Fins and Feathers Guide Service

At Fins and Feathers Guide Service, we’ve been outfitting Bozeman fly-fishing trips for over 25 years. Our guides spend hundreds of hours each season on the water and know how to make every trip productive and memorable. We offer a wide range of guided trip options for fly-fishing Montana.

Full-Day Guided Trips

Bozeman fly fishing guide trips are best experienced on a full-day trip itinerary. Whether you are new to fly fishing or a seasoned expert, we recommend blocking the day and immersing yourself in fly fishing our legendary wild trout waters for the day.

We have never had a client say they wish they had chosen a half-day trip over a full-day trip—in 25 years of outfitting Montana fly-fishing trips!

Full-day guide trip quick facts:

• Experience a day of Montana fly fishing on any one of our home rivers near Bozeman, including the Yellowstone, Madison, Gallatin, or Jefferson - among others.
• Cost is $695 for 1 or 2 anglers per guide
• Includes professional fly fishing guide service, use of gear, flies, terminal tackle, lunches, drinks, and transport from our office to and from the river with your guide.
• Morning start times, typical trip duration is 6-8 hours from meeting time to drop-off, with 5-7 hours of fishing time.

Who is a full-day trip the best option for?

• Beginner and novice anglers who would like to improve their fly fishing skills with the help and guidance of a professional fly fishing guide.
• Experienced anglers who want to spend a day focused on fishing where water conditions are ideal or best suited to a preferred style of fly fishing like dry fly or streamer, for example.
• Groups of anglers with limited or mixed fly fishing experience that would like to spend the day together on the same river section, fly fishing in Montana.

A full-day guide trip offers plenty of time on the water and the flexibility to explore a broader range of rivers in the region, so that the day is a relaxed experience.

• Experienced anglers can expect a varied day, with techniques and strategies changing with the conditions throughout the day.
• Beginner anglers can learn the basic skills of fly fishing while putting them to use and experience success as they improve along the way.

Full-day trips are the best option for anglers traveling to Bozeman specifically for the fly fishing. We customize each day around the best fly fishing options in terms of the stretch of a particular river, and the techniques we emphasize.

What time of year is a full-day trip a good option?

• Summer is the best time to experience Bozeman fly fishing. Take the time and block off the day to prioritize this amazing experience that attracts anglers from around the world.
• April - May day trip opportunities exist around the region, and full-day itineraries enable our guides to take our guests to watersheds where the conditions are prime during the pre-runoff season.
• Fall days start off cold, and late starts are often recommended so that we can get our guests on the water during the best time of the day.

Multi-Day Itineraries

For anglers, the unique "draw" of Bozeman fly fishing is the abundance and diversity of world-renowned wild trout waters within easy reach of town.

Unlike most western USA fly-fishing destinations that focus on a particular river or fishery, Bozeman is surrounded by several of the best. Rather than staying in Ennis, Livingston, Craig, or Dillon, where the options are limited to a nearby river or two, our guests have the flexibility to go wherever the conditions are best.

Examples of the Bozeman fly fishing versatility

• We can fish the salmonfly hatch on the Big Hole one day, streamer fish the lower Madison the next, and wrap it up with a day on the Paradise Valley spring creeks.
• Float the upper Yellowstone to focus on dry fly fishing, float and wade the upper Madison on day two, and look for big fish on the Jefferson on the final day.
• If the wind is blowing hard near Livingston, we have options to get out of it near Bozeman or Ennis.

The options are endless, and it's easy to customize a unique itinerary around your skills and the water conditions during your visit to Bozeman.

For those anglers wanting to experience everything fly fishing Montana has to offer, multi-day itineraries are the way to go. They allow for more flexible planning around weather and conditions, ensuring you always have the best possible fishing each day.

Spending two or more days on the water will enable you to fish multiple rivers or different stretches of the same river and see how each one fishes differently. The diversity of water around Bozeman means every day brings a new experience.

Half-Day Guided Trips

A half-day guided trip is designed to be a shorter outing—typically three to five hours on the water—and is perfect for anglers looking to make the most of limited time in Bozeman.

Half-day guide trip quick facts:

• These trips take place within 30 minutes of Bozeman on the lower Madison River.
• Cost is $650 total for 1 or 2 anglers per guide
• Includes professional fly fishing guide service, use of gear, flies, terminal tackle, drinks, and transport from our office to and from the river with your guide.
• Morning scheduling - no afternoon start times are available.

Are half-day trips a good choice for you?

• Ideal for intermediate to advanced anglers on a tight schedule who want to get a few focused hours on the water.
• Beginners who want an introduction to Montana fly fishing, where the experience and education are the focus.

Our Bozeman fly fishing guides emphasize teaching the basics of fly casting, reading water, and handling fish while floating the lower Madison River.

It’s a relaxed, informative way to learn or refresh your skills while still having a great day on the water.

When are half-day trips a good option?

Early season (March through mid-June) is characterized by favorable water conditions and hatching insects, making this a good time of year to experience angling success on a limited schedule.

Late September through November, half-day trips are scheduled based on weather and water conditions, with variable morning starts to optimize time on the water during the most productive periods of the day.

Why don't we recommend half-day trips during the summertime?

The lower Madison becomes too warm to fish by mid-July (most years), and it is also very popular with recreational floaters at that time of year.

World-renowned rivers like the upper Madison, Yellowstone, and Gallatin rivers fish better this time of year. Drive times and productive river section locations are impractical for short trips lasting just a few hours.

Fly Fishing Montana from a Drift Boat

Almost all of our guided trips are fished from drift boats, giving anglers the best possible way to experience the rivers around Bozeman.

• Fishing from a drift boat allows you to cover more water than on foot
• Instead of standing in one spot, you’re constantly moving, presenting flies to fresh fish in every section of the river.
• It’s a comfortable, effective, and scenic way to fish — letting you focus on the cast, the drift, and the presentation, while your guide handles positioning and boat control.
• Drift boat fishing opens up sections of local rivers that are not accessible by foot.

Whether you’re streamer fishing tight to the bank, nymphing through deep buckets, or hunting dry fly eats along the edges, a boat gives you the perfect vantage point.

We do a fair amount of wading from the drift boat in the spring, fall, and situationally during the summer - but the emphasis of most Montana fly fishing trips is on drift boat fly fishing.

Drift boat fishing is the best way to experience fly fishing Montana’s blue-ribbon waters - that's why we recommend these trips over wading.

Experience the Best of Bozeman Fly Fishing

Whether you choose a half-day or full-day guided trip, both options give you access to some of Montana’s best trout fishing with a professional guide who knows the water inside and out.

• Full-day and multi-day itineraries give anglers more time to learn, explore, and settle into the experience that makes fly fishing in Bozeman so special.
• Half-day trips are short, simple, and perfect for getting out on the water without rearranging your entire day.

Fins and Feathers Guide Service has been guiding Bozeman fly-fishing trips for more than 25 years. We have the expertise and experience to ensure our guests are placed in the best possible situations for a successful day on the water.

Join our talented team of professional fly fishing guides on the legendary Bozeman, Montana fly fishing rivers and streams for an unforgettable experience.

Reservations can be booked online, through email or by calling us at 1-406-468-5019.

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