Guided fishing trips are designed to make you a better angler, but also to make sure your day is safe and enjoyable. What you learn on a guided fishing trip with Nelson’s Guides & Flies, through the guide’s expertise, will be skills you can apply on your own waters and also help you to become familiar with Montana’s lakes rivers and streams.
Getting the Most Out of the Guide Day
- Learn basic casting skills beforehand.
- Communicate with the guide what you’d like to learn throughout the day.
- Ask questions.
- Be receptive to critiques and suggestions from the guide.
- Listen to guide’s local knowledge.
- If there are two anglers, be selfsufficient for when the guide is with the other client.
The guide day is only so long and the less the guide needs to teach basic skills the more opportunities the client will have to be successful. There are many challenges throughout the day that arise when trying to catch trout, and the more the client is prepared to meet the challenges the more opportunities the client will have at catching trout. If you’re a beginner we recommend taking a basic casting class before going out with a guide. However, our guides at Nelson’s Guides and Flies are fully capable of teaching angler of all abilities from complete novices to seasoned anglers.
Communication with the guide is essential in getting the most out of your day. Let the guide know what you’d like to accomplish and don’t be afraid to ask questions throughout the day. The client should be receptive to the guide’s critiques and suggestions. The guide is there to not only make sure you enjoy your day, but also make you a better angler. Our guides fish the area waters numerous times throughout the year. Take advantage of their local knowledge and listen to what they’ve learned throughout their experiences. What you learn through the guide’s expertise can make you a better angler on your own waters and also help you to become familiar with Montana’s lakes and streams.
A major challenge to guiding more than one angler is the time spent with each client. When on two-angler wade trips with a single guide, make sure that you are self sufficient. Use the time spent without the guide to practice what the guide has been teaching and be ready to ask questions when the he or she resumes guiding you. It is important when fishing with two anglers per guide to have a basic skill set so that you are able to perform by yourself while the guide is working with the other client.
The Typical Guide Day
The typical guide day starts between 8:00 and 9:00 a.m. The timing can be adjusted depending upon where you are going and the clients personal preference. If you are staying with us at Nelson’s Spring Creek Lodge, your guide will meet you at breakfast. If you are staying off of the premise, we will set a meeting place. The typical guide day wraps up around 5:30 pm. If you’d like to stay out later please be respectful of the guide and tip accordingly. Keep in mind that the guides still have work to do when they get home.
What to Bring on a Guided Fishing Trip
All of our guides will supply flies, leaders, tippet, transportation and a streamside lunch with non-alcoholic beverages. We also have rods and reels for those who don’t own their own or if you’d like to try out some new equipment. We do not supply wading gear, but we can steer you in the right direction if you need to rent boots and waders. If you booked a trip on one of the local rivers, you will accompany your guide on a non-motorized drift boat which you will fish out of while your guide gives you direction and rows the boat. Depending on the river conditions and the clients, the guide might pull the boat over and have the anglers wade up side channels or fish riffles from the bank. Therefore, be prepared to get out of the boat with waders or wet wading gear. For scheduled trips on private lakes, anglers will remain in the drift boat and there will be no need to fish from the banks. However, waders are nice on rainy or cold days. When wade fishing the local spring creeks, waders are recommended due to the cold water temp. The rock and cobble substrate on spring creeks can be very slick, therefore, a wading staff is recommended for those needing extra support. For anglers with limited mobility, we can bring a sturdy chair to fish from or rest on when needed.
If you are wade fishing with more than one angler per guide, each angler should have a small supply of flies, tippet, hemostats, clippers, and a net. Preparedness maximizes each anglers time on the water. The guide can only work with one angler at a time. All terminal tackle can be purchased beforehand at the S|N Fly Shop. All anglers fishing Montana’s private and public rivers and streams (excluding private lakes) needs to obtain a Montana Fishing License. Get one online at fwp.mt.gov. Make sure to carry the license with you when fishing and be prepared to show your guide so they can record the necessary information.