Montana fishing guides, Missoula Montan

My name is Reid Stoyberg from Red Deer Alberta and I have made two trips into Montana for the specific purpose of experiencing some of the best fly fishing in the world.  On both trips Scott has guided myself and three others on the Missouri and Bitterroot rivers and I have to say as a young guy just starting to get into fly fishing seriously what an experience it was.  Scott was not only an extremely knowledgeable guide who taught me a multitude of new skills and helped me refine the humble arsenal I already had, he was a great guy who was personable and extremely easy to get along with both on and off the water.  He even took it out of his personal time to take a couple of Canadian boys out to try some of the local cuisine and swap some stories really made the experience memorable for myself and the other members of my group.  On our scheduled days on the water Scott would show up at our cabin geared up and ready to go with his truck and trailer which housed his home-made boat which is quite an accomplishment I can say after riding in it and shows his dedication to his profession.  Once on the water his skill becomes evident as he always had the front man and rear caster in the optimal position to cast throughout the day.  His constant instructions as to where to place the fly and how to present really open your eyes as to how fish react to various presentations.  With catching as many fish as we did in our trips, Scott’s quick and gentle care of the fish ensures we can always return to enjoy a sustainable fishery which he also so strongly advocates.  One of the highlights of our days on the water definitely had to be the shore lunches, delicious food on the banks of some of the most beautiful rivers in the world all in the presence of good company creates an awesome atmosphere that I guarantee I will return to as often as I can and will bring my future family to enjoy definitely.  As a side note, Scott’s flies which he evidently spends a great deal of time and effort designing really was the dynamite as I am an avid tier and greatly appreciate the knowledge he has of the nuances of the hobby and the attitude he had towards me as a younger guy and teaching me a thing or to.  Many thanks Scott for all of the skills and stories you took the time to share with me and the boys and for being an awesome guy to spend a couple of days on the water with.  Cheers, Reid Stoyberg. 

I did the Montana Fly Fishing Tour with Scott.  We fished the Bitterroot, Blackfoot,  Missouri, Madison and Yellowstone rivers on consecutive days.  I caught a lot of nice fish on the trip, but I remember most the two that got away.  We were watching a large trout sucking down some type of tiny white insects as they floated by on the Missouri.  I searched through my fly box and came up with a close match and put it perfectly in the drift where the trout was feeding.  He sucked it down just like the naturals.  The only problem was my size 7 tippet was no match for such a large fish.  It was really exciting watching the fish take the fly, but it broke my line as it hit the swift current.  The next one was on the Madison.  It was a slow day because the water was low and warm.  We were fishing hoppers up against the bank with little luck so I thought I would try something different and put on a large red ant.  After just a few casts a really big rainbow laying right up against the bank took the fly.  He put up a good fight, and Scott got out of the boat and waded out and get in position to net the fish.  We could clearly see the huge fish in the crystal clear water and were working him to the net when the line broke again.  I hope to someday have more opportunities to land a truly big trout again.  I just have to learn be more gentle while working them when fishing with very light tippets.  My favorite river was the Bitterroot because of the scenery and the water.  I didn’t hook any really large fish that day, but caught some nice ones.   It feels like there is an opportunity to catch a fish with every cast because there are so many good pools and riffles to fish.    I really want to get back to the Bitterroot sometime with Scott to drift a nymph down through some of those runs again because I just know there has to be a good fish just waiting there for me to catch. 

Mike Bachman
Knoxville, TN

Scott

Thanks again for a great day of fishing; probably the best guided fishing I have had in Montana. Making plans for next year!

B A Rucker