On this page we discuss rates, deposit and cancellation policies, and other common "pre-booking" concerns.
We run guided trips year-round, though the availability of each trip type varies by season and by both year-to-year and day-to-day water conditions. Here's an approximate rundown:
The following rates are for one or two anglers. Three-person trips are available on walk-wade trips only, for an additional $100 on half-day trips and $150 on full-day trips. More than three anglers on any guided trip or more than two anglers on any boat trip require additional guides at standard rates.
While we are eager to book clients for multi-day packages, the rates below do not include multi-day packages. We want to plan out packages with each group of clients on an individual basis, after talking things through. Generally speaking, our packages are based on the standard rates below, with additional discounts kicking in for packages of 5+ consecutive days.
While most of the waters we guide are available for single-day bookings, some destinations require multi-day bookings due to their distance from Gardiner, MT. These bookings may be for either full-day or half-day trips. These fisheries are noted when appropriate on the other guided trip pages in the website.
Not all fisheries and not all trip types are available all year, with weather and water conditions and regulations the key factors involved in determining the trip types that are available. Please ask us for details, or read through the relevant other pages in the guided trips section of the site, which go into a lot of detail about where we fish when.
Except where specifically noted, rates are identical for walk-wade and float trips.
The following rates are effective for trips booked on or after November 22, 2022. Trips booked before this date will be charged at the rate quoted upon booking.
Full-day trips are available on public and private rivers, streams, and lakes in Yellowstone Park and Montana within about a 2hr radius of Gardiner or Livingston, MT. They begin between 5AM and 10AM and run until 3PM to 7PM, with precise hours depending on weather and water conditions, the time we meet in the morning, and travel time to the water we'll be fishing. Full-days are available from March through October. Lunch is included.
Add $75 for "double half-day" floats. See the river floats page for details on these specialty trips.
Additional access fees payable to the landowners apply on private water trips. Rates do not include YNP entrance fees, YNP fishing licenses, or MT fishing licenses, when applicable.
Half-day trips are available on waters in Montana and Yellowstone within about an hour of Gardiner or Livingston, MT. They may begin anytime between 5AM and 3PM, depending on trip location, travel time, client goals, and the weather/season. They run 4-6 hours including travel time. Lunch is not included.
Additional access fees payable to the landowners apply on private water trips. Rates do not include YNP entrance fees, YNP fishing licenses, or MT fishing licenses, when applicable.
Spring/fall discounts apply on public water walk or float trips during late fall and early spring. Take $50 off a half-day trip or $100 off a full-day trip. Note that full-day trips will run a couple hours short including travel under these rates due to slow fishing and uncomfortable weather early and late in the day. Standard rates apply to longer trips and on private water trips.
Discounts apply from November 1 through April and are available on public waters within approximately 1hr of Livingston or Gardiner, MT. In the dead of winter our winter special trip is a better bet. Meeting times in spring and late fall will generally be around 10AM to noon, or a bit earlier in early May.
In the dead of winter, fishing opportunities are limited to the warmest part of the day on most waters and most days. For this reason, we offer a special low rate for short (2.5-3 hours on the water) walk-wade trips on the Yellowstone River. Trips will generally meet around noon and be off the water by 4PM. These trips and rates are available from November 1 through March, with the first half of November and February and March prime time.
Rates do not include Montana fishing licenses.
Reservations are required. For trips from mid-October through mid-May, we can often be booked a day or two in advance, though not always. During the June-September absolute peak season, all our in-house guides as well as the experienced independent contractor guides we use are often fully booked months in advance, so we suggest calling or e-mailing to book as soon as you can. The tighter your available dates, the more important it is to give as much notice as possible.
To begin booking a trip, fill out our trip booking and information form, call, use our online booking system, or send an e-mail. We finalize all bookings over the phone, so your booking is not confirmed until you hear it from us verbally and later in writing.
The full price of your booking will be charged when you book.
If you book a private water trip and we are reserving the water with the landowner on your behalf, we will add the required access fees when you book.
All merchandise and guide service conducted between June 1 and September 30 is subject to Gardiner, MT local option tax. These taxes do not apply to license fees or private water access fees.
Since our business is highly seasonal and late cancellations are difficult to rebook, we have adopted the following cancellation policies. They are comparable to those of our competitors.
Policies and common questions are discussed in much greater detail on our Guided Trips FAQ. This is just a quick rundown.
Other possible expenses may include the following, with the precise additional expenses depending on where and when we fish:
Whether you choose to fish with us or another outfitter, average gratuities for Montana fly fishing guides average $80 to $100 for half-day trips and $100 to $200 for full-day trips. Gratuities can be handled ahead of time via your preferred payment method if there's no other option, but cash at the end of each day of fishing for the guide you have that day is most certainly king. Note that gratuities average about the same amount whether you are fishing with the business owner (in this case Richard Parks) or a guide working on behalf of the business.
Richard Parks is Montana Outfitter #327 and Yellowstone Park CUA holder #13-037.