Montana Fly Fishing School
Course highlights
August 12-15, 2020
4 nights fully hosted lodging, 3 days fully immersed fishing on arguably the most productive trout fishery in the west.
Instruction on the water, in the classroom and on the casting course each day.
Our professional guide instructors will share their local expertise to elevate your angling skill level and help unlock the many nuances of the mighty Missouri River.
10 student limit, 2:1 angler to instructor ratio
We will teach you, among many other things, how to:
Read water, identify fish habitat and behavior
Properly hook, play, land, handle and release trout
A variety of different fly casting and presentation techniques
Knot tying and rod rigging
Stream entomology and fly selection
Have fun on the river and catch fish too!
Program philosophy
We believe the best thing about the sport of fly fishing is that you never peak. The learning curve goes on in perpetuity, and every day that you spend on the river will teach you something new about fish behavior, insect life, water dynamics, weather conditions, and ultimately to be a more accomplished angler. We will share our process of how we approach the river for a day of fishing, choose an approach for the type of productivity we want to achieve, and implement a plan to find the fishing experience we hope to have.
We as instructors will meet you where you are at as an angler, and wherever that is on the spectrum of fishing experience is just fine. New and seasoned anglers will be welcomed the same, and we will ensure that your experience is tailored to your personal desire to learn. Everyone will get something different out of our school session, but at it's core we aim to help you be a more observant angler, embrace a more technical approach, and enjoy the challenge of taking your fly fishing game to the next level.
Classroom
Enjoy the luxury accommodations and riverside location of the Missouri River Ranch while learning from our guide instructors inside their beautifully restored dairy barn, and improving your casting on the skills course on the back lawn. The ranch has over a mile of private access to the Missouri on the property in case you need a little more fishing to round out your day.
We firmly believe that the best learning comes from a full immersion experience, so most of the day will be spent on the water, in a drift boat, with a great guide leading the charge in your technical tailwater education. The Missouri River has miles of magnificent water to fish, so expect to see different sections of river during each day of the course. Conditions will dictate our approach to the fishing during the school, but we will be targeting the best fishing possible while also developing skills in the three disciplines of fly fishing; dryfly, nymph and streamer.
Curriculum
The Missouri River is one of the most consistent trout fisheries in the west, but it can also be one of the most challenging places to find fishing success. The thousands of fish per mile often leave anglers scratching their heads and wondering what it takes to have a successful day on the water. We've figured out how to do it, and we'll share that knowledge with you.
This course will help you fine tune the fly fishing knowledge you have already developed through learning about the many nuances of the Missouri River and the sometimes finicky trout that call it home. Specific river knowledge and fishing technique are an important focus of the course, in-depth instruction will help you learn how to catch more fish using various methods and styles of fishing. At the end of the course you will be much more acquainted with the fine details that are required for success on the river.
We will also focus our efforts on sharpening your technical skills and fishing abilities through time on the casting course and practice on the water with our guide instructors. Becoming a better caster, learning the details of knots and rigging, and diving into fly selection will not only prepare you to have more success on the Missouri, but allow you to apply what you learn in the course to other trout rivers around the world. We want you to understand more about trout and fly fishing in order to universally apply your new knowledge on any river for years to come.
And of course you’ll get a healthy dose of conservation insights and discussion; the river is where we find inspiration and rejuvenation, and unfortunately these wild places are threatened. We believe in paying it back and paying it forward to the river, and we’ll share with you how we do that.
itinerary
Wednesday:
4:00 p.m. Arrive to MRR and get settled in
5:00 p.m. Meet and greet, cocktail hour
6:00 p.m. Dinner
7:00p.m. Casting clinic and fly presentation on the casting course with guide instructor
Thursday:
7:30 a.m. Meet guides for the day, on the water instruction
2:00 p.m. Back at MRR for break
4:00 p.m. Classroom session with guide instructor ~ how to rig for the river
5:00 p.m. Casting and cocktails
6:00 p.m. Dinner
7:00 p.m. Guest speaker presentation - ~ stream entomology and fly selection
Friday:
7:30 a.m. Meet guides for the day, on the water instruction
2:00 p.m. Back at MRR for break
4:00 p.m. Classroom session with guide instructor ~ playing, landing and handling fish
5:00 p.m. Casting and cocktails
6:00 p.m. Dinner
7:00 p.m. Guest speaker presentation ~ state of the Missouri River
Saturday:
7:30 a.m. Meet guides for the day, on the water instruction
2:00 p.m. Back at MRR for break
4:00 p.m. Classroom session with guide instructor ~ course debrief
5:00 p.m. Casting competition and cocktails
6:00 p.m. Dinner
7:00 p.m. Course conclusion and congratulations ~ commitment to conservation
Course cost
The Master the Missouri session rate is $2465 per person based on double occupancy, $2760 for a single room, and includes:
4 nights of fully hosted lodging, including chef prepared gourmet breakfast and dinner, open bar and delicious apps overlooking the river.
3 days of guided instruction on the river including tackle, flies, lunch, drinks, river transport.
Daily instruction on the casting course
Fully hosted, around the clock guide instruction on all things Missouri River!
A 15% discount at Cross Currents Flyshop in Craig for all your fishing gear needs to prepare for or during the school session.
What's not included? Not much:
Montana fishing license and any guide or lodge staff gratuities.
Transport to Missouri River Ranch. We will organize a shuttle on the afternoon of the 12th and morning of the 16th to and from Helena, which if we can coordinate with you will be free of charge, but if you are on a different schedule you'll need to arrange your own transportation.
Contact us today to get enrolled: 406.431.5089 ~ heymfo@montanafishingoutfitters.com
