Montana Fly Fishing

Wild West Flyfishing

2013-05-07T19:09:40Z

Wild West Flyfishing

926 Brentwood Ave, Bozeman MT 59718

Contact Person: Jamie Benedickt
Telephone: 406-580-2426
Email: jamie@wildwestflyfishing.com
Web Site: www.wildwestflyfishing.com
Home Waters: Bighorn, Yellowstone, Missouri

Welcome to Wild West Fly Fishing. Montana's premier flyfishing destination. We invite you to come along on the flyfishing adventure of your life here in Montana. We pride ourselves on having the most experienced, pleasurable, hardworking guides in Montana and the West... although we call Bozeman Montana home. We are not bound to one river, one lake or one stream in Montana. We travel the dusty backroads, the mountain trails, and endless stretches of highways here in Montana to take you to the best trout flyfishing in the world.

Our guides live and breathe to flyfish and when they are not taking and teaching people to flyfish, they ARE FISHING! Most know that Montana has world class flyfishing. So come along and let us show you the wild Yellowstone river giant brown trout and native cuthroat, the mighty Missouri's incredible dry flyfishing, the prolific Bighorn's scrapy rainbows, the Madison River big bug eaters, and the endless small streams and lakes in Montana that Wild West Fly Fishing calls home. Come along and let us show you that Montana and the west is still wild. Cheers!

Jamie Benedickt Wild West Flyfishing http://wildwestflyfishing.com/
jamie@wildwestflyfishing.com 926 Brentwood Ave Bozeman MT 59718
406-580-2426

CrossCurrents

2012-12-06T18:54:51Z

"Montana's Premier Fly Fishing and Orvis Stores"
Established 1994 http://www.crosscurrents.com *Downtown Helena Store: 326 N. Jackson St. Helena, Montana 59601 (406) 449-2292 (406) 449-2293 -FAX

*Missouri River Store & The Fish Inn (store open Apr.-Oct.): 311 Bridge St. Craig, Montana 59648 (406) 235-3433 (406) 235-3443
-FAX "FREE Nationwide Shipping and ZERO Sales Tax!!"

Five Tips for Fishing Montana Spring Creeks

2012-11-30T20:33:07Z

Montana is home to some of the world's finest spring creek fly fishing spring creek fly fishing. The broad valleys flanked by high mountains that are common across Southwest Montana allow springs to percolate up in the valley floors resulting in unique fisheries that are nearly ideal for wild trout. Because spring creeks have a constant water supply that is temperature regulated they support a density of aquatic macro-invertebrates that is much richer than the more common freestone rivers and streams. Since spring fed waters in Montana are at the mean annual temperature which is 48 degrees the water temperatures in spring creeks are warmer than surrounding waters in the winter and cooler in the summer resulting in high growth rates for trout. The large density of macro-invertebrates combined with crystal clear waters and smooth, glassy currents help to generate challenging fishing conditions and highly selective and spooky trout. Spring creeks are widely considered to produce some of the most challenging fly fishing conditions in the sport. The difficult nature of spring creek fishing is cherished by many avid fly fishers that enjoy the chess match that unfolds on the water each day. Here are five tips that can improve your success rate on these highly technical fisheries.  

Get as Close to Feeding Trout as possible . Although spring creek trout can be exceptionally spooky, it is still a good idea to get as close as you can before making a cast. Currents in spring creeks are complex and if you have too much line out it is very difficult to get a drag free drift on either nymphs or dry flies. When trout are feeding on the skinny flats, the minimum casting distance may still be a bit lengthy. When trout are in faster riffles or in deeper water anglers can get much closer to the trout. It pays to take your time and slowly sneak into position, avoiding wading if possible. We frequently hook spring creek trout with just a rods length of line out of the guides. The closer you can get to trout the better your presentation will be.
  

Understand The Life Cycles and Hatch Sequences of Spring Creek Insects. The abundance of aquatic insects found in spring creeks is truly staggering. Since trout have so much food available to them they become notoriously selective during hatches. Fish will completely ignore any offerings made except for those that imitate the insect that is currently hatching. Fortunately spring creeks generally have a lower diversity of insect species which simplifies the process to some degree. What spring creeks lack in insect diversity, they make up for in sheer abundance of the species that are present. The most important hatches in most Montana spring creeks are midges in the late winter and early spring, baetis in the spring and the fall and pale morning duns in the early summer. Caddis flies can also play an important role in late spring and early summer on some spring creeks. Understanding when these hatches occur and the time of day of the emergence is critical to success. Since water levels and temperatures are so consistent the annual sequence of hatches is almost exactly the same from year to year on a given spring creek.  

Try Fishing Emergers During Hatches . Spring creeks are famous for their mayfly hatches. On Montana spring creeks fisherman can expect to fish over blue winged olives or pale morning duns during several months of the spring, summer and fall seasons. During thick hatches trout become very selective and often prefer to take emergers or crippled duns. We almost always produce more hook ups on emerger patterns than with traditional high riding duns. I prefer to fish several of the CDC patterns that lie nearly flush in the surface film.   

Use a Flies First Presentation  When spring creek trout are holding in deep or fast water traditional presentations of up and across for nymphs and dries are effective. When trout move into shallow glides during hatches it is more effective to position yourself directly across and slightly upstream from the fish. This allows your flies to move to the fish before they see the tippet and increases your hook up percentages. This casting angler also accommodates specialty casts like reach casts and curve casts that help present the flies first ahead of the leader.

  

Search For Water That Permits a Drag Free Presentation  Since spring creeks are so productive in insect life, the trout populations are also much more dense than freestone rivers. Spring creeks are literally teaming with wild fish and it seems. One of the keys to consistently being successful on these technical waters is to search for runs that allow for a very good drag free presentation. Since the waters are often gin clear it can be difficult to pass up trout that you can observe aggressively feeding. Anglers need to learn to read currents on spring creeks and select runs that won't generate drag on both dry fly and nymph presentations. Once you find a run that allows for just the right drift line it will be a solid producer from year to year. Sometimes just moving your body position in a run a few feet upstream or downstream will change the geometry just enough to start producing hook ups.

  Brian McGeehan is the owner and outfitter of Montana Angler Fly Fishing. He is an avid spring creek angler and has been successfully guiding his clients on these technical waters for 19 years.

All photographs are copyrighted by Brian McGeehan

Flathead River Bass and Pike

2012-11-29T05:03:11Z

In my piscatorial prowling around the state of Montana searching for trout, I mistakenly overlooked a great fishery--bass fishing! Had I not taken an extended hiatus from Montana and took up bass fishing in California and Oregon, both traditional forms sans bait and fly fishing, I would still be driving past great bass fisheries in my pursuit of trout fishing here in Montana. Yes, it is true that bass have a slow growth rate here in Montana because of the cold winters, and sometimes they have poor spawning conditions during the spring conditions, but smallies from one to two pounds are common, and three and four pound largemouth are not uncommon. Ask Darin Williams how big the largemouth get, and he will tell you about his state record largemouth bass that he caught on Noxon Reservoir in 2011. Weighing in at 8.8 pounds and 22.5 inches, this fish provides a pointed contrast to ten-year old Garrett Frost who caught a 3.5 pound largemouth on one of the sloughs of the upper Flathead River. What Garrett's bass lacked in weight he made up for in age. Fish biologists estimated that the hardy largemouth was at least 19 years old when young Frost sent in the red floy tag. State biologists are searching the data records hoping that Montana earns the distinction of oldest bass caught and released!

My own bass fishing took place in the summer of 2011, when I fished the Middle Thompson Lake. Using traditional gear and spinner baits, I caught bass and a number of small pike in the 18 to 20-inch range. From there I moved to a section of the Clark Fork River below Thompson Falls. Here too I caught largemouth and smallmouth bass on spinner baits, Senko worms and small tube baits. I was delighted with two of the largemouth weighing in from three to four pounds. The smallmouth bass were disappointing in that they were all seven to ten inches in length, but they kept me busy! During the summer of 2012, I floated the Flathead River from Buffalo Bridge to the Sloan Bridge, which is a long stretch of the river running through the Flathead Reservation east of Ronan, Montana. If you want to float a section of pristine river with sandstone cliffs, wooded islands with towering Ponderosa pines, grasslands separating forests of evergreens and towering mountains in the background, do it in the spring and you will also have solitude and the absence of humanity.

However, plan on a long float. I was told twelve hours, and that's about what it took me. During that time I saw two other boats, no houses, no roads, no cell phone towers, a number of mature bald eagles, some geese and lots of bellowing cows. I will not embellish the fishing. In that long float, I only caught fourteen fish, but they were stout fish and fought like champions. Had I not been concerned about time, and had I known where to locate these bronze fighters, I would have had real bragging rights because I caught them on everything I pulled from my tackle box and fly box. This stretch, and the two floating stretches below Sloan Bride are equally as long. The last stretch ends up in Dixon, Montana. All of the shuttles are long and complicated shuttles. Be sure that you have a map because you will be meandering around in wide, open ranch country. The other two boats that I met where made up of two fathers and their teenage sons.

They would motor at full speed from one good spot to another and not waste time on non-productive waters. Reservation fishing requires a tribal fishing permit, and all the waters on the reservation, except Flathead Lake, are restricted to 15 hp outboards. When I float this stretch again next year, I will camp out on one of the islands and make the adventure a two-day fishing tip. In all I probably I only spent two or perhaps three hours out of the boat fishing. I wasted a good amount of time fishing non-productive water. I was probably into the second hour of floating before I caught my first bronze back. Clearly, I wasted a lot of time fishing slow water sections that looked promising to me. I went through a long, turbulent riffle in my river pram with my good buddy, Buddy, sitting on the front deck. Manning the oars and sneaking in a cast without snaring my Labrador or burying a fly in my neck is a real challenge. The water was still high so I pitched a small tube bait on the edge of a seam hoping to catch a rainbow. Instead I stuck a smallmouth that fought like an 18-inch trout. I dropped anchor and dragged the 20-pound lead anchor to the bottom of the riffle before I landed the bass. (Yes, I know that I need to get a lead free anchor.)

Like trout the bass were lined up right under the seam in four feet of water. Standing in the pram, I nailed three or four scrappy bass. Every riffle was the same. I caught bass in deep riffles, along the seams and at the tail-outs. I was thrilled, but every time I got to a promising spot after twenty or thirty minutes of floating, I found the father and sons. When they saw me, off they would speed to the next hot spot. Looking down the river, I spotted one of the boats up against a large sandy cliff. They were in deep, slow water. I spotted a promising spot about sixty yards down from them where a willow struggled to survive on a shallow slide at the base of the cliff. I rowed out of the current, jumped up and made my first cast.

Oh, my goodness, when I stood up I spooked a half dozen fish swimming in three feet of water. I quickly sat down and reasoned that I should change lures, as by now I had switched to my bait casting reel finding it easier to sneak in a cast while I drifted. I put on a white spinnerbait with a chartreuse skirt. On my second fish, and due to my excitement, I had not realized that I was in a long, back-water eddy that, although compressed and elongated, stretched for almost a hundred yards. I looked up to see the other boat floating right next to me as I worked my way up alongside the cliff and they worked back down. I apologized and said I would leave. They laughed and told me to join them. They had been drifting up and down for an hour catching one bass after another. It was great fishing, and I can't tell you how many bites I missed. This bass fishery extends from Buffalo Bridge to Dixon to Perma to the confluence with the Clark Fork just above Paradise, Montana. All along this stretch, anglers can also fish for pike, which can reach twenty pounds. And then the fishing continues all the way down the Clark Fork River to Noxon Reservoir, which although narrow, snakes up the river for thirty-five miles. So, how long have the bass been in Montana? Well, since 1914 when the state planted bass in Horseshoe Lake, near Big Fork. Time to fish for those "warm-water" species in Montana!

One final thought on pike fishing. My son Brandon and I went to a pike infested lake on the Flathead Reservation. We fished for quite some time in a heavy wind before catching a small pike. After quite a spell of worrying about getting back across the lake with wind swept whitecaps, we decided to hug the shore on this small lake. By the time we got to the boat launch, my son had caught a number of nice pike with a white spinner bait. I stubbornly worked a jerk bait in this weed infested water. His insight was too strip that spinnerbait as fast as he could. If it felt like he picked up a weed, he would crank harder and then set the hook. When we took out, we met some other anglers who had done really well on the larger pike. We asked for suggestions, but they were fairly vague. I did note, however, that on our approach to their boat one of the men flipped up a large towel that sat on a cooler. I didn't know what to think of it. The wind settled down so we decided to give the lake another go. Brandon caught about fifteen fish with his method. I switched, but I never did have the success that he had.

Later that afternoon we decided to fish the Flathead River. The same two men were launching ahead of us. When I walked down to greet them again, I saw the same towel spread out on the cooler. In the center of the towel was a flat piece of foam. Attached to the foam were at least 20 spinnerbaits. All of them were slightly different in the color combinations of brown, black and orange. Again, when one of the men saw me, he flipped up the towel to cover their methodical method for searching patterns. I smiled when I remembered both men had told my son and I to use only white and green with Colorado blades. We followed their advice and had one hell of a day, but their method has piqued my curiosity because they showed us a photograph of a 12-pound pike they had just caught as they were coming into the launch site. They knew what they were doing, and it wasn't a random search through their lure box in the hopes that something big, or something shinny would give them a strike.

About Us

2011-12-31T01:14:17Z

Hello, glaciertoyellowstone.com is the culmination of a number of years writing and 15 years guiding experience in western Montana. I want the site to be both fun and educational for visitors contemplating visiting this great trout fishing state. To this end I have included fishing articles on rivers and lakes in five separate regions. The success of the site has created more requests for personal information than I can adequately respond to. Most often the information asked may be found somewhere on the site. If you have a request for information on a particular river, try the search engine at the top of the site.

I would like to acknowledge Dick Konizeski's book, The Montanans' Fishing Guide, which I purchased over 35 years ago, when I moved from Wyoming to Montana. Although initially overwhelmed by the comprehensiveness of the book (Mary's Frog Pond), the book has served me well, and it has also inspired me to make the journey across Montana a little easier for new arrivals and visitors who want to ﬁsh and camp in this great state.

I would like to thank my wife Pauline for her support and encouragement as I trudged off to new waters year after year. Best of all, she never once questioned my need for another ﬁshing boat to build and test. She has enriched my life, and I am thankful for her love and support.

I would especially like to thank my son Darin who has prodded and cajoled me to continuously improve the site. He is my computer guru and the architect and designer of this site.

Finally, I would like to pay tribute to some great animal friends who have accompanied me on my journeys up and down the highways, on the rivers and in the backcountry. Thank you, Shadow, Max, Buddy the dog and Buddy the donkey and Banjo, as well as my last donkeys, Harly and Lately .

Warning: As much as possible, I have worked diligently to convey the most accurate and up-to-date information. With each passing season, however, Mother Nature shapes and molds her environment. Additionally, the stewards and protectors of these great lands add changes to protect and enhance our national treasures. Be sure to check with the proper agencies or authorities to determine access and restrictions to Montana ﬁshing waters. Fishing regulations and restrictions are subject to change every year. Keep in mind that any trip into unfamiliar mountains or watersheds may offer hazards and dangers. The information covered in this book may be subject to errors, inaccuracies or changes since publication. Readers need to exercise safe ﬁshing, ﬂoating and camping practices and not rely solely on the information contained in this book.

If you have any comments, please feel free to me.

Dave Archer

About the Editor of This Site: David Archer is a retired high school English teacher. He was a fly fishing guide for fifteen years in western Montana.

Frequently Asked Questions

I do enjoy email from visitors to my site. If your question hasn't been answered below, email me and I will respond as soon as I can. (Much faster in the dead of winter.)

Dave Archer dave@glaciertoyellowstone.com

Q: Could you recommend a guide or make reservations for us?
Q: I will be visiting Montana to fish. Could you direct me to some good fishing sites?
Q: When is the best time to fish, and what should I expect regarding weather?
Q: Can I expect to get as good a deal on fly fishing equipment and supplies in Montana as I could in my home state?
Q: Do you give lessons?

Q: Could you recommend a guide or make reservations for us?

A: I have many requests for recommendations for accommodations
and outfitters. I have listed many businesses in the section for accommodations,
but I am reluctant to offer personal recommendations.

Q: I will be visiting Montana to fish. Could you direct me to some good fishing waters?

A: The area that I cover in this site is immense, and in truth I am not constantly out fishing. (Unfortunately, not even frequently!) Your best source of information would be the fly shops in the area you plan to fish. The variance of weather and the seasons constantly change the fishing conditions. Shop guides are your best source of information.

Q: When is the best time to fish, and what should I expect regarding
weather?

A: This is almost impossible to answer. It is a crapshoot at best. We
have excellent fishing in the spring on the spring creeks. We can also
have excellent fishing in March until spring run-off, but it is risky
business gambling on the weather that time of the year. Spring run-off,
naturally, depends on the winter's snow pack, but even this knowledge is not helpful if we get hot weather in May. Generally speaking, the last
week in June through the middle of July is the best summer fishing.
Although August provides good opportunities for hopper fishing, mid-day hatches have disappeared and the rivers can be fickle during those dog days. However, this period of time is the best tine to fish those
canyon creeks. Late August through October is equally impressive as
hatches become more predictable. I am always surprised at how many
people want to fish in Montana in June, when the rivers are blown out.

Q: Can I expect to get as good a deal on fly fishing equipment and
supplies in Montana as I could in my home state?

A: For the most part, yes, and in many Montana shops expect to get a
better deal. People mistakenly believe that they will be gouged at
their fishing destination. The opposite is generally true. Keep in
mind that a fly shop has a very short season. They have to compete with
sporting good chain stores and catalog companies. Their prices are not set for tourists; they are set for working stiffs like myself who
patronize their shop the other 7 months out of the year.

Q: Do you give lessons or still guide?

A: No, I am retired as a fishing guide and instructor. However, I offer a guide online that teaches the basics of fly fishing.

The Salmonfly in Montana: Five Truths About the Hatch

2011-12-31T00:03:44Z

Montana's famed salmonfly hatch ranks as highly as Bigfoot with the number of myths and legends that it spawns. This massive insect is impossible to ignore and is most likely the only arthropod that produces an addiction within the fly fishing community that is stronger than caffeine and nicotine combined. The salmonfly is a large stone fly (Pteronarcys californica) with an orange hued abdomen that inhabits heavy riffles of large freestone rivers in across the Western United States. The large insect spends 3 years living as a nymph in boulder strewn heavy riffles before crawling to the banks just after run off has ended in the early summer. Salmonflies are huge insects and adults can reach three inches in length. The hatch is very short lived on a given reach of water but the timing of the hatch is varies by river. Early hatches occur in late May and late hatches on colder rivers extends into early July. Although the hatch is found from New Mexico to Oregon, many of North America's famous "big bug" rivers including the Madison, Yellowstone, Gallatin, Big Hole, Rock Creek and Smith are in Montana. Due to the large number of salmonfly rivers in Southwest Montana, the Big Sky state is an ideal location to chase the large insects due to the fact that they are usually hatching somewhere during a 6 week period from mid May to early July. The widespread publicity that the hatch receives often generates unrealistic expectations for visiting fly fisherman. Our group of Montana fly fishing guides spends a significant amount of every early summer targeting the salmonlfly and have come to recognized a few "truth"s of the hatch.

Monstrous trout eat salmonflies on the surface
This is the truth that feeds every salmonlfy junkie's addiction. The largest trout in the river, the lunkers ranging from 23-30+ inches don't waste their time eating dainty little mayflies and caddis flies. Really large trout focus on big meals such as crayfish, sculpins and other trout. The tendency for big fish to want big meals makes it extremely difficult to catch them on a dry fly. The exception to this rule is during the salmonfly hatch. The huge size of these stoneflies and the substantial calories that each one provides is enough to entice gargantuan trout to the surface. I have personally had clients hook and land massive trout up to 26" in length on salmon fly dries. The thrill of watching the trout of a lifetime destroy a size 4 foam dry on the surface can be the tipping point that turns a perfectly normal individual into a mumbling obsessive Ahab ruined by his search for the next white whale.

Timing the hatch is notoriously unpredictable
Various guides to fishing the salmonfly hatch refer to the hatch progressing steadily up the river a few miles per day. A variety of factors influence that progression of the hatch including day length and water temperature. In general, salmonflies hatch when peak water temperatures are close 56 degrees F. The reality of the hatch is that it is always unpredictable. Some years the hatch begins on the lower portion of the river then slowly moves upstream over the course of a few weeks. On other years the salmonfly seems to explode up and down the river. To complicate matters, the intensity of the hatch varies greatly from one section to another (probably due to differences in river habitat). The result is a bit of an educated guessing game to determine where the bugs are each day. When fishing the "hatch" it is important to have as much information as possible about the location of the hatch and then develop a battle plan on where you want to target the hatch: the head, the center or behind.

Salmonflies fill trout up
The ludicrous size of the "big bug" is both a blessing and a curse. The massive insect's size entices massive trout to eat them. Every princess has a wart and the same is true of the salmonfly. The same attribute of the large stonefly that gets fisherman so excited (its huge size) is the same feature that causes fishing guides across the West to pull their hair out in frustration. When salmonflies are easily accessible trout literally go on a feeding binge. The robust nature of the insect quickly fills their stomachs forcing fish off the feed. A hungry trout may only need to eat 40 or 50 salmonflies before they are stuffed. The same trout would need to eat hundreds or thousands of blue winged olives to become equally saturated. The end result is that the feeding window of trout during the hatch is compressed and anglers have fewer opportunities to catch a fish with their imitation before the fish quits eating. Generally, the least productive location to fish during the hatch is the center of the hatch where the big bugs are filling the air like military choppers. The few fish that you do catch in the center of the hatch have grossly extended bellies and are often regurgitating salmonflies.

The best time to fish the salmonfly hatch is 5-7 days after the peak of the hatch has passed.
Nymph fishing can be very good in advance of the hatch and dry fly fishing is occasionally good at the leading edge of the hatch but both strategies are inconsistent and unpredictable. Trout at the head of the hatch are often already filled up from gorging on nymphs by the time the adults start flying. Finding the leading edge of the hatch is also a challenge since the hatch moves so quickly and is variable in intensity along different stretches of water. Many guides, myself included, prefer to target the trailing edge of the hatch for the best dry fly fishing. Trout spend several days digesting their glutenous meals so I prefer to fish at least 4 days behind the hatch. The trout will remember the salmonfly for about 10 days after the hatch. During this window of opportunity, trout are once again hungry and are still looking for the big stoneflies. Since most of the insects have already hatched out there are very few naturals to compete resulting in a great opportunity to catch some very big trout on huge dry flies. The trailing end of the hatch is also much easier to locate since determining where the hatch has been is obviously easier than predicting where it will be next.

Truth #5 Sometimes avoiding the hatch is a great option
Don't get me wrong, I love chasing salmonflies, but sometimes intentionally avoiding the hatch is a great plan. During the salmonfly season there are always other rivers (or segments of rivers) where the hatch either is still a long way off, has already occurred, or doesn't come off at all. Fishing well in advance or well behind the salmonfly is often outstanding. The big bug often hatches immediately after runoff ends, but on some rivers like the Madison there is often 2 or three weeks of clear water fishing before the hatch arrives. During this pre-hatch window trout are hungry and opportunistic and there are few aquatic hatches to compete with. After the hatch has passed also produces great fishing. The salmonfly is the first in a progression of aquatic hatches that continues with golden stones, PMD's and caddis. For three or four weeks after the salmonfly has passed anglers can target several other hatches that often produce consistent match the hatch fishing. Since many fisherman are intentionally chasing the hatch on other rivers, anglers seeking less fishing pressure may enjoy bypassing the "boat hatch" that often accompanies the salmonfly.

Brian McGeehan spends several weeks a year chasing (and avoiding) salmonflies as a Montana fishing outfitter and owner of Montana Angler Fly Fishing.

Brian McGeehan
Owner and Outfitter
Montana Angler Fly Fishing
www.MontanaAngler.com

bus: 406-522-9854
cell: 406-570-0453

76 Lucille Lane
Bozeman, MT 59718

Art

2011-02-15T23:10:22Z

Scroll Below to See Art by David Archer

Regardless of one's talent as an established artist, an aspiring artist or "wanna be" artist, most dabblers, such as myself, want to share their creations. My Montana fishing web site provides me with an opportunity to share my work. Given my skills as a photographer, it is a challenge to photograph these pieces with accuracy, and since artwork is so personally subjective in the response it generates, I offer 100% refunding on any piece of purchased art or metalwork that is returned to me in 90 days. Refunds will be credited back through PayPal, although I will not reimburse the cost of return shipping. This "art" category lists my art pieces for sale in a linear presentation so keep scrolling down the entry. They range from trout and bass paintings to metal, utilitarian horseshoe coat racks featuring ducks or trout.

The paintings are ready to ship. No doubt you are aware that framing is expensive, and it would add to the cost of shipping so I just sell unframed, matted watercolor and acrylic paintings. It saves on shipping costs, and I don't have to worry about broken glass in the shipping process. All of the pieces are insured, and you will be fully refunded if the work is damaged during shipping.

In general I do not keep metal artwork in stock. All the metal work is custom made at the time of an order unless it specifically states that it is ready to ship. What you see in the photograph is what will arrive to you in the mail, albeit some plasma cutting flourishes may be different. Do not purchase a metal piece without first emailing me regarding a time frame for delivery. If you contact me in the summer or early fall, I will be concentrating much of my time on fishing and bird hunting. I will want to give you an accurate estimate for delivery. (Typically, I ask for two to three weeks to build and ship an item.)

Pricing: If you wonder why some pieces are priced lower than others, it is simple. Some pieces did not please me, and, therefore, I hope that with a low enough price they will strike the fancy of someone else. I try and earn minimum wage for my paintings, but my metal work is union scale:) I charge $20 an hour for metal work. I neither inflate nor minimize the time that goes into preparation, cutting, welding, and painting.

Finally, I have included some garden art, most of which are for trellis climbing flowers or climbing vegetables. The Garden Angel is a trellis design. She can be painted, let to rust or made from aluminum. Email me for a quote as metal prices have risen dramatically this past year.

Dave Archer

d a v e @ g l a c i e r t o y e l l o w s t o n e . c o m

Big Rainbow

This is a watercolor/acrylic painting of a rainbow. With the mat it fits a 16x20 inch frame. Price $65 plus $10 additional shipping. Total $75

Gorgeous George

This is a watercolor/acrylic painting of a rainbow. The photograph does not do him justice. With the mat it fits a 16x20 inch frame. Price $65 plus $10 additional shipping. Total $75

SOLD. I will make a similar painting, however. This is a watercolor/acrylic painting titled, "First Snow." With the mat it fits a 16x20 inch frame. A similar painting would be $65 plus $10 additional shipping.

Rock Bass

This is an acrylic painting of a bass on a Montana rock. It probably measures four or five inches across. Price $20 + plus $10 shipping

Total price: $30

Coat Rack - Ducks

This is a welded coat rack using horse shoes with a duck motif above the bar. It will have five horse shoe coat holders. Price: $60 plus $20 shipping

Coat Rack - Trout

This is a ready to ship welded coat rack using horse shoes with a fish motif above the bar. It will have five horse shoe coat holders. Price: $60 plus $20 shipping

Garden Angel Trellis

(Commission order only) This is a garden angel trellis made of aluminum. I also make a Garden Angel is steel sheet metal, which is less expensive. It shows the backside of the piece to show the trellis work. Place the angel in a flower garden or vegetable garden and watch the climbing flowers and vegetables grow. (I will post more photographs later showing a rust version and a painted version.) Because of the rising cost of metal, I am unable to provide a price, especially for an aluminum version, which would cost at least a hundred dollars more than a steel version. During the summer of 2010, I sold a painted version for $225. Note: The base is not supplied. Instead, it comes with a drilled piece of steel that you cement in a hole and attach the angel.

Brook trout

Watercolor painting. 8x10 matted.

Price: $20 Shipping: $10 Total: $30

Bass - Tubebait

Watercolor painting. 8x10 matted.

Price: $25 Shipping: $10 Total: $35

Rock Rainbow Head

This is an acrylic painting of a trout's head on a Montana rock. It measures four and a half inches across. Price $20 + plus $10 shipping

Total price: $30

Rock Cutthroat

This is an acrylic painting of a cutthroat trout on a Montana rock. It measures five and a half inches across. Price $30 + plus $10 shipping

Total price: $40

Gothic Coat Rack

This is a welded coat rack using horse shoes with a tribute to Grant Wood. It has four horse shoe coat holders, and it is ready to ship.

Price: $60 plus $20 shipping

Big Mouth-Frog

This is an acrylic painting of a bass. With the mat it fits a 16x20 inch frame. Price $65 plus $10 additional shipping. Total $75.

Flyfisher's Guide to Montana by Chuck Robbins

2010-12-18T19:44:00Z

I believe that this is one of the best of the Montana fishing guide books. The organization of the book is superb; the maps are excellent; the hatch charts and tips are reliable. In short, it is thorough, comprehensive and makes for good reading! If you can only afford one guide book for Montana, buy this one or the previous edition written by Greg Thomas.

Montana's Best Fishing Waters (170 Detailed Maps)

2010-12-18T19:34:38Z

This is a beautiful and highly valuable book for any angler who really wants to sample the best fishing in Montana. I am so delighted that I purchased this book, especially now that I plan on going back and re-discovering the waters that I fished years ago while doing research for my book and website. For those of you who are campers, you will appreciate the campground symbols. Each map provides an overview map of the regional location. This is a must have!

Book Reviews & Product Reviews

2010-12-18T18:29:03Z

Book Reviews for Montana Fishing Guide Books

and Fly Fishing in General

Montana Fishing Guide Book Recommendations: Since my own book went out of publication, I have searched through Amazon to discover new guide books on the market. I remember how puzzled I was when someone wrote a negative review on Amazon complaining that I devoted too much content on camping. Oddly enough he did not read the title of my book, "Montana Fly-Fishing and Camping Guide." He took umbrage that I organized the book not by watershed, which can be most confusing at times, but by Montana state highways and roads within a specific region. All of this information was in the introductory pitch. I never rebutted his comments, as I was closing out my inventory. What is most troubling to me is the number of negative, ignorant reviews that I find on Amazon. Readers, be leery of wanna-be critics who rate books as 1 or 2!

I love a good guide book. They save me precious time and money. Ask yourself if you want a guide book that you can mark up, dog-ear and toss on the dashboard, or do you want something to lay out on your coffee table in your den. If you are like me, you will want both, and from more than one author! Every book that I include below is a favorite!

Glacier National Park Fishing Book Recommendation

Fishing Glacier National Park by Russ Schneider

Yellowstone National Park Fishing Book Recommendations

Fishing Yellowstone National Park by Richard Parks

The Yellowstone Fly-Fishing Guide by Craig Mathews and Clayton Molinero

Fly Fishing the Yellowstone in the Park by Bob Jacklin and Gary LaFontaine

Hiking Yellowstone National Park by Bill Schneider

Fly Fishing the Mountain Lakes by Gary LaFontaine

Montana Fishing Guide Books

Fishing Montana: An Angler's Guide to the Big Sky's Best Trout Streams and Lakes by Mike Sample

Flyfisher's Guide to Montana by Chuck Robbins

Montana's Best Fishing Waters (170 detailed Maps of the Best Rivers, Streams and Lakes)

Fly-Fishing the Montana Spring Creeks by John Mingo

River Safety - A Floaters Guide by Stan Bradshaw (Montana guide)

Fly Fishing Instructional Guide Books

The L.L. Bean Ultimate Book of Fly Fishing by Macauley, Lord and Whitlock

Fly Fishing - A Trailside Guide by John Merwin

Nymph-Fishing Rivers & Streams by Rick Hafele

Fly-Fishing Stillwaters for Trophy Trout by Denny Rickards

Morris and Chan on Fly Fishing Trout Lakes by Skip Morris and Brian Chan

The Fish Bum's Guide to Catching Larger Trout by Mike Croft

Fly Patterns for Stillwaters by Phillip Rowley

The Dry Fly, New Angles by Gary LaFontaine

Trout Stream Insects by Dick Pobst

Bassin' with a Fly Rod by Jack Ellis

Fly-Fishing the Montana Spring Creeks by John Mingo

2010-12-18T17:41:17Z

Fly-Fishing the Montana Spring Creeks by John Mingo

I am not entirely sure how to recommend this book. I found it to be very informative and a good read. The problem is that it is narrowly focused on fishing "pay-to-play" spring creeks in the Livingston area of Montana. Nonetheless, I found a great deal of information on nymph fishing that I can apply to the slow-waters of Montana. Unfortunately, I cannot afford to pay for a spring creek outing, nor can I buy a two-weight fly rod. If you are thinking, well, I can, then this is the book for you! (It also comes with a CD inside.)

Bassin' with a Fly Rod by Jack Ellis

2010-12-18T17:38:44Z

Bassin' with a Fly Rod by Jack Ellis

If you live near bass country, quit longing for your next trout adventure. Get out your fly rod and have a blast. Jack Ellis, author of The Sunﬁshes, traces the history of ﬂy-ﬁshing for bass as well as providing speciﬁc techniques for catching large-mouth bass. I really enjoyed reading the parts were he debunks the writers who churn out expert opinion that no one else can duplicate. Having been a ﬂy-ﬁsher for trout all my life, this book was exactly what I was looking for in my new pursuit of bass in the Sacramento delta waters.

Trout Stream Insects by Dick Pobst

2010-12-18T17:36:35Z

Trout Stream Insects by Dick Pobst

A great pocket guide to the major hatches!

The Dry Fly, New Angles by Gary LaFontaine

2010-12-18T17:34:04Z

Note: If you are just beginning to collect fly fishing books, you will greatly value any of Gary LaFontaine's books.

The Dry Fly, New Angles by Gary LaFontaine

Trout Flies - Proven Patterns by Gary LaFontaine

Fly Patterns for Stillwaters by Phillip Rowley

2010-12-18T17:29:46Z

Fly Patterns for Stillwaters by Phillip Rowley

So, you have made a commitment to stillwater fishing and you need a resource for fly patterns, this is the book. In addition to the fly-tying instructions and beautiful photographs, this book is packed with information on the food base in lakes and how and why to develop effective patterns. Rowley provides excellent advice and tips for seasonal tips, tactics and presentations.