun, and they will come fishing again, even if it’s just for the food! And no, this isn’t going to last forever. As they learn to fish better, they will fish more, and soon you’ll have a fishing partner, but it’s not going to happen overnight.

Missoula Fly Fishing

It takes patience on both ends to make this work. As the fisherman, it’s your job to make the experience as positive as it can be for a new fisherman. For the newbie, remember that your spouse wants to fish as well as be with you. Sometimes you just have to give the space to let them go around the corner.

If we had to make a list of responsibilities for each partner, it would look like this. The fishing spouse should do everything to make the initial trips fun and special. Show massive amounts of patience. Remember you didn’t learn to fish in a day- your spouse won’t either. Be helpful but not obtrusive- know when to be there and when to be gone. To the spouse who’s learning, it starts with recognizing fly fishing isn’t always perfect. It means practicing things like knots and casting so when you get to the river, you can be a little self-sufficient. And having massive amounts of patience when you’re ready to be done and they’re just getting started.

You work on your relationship off the water. It’s going to take a little work to make the relationship on the water work as well. But it’s totally worth it! Fly fishing can provide another strong bonding experience. It’s fun, frustrating and interesting all the time! It can help form a stronger, closer bond in the long run. Beginnings are always so tricky. Work together, have some patience and you’ll soon find that fishing together is one more activity that you can enjoy together.

Often our guests will book a day fly fishing trip with one of our guides to help their significant other learning the basics of fly fishing. The guide will often put the less experienced angler in the front of the boat so they can focus on casting, drifting and mending. Give us a call or email and we would happy to set up a fly fishing trip for you and your spouse.

Casting A Fly Rod With Dr. Beck
Missoula Fly Fishing Guide

Thoughts on Casting . . . . . and Travel

by MAngler

Miles Davis, the great jazz trumpeter, said, “If I don’t practice for two days, I start to notice. If I don’t practice for four days, my fans start to notice.”

This isn’t about contrasting casting styles, or the merits of a fast or slow rod. This is about being ready when you get off the plane or out of the car. Our guides have quoted numerous clients, when getting into the boat for the first day of five days of fly fishing trip to Missoula, “I haven’t picked up a fly rod for 6 months.” And the thought, “REALLY?!?!?!?” immediately floats through the guide’s head. You’re about to spend $2750 and you haven’t even picked up a rod?

I knew a man who was comped a 7 day trip to the South Island of New Zealand. Four 5-Star lodges and the finest fishing the South Island could provide. On day two, after having blown his third shot at his third fish, the guide turned to him and asked’ “Did you not even practice before coming here?” He wasn’t implying he was a bad fisherman, because he wasn’t. He was saying that a bit of planning might have made the trip a bit more successful and a bit less frustrating.  Our guides don’t do that, but they definitely know you’re not getting anywhere near what you could be from your time on the rivers around Missoula, MT.

When pre-trip information is given to someone going on a Billfish trip, it lists tackle and fly needs, clothing and other necessities. It also directs the angler to purchase a 10 pound dumbbell, and starting two MONTHS before the trip, begin to do one minute of forearm curls, with each hand, three times a day. Move to two minutes, and try to increase even more. Why? Because when a billfish sounds and then starts to spiral, you will need to derrick that fish to the surface. If you’re not prepared, if you haven’t trained for that, your Billfish experience is going to be long and painful.

We’re not asking you to spend hours a day casting, or hire a casting instructor till you can hit a trash can lid at 85’. But if you haven’t picked up your rod for a while, string it up. Put in 15 minutes day for a week before you head out. Don’t change your style, just refresh your familiarity with the tools of the trade. You’re going to be stunned at how much better your guided trip goes with a bit of pre-practice. You’ve made a pretty serious investment of time and money. If your fishing time is limited before the trip, an investment of a little casting time will maximize your time on the water.