Yellowstone Country Fly Fishing picked Livingston, Montana as our home base with good reason. With seven float rivers within 90 miles, abundant walk & wade options in Yellowstone Park an hour south, and lots of private water opportunities, we have an embarrassment of riches nearby.
We’re a small fly fishing guide service specializing in personalized trips. Because we’re a small operation, we’re flexible. Got something special you want to try? We’d love to accommodate. Clients of all experience levels are welcome.
Our owner and head guide Walter Wiese has been guiding fly fishers of all ages and experience levels in this region for almost 25 years, and we’re eager to share our knowledge, tips, and tricks, as we introduce you to the riches of the region we call home. Whatever your experience level or the specifics you’re looking for out of a trip on our home waters, we’ve got you covered.
Trips Livingston Fly Fishing Trips
Livingston, Montana is at the center of Montana’s fly fishing universe. With 100+ miles of the mighty Yellowstone on our doorstep, it should come as no surprise this river is our bread and butter, but who wants to live on bread and butter? We also float and wade a myriad of other fisheries suitable for anglers of all skill levels. Here are some top options for guests who stay in or near Livingston:
River Float Trips
We’re in Nirvana for float anglers. Whether you’re looking for a mellow drift boat float in beautiful Paradise Valley on the Yellowstone or a rowdy raft-fishing trip through Yankee Jim Canyon (our specialty!) or on the Boulder River, Livingston is an ideal home base.
Available late March through early November, for anglers of all skill levels and interests.
Walk & Wade Trips
With Yellowstone Park and its wealth of wade-fishing waters less than an hour away, plus some sneaky options closer to home, it’s easy to mix in some public water wade-fishing on your guided trips with us.
Available year-round, with the best options from late September through April, when flows are low and wading the larger rivers is therefore easier.
Private Water Trips
Whether you’re interested in the famous Paradise Valley spring creeks or area ranch lakes with their big rainbow and brook trout, Livingston offers a wider range of nearby private fisheries than any other town in our operations area.
Hot tip: these waters are great choices during the spring and fall shoulder seasons. The lakes in particular are awesome during the spring snowmelt.
Multiday Trips
Whether you’re interested in experiencing the full range of float-fishing the Yellowstone offers, want to check out multiple float rivers, or enjoy the full smorgasbord of fishing the Livingston area provides, one of our multiday packages is just the ticket. Select one of our discounted pre-made packages, or give us a call to set up a custom package that’s right up your alley.
What Our Clients Have to Say
If you are planning to fish the great trout rivers around the Livingston region Walter is your man. And if you do, tell him Bud and Dave say thanks!
Also, we had bad weather/water conditions on the scheduled day but were able to reschedule for another day on our trip, which made us very happy!
Overall, great day on the river. Would definitely recommend booking with him.
The whole experience was excellent from start to finish and made for a very memorable day. I would definitely book another trip with Yellowstone Country Fly FIshing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Fishing tackle is included, but you are also welcome to bring your own. Flies are also included, including many custom fly patterns our guides have developed specifically for local waters. Do you like to tie your own? No problem. We'll let you know what to tie, and you can check out our YouTube fly tying tutorials to learn how to tie some of our specialties.
We do not supply wading gear. It is not needed on our most popular trips, and may be rented from local shops if required.
We have year-round options in Livingston. Winter is obviously quite cold, but as long as it is warm enough you can stand being on the water, there are good places to fish both in Montana and Yellowstone Park, particularly on foot. The widest variety of options are available from late June through September.
We’ve got so many options nearby that there’s something for anglers of every skill level. Just looking for one day? We’ll float a gentle section of the Yellowstone River or wade in Yellowstone Park. If you’re looking for multiple days, we can set up a Livingston-based package that will grow with you over the course of the trip.
Like most Livingston-based guide services, we do far more float-fishing with clients.
Livingston is a better home base for guided float fishing (or boat fishing on lakes) than it is for wading. The entire floatable portion of the Yellowstone River and the Lower Madison are the “big name” float rivers nearby, but we’re also within 90 minutes of the Boulder, Stillwater, Jefferson, Gallatin, Missouri and Upper Madison. It’s an embarrassment of riches and why we make our home base here.
Good guided wade-fishing on public waters requires a bit more driving, especially from May through August, when we might be looking at two hours of windshield time, each way. Much shorter drives are possible from fall through early spring. The private spring creeks are a much shorter drive, but require additional fees.
You can usually get away without wading gear of any kind on boat trips. You just need sandals or other shoes you don’t mind getting wet. In the summer, even your guide will probably be wearing sandals. In spring and fall, waders can be helpful but are not required if you have tall boots (galoshes) that will keep your feet dry while you get in and out of the boat.
On wading trips, you’ll want wet-wading gear during the summer and full waders from fall through spring.
There are good nearby options year-round, though anglers who prefer to wade might prefer staying in Gardiner or Yellowstone Park, while anglers who prefer floating might be happier staying in Bozeman during the spring melt from May 10 until about June 25. Our guides don’t mind the extra windshield time necessary to get on waters near these towns, but you might.
Absolutely. While we don't include lodging in any of our rates, we have some preferred hotels and campgrounds that work best for our clients. Give us a call and we'll give you our recommendations based on your budget, timeframe, and fishing goals. We'd also be happy to help with other travel planning.
Are You an Information Junkie?
If so, our website will be just the ticket. You'll find plenty of additional info about our guide services, our specialty flies, and more. We also provide more helpful content about area fisheries and fishing tactics than you'll fine in many guidebooks. All this is intended to help you plan your trip - whether you decide to fish with us or not.
Sound good? Grab a cup of coffee or something stronger, click or tap the button below, and get ready for a deep dive into fly fishing Yellowstone Country.
As you absorb all the info on our site, we ask you to consider one thing: think about how much we hold back for our clients….
