Float Trips

If you are already a decent caster and feel like covering lots of water with big attractor dry flies, booking one of our float trips might be for you. The only river we float is the Yellowstone, and we run most of our trips on the upper Yellowstone, between Gardiner and Yankee Jim canyon. This section of river sees slightly less boat traffic than lower sections, and has a much higher population of freely rising cutthroats than lower stretches, along with good numbers of rainbows and browns. Occasionally a brook trout will add itself to the mix, offering you a rare opportunity for a "Yellowstone Slam." Since even the take out is only 13 miles from our shop, we can maximize your fishing time versus travel time compared to shops that must take their clients further afield before launching the boat. If conditions warrant it, we can float anywhere between Gardiner and Big Timber, with drifts near Livingston especially popular in the fall, when the big browns are running.

Except for trips in September and October, when the river is low and clear and Blue-winged Olives hatch in profusion in the riffles, most fishing on our floats is done out of the boat. Our "high" float season runs from early July or whenever the Yellowstone clears after the spring melt until the end of the season, and through most of this period large dry flies are the ticket. Our bread and butter fly is a #12 Coachman Trude, often with a #16 Beadhead Prince trailing underneath the dry. We also fish a lot of Turck's Tarantulas, Stimulators, Elk Hair Caddis, and various hopper patterns. Early in the season, the Yellowstone from Yankee Jim upstream sees one of the best Salmonfly hatches in the world, inviting you to sling #2-8 bushy orange monstrosities up under the bushes. Some very large trout are caught during this period. Through most of this period, your feet will stay basically dry as we barrel down ten miles of river, pounding pockets along the bank.

Later in the year, smaller Trudes and Blue Wing Olive dries become the tickets, as the fish get spookier and the river currents slower. Often we'll stop to fish every likely riffle corner on foot during this period, and also hit some deeper streamer runs in the hope of finding a large brown.

We also offer float trips in the spring, from mid-March until early May or whenever runoff dirties the river. This is a good period for experienced anglers and those who want solitude. Blue-winged Olives, midges, the Mother's Day caddis, and streamers are the tickets, depending on timeframe.

The same amenities are provided on our float trips as on our walk trips, with the added bonuses of a (fairly) comfortable boat seat to rest in and a few whitewater thrills. If you have any questions specific to our float trips, check our Float Trip FAQ.

	Full-day	Half-day
One Angler	$375	$265
Two Anglers	$425	$305
Three Anglers*	$500	$380
Additional Anglers*	N/A	$150
Shoulder Season Rate	$345	N/A
A deposit of one-half the cost of your trip is due when booking. Check our Guide Trip Faq for more info. What's included in the above rates? Click here. Please note that the rates above do not include additional access fees for the Paradise Valley spring creeks. Shoulder season rates apply from roughly March 1 until the day before the YNP opener and from October 15 until roughly November 15. Rate is for one or two anglers. Three angler trips and half-days are not available. *Parties of more than two anglers per guide are only possible on walk & wade trips. We strongly encourage a ratio of one or two clients per guide on all trips. This dramatically increases the guide's efficiency and results in much more personal attention for each client. In addition, many of our waters are not suitable for more than two anglers at a time, so destinations for large parties may be limited.

Contact Information
Phone:	(406) 848-7314
Address:	PO Box 196 202 Second Street South (US-89) Gardiner, MT 59030
E-Mail	Richard Parks, Owner Walter Wiese, Head Guide