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Multi-Day Packages, Fly Fishing Schools, and Other Trips
In addition to our standard daily guide service and combinations of day trips, we offer a wide array of specialty offerings, including multi-day lodging and guiding packages, fly fishing schools, experimental trips we cannot yet charge full prices for, and others. We're very interested in working with you to put together the trip of your dreams, so if you have something specific you want to accomplish that isn't discussed below, let us know what it is and we'll try to put together a trip for you.
Please note that we offer a wide variety of discounts besides those included in the trips outlined below, including automatic discounts for multi-day consecutive bookings of four days or more; the multi-day itineraries below are only popular and/or rewarding trip packages that have had all discounts factored in and much of the guesswork removed.
Lodging and Guiding Packages
We are currently in the process of computing pricing for all trips below with lodging at the Gardiner Guesthouse or the Yellowstone River Motel included. If these prices are not listed for the trip you're interested in, rest assured that we will work out a discount for you.
Please click the links in the synopsis below to jump straight to a given trip, or simply read on for more info. The rates listed below are 2008 rates based on a ratio of two anglers and one guide, with lodging costs (where given) based on double occupancy. Where rates are calculated differently, this is noted. Please contact us for single angler or single occupancy rates, or an estimate on 2009 rates. Parties requiring more than one guide will be priced as multiple trips, as discounts are already factored in. All trip-specific policies are listed, or comply with the policies noted in our Guided Trip FAQ. Please note that the available dates are approximate and may vary by a week or so on either side based on weather and water conditions.
Under Construction, June 2008
| Trip |
Synopsis |
| Yellowstone Sampler | 6 day/7 night introduction to fishing in Yellowstone National Park and the Yellowstone River drainage designed to give newcomers to the area an in-depth starting point. Available July 1-September 30. $2900.00 with stay at Gardiner Guesthouse, $2295.00 lodging not included. |
| Spring Fling | 4 day/5 night trip showcasing the spring fishing on the Yellowstone River and Paradise Valley spring creeks. Available March 15-May 5. $1240.00, lodging and spring creek rod fees ($40-$75 per angler in 2008) not included. |
| One, One, and One | 3 day/4 night trip featuring one float trip, one walk trip in Yellowstone National Park, and one walk trip on your choice of the Paradise Valley spring creeks. Available July 10-October 15. $1150.00, lodging not included. |
| Three Reaches of the Yellowstone | 3 day/4 night trip featuring three float trips on the Yellowstone River, one on the upper reach near Gardiner, one in Paradise Valley, and one downstream of Livingston. Available March 15-May 5 and July 10-November 15. $930.00 3/15-5/5 and 10/25-11/15, $1150.00 7/10-10/24, lodging not included. |
| Three Day Fly Fishing School | 3 day/4 night basic or intermediate-level class designed to introduce new anglers to the sport in a more thorough fashion than is possible on a day trip. Available July 1-September 1. Cost TBD. |
| Five Day Fly Fishing School | 5 day/6 night class giving a more in-depth introduction to the sport than the three day school. Includes a float trip. Available July 10-September 1. Cost TBD. |
| Intro to Fly Fishing Special | Special discounted half-day trip for beginning anglers who stay at the Gardiner Guesthouse or the Yellowstone River Motel. Available July 1-September 15. $200.00 one angler, $230.00 two anglers, $320 three anglers. |
| Experimental Trips | Heavily-discounted trips, such as carp fishing on the Missouri River, for which we're not yet comfortable charging full price. $Varies by Trip |
While we take many multi-day bookings and there are many possible itineraries depending on an angler's interests, we have put together a six-day, seven-night package designed to introduce anglers new to the Yellowstone area to the many options available in our neck of the woods. After the Sampler, you'll have a thorough grounding in the area's angling opportunities.
The Yellowstone Sampler includes:
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~seven nights lodging at the Gardiner Guesthouse. |
| ~six consecutive full-day guided fishing trips with full-time PFS guides. |
| ~an audiovisual presentation/seminar by Richard Parks on the first night of your stay, describing the history of angling in and around Yellowstone National Park, the current options available, and so on. |
| ~complimentary Parks' Fly Shop logo fly boxes for each member of your party. |
| ~a complimentary copy of Richard's book, Fishing Yellowstone National Park, 3rd Edition. |
Here is a broad itinerary for the Sampler. Depending on your skill level, interests, and water and weather conditions, this itinerary can be tweaked somewhat, but your trip will follow this basic form.
| First Night | Arrive at Gardiner Guesthouse, make plans for the following day's fishing, A/V presentation by Richard Parks. |
| Day One | Park orientation: spend most of the day driving through Yellowstone Park, seeing firsthand many of the access points and bodies of water introduced by Richard the previous night. After lunch, we'll fish a small stream or river to "get the kinks out" for the more serious fishing ahead. |
| Day Two | Full day fishing in the Park. Depending on your interests, skill level, fitness, and conditions, this trip may be on Soda Butte Creek, Slough Creek, the Yellowstone River, or other waters. Generally we'll aim for fishing one of the "name" streams, though not necessarily in a "name" spot (since the "name" spots may be crowded). |
| Day Three | Float the Yellowstone River. Generally this first float will take place near Gardiner, on a stretch of river known for its free-rising cutthroat trout. Depending on the season, this may be a fast-paced float during which you'll bang the banks with attractor dry flies or stoneflies, or a somewhat slower drift during which you'll get out of the boat at prime points to fish Blue-winged Olive dries. Expect this first trip to be guided by Richard Parks or Ben Jewell. |
| Day Four | Second full Park day. Today we'll visit another prime destination in the Park. Often, this is the day we'll use to visit a place that's just a bit out of the way: hike to Grebe Lake for grayling, explore the upper Gardner River where more grizzlies visit than people, rock crawl along the Yellowstone in its canyon, or explore a long section of small stream. If this sounds strenuous, we could just as easily fish another meadow stream. By this time you'll be developing a sense of the fisheries you like and we'll be developing a sense of which streams match your skill level, so we'll fine-tune this day when the time comes. |
| Day Five | Second float day: This float will take place further downriver from the first float. Depending on the season and your interests, you may bounce down Yankee Jim Canyon, throw hoppers in Paradise Valley, or drag streamers downstream of Livingston in search of an "orca." |
| Day Six | What would you like to do today? This may be the day to try one of the semi-secret small creeks outside the Park, float another stretch of the Yellowstone, visit a river or stream you liked earlier in the week, or try for a big or particularly difficult trout. If you want to fish one of the Paradise Valley spring creeks during your stay, Day Six makes the most sense. |
| Last Morning | Settle up, buy souvenirs, and (hopefully) plan next year's trip. |
The 2008 cost for the Sampler for two anglers, double occupancy, is $2900.00. If you'd like to arrange lodging at another location, the rate is $2295.00 for two anglers. Please inquire for single angler (which will be cheaper) or single occupancy (which will be higher) rates. The Sampler is available beginning on any day of the week from July 1 until the end of September, with ideal dates for anglers with less total fly fishing experience (especially beginners) ranging from July 15-September 1. Please note that we require Sampler bookings to be made no later than March 1 of the year of the trip if you desire lodging at the Gardiner Guesthouse and June 15 if you plan to stay elsewhere. 2009 rates have yet to be determined, though we can begin taking 2009 bookings now and give you a close estimate of the expected price.
While spring fishing options in our area are more limited than they will be later in the season, the options that are present enjoy some of their best fishing of the year. For anglers of intermediate or high skill level, March and April can be the best time of the year to be here, due to excellent hatches, small crowds, and good chances for large trout. The Spring Fling is an excellent choice for anglers who want to experience spring fishing in Yellowstone country, especially those who have not done so before.
The Spring Fling includes:
| ~two full-day float trips on the Yellowstone River. |
| ~two walk and wade trips on the Paradise Valley spring creeks of your choice. |
| ~complimentary Parks' Fly Shop logo fly boxes for each member of your party. |
In general, it makes the most sense to start off this trip with a walk trip on DePuy Creek, but otherwise we can adjust the itinerary to suit you. While we can take reservations for this trip as late as two weeks prior to your arrival, we suggest a lead time of at least one month to ensure reservations on the Paradise Valley spring creeks. The cost for this trip is $1240.00, not including rod fees of $40.00-$75.00 per angler on the Paradise Valley creeks.
Please note that spring weather is highly variable, and you should come prepared for both wintery weather and comfortable spring conditions. Expect to fish regardless of weather conditions, though if water conditions make the Yellowstone River unfishable due to late ice or (more likely) bouts of early spring runoff, we will issue refunds or substitute spring creek trips as you desire.
Our three primary guide trip options are float trips on the Yellowstone River, walk trips on public streams and lakes in or near Yellowstone Park, and walk trips on the private Paradise Valley spring creeks. Our One, One, and One package includes one of each at a lower rate than if you simply booked three consecutive guide trips. This trip will give you a broad outline of the many options available nearby during the summer months, and will therefore give you a better sense of which options most suit you.
The trip includes:
| ~one full-day walk trip in or near Yellowstone National Park, on the water(s) suitable for the season and your skill level and interests. |
| ~one float trip on a stretch of the Yellowstone River that is fishing well and suited to your interests (big fish versus numbers, specific species you'd like to catch, dry flies versus fishing subsurface, etc.). |
| ~one walk trip on the Paradise Valley spring creek of your choice. |
| ~complimentary Parks' Fly Shop logo fly boxes for each member of your party. |
While the itinerary presented above probably makes the most sense for most anglers, the days can be shuffled as you like or as conditions warrant. This package is available anytime between July 10 and October 15 at a rate of $1150.00 exclusive of rod fees on the spring creeks ($40-100 per angler depending on date) and lodging. While we can take a booking for this trip up to two weeks before its start date, we strongly suggest booking much earlier for dates in the July-September timeframe, with six months lead time not too much in July, since both our guiding calendar and the calendars of the spring creeks fill early during this timeframe. Lodging availability also becomes limited the later you book.
Three Reaches of the Yellowstone
In our area of operations, the Yellowstone features three primary characters: fast, often deep water featuring a large percentage of cutthroat trout, broad but still often swift water with a mix of rainbow, brown, and a few cutthroat trout, and slower water with numerous large pools, where large brown and rainbow trout predominate. Each section provides different opportunities to the angler, features very different scenery and water characters, and fishes best with a different technique. This trip is designed to show you what each section has to offer, giving you a fuller sense of the Yellowstone as the blue ribbon trout fishery that it is.
The trip includes:
| ~one full-day float trip between Gardiner and Carbella access at the mouth of Yankee Jim Canyon, the upper section of river where dry fly fishing for cutthroat trout is the primary draw |
| ~one full-day float trip somewhere within Paradise Valley, between Carbella access and Carter's Bridge in Livingston, where a mixed bag of species and techniques are likely. |
| ~one full-day float trip between Carter's Bridge in Livingston and Big Timber, where large rainbow and brown trout in braiding channels are the primary draws. |
| ~complimentary Parks' Fly Shop logo fly boxes for each member of your party. |
In general, we're most likely to follow the itinerary listed above except when water conditions warrant juggling different sections of river. Thunderstorms typically muddy the upper river first, for example, in which case we head off downriver hunting for clear water. There are two rates for this trip depending on the time of year. During our spring and fall shoulder seasons, the rate is $930. During our peak summer season, the rate is $1150. We can take bookings for this package with as little as a day or two of lead time, especially in spring or fall, though booking as early as possible (3-6 months in July) is always recommended, especially if you are looking for lodging. Please note that depending on our schedules and your access to a vehicle, we may ask you to meet your guide for the "downriver" day in or near Livingston rather than at Parks' Fly Shop, since some of our contract guides are based out of Livingston and therefore make more sense for trips far from Gardiner even when our core staff is not quite fully booked. In general, this is most likely in July or August and not likely in the spring or fall.
The Intro to Fly Fishing Special is a morning or afternoon half-day trip to the excellent beginner waters in the upper Gardner River drainage priced at a special low rate for guests of the Gardiner Guesthouse and the Yellowstone River Motel. This trip is suitable for beginning anglers and is available to those staying at these locations only. It cannot be booked more than 72 hours before the likely starting time, and is subject to availability and interest of full-time PFS guides, as we cannot make enough money on this trip to pay contract guides an acceptable wage. Rates are $200 for one angler, $230 for two, and $320 for three. Fishing tackle, waders, flies, licenses, and guide gratuity are not included.
A fundamental fact of being a fishing guide is that it's actually pretty difficult to find time to learn new water during the core guiding season, since that's when we're busy. We're working on new trips all the time, however, and rather than trying to charge full price for a trip we're not entirely "dialed" on yet, we choose to offer a low, low rate for these trips. You get a deal, we add another piece to the puzzle.
Options for experimental trips will vary from year to year. Currently, the only experimental trip we're offering is a carp fly fishing trip on the Missouri River near Toston. This stretch of water is just within day trip range for our shop, and fly fishing for carp is at its best in August, when the dog days may sometimes make the Yellowstone a bit warm during the afternoons to fish well. This in and of itself is enough to interest us, but there's three more factors to consider: carp in this section of river average 5-8lbs with significant numbers to 15lbs, they're difficult to fool, and virtually all fishing is sight-fishing. Some have compared fly fishing for carp to fly fishing for bonefish, and at least in terms of techniques required, this is true. Sizewise, carp are bigger and you can expect shots at more of them. If you'd like more information on fly fishing for carp, Google offers numerous results.
This experimental trip is suitable only for experienced anglers, since casts must be accurate and often long, and hooked carp are generally extremely difficult to handle (hint: a hooked one will take you into your backing at least 50% of the time). Tackle requirements are more specialized than for most of our trips. Anglers need to have a 6-8 weight rod paired with a reel holding a floating fly line and at least 100 yards of backing. Flies range from "Tarcher" style nymphs to small Woolly Buggers tied to ride upside down to dry flies imitating Trico spinners and cottonwood seeds. Walter Wiese is the only PFS guide currently running carp trips; contact him for more fly pattern information if you'd like to tie your own.
This carp fly fishing trip costs $275 for one or two anglers. Expect to leave our shop by 7:30AM at the latest and return no earlier than 8:00PM. Since profits from this trip are minimal, we require that you book no fewer than two consecutive trips, though only one needs to be for carp. The trip is available from July 25 until September 10 depending on weather. It cannot be booked more than two weeks ahead of time, and makes a great add-on day if you're fishing with us for one or several days beforehand. As noted above, Walter Wiese is the only guide currently running these trips for Parks' Fly Shop.
2008 Daily Guide Service Rates
| 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 |
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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. |
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Contact Information |
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| Phone: | (406) 848-7314 |
| Address: |
PO Box 196 202 Second Street South (US-89) Gardiner, MT 59030 |
