On Guiding

Southwest Montana is truly a fly fisher’s paradise when it comes to talking trout. And from a guide’s perspective, it’s even better than that! We’re right in the middle of the season and enjoying one of the best years in memory for both numbers and size of fish caught by our guests. Sure, some days are tougher than others and not everyone catches a 20” fish but we’ve had more of those with than without this year.

I am heading over to the Bighorn for a couple of day later in the week and that will be the 14^th river that I’ve guided on this year alone. I have no idea how many miles of rivers I’ve seen this year, but it’s safe to say that I’ve seen a lot of water. From wading on little spring creeks to floating the Yellowstone near Big Timer at around 14,000 c.f.s, I’ve experienced a wide range of trout water in just the last few weeks.

The fish are great, but it really is the anglers that I get to share the water with that makes my job so enjoyable. I think to myself every year that this is the last year for me to hit the oars hard and guide everyday. But at the end of the day, it’s what I love to do best so I think I’ll probably just keep doing it until either my elbow, back, or eyes decide they’ve seen enough. Thanks to everyone so far for making 2010 one of the most interesting and successful years I’ve ever had on the water.