Choosing a guide or outfitter for your fly fishing trip in Montana can be daunting to say the least.  After all, there are literally thousands of professional fly fishing guides in the state each claiming to offer something different.  So how best to choose the right guide for you?  Below you’ll find a few helpful hints on the subject.

When choosing a fly fishing guide for your trip the first order of business you might want to consider is location.  Where exactly do you want to fish in the state?  Kootenai River in the northwest corner?  Missoula area?  Perhaps the Yellowstone country would suit your needs.  By starting with a general location, you can narrow down your choices considerably since each location will have professional guides that specialize in their home area.  

Keep in mind Montana is a big state and offers some of the greatest fly fishing opportunities on the planet.  Don’t try to bite off more than you can choose.  Each year I get a call from an enthusiastic angler hoping to fish every river in Montana in two weeks.  Indeed that would be fun.  But unfortunately you’ll spend most of your time driving and not on the water.  And you’re likely to go home from your “vacation” completely exhausted and not refreshed and relaxed which is the preferred end result for the trip in the first place.

Websites now provide all the necessary tools you need to find the right guide for you.  But I’d suggest you always call and have a conversation or two with whomever you might be considering hiring.  It’s important to get a sense of who someone is by hearing their voice instead of just knowing how well they type e-mail.  By having a conversation you can more effeciently decide what guide is best for you.

It’s also a good idea to be very straightforward about what you hope to accomplish from your guided day of fly fishing.  If you’re after lots of instruction, make sure you mention that.  Be honest about your abilities up front.  If you you’re looking for native trout, mention your desire for that particular goal.  Each guide will offer something different and may or may not have what you’re looking for.

By doing choosing your location ahead of time and by having a few conversations about what you hope to accomplish for the day, you’ll have an easier time picking the right guide for you.

Flows are down to a very fishable 14,200 but the river is still most effeciently fished from a boat.  Pmds and caddis are really turning on and fish are also paying attention to big attractors.  Visibilty continues to improve and will only get better and better in the immediate future. 

Look for fish in slower currents and keep in mind foam is home on the Clark Fork.  Eddis are also holding fish and don’t be afraid to hit some of the likley spots that may not have been holding fish last week but will be holding fish now as they settle into new locations as flows decrease.

Outflow from Libby Dam will decrease from 15,000 cfs to 13,000 cfs on Monday evening (June 29th), and will be held at 13,000 through Tuesday evening (June 30th), when outflow will decrease to 12,000 cfs.  Outflow of 12,000 cfs will be maintained through Thursday evening (July 2nd), at which time outflow will be decreased to 10,000 cfs.  All outflow decreases will occur between 9:00 p.m. and midnight.

Water temps are ooching up into the low 50’s and insect activity will start to increase.  Yesterday good hatches of pmds were seen on the lower river and fish were looking up and snatching bugs off the surface for the first time this season.  Good dry fly action for a couple hours.  Snows of caddis are right around the corner so stay tuned for more Kootenai reports and updates.

Kootenai tributaries are red hot and fishing well.  Nothing like a native red band rainbow trout to brighten the day!!!

With warmer temps and pmds starting to show up the Kootenai is starting to fire up for the season.  Discharge from Libby Dam is presently 15000cfs and will decrease approximately 1500 cfs each night to 10000 cfs by June 30.  On about July 1 discharge from Libby Dam will further decrease to approximately 7000 cfs and remain steady through September. 

Yesterday conditions were good with temps in the seventies and a light breeze.  Tim, Sean, Johhny and Steve all reported mixed results for the day.  Rising fish are still spotty depending on location.

Nymphing is still producing most of the action throughout the day as fish are not really able to feed entirely on the surfact.  That should change by the day with increased pmd activity and the start of good caddis hatches.  As the water levels decrease, fish should become much more active on dries.

All Kootenai area tributaries are in great shape and fishing very well throughout the day.  Look for great dry fly action in the evenings and stick with small attractor patterns, caddis, pmds and green drakes.  Pulling streamers through deeper holes will bring a bigger fish or two.

The Clark Fork is also starting to turn on!  With flows decreasing daily and clarity improving, caddis, pmds, and golden stones are all contributing to potentially great dry fly fishing in the coming days.  Indeed the river is still slightly swollen but it’s going to start firing very soon, if not immediately and so it’s game on down there too. 

Look for fish slightly off the banks not necessarily in tight while nypmhing.  Big prince nymphs will produce and look for rising fish in slower edges, foam back eddies and out of the main current.

Things are lighting up in northwest Montana so stay tuned for frequent updates and give a shout if you want more details.  Catch fish and have fun out there.

With warmer days and a bit of sunshine the game is officially on here in Kootenai country!  Bugs are starting to pop and fish are looking up.

Discharge from Libby Dam is currently 17,000cfs through June 28 at which point it will decrease to 15,000cfs.  Water temperature below the dam is still a chilly 49 degrees but will warm up quickly with predicted nice weather and more sunshine.  Flows are now very user friendly but river is still best fished from boats.  Insect activity is just now starting and hatches of pmds and caddis will increase daily.  Dry fly fishing is producing some fish but nymphing is still the best option.  Fish are still in slower runs and boulder gardens and not neccessarily in riffles.  Streamers, fish slowly and deep will bring a big fish or two.

The Clark Fork is still a bit swollen but good fishing is right around the corner.  Flows are hovering around 15,000cfs and hatches of pmds and caddis are sparse but will increase in the coming days with warmer tempertures.  Dry fly fishing is fair but fish that are rising are very catchable.  Nymphing and pulling streamers is still the best bet for consistent action and keep in mind fast action is very close.

All Kootenai country tributaries are presently fishing well.  Good hatches of pmds, caddis, and green drakes are coming off and fish are looking up.  All streams are wadeable but be careful since they’re still a bit high depending on access.  Area lakes are also in prime shape and float tubing opportunities are providing great action on top and sub-surface.

KOOTENAI RIVER MONTANA

Outflow from Libby Dam will increase from the current rate of 13,500 cfs to 25,000cfs on Wednesday evening, June 10th over a 2-hour period from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Outflow will further increase to full powerhouse capacity (approximately 27,000 cfs) at 6:00 am on Thursday morning, June 11th. This increase marks the commencement of sturgeon flow augmentation operations for 2009. Flows will remain at full powerhouse for 7 days, and ramp down to 20,000 cfs for 5 days, 17,000 cfs for 5 days, and 15,000 for 5 days following 2006 BiOp ramping rates for flow reduction. Following the sturgeon operation, flows will be reduced to the summer steady flow of 6-9,000 cfs. Hatches are light but look for caddis in afternoons and always big, black flying ants this time of year. Fish are much more active with warmer temps. Patterns include, larger prince nymphs, hares ear, stonefly nymphs are all pulling fish especially with size 18 pheasant tail droppers.

CLARK FORK RIVER MONTANA

The Clark Fork is fairly unfishable and will likely remain that way until run-off ends. Flows are over 30,000cfs and water visibility is minimal.

KOOTENAI RIVER TRIBUTARIES MONTANA

Tributaries are open and runoff is starting.