2022 Yellowstone Flood Update

Posted on June 18, 2022June 18, 2022 by Eric Adams

I’m reaching out to inform you of the 2022 Yellowstone River flood event. First off we are safe, our guides are safe and our immediate personal properties are unaffected by this historic flooding event. This situation is still developing and unfortunately we aren’t getting any information faster than the general public.

6/18 UPDATE:

Run-off has peaked for the season – it is unlikely any further flooding will result and normal summer flows are expected.
A fishing task force has been set up to discuss the situation with Montana Fish Wildlife & Parks and other governing bodies. These meeting will take place next week.
Most Yellowstone River access sites appear to have survived! Several of our guides have investigated the boat ramps and most appear to be in good shape, which is great news. We will keep you posted as we do more scouting and have official meetings.
Spring Creeks were not fully breached and are fishable! Most of the water coming into the creeks were from a small tributary (Trail Creek), but no significant structural damage was done to the waterway.

Details of Event:
On June 13, 2022 the Yellowstone River experienced a historic flood event several orders of magnitude above the largest observed event in 1918. This was due to heavy rains on the snowpack which exacerbated the snow melt. The Yellowstone River and most tributaries (Soda Butte, Lamar, Slough, Gardiner, Boulder & Stillwater) flooded many homes and washed out a couple bridges. Officials are currently investigating how this has impacted our fishing infrastructure, but as we learn more we’ll keep you informed.

Can I still come Fishing?
YES, we believe that a majority of the waters we guide will be fishable this summer. However, we cannot tell you exactly which rivers or sections may remain affected or exactly when they will open. Once officials get a handle on things we’ll let you know. The Missouri River, Spring Creeks, Madison River and Private Lakes are significantly NOT IMPACTED at this time.

The Montana governors office and Montana Fish Wildlife & Parks is working as quickly as possible to open the impacted rivers to recreation. As of today (6/18) the Yellowstone River and Yellowstone National Park waters are NOT FISHABLE and we expect that to be the case until at least July 1st. We’ll update you as we learn more. Yellowstone Park’s NE waters of Slough Creek, Soda Butte, and Lamar River will not be accessible this season.

Reservations and Cancellations/Rescheduling:
If your fishing reservation involves one of the impacted rivers AND your reservation is occurring before July 4 please contact us VIA EMAIL and we will contact you as soon as possible.

IF your reservation is occurring after July 4 please give us a couple days to respond as we are dealing with the immediate reservations first.

How Can you Help:
We’ve received so many calls/emails/texts of support. We thank you for your thoughtfulness and support. All of our guides are local, professionals and have been several impacted by this event. We’d ask that you consider donating to our MFG GoFundMe page These funds will be distributed directly to the guides most impacted by cancelations. We appreciate your consideration in this matter and you can read more details on the link above.

Thank you,

2022 Montana Fishing Season

Posted on June 3, 2022June 3, 2022 by Eric Adams

2020 and 2021 were hectic seasons for a lot of reasons, most of which everyone knows. 2022 hasn’t really slowed down in terms of guide bookings. However, if you are still planning a 2022 fishing trip or even a couple days of fishing we do have SOME openings. Feel free to contact us with your dates and we’ll be happy to try and arrange something for you.

A note about 2020 bookings

Posted on March 18, 2020March 11, 2022 by Eric Adams

For anglers currently booked, and those looking to book in 2020…

In light of current COVID-19 events, we want to share with you our perspective and updates regarding bookings this year. We are doing our best to adjust accordingly and with good judgement, based on our own past experiences. We also encourage everyone to adhere to the guidelines, just as we are personally doing. This isn’t about politics, it’s about science and basic math – the sooner we get this under control the sooner we can go back to normal.

We’ve spoken with many respected fishing outfitters throughout SW Montana. While we are all concerned about how to stay healthy and provide for our families, it is our collective sense that this will eventually pass. When exactly that day is, only time will tell. When it does come, we anticipate that many people will want get outdoors, and return to the rivers. This means a possible boom of anglers coming to SW Montana, as other worries subside.

In fact, we can infer historic relevancy to this with two notable economic downturns experienced here in SW Montana: 1) the recession in the 2000s, and 2) the 2016 PKD closure of the Yellowstone area fishery. During those stressful times, we only experienced slight dips in guided trips (<5% average).

We understand that this is a different situation, but plain and simple people want to come to Montana to fish and get back to nature whenever possible.

While we all are at the mercy of uncertainty, as well as, social and personal responsibility, it is our goal to accommodate anglers in the best way that we possibly can.

Below is our adjusted cancellation policy for trips 2020, with what we know as of today. Rest assured, as conditions change we will continue to adjust accordingly.

Bookings in Spring (March, April, May):

We will be in contact with you directly if your trip falls within this timeframe.
As a special accommodation, we will allow anglers the opportunity to reschedule their spring trips to another mutually available date in the 2020 or 2021 calendar year.
Obviously, this situation is very fluid and we will adjust accordingly as things change during these next few weeks.

Bookings in Summer/Fall (June, July, August, September, October):

As professionals in the fly fishing industry for 25 years, we highly recommend:

If you have a summer or fall guided trip already reserved, you should keep it on the books. Things could get busy, and we don’t want you to lose out.
If you are considering a guided trip in June, July, August, September or October, book it when you feel comfortable.
Please note we will adhere to our 30 day cancellation policy as of May 1, 2020, if conditions do not change dramatically.

Like everyone, we don’t know how this will eventually play out. I personally believe that panic and worry is not how anyone wants to live life, especially our guides and just about every angler I know. However, we are taking the guidelines and recommendations seriously.

Our regular, returning anglers, can attest to the fact that the Montana Fly Fishing Guides team is made up of men and women who are fully dedicated to their occupations. Our guides rely on advanced bookings to plan their yearly income. Most guides earn the majority of their yearly income in just a few months of very hard work.

As an outfitter, we need to balance the requirements of our anglers with the responsibility of supporting our guides income, including the ability to let them make alternate arrangements for income, if needed, to support their families. It’s a delicate balancing act. Please know that our highest priority is to provide you with the most dedicated, capable and professional guides.

Thank you for understanding, and we respectfully ask that you consider your bookings or cancellations carefully.

Please feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns. Remember to keep clam and fish on!

Sincerely,
Eric, Nikki and the entire MFG guide staff

March 2020 Montana Snowpack Update

Posted on March 11, 2020March 12, 2020 by Eric Adams

As of March 11, 2020 all of Montana’s major fishing drainages are sitting at or above 100% of normal. Obviously, that’s great news for trout and anglers alike. If things continue on the current forecast we should be in for another great year of fishing in SW Montana. Check out the images below and see for yourself.

On another note, our regional 3 biologist Scott Opitz spoke with the our Joe Brooks Trout Unlimited chapter here in Livingston recently. According to their recent fish surveys and comparisons with past data the Yellowstone River trout numbers are maintaining historical averages. Another positive note was very good requirement of 3 year old (approx 16″) rainbows in the sampling. Of course that’s what all of us fly anglers love to hear!

The next few months (April, May & June) temperature and precipitation probability forecasts also look favorable for anglers and trout this year.