We often get asked about adding a third person to a guided trip with one of our Bozeman fly fishing guides. Our standard guide trip rate for full-day ($695) or half-day ($649) bookings applies to 1 or 2 anglers. This is the most common pricing structure that Montana fly fishing outfitters use.
The guide is first and foremost responsible for ensuring safety throughout a trip and keeping a careful eye on three or more anglers can be quite the challenge while wading one of our larger rivers. The boats that we fish out of are designed to hold two anglers and the guide - who sits in the middle and rows while offering instruction. Safety, quality of the experience, and equipment designs are why most outfitters limit the standard guide trip to a maximum of two anglers. So, the pricing is typically the same whether there is one or two anglers in a group.
Most of our Bozeman fly fishing guides would prefer not to do the third-person trip option at all, so it's something that we evaluate on a case-by-case basis (email us with requests). There isn’t any room for 3 anglers and a guide to comfortably spend the day on a drift boat or raft, so someone has to sit on a cooler, which puts the boat out of balance and makes rowing more difficult. Also, only two anglers can fish at a time while in a boat, so someone has to sit and watch. Overall, we don’t think it is a good experience and generally discourage folks from booking three-person trips.
Ideally, our guests will try to find a fourth person or just book a second guide for a three-person party. It is more expensive per person ( about $115) when you have a group of 3 versus 4 people, but the experience is safer and more enjoyable for everyone.
We have been outfitting Bozeman fly fishing trips for over 25 years and have tried everything from using bigger boats to hiring assistant guides on 3-person wade-fishing trips; it just doesn't work well.
Having a “solo” experience is a great way to quickly pick up the basics or improve your fly fishing skills. We generally fish close to one another on group trips, and it’s easy to switch anglers between boats so that everyone gets a chance to fish together as well. We launch and take out at the same places and eat lunch together on the river.