For the first travel trip hosted by The Fly Box, Montana was the obvious choice.

Why Montana? Well it’s often referred to as “the mecca of fly fishing”. In Montana, there is a lifetime of quality trout rivers to choose from.

We decided to focus our attention on the Madison and Missouri River (the Mo’) plus O’Dells Spring Creek. These rivers were chosen because our team had been there before, and it lived up to the hype.

SKWALA

When we arrived in Bozeman, we were greeted by our friends from Skwala Fishing. They had brats and beer waiting for us at their newly opened showroom. If you are in Bozeman, you have to go by and see it. They have their full line of products to try on and get sized.

One of our favorite pieces that we wore religiously during our trip was the Sol Tropic Hoody. Boasting a 40+UPF rating, this hoody is the lightest in the Skwala line up. Perfect for when that Montana sun gets high and the temps rise.

ENNIS

Our first fishing stop was the town of Ennis which is located an hour southwest of Bozeman. Ennis feels like an old-school western town. With just a couple places to eat, three fly shops, and more bars, we think it’s perfect. TroutStalkers, The Tackle Shop, and Madison River Fishing Company are all great shops that are definitely worth a stop if you are in the area. All of the staff shared good fishing intel with us in exchange for buying a few flies.

A favorite night out on the town was going to Burnt Tree Brewing and Pizza. If you fish near Ennis, this is an absolute must. Great pizza, cold draft beer.

Each day, we’d split up our group. Four of us would go out with guides from Madison River Fishing Company. The rest of the crew would go to O’Dells Spring Creek at Rainbow Valley Lodge or wade fish the Madison.

With MRFC, our group fished nymphs, streamers, and dries. We were able to put a few solid fish to the net, and everyone had a blast. The guides utilized a “no-indicator” nymphing rig on a standard in-line setup. We will definitely be trying this on the SOHO under generation! One of the greatest benefits about traveling to other fisheries is that we get to learn about new techniques and flies then bring those back home.

Fishing at O’Dells Spring Creek is technical and exciting. The majority of the fish range from 10-14in, however, there are some absolute giant browns that call this small creek home. July is ideal time for hopper fishing, so our standard set up was a grasshopper pattern with a small perdigon nymph below it, such as the Olive Hot Spot from Fulling Mill. The key to success at O’Dells is accurate casting as the fish sit incredibly tight to the banks. The scenery at O’Dells is truly spectacular as we were surrounded by the Madison Mountain Range in the east and the rolling Gravelly Mountains at our west.

ADIPOSE

After leaving Ennis heading for Craig, we had the opportunity to stop by Adipose Boatworks to see one of the owners, Justin, and his team. A big talking point throughout the tour was the new vacuum resin infusion that Adipose is incorporating into their boat hulls. This new process is quicker to build, makes the boat noticeably lighter, and provides the same durability that is expected from Adipose.

Not only are Adipose boats beautiful, but they are just as functional. The attention to detail and hyper-focus on product quality is unquestioned. If you are in the market for a new fully-customized drift boat, definitely consider giving Adipose a call. You won’t be disappointed!

CRAIG

Craig. Also referred to as “Craiglandia”, is a dry-fly fisherman’s dream. The trout on the Mo’ are certified “western”. They pull hard, jump high, and demand near-perfect casting presentations. The average size of the fish on the Missouri can be a bit mind-boggling coming from the East. During the summer, groups of large rainbows and browns will group together in concentrated pods and feed on Trico spinners. This is technical dry fly fishing at it’s finest. When we weren’t anchored casting to pods of fish, we were casting hoppers on the banks and flats, prospecting for willing eaters. We did a little nymphing in the mornings before the Trico hatch but put those bobbers away as fast as possible.

One of the main gear differences from Tennessee is that we fished big tippet. 3x-4x primarily. For everyone on the trip, this was a welcomed change from the 6x that we become mind-numbingly accustomed to at home.

In Craig, there are three fly shops right next to each other, just like Ennis. Headhunters, CrossCurrents, and The Trout Shop.

Our Fly Box staff rented boats from The Trout Shop for DIY fishing and we had clients fish with guides from Headhunters. Both options have their benefits, but there is no doubt that the Headhunter guide crew put our group on the most and biggest fish. Total professionals. If you are fishing the Mo’, do yourself a favor and book at least one day to see some of Montana’s best guides at work. Huge thank you to the team at Headhunters for the hospitality and getting our group on some great fishing.

The Trout Shop makes “Guide Lunches” similar to The Fly Box. We put our orders in the day before and had great lunches ready for us the next day. If you are looking to DIY the Missouri River, using their rental boats and lunch system is perfect.

When fishing the Missouri, stop by the Craig Taphouse for some cold drinks and dang fine burgers. We frequented the taps and grill more than once during the week. While you are there, be a good neighbor and throw up a dollar bill on the board, and look for ours hanging up as well. Another stop was going to Izaak’s Restaurant in Craig. The Huckleberry Mule goes down easy after a hot, fun day of fishing.

Traveling to fish Montana should no doubt be on the top of every East Coast fly angler’s list. Not only will it be fun and help you become a better angler, it will help you to see how great of a fishery we have in our own backyard of East Tennessee. The fishing was great and Rocky Mountain views can’t be beat, but the best part of the trip was getting to share it with our Fly Box Family. Thank you to all of our customers that came on this trip with us, we had a blast!

Until next time Montana…

Interested in traveling with The Fly Box? We handle the logistics and planning so that you can focus on making the most of your fishing vacation. Give us a call or stop by the shop to see where the next adventure will take us!

FLY FISHING MONTANA - TRIP RECAP 2023