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Guided trout fishing tours??

A

AzRick

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Phoenix
Looking for some info about guided trout fishing tours up north. I'm thinkin Montana or Wyoming or ??. I'm lookin for trout streams, not lake fishin.

Anyone know someone who does this or have you been and can recommend someone????

My boss has offered to take me up there for a few days in late August or early September.

Thanks

Rick
 
Montana sure does have good water to pick from...one of the reasons I'm looking to relocate there. Take your pic: The Madison, Yellowstone, Missouri, Jefferson, Gallatin, Big Horn, Big Hole. You could hit them all in a week. I'd steer you towards Madison River Outfitters (near Yellowstone). I have never hired out one of their guides but a buddy guided those waters and said they were a good outfit.
Right now...I can't make it more than 25 minutes away from my door to fish anywhere else. I'm dying to fish the Taylor but it's pretty hard to drive any further when things are this good. The fishing is fantastic right now. When are you looking to take a trip?
 
riverfever said:
Montana sure does have good water to pick from...one of the reasons I'm looking to relocate there. Take your pic: The Madison, Yellowstone, Missouri, Jefferson, Gallatin, Big Horn, Big Hole. You could hit them all in a week. I'd steer you towards Madison River Outfitters (near Yellowstone). I have never hired out one of their guides but a buddy guided those waters and said they were a good outfit.
Right now...I can't make it more than 25 minutes away from my door to fish anywhere else. I'm dying to fish the Taylor but it's pretty hard to drive any further when things are this good. The fishing is fantastic right now. When are you looking to take a trip?
Click to expand...

Late Aug/Early Sept. Should still be good I think.

Most all my trout fishing was in the Sierras of Cali and a little in northern AZ, almost of which was with a lightweight rod and a kastmaster or panther martin. I've never flyfished, but have always wanted to. It seems that big trout fishing is all about flyfishing.

What do you think of float fishing vs. wading? I've never float fished.
 
If you are going to take a trip, just head to Alaska and do it right. Gas up there is actually cheaper than in SLC right now and guide fees are not bad by any stretch.
 
AzRick said:
Late Aug/Early Sept. Should still be good I think.

Most all my trout fishing was in the Sierras of Cali and a little in northern AZ, almost of which was with a lightweight rod and a kastmaster or panther martin. I've never flyfished, but have always wanted to. It seems that big trout fishing is all about flyfishing.

What do you think of float fishing vs. wading? I've never float fished.
Click to expand...

Late into summer like you're thinking will be a good time for hopper patterns in a lot of places.

Once in a blue moon I use an ultra-light but I don't enjoy it after a few fish. Kinda feels borderline inappropriate to me. I would agree that in a lot of places you'll get into bigger fish on a fly. Big trout are big for a reason. They aren't dumb. A mature fish knows that Panther Martin is fake. There's a lot of fish that are shy when they see split shot, or tippet material that's not thin enough or not flurocarbon and they'll shut down. I know some would argue that point and that's fine...more fish for me.

A lot of the stuff around here is too rough to float. Probably the biggest advantage I see in floating for a beginner is that you can get an incredibly long drift from your fly that way. Think about it...the fly is in the water and moving at the same rate as the boat (or close to it) and that means a longer window of time for a fish to inspect the pattern. A good guide will have you on a good pattern (we hope) so that should be a good thing. Some guides will tell you that when your line/fly is in the air...it's yours but as soon as it hits the water...it belongs to them. A good rower can control that bugs movement with the oars. That's also a good thing for a beginner.

I prefer to wade though. Part of the excitement for me is stalking fish that are feeding, picking out the one I want and then working it. A few days ago I worked a 20" hen for over an hour. She was feeding the whole time so it was just a matter of making adjustments until we hooked up. Some guys get bored...I could work one nice fish like that all day long. Wading is also fun too b/c hopefully your guide will be able to teach you more as you're walking. He/she will point things out to you and you'd be amazed at how much you'll learn about the fish, bugs, and the life cycle of the river.

If you come here or wanna fish on your way...hit me up. I'm always eager to go out. I'd like to start guiding professionally but I worry it might affect my love for the sport. If you do hire a pro...be upfront with them and let them know your abilities so they can go through their files and find the scenario that will work best. Think about if you want to catch a lot of small fish or do you wanna go after an oh sh!t fish? Where are you with gear?

SCW...I gotta disagree man. If I was "doin' it right" I'd be on a plane to Kamchatka or Chile/Argentina. Don't get me wrong...I wouldn't pass on a trip to AK but I have erotic dreams of some of the fishing in those places. :shhh:
 
AzRick said:
Looking for some info about guided trout fishing tours up north. I'm thinkin Montana or Wyoming or ??.
Rick
Click to expand...


x2 what riverfever said.

Montana is certainly a premier fly-fishing destination. As for ?? the closest for us in the southwest for premier fly-fishing are lees ferry, a tail water in marble canyon below glen canyon dam in arizona and the san juan river, a tail water below navajo dam in new mexico. I highly recommend the san juan.

Lees ferry is all about big jet boats taking you 15 miles up the colorado river fishing for rainbows on sand bars and deep runs with heavy nymphing rigs as well as stalking cruising trout in eddies using drys. There is a half-mile long walk-in for wading but I wouldn’t waste time there. You can get guide service for either and terry gunn has the premier shop and guide service
http://www.leesferry.com

The san juan river has a 4-mile long quality water section below the dam and the first half-mile is managed for trophy catch and release rainbows. Drift boats will take you down the 4 miles of river or simply drift and row-back texas hole for football rainbows. The main channel has big browns as well as rainbows and nymphing rigs using teeny size 20-24 midges is the ticket. You can join the 20/20 club there catching 20” rainbows on size 20 midges all day long. Sight casting for cruisers in the shallows and the flats is awesome. You can get full day or half day drift or walkin guide service or get Both. There are a few shops there but abes motel and fly shop is the best and they have the born ’n’ raised on the san juan guide service.
http://www.sanjuanriver.com

I’m getting excited just writing about it. I’ll be on the juan in three weeks for four days before I head on to the upper rio in colo for three weeks. From there a little 4-wheeling over stony pass to silverton is on the agenda, too.
tipshades.gif
 
A little off topic but I wanted to ask and this is a perfect thread for it. I was watching a show on VS. and they said trophy trout come out at night to feed, true or false?
 
MG2000XJ said:
A little off topic but I wanted to ask and this is a perfect thread for it. I was watching a show on VS. and they said trophy trout come out at night to feed, true or false?
Click to expand...
100% true.

at night the fish don't feel as threatned to come out of their hiding spots. too bad it is annoying as hell to fish at night. I'm usually good for chucking a few streamer patterns until I inevitably hook a tree behind me and I say screw it....beer time.
 
Idiot Wind said:
100% true.

at night the fish don't feel as threatned to come out of their hiding spots. too bad it is annoying as hell to fish at night. I'm usually good for chucking a few streamer patterns until I inevitably hook a tree behind me and I say screw it....beer time.
Click to expand...

The Dream Stream has no trees Scott and you gotta use a headlamp. :D Nothin' beats getting there at 5 p.m. for the fall spwan after all the shmucks have slapped the water all day long. The big trout pull like a Mack truck when they hit a streamer quartered downstream. Under those low light conditions, they might actually even tear a Panther Martin a new a$$.

MG...you weren't watching that show they were filming down on the White River where the guy in his 90's I believe was with a guide going for big ones were ya? I hope I'm going that strong at his age. They pulled several all nighters and worked that stream until sun up. Even more amazing was the fact that he was (pretty sure) high stick nymphing. Shoulda had a glow in the dark balloon. :D
 
Yea, it was that one with the real old guy with the guide. They went to that river where the world record trout was caught or something. I dont really know much about fly fishing and I have been a couple times, but I would like to get more into it! Sorry for the hijack!
 
Yep the big browns especially come out at night. They are very nocturnal and will come out and feed on all the other trout. You can bet if the browns are cruising then all the other trout are holding. Nightime is a good time to stalk the salmo trutta.
tipshades.gif


Here’s a very badly written story I wrote ten years ago about fly fishing at night for brookies. You have to read between the lines but it’s about fishing at night to avoid the daily crowds on a pristine wht mtn arizona stream.
http://www.dakotacom.net/~jeepster/about.html


Here’s an even worse story I wrote 15 years ago about my first trip to the san juan.
http://www.dakotacom.net/~jeepster/footprints.html
 
If you go to Wyoming go to 7 mile gap. its a bit of a drive to the camp then you need to hike up stream and you will come to a big rock in the middle of the river and cast out its about 15-20 ft in the middle really deep hole and big fish.
 
Pics.....or you're lying out your a$$. :D
 
A delicious bass. :loveu:


Nice looking fish man.
 
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