Guided Trip FAQ

This FAQ is designed to answer general questions about the guided fishing trips we provide. Please click any of the links in the list below to jump immediately to the category of questions answered under each link, or simply scroll down to read all questions and their answers. If you still have questions, we'd be happy to answer via e-mail or over the phone.

A. We accept walk-ins for the next day or even later on the same day if we have guides available. Booking this late is not recommended, however, especially from 6/10 until 10/1. During this period, we are sometimes fully-booked up to six months ahead of time, so it is helpful to reserve your trip as soon as possible, especially if you only have a day or two when a fishing trip fits in your travel itinerary. If your timing is more flexible, we can usually fit you in within a day or two of your desired date with a few days notice. If you have a specific guide you'd like to fish with, especially Richard or Walter, booking early is strongly recommended since special requests do not trump booking date in our scheduling system.

In sum, it's best to book as soon as possible. Even during the record low water year of 2007 we had fishable water every day, so when you book you can be certain there's fishable water available.

A. When you should come depends on what you're looking for out of your trip. Where we will fish depends somewhat on the season, somewhat on your experience, somewhat on what you want out of the day, and, on walk trips, your age and fitness. If you have a certain stream you'd love to fish, we can usually accommodate if it's fishable. Otherwise, your guide will decide where to fish based on the factors noted above. Our Trip Planner should be able to help you figure out when you'd like to come and which of our waters you might like to fish, and of course you can contact us.

In general, fishing for beginners is better between 6/10 and 9/15, dry fly fishing is better from 4/1-5/1 and 6/10-9/10, the chance for trophies is best from 3/15-4/15 and 9/15-11/15, and crowds are smaller in March and April, early June, late August, and mid-September through November. We never guarantee you'll catch fish, but we won't guide unless we think you will, which is why we're reluctant to guide during the spring runoff and in the depths of winter.

A. In short: a full-day trip will usually start between 8:00 and 9:30 and end between 5:00 and 7:30.

A longer explanation: our average full-day trip starts at around 8:30 at our shop, or up to an hour after that if we are meeting you at our fishing destination. Usually we will want to be fishing by 10:00 if we are not walking far, or a bit later if we are. If we are hiking a long way or expect our destination to be crowded, we'll usually want to get an earlier start. Otherwise, it's rarely worth starting early because our rivers get cold at night and take a while to warm up enough to make the fish active. A full-day trip usually lasts until at least 5:00, more often 6:00, with quitting earlier than that based on client needs or bad weather. If fishing is particularly good or we have a long way to hike out, we may get back as late as 9:00, though you'll usually know this ahead of time. Guides are paid a flat fee for full-day trips, so there's no set time they need to be back. In theory, all trips could stay out until dark. In practice, both guide and client are usually beat by 7:00 at the latest. We do sometimes run full-day trips that start in the afternoon and go until dark, a good option for anglers who want to sleep in and don't mind having a picnic for dinner, since there are usually evening caddis hatches and mayfly spinner falls and the crowds thin out by mid-afternoon, after the daytime hatches (which usually start around 10:00AM) finish. These trips are generally available only in July and early August, when it stays light until 9:00 or 10:00PM, and are subject to guide interest. Most of the time a guide won't want a trip he won't finish unpacking from at close to midnight if he has to prepare for a trip starting at 8:00 the next morning.

A. Half-day trips are less flexible, mostly because guides are paid hourly for them. Regardless of the time of day the trip takes place, the rate includes about 4.5-6 hours of the guide's time, including drive and hike time. Morning trips usually start around 8:30 at our shop or as late as 9:00 if we are meeting you in the Park and end around 12:30-2:00PM. Afternoon trips start at 12:30-1:00PM and run to about 5:30-7:00. In July and early August we'll occasionally run an evening trip starting around 3:00-4:00 and running until dark, in order to miss the typical day crowds. See the note under the previous question about guide interest in these trips.

A. For many years we operated on what amounted to faith that our clients would not leave us hanging, taking only a credit card number and having no set consequences for late cancellations. Unfortunately, due to a large number of late cancellations early in the 2007 season, including one where a six-angler three-guide party simply didn't show up, we have implemented a deposit and cancellation policy similar to that of most other outfitters and shops in the area. Our deposit policy is as follows: we require up to one half the cost of the guide service to be paid (by Visa or Mastercard) at the time of booking. For multi-day or multi-guide trips we may reduce this percentage somewhat at our discretion. This does not include any deposit for lodging at the Gardiner Guesthouse booked independently or as part of a fishing/lodging package. Our cancellation policy is explained in the following table:

Cancellation Date	Policy
Up to thirty days prior to trip	Refund in full. Deposit may be transferred in full to a trip on a later date, if desired.
14-30 days prior to trip	1/2 deposit will be retained as a cancellation fee. If we have not turned away business due to your booking, this cancellation fee and the remainder of your deposit can be put towards a trip on a later date, if desired.
Less that 14 days prior to trip	Entire deposit will be retained as a cancellation fee and split 50/50 between the shop and the assigned guide. This deposit may be assigned to a trip on a later date at our discretion. The closer to the trip date the cancellation occurs, the less likely this is.

We realize that circumstances do change and unexpected emergencies do occur, so we will not be absolutely inflexible on the above policy, but the fact remains that cancellations result in lost income for both the shop and our guides, so we want to keep them to an absolute minimum.

If we have to cancel due to adverse weather or river conditions, or for any other reason, we will try to reschedule. If this is not possible, your deposit will be refunded in full. Please note that we seldom cancel trips due to weather conditions, provided fishable water is available. Except in cases of extreme cold, you should expect to go fishing, rain or snow or wind or shine.

A. Different shops and outfitters have different policies in this regard. At Parks' Fly Shop, we include: the guide's time (obviously), transportation to and from the fishery, starting from our shop or a prearranged meeting point, soft drinks and bottled water, and a picnic lunch on full-day trips. Rates do not include: tackle, flies, leaders, alcoholic beverages, fishing permits, rod fees charged by the private Paradise Valley spring creeks, Yellowstone Park entrance fees, or guide gratuity. Your guide may provide flies he tied himself at no cost provided they're not lost or destroyed by fish, but this is entirely up to him and should be remembered at the end of the day when you consider what to provide as a tip. Some outfitters include tackle and flies in their listed rates, but we believe it makes more sense to charge separately, since many of our clients have their own favorite rods and like to tie their own flies as often as possible. You are not required to purchase flies or leaders before your trip. Your guide will carry a selection suitable for the water you're fishing and keep track of what you use.

A. Except for a very few rare situations, our trips are catch and release only. There are two reasons for this: first, taking care of kept fish is a pain and takes away from fishing time. Second, all fish we target on our guide trips are wild, so keeping fish can severely impact populations. The only exceptions to our catch and release rule are if you catch a pure rainbow trout in the Lamar drainage or the Yellowstone above the Lamar or a lake trout in the Yellowstone drainage. Park regulations suggest killing rainbows in the Lamar to protect cutthroat populations (the species can interbreed) and require killing illegally-introduced lake trout, which eat young cutthroat. If you want to keep some brook trout, we can point you towards some creeks where killing a few will actually help the population, but you'll have to go there on your own.

A. The license you need depends on where we'll be fishing. For float trips or walk trips outside the Park, you'll need a Montana license. It's required for anglers over the age of 14. In Yellowstone, you don't need a Montana (or Wyoming) license, but you do need a Yellowstone National Park permit. All anglers are required to have a license, but for those age under 16 it's free. Licenses are not required on DePuy's spring creek, but Montana licenses are required on the other Paradise Valley creeks. We are license agents for both Montana and the Park, so you can buy your license when you arrive. You can also buy Montana permits online here, if you want to fish on your own before you get to our shop.

Q. I've never fly fished before, but I'd like to learn. Do you take beginners fishing?

A. Absolutely. Probably 15-20% of our clients have never held a rod before. We recommend walk & wade trips for beginners, because on a float trip your guide is too busy rowing the boat to devote much time to instruction and demonstration. Moreover, the Yellowstone requires fairly long and very accurate casting, which most beginners can't manage. On a walk & wade trip we can spend our time fishing small water with fish that aren't too picky, to ensure beginners will catch some fish. They will not be big, but just like riding a bike you need to start fly fishing with "training wheels." For groups with a beginner and someone more experienced, we may be able to fish an intermediate-level stream and have the guide spend most of his time with the beginner, ensuring both some fish for the beginner and fish sizable enough to entertain someone with more experience. For groups with small children, we recommend a half-day trip, while for people whose attention spans and stamina are longer either a half-day or full-day trip will work. On full-day beginner trips, we usually fish two stretches of river, one with small, innocent fish in the morning and a more-challenging stretch in the afternoon. Rental rods and waders are available from our shop for a nominal fee, so besides the guide trip itself there's only small investment if you just want to get your feet wet, both figuratively and literally.

A. The age at which you introduce a child to fly fishing depends on two factors: attention span and size. Fly fishing requires considerably more focus than fishing with bait or lures, and fly rods for our area need to range from eight to nine feet. Both factors make fly fishing a poor choice for very young children. In general, a child is ready to learn to fly fish between age 7 and age 10. If you know how to fly fish and have a younger child who likes to fish and who knows how to cast and retrieve lures with conventional tackle, another possibility is taking a float trip. You can cast flies from the front of the boat while your child throws spinners from the back. This approach can bring some surprising results. In general, we will not take young children fishing unless a parent comes too, while teenagers can be unaccompanied provided they're no more insane than your average teen.

A. Typically we do picnic-style sandwich lunches on our trips. On float trips we arrange things buffet-style, while on walk trips where we'll be hiking we carry pre-made sandwiches. Fruit and chips or cookies accompany the sandwich. This is our default lunch, and we can modify it somewhat to suit tastes. If you require kosher, vegetarian, diabetic-friendly, or other specialized meals, please let us know when you book and we should be able to accommodate. When it's cold we usually include a thermos of tomato soup or coffee. At times our guides make something more complicated (usually after going insane from eating a roast beef sandwich every day), but we virtually never cook on-stream. We figure our clients want to fish and our trips already usually last until later in the day than those of our competitors, so we don't want to take the time to make something complicated for lunch. If having a gourmet lunch is a key element of how much enjoyment you take from a guided trip, you should probably book with another outfitter.

A. Water temperatures range from forty degrees into the high sixties. We generally wear waders until late June or early July and again from early- to mid-September onward. Some waters require waders year-round, chief among them the upper Yellowstone and the Paradise Valley spring creeks. Otherwise, we wet-wade with our felt-soled wading shoes and gravel guards whenever weather permits, since this is cooler and requires less gear to be carried. It's always a good idea to bring waders in case of a cold snap, but you're probably safe if you choose not to from around 7/10 until 8/15 unless you're planning to fish the upper Yellowstone near Yellowstone Lake or the lake itself, both of which are icy year-round. Wading in an old pair of tennis shoes is usually not a good idea except on meadow streams, since our waters are often in rugged terrain and have fast currents or otherwise make felt soles and good ankle support necessities. We have rental waders and shoes in case you don't have or don't want to bring your own.

Choosing between a walk trip and a float is largely a matter of personal preference. For beginners we recommend walk trips, because it's much easier for a guide to offer instruction when he's not busy rowing. Otherwise, the sky's the limit. Use the following notes to make your decision, or contact us for our input.

Half-day Trips...	Full-day Trips...
Are usually better for beginners or those who otherwise may not want to spend all day fishing.	Allow much more time to fish places farther from Gardiner by road and/or hike up to several miles, if walking, or to float around ten miles compared to five for a half-day.
Are limited to fisheries within a half-hour or so of Gardiner, to maximize fishing to drive time.	See above.
Offer more flexibility to float a certain stretch of river at a certain time of day, thereby avoiding the crowds of full-day boaters.	Offer more flexibility in fishing a variety of waters on walk trips, one in the morning and another in the afternoon, for example.
Cost less across the board (except rentals): fewer flies are lost, tips are smaller, and rate for the trip itself is lower.	Cost more but offer a much more immersive experience: you will see the full course of a day, including all the hatches. This helps you when fishing on your own.
Fishing time is limited to a half-day because guide is paid hourly.	Fishing time is limited only to the stamina of clients and guide: no set end time because guide is paid a flat fee.
Somewhat frenetic: because fishing time is limited, you need to hurry to get things done.	Time to relax, take a long lunch, take a nap, watch animals, observe the feeding behavior of fish more closely, etc.

In sum, full-day trips are generally superior to half-day trips except possibly for children, for flexibility in float timing, and of course in cost. In practice, cost is usually the determining factor.

A. Our Trip Planner has answers to all questions of this sort. Click here to go there.

A. Our rental combos are typically Orvis or Temple Fork rods paired with Orvis reels and Cortland or Orvis lines. These combos are of considerably higher quality than the low end outfits sold at big box stores like Wal-Mart, so if you don't have tackle already it makes a great deal of sense to rent. Our rental waders are generally Orvis Clearwaters paired with various models of Dan Bailey's wading shoes. Both rod and reel combos and waders cost $10.00 per day to rent, making a full complement of rental gear cost an additional $20.00/day per guided trip.

A. Both questions depend on your experience level, interests, the season, etc. On our walk trips we fish anywhere from right alongside the road to five miles into the backcountry, in flat meadows where we've taken 85 year-olds to rugged canyons that seem to require as much rock climbing as walking. Our Trip Planner will give you a good idea of how the season affects where we fish and includes descriptions of some of our favorite streams in the Park (under the Our Waters page). This should give you some idea of our options. We do have some secret spots where we might take you, of course, but they're too sensitive to mention online. Regarding the spring creeks: you should plan to book Richard for Nelson's or Armstrong's or Phil or Walter for DePuy's. In general, Nelson's and Depuy's are flat, technical streams only while DePuy's has some faster sections. In general, DePuy's is suitable for intermediate anglers as well as experts, whereas the other creeks are not.

A. It sometimes does, though the hike is usually worth it in terms of solitude, larger and/or more plentiful fish, and scenery. We may stay out a bit later on days when we hike a long way, but there are only so many hours of daylight, meaning that a hike to the Second Meadow of Slough Creek or several miles up the Black Canyon of the Yellowstone will by necessity eat an hour or two of fishing time.

A. The baseline requirement is an ability to stay on your feet for most of the day. We will either travel to a picnic area or find a convenient spot under the trees to eat lunch, but otherwise there aren't many places to rest on the public water we fish. The spring creeks have numerous benches, picnic tables, etc. Other than this, physical fitness is not a huge requirement, as there are streams to suit any degree of fitness or desire for adventure. Walter Wiese was guiding walk trips by early September, 2006, only two months after having serious knee surgery, for example, though he wasn't scrambling around canyon walls three miles from the trailhead as he likes to do.

Q. I want to catch big fish in a place where I probably won't see anyone else. Can a walk trip provide this?

A. At the right time of the year and if you are in good enough hiking shape, a full-day trip often can. Despite popular opinion, there are still secret spots in the Yellowstone area. Another good option for big fish with little competition is the spring creeks. There are always anglers present, but not pounding every pool as can be the case on the easy to reach famous streams in the Park.

A. Generally speaking, five miles one-way is the absolute maximum we're willing to walk. Any more and we're too tired to fish once we get where we're going, and it's too late in the day by the time we get there. Two or three miles each way is more common when we want to shed the roadside crowds for some solitude.

Q. I'd like to book two days and camp out overnight in the backcountry during my trip. Can you arrange this?

A. Unfortunately, our Yellowstone Park outfitting permit does not allow us to run overnight trips. We can put you in touch with some horseback outfitters in Gardiner if you'd like a long-term trip in the backcountry. If you have the money, we may be able to arrange an adventure in which a horse-pack outfitter carries you and your gear into the backcountry and runs the camp while we guide you. If interested in a trip like this, let us know as soon as possible, since it is more complex to arrange than any of our other trips.

Q. Why can't you run walk trips on public streams in March and April? I hear fishing in Montana can be great in the spring.

A. Spring fishing can be good. Unfortunately, Yellowstone Park and most small streams outside the park are closed, Yellowstone until Memorial Day weekend and the tributary creeks until mid-May, at which point they are usually in spring runoff. The Yellowstone River is open and fishes very well in the spring, but it's best fished from a boat, which is why we offer float trips in this timeframe. The spring creeks are also an excellent option in the spring, both because spring fishing is very good and because their rates are between $25 and $60 dollars cheaper than they are in high summer.

A. Somewhere on the Yellowstone River near Gardiner. Depending on conditions and client interests, we put in our boats anywhere from three miles to eighty miles from Gardiner. While we are licensed to guide anywhere in Montana east of the Continental Divide, we have chosen to limit our float trips to the Yellowstone in order for us to ensure we have the most intimate knowledge of our water of any outfitter or fly shop in the area. Plus, trout on the Yellowstone like to eat dry flies, and we like to fish dry flies...

A. Unlike for walk trips, these are fairly easy questions to answer for float trips. The Yellowstone is home to cutthroat, rainbow, brown, and brook trout. The upper river near Gardiner probably has more cutthroats than any other stretch, while the area below Yankee Jim Canyon on down to Livingston and beyond is home to more rainbows and browns. Brook trout are a rarity. We float the upper river more often, so on an average day our clients catch cutthroats, rainbows, and an occasional brown, with a "Yellowstone Slam" of all four trout species happening once or twice a summer. The average fish size in the upper river is from ten to fourteen inches, with plenty of chances to encounter fish to eighteen or nineteen inches and a chance at larger fish still. Closer to Livingston the average fish size creeps up to fifteen inches or slightly more and there are a handful of fish to 22 inches. There are fewer trout altogether, however, and more whitefish. When the brown trout run in the fall, larger fish become available throughout the river system and your chances of catching a trout over twenty inches dramatically increase. The best period to come for these larger fish is from September 20 until November 15.

A. In general, you need to be able to cast 30 feet accurately, often when the wind is blowing, and need to be able to achieve a drag-free drift at this distance most of the time. This means, in essence, that you need to have intermediate skills or better.

A. We have two shop boats, both fiberglass Lavro drift boats. Walter Wiese has his own fiberglass Clackacraft drift boat. Our contract guides all have their own boats, and these are all fiberglass drifters as well. All boats offer seats for two anglers and enough dry storage to protect sensitive items like cameras, cell phones, dry clothing, etc. All boats have full front knee braces, while the smaller of our two shop boats has a single-knee brace and has a low enough stern that fishing while sitting down is effective.

A. It depends on where we float and the season. Most rapids are much bigger in July than in October, since flows decrease throughout the year, though some rapids --specifically Preacher Rapid-- follow an opposite trend. By far the worst/best whitewater on the Yellowstone is found in the upper part of Yankee Jim Canyon, some fourteen miles from Gardiner, regardless of season. We only float this stretch of river in our high-side boats and at certain water levels. It is the only long float stretch where we require adult clients to wear life jackets, though a few shorter stretches like the run beneath the 9th Street Bridge in Livingston are also hairy enough that we might ask you to wear a jacket for a hundred yards or so. Otherwise, we run a few rapids, but most of them are mellow enough that our clients can continue to fish as we run them. There is some significant whitewater between Gardiner and Queen of Waters access, but there is no drift boat access to this stretch of river, so we don't worry about it.

A. Tipping fishing guides is generally standard provided their service is of expected quality (or even better than expected). An average tip for a full-day trip is $50-100. Last year's median was probably right at $75, with $100 more common than $50 or less. Half day tips average $35-60. If there is some problem with your trip caused by your guide, you should of course avoid tipping. We also suggest you share your concerns with both the guide and Richard Parks or Walter Wiese, since we are all professionals and want to give our clients the best experience possible.

A. The number of fish you catch should not be the determining factor unless it seems like you don't catch enough fish due to your guide's indifference. Fishing is fishing, after all, and even we have a tough day once in a while. You should focus instead on your guide's effort, how much you learn, your guide's sense of humor, and other factors which are entirely within his control.

A. Either cash or adding the tip onto the bill at the end of the day when paying by credit card is fine.

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

Walk Trips...	Float Trips...
Provide opportunities for focused instruction and demonstration by your guide.	The guide can offer verbal tips, but float trips are better for anglers who don't want or require a lot of instruction.
Provide opportunities for more wildlife viewing, natural history, and so on, if desired.	Are better for anglers who want to focus almost exclusively on fishing.
Can offer more solitude, especially for clients who can hike, are almost always on smaller water than our floats.	Provide a faster-paced, big-river experience and are usually less crowded than roadside walk & wade streams with big fish (though not those in the backcountry or those with small-medium fish).
Are better for anglers in good (or fair) physical condition.	Are better for anglers who lack the physical stamina to stay on their feet most of the day, or those who have some physical handicap.
Can offer better opportunities for "match the hatch" fishing; also opportunities for attractor and terrestrial fishing.	Most fishing is usually done with attractor and terrestrial dries with droppers.
Are not generally available between early November and late May, with the private spring creeks the notable exception.	Are available from March through early May and from late June/early July through mid-November.
Seldom have to cancel, as fishable streams are almost always available between Memorial Day weekend and the close of the Park season in early November; Paradise Valley spring creeks never get muddy.	Subject to cancellation if rain or snowmelt muddies the Yellowstone; the Yellowstone River is very susceptible to these conditions.
Usually offer the chance at larger, more-challenging fish for experienced anglers. Plenty of options for beginning fly anglers to catch their first (and second, and third...) small-medium trout. Spinning tackle is not generally an option.	Offer more fish for experienced anglers, with a chance at large fish as well. Not really suited for beginning fly anglers, but anglers can use spinning tackle without detriment.
Offer more flexibility in case the first choice doesn't work out; if fishing is bad one place, we can go somewhere else.	Usually require much less travel time.
Offer more options on stream size, fly type, water character (meadow versus canyon), et cetera.	Offer a better way to see a large stretch of the Yellowstone River than walk trips.
Offer more flexible scheduling: we can stay out until dark if the fishing is good or head in a bit early if it starts to rain. If you need to be back for dinner reservations or for another reason, we can usually get you there within ten minutes of the aimed-for time.	When the float is over, the float is over. This time can vary perhaps an hour on either side of our planned time, depending on wind, the number of fish caught, and the number of tangles your guide needs to take care of.