Trout on the Fly with Captain Experiences

About Your Guide

Nate Stevane

Outfitter 29 years of exp.

About Your Guide

Nate Stevane

Outfitter 29 years of exp.

Captain Nate is your one-stop-shop for fly fishing Montana. Captain Nate and his crew go wherever you can find Rainbow Trout and Brown Trout. Their guides are located in Bozeman, West Yellowstone, Ennis, Helena, Cascade, Three Forks, and Cameron, Montana and fish the Madison, Missouri, Yellowstone, Gallatin, Jefferson, Ruby, Firehole, Gibbon, Lamar, and Bighorn Rivers while also offering guided fly fishing trips on Holter, Hebgen, and Ennis Lakes and Soda Butte and Slough Creek.

Captain Nate's Montana ties date back to the late 1800s when his great-great-grandfather decided to call Billings, Montana home after passing through as a cook on a cattle drive. While fishing was in Captain Nate's blood, he didn't pick up a fly rod until 13, which is the age Nate dates his addiction to the sport back to.

Captain Nate regularly explored the Bighorn, Yellowstone, Stillwater, and Boulder rivers and began guiding in 1999 while attending Montana State University.

Twenty-plus years later Captain Nate is still guiding anglers, and enjoys imparting his knowledge to younger, up-and-coming guides. Captain Nate couldn't image it any other way- he cherishes the opportunities he's had to work with anglers from age 8 to 90 of all skill levels, those with disabilities or terminal diseases, families, and large groups. As Captain Nate puts it, "I know how important it is to take time to teach people the skills they need to get the most out of their fly fishing experience, making memories that last a lifetime for the client and for me."

Captain Nate is a single father living in Bozeman, Montana with his two young daughters, Emily and Elizabeth. He makes a daily commute to the waters he guides and looks forward to exploring them with you and your friends.

Fill in date, party size, trip duration, and start time above to book and get out there with Captain Nate and Captain Experiences!

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Trout on the Fly Trips

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River Fishing in Madison River

Madison River Float Trip

100% (7) Managed by Nate

1 - 2 People From $575

River Fishing in Bozeman

Missouri River Float Trip

100% (7) Managed by Nate

1 - 4 People From $700

River Fishing in Yellowstone River

Yellowstone River Float

100% (7) Managed by Nate

1 - 4 People From $575

River Fishing in Silver Star

Jefferson River Float

100% (7) Managed by Nate

1 - 4 People From $700

River Fishing in Saint Xavier

Bighorn River Float Trip

100% (7) Managed by Nate

1 - 4 People From $700

Lake Fishing in Bozeman

Ennis Lake Float Trip

100% (7) Managed by Nate

1 - 4 People From $575

River Fishing in Bozeman

Missouri River Full-Day Float

100% (7) Managed by Nate

1 - 4 People From $700

River Fishing in Bozeman

Ruby River Walk-n-Wade

100% (7) Managed by Nate

1 - 2 People From $575

River Fishing in Fort Smith

Bighorn River Full-Day Walk-n-Wade

100% (7) Managed by Nate

1 - 2 People From $700

River Fishing in Bozeman

Madison River Walk-n-Wade

100% (7) Managed by Nate

1 - 2 People From $575

River Fishing in Gallatin Gateway

Gallatin River Walk-n-Wade

100% (7) Managed by Nate

1 - 2 People From $575

River Fishing in Bozeman

Firehole River Walk-n-Wade

100% (7) Managed by Nate

1 - 2 People From $850

River Fishing in Bozeman

Gibbon River Walk-n-Wade

100% (7) Managed by Nate

1 - 2 People From $850

River Fishing in Bozeman

Lamar River Walk-n-Wade

100% (7) Managed by Nate

1 - 2 People From $850

River Fishing in Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone River Walk-and-Wade

100% (7) Managed by Nate

1 - 2 People From $850

River Fishing in Yellowstone National Park

Soda Butte Walk-and-Wade

100% (7) Managed by Nate

1 - 2 People From $850

River Fishing in Helena

Missouri River Full-Day Jet Boat

100% (7) Managed by Nate

16 ft 1 - 2 People From $825

River Fishing in Yellowstone River

Yellowstone River Full-Day Jet Boat

100% (7) Managed by Nate

1 - 2 People From $822

River Fishing in Bozeman

Bighorn River Full-Day Jet Boat

100% (7) Managed by Nate

1 - 2 People From $825

Lake Fishing in Bozeman

Ennis Lake Full-Day Jet Boat

100% (7) Managed by Nate

1 - 2 People From $825

Lake Fishing in Bozeman

Holter Lake Full-Day Jet Boat

100% (7) Managed by Nate

1 - 2 People From $825

Lake Fishing in Bozeman

Hebgen Lake Full-Day Jet Boat

100% (7) Managed by Nate

1 - 2 People From $825

River Fishing in Ennis

Madison River Float

100% (7) Managed by Nate

1 - 4 People From $700

River Fishing in Madison River

Multi Boat Madison River Float

100% (7) Managed by Nate

1 - 12 People From $1,400

Don't see what you're looking for?

Recent Reviews of Trout on the Fly

5.0

based on 7 reviews

Robin

Verified Review

Matt was a terrific guide. Really enjoyed our conversations. I want to book with Matt again next June! Nate was great in that he communicated with me right away and provided information I needed for the trip. Overall a terrific experience. Would highly recommend to others

Robin

Verified Review

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Brian

Verified Review

It was a great trip with Nate.

Brian

Verified Review

It was a great trip with Nate.

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Emmet

Verified Review

Great float trip!

Emmet

Verified Review

Great float trip!

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Trenay

Verified Review

We had an awesome trip with guide Matt!

Trenay

Verified Review

We had an awesome trip with guide Matt!

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Danny

Verified Review

The trip was great, from beginning to end. Ian was very helpful on the phone booking the trip, especially since we only booked it the night before. Nate and his team were helpful, and Matt was particularly generous with his time. His enthusiasm for his job and for our trip were contagious. We had a beautiful day on the water and had some success with the fishing, but the trip would...

Danny

Verified Review

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Bob

Verified Review

Had a great trip on the Missouri River drift boat fishing with Shelly. Extreamly knowledgable & helpful for a couple of first time fly fishermen. Caught my first Rainbow off of a fly rod. Highly recommend for the beginner or veteran fisherman.

Bob

Verified Review

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Doug

Verified Review

Doug

Verified Review

One of the things I wanted to be dang sure I did while I was there was fish the Yellowstone in a drift boat, and was lucky enough to get it done. With lots of fishing travel under my belt you never know how it will go and in this case the plan came together and it was a good day to be alive.

The Boss and I met our guide Nathan at the ramp at 8:00 and it was not long before we were on the water. The Boss and I are really fly fishing neophytes with lots to learn and Nathan was a perfect guide and teacher for our day on the water. He has fished those rivers for 35 years, was patient, technically proficient, and just an overall good guy to spend the day with.

As I noticed in the park there were lots of grasshoppers and it turned out to be our plan for the day. In my case catching any particular fish on topwater is the bomb, and we spent most of the day fishing larger hoppers with a smaller floating “something or other” on a dropper around 8″ behind. And it was so interesting to see the fish react. A few smashed it, (At least for a trout.) most barely slurped it under, and others could not resist rolling on it, or just taking a look. It took me a bit to get the hang of setting the hook like you need to and after a while I managed to toss a couple of small rainbows completely over the boat. It really was a new way to fish for us and it took a while to get the hang of it but I intend to put those lessons to work in Colorado when I head there this fall. Since this was our 5 or 6th run at it the Boss commented that each place and method was different, it is all part of the learning process.

I probably went about 10 for 20 with one whitefish, the Boss struggled. So late in the day Nathan put us on a nymph rig with an indicator. (Or as we regular folks call it, a bobber.) He wanted to be sure the Boss caught a fish and she finally boated a rainbow and a native whitefish. But the Boss was happy just sitting in the back and enjoying the day and the view, but I give her credit, she kept casting like a trooper. He was so patient as we tangled, crossed, casted like the rookies we are, and he just continued to act like the professional he is. (Except we all laughed like crazy when at one point when we were thrashing multiple messes he said; “Stop casting!”) Of course I told him I would trash him here so let me do it now – One of the best guides to spend the day with I have had the pleasure to fish with. So take that homie. From the Great Barrier reef, Belize, Colorado we have fished with our share and today was one of the best all around experiences we have ever had.

The fishing was not fast by any means, but the bite was consistent. I was not surprised by the number of refusals with the traffic and it being late in the season. Nathan made several fly changes during the day until we finished the day with the nymph rig and put the last couple in the boat. He worked hard to put me on a little bigger fish and his efforts were appreciated. Probably if I would have bullshitted less and fished harder I might have boated one of the better fish I missed, but I could have cared less as numbers were not the reason for the day.

Being a Saturday there was quite a bit of traffic, but it is a big river, and when compared to Froggie’s on the weekend no big deal. Of course we had a few incidents where both guides and the public cut us off, or were just plain were clueless. (Sound familiar you coastal boys?) As you know one of my rules to live by on our busy waterways – Be nice, be the bigger man, and just because you have the right of way let them go. Nathan naturally lives and practices that making our day on the water pleasant and fun and he is a credit to the profession. I can be pretty hard on guides.

It really was comfortable fishing from the drift boat. The Boss loved the safe manner he operated and being able to stand up and cast from the leaning post, or whatever it is called. I learned a lot about the drift boat and how it preforms on the water. As we accelerate our search for our place in the mountains Montana has made the list. Of all the places I have fished Montana gets an A+ for the access available to the public. (So thanks Nathan for offering to be my new best friend and take me fishing all the time if we end up in the area. At least I thought I heard him say that!)

And a big thanks to Jonathan of Captain Experiences for booking and following up on our trip. The home of Damn Good Fishing Guides, this site has guides all over the country and they lived up to their name when they hooked us up with Nathan. Nathan guides out of Bozeman, Montana, fishing the Yellowstone, Madison, and a couple of other great Montana rivers. Nate, the owner, kept us informed with a full written itinerary, with constant follow up both before and after the trip. It was a professional job all the way around. So if you are looking for a guide anywhere, or wanting to fish the Yellowstone area, give Jonathan a call and he will put you with the best. Overall a first class trip.

So when it is all said and done it was a great way to spend a day along with our park expedition. And here is a taste of what is next, as soon as I organize all of the park stuff.

We saw almost everything we wanted to this trip and were so fortunate to see the wolves everyday along with enough wildlife to keep us happy. (For a while!) And to Nathan, I have added the Madison to my bucket list. Thanks for reading my stuff.

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Potential Target Species

Color-coded seasonality below is based on .

	January	February	March	April	May	June	July	August	September	October	November	December
Brown Trout	Good	Good	Great	Great	Great	Good	Good	Good	Great	Great	Good	Good
Cutthroat Trout	Not Ideal	Not Ideal	Good	Good	Great	Great	Good	Good	Great	Great	Good	Not Ideal
Rainbow Trout	Not Ideal	Not Ideal	Good	Great	Great	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Not Ideal