The 15 Best Montana Fishing Guides (Summer 2023)

Name: The 15 BEST Montana fishing Guides (Summer 2023)
Address: Montana
Price range: $325 - $3,000 and up
Rating: 5

4.94 / 5 Average Review Score

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Featured Fishing Guides In Montana

Damn Good Guide

River Fishing Trip in Yellowstone River

Yellowstone River Float

100% (4) Managed by Nate

2 People From $250 per person

Damn Good Guide

River Fishing Trip in Big Sky

Half Day Walk and Wade

NEW Managed by Ennion

3 People From $108 per person

Damn Good Guide

River Fishing Trip in Madison River

Multi Boat Madison River Float

100% (3) Managed by Nate

6 People From $217 per person

Top Types of Fishing in Montana

River

Lake

Top Targeted Species in Montana

Brown Trout

Rainbow Trout

Cutthroat Trout

Half Day and Full Day Fishing Trips in Montana

Half day trips (3-5 hours)

Full day trips (6+ hours)

Everything to Know About Booking a Fishing Guide in Montana

What are the best fishing trips in Montana?

Our Damn Good Guides currently offer 30 trips in Montana, and the most popular trips in the area are Yellowstone River Float guided by Nate, Half Day Walk and Wade guided by Ennion, and Multi Boat Madison River Float guided by Nate.

Our guides in Montana are rated a 5 out of 5 based on 7327 verified reviews on Captain Experiences.

All guides on Captain Experiences are licensed, insured, and vetted by our team. You can access their reviews, click through trip photos, read bios to get to know them, and preview trip details like species, techniques, group sizes, boat specs and more.

The most popular cities to book a charter in Montana are Helena, Ennis and Twin Bridges.

What types of fishing trips are common in Montana?

River fishing is the most popular in Montana as well as lake fishing.

The most commonly sought after species in Montana are: 1. brown trout, 2. rainbow trout, 3. cutthroat trout, and 4. brook trout.

The most common fishing techniques in Montana are fly fishing, drift fishing, and wading.

How much does a Montana fishing trip cost?

in Montana prices can range anywhere from $325 to $3,000 and up, but the average price for a half day trip in Montana is $475. The average price for a full day trip in Montana is $1,217.

What month is best for fishing in Montana?

The most popular season for fishing in Montana is summer, and most anglers book their trips 6 days in advance.

Do I need a Montana fishing license and what are the bag limits in Montana?

See here for more information on fishing licenses in Montana, bag limits for target species, and fishing season regulations in Montana. When in doubt, your fishing guide will always know the right rules and regulations in Montana.

Recent Reviews of Captain Experiences

★★★★★
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 F. with Nate S. of Craig, Montana
★★★★★
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, https://captainexperiences.com/ , 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.
Doug C. with Nate S. of Yellowstone River, Montana
★★★★★
Had a really great time fishing the Yellowstone, Upper Madison on drift boats. Caught nice browns and rainbows. Wades the Gallatin and caught nice fish on dry flies. Our guide was Matt and he was great to work with not to mention he’s a trained chef so the lunches were fantastic. Highly recommend these trips. The booking process was simple and effective thanks to Captain Experiences.
Jay W. with Ennion W. of Gallatin Gateway, Montana