Guided Trips

  (Scroll down for trip descriptions)

Guiding has been a blast! After 25+ years of introducing people to fishing, taking people fishing, and teaching people fishing, it was time to make it official back in 2016. Ready to hit the river and make some more memories in 2024.

My bookings are handled by Steinmetz Outfitters - Montana Outfitter #9388.

I run trips year-round.  If there's anything you've seen on this blog that you'd like to try, give me* (406-839-0861) or Steinmetz Outfitters (406-439-4366) a call.  I will continue make the Missouri River around Helena my home waters - both in the blue ribbon section below Holter Dam (trout) and in the upper river above Canyon Ferry (walleye). 

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"Catering to anglers who like it all."
Or to anglers who want to try something new - jigging trout, floating at night, standing in a drift boat for walleye.

I often fish with folks who are accomplished bass, walleye, or saltwater fisherman - people who love to fish and want to fish a river on their Montana vacation, but can't find a  guide who caters to their style.  If this is you, we'll book a float where you can target fish with methods you may be right at home using, methods you likely weren't even aware were capable of taking trout.  And we can spend as much time as you like with the fly rods as well.

A trip will be tailored to what the customer is looking for, but a typical trip with me involves probing holes with jigs, working big plugs/crankbaits, and keeping the fly rod handy for rising fish.  We can swing streamers, jig the depths around structure, and break out the mice and topwaters at night.

I enjoy floating visitors down a river who have always wanted to fish Montana but don't necessarily want to spend the entire day learning to fly fish.  While fly fishing is a huge component of what I do and can be the sole pursuit of any float trip, my guide service does not frown on the use of other gear - but actually promotes it.  I take pride in working water to the fullest, and I keep the tools in the rod rack that I think are best for each situation.


Unique Missouri River trips:

Lower Missouri brown on a jig

Jigging for trout - It's no secret that jigging for trout is effective.  But it's not typically done from a guide boat on Montana rivers.  Taking fish on jigs in a river setting is thrilling to me, and I love sharing my techniques with people I take fishing.  We'll use Glass Minnows and various marabou jigs from Kit's Tackle tied here in Helena, Montana, Zig Jigs from the White River in Arkansas, and various plastics from makers like Lunker City and Zoom.  Jig fishing produces some of the largest trout caught - and I always anticipate seeing big fish when tossing jigs.

Upper Missouri Walleye

Walleye floats -  Walleye from a drift boat? Yes! Summer floats on the upper Missouri produce some hot walleye action. Trout are caught too, and it's fun to keep a fly rod handy if you want to stalk carp (or switch it up and target walleye on the fly).  When many Montana trout streams are in their summer doldrums, walleye action above Canyon Ferry Lake can be at its hottest.



Missouri River brown on a mouse

Night trips - Walk-in or float, typically fly rods with mice, etc, but also using spinning gear and topwaters, jigs, etc. Not always high numbers, but bigger trout. A new kind of adventure for many folks, and often on an empty river, void of other anglers.
My Stealthcraft is wired with interior lights, headlights, and running lights making night floats a pleasure.  Look ahead and book a trip around a full moon this summer and see the Montana scenery by moonlight while hunting big browns.

Refer to Steinmetz Outfitters for pricing
http://steinmetzoutfitters.com
(406) 439-4366
Licensed Outfitter #9388