Montana — Hosted Expedition
A hosted fly fishing journey through Montana and the greater Yellowstone region
Small-Group Structure
Standard departures are designed for four guests. Private groups of up to eight can also be accommodated by adding another host, vehicle, guiding team and suitable accommodation, while preserving private rooms, personal space and the same 1:2 guiding ratio.
Nine Days of Guided Fishing
The journey includes nine professionally guided fishing days across three distinct regions.
Hosted Throughout
Anthony Boliancu travels with the group throughout, drawing on more than three decades of experience as a full-time professional guide.
Each Australian winter, we travel through Montana and the greater Yellowstone region to fish some of the most celebrated trout rivers in North America.
This is more than a fishing trip. It is a carefully structured journey for anglers who want to experience these waters properly, with outstanding local guides, comfortable accommodation and the quiet assurance that every detail has been considered.
Across the journey, guests enjoy:
- 12 nights accommodation in private, single-occupancy rooms
- nine days of professionally guided fly fishing
- one guide for every two anglers
- departures normally structured for four guests
- private groups of up to eight available by arrangement
- all travel between regions organised and hosted
Watch the Montana Film
Running time: approximately 17 minutes.
For anyone seriously considering the journey, this is the best place to begin.
A Carefully Designed Journey
The journey runs for 13 days and 12 nights, moving through three distinct regions of Montana and the greater Yellowstone ecosystem.
Rather than remaining in one location, we spend three days fishing each region before using the following day to travel to the next. This rhythm provides substantial time on the water while allowing the landscapes, towns and character of each region to become part of the experience.
Each destination offers something different, from expansive tailwaters and technical fishing to freestone rivers flowing through some of the most remarkable country in the American West.
The structure allows guests to experience a broad cross-section of the region while maintaining a comfortable and unhurried pace.
The Journey Between Rivers
The travel days are not treated as empty time between fishing locations.
Moving between the Missouri, southwest Montana and the greater Yellowstone region allows us to experience a much broader version of the American West. Mountain passes, historic fishing towns, working agricultural communities, wildlife and landscapes that change dramatically from one region to the next all become part of the journey.
The itinerary allows time for worthwhile stops and short detours without compromising the fishing program. These days give the journey its rhythm and are often among the parts guests remember most clearly.
The rivers may provide the direction, but much of the character of the journey is found in the country between them.
The Journey
For first-time guests, I believe this itinerary provides the finest introduction to fly fishing in Montana.
Over many seasons, it has evolved into a journey that balances outstanding fishing with comfortable travel, varied landscapes and enough time in each region to genuinely experience it.
There are many exceptional trout rivers across Montana and the surrounding states. I have settled on these three regions because, together, they provide the most balanced introduction to the American West. They combine remarkable fishing, striking scenery, comfortable travel distances and enough variety for every stage of the journey to feel different from the last.
The itinerary normally follows three distinct regions, each providing four nights accommodation and three days of guided fishing before we move on to the next destination.
The Missouri River
Expansive tailwater fishing near Craig
The journey usually begins on the Missouri River near Craig, one of the most celebrated tailwater fisheries in North America.
Long runs, dependable hatches and extraordinary numbers of wild trout make it an ideal place to begin the journey. Drift boats allow us to cover miles of productive water while targeting fish feeding confidently in long slicks, seams, riffles and shallow flats.
Depending on conditions, the fishing may range from precise dry-fly presentations to highly productive subsurface fishing.
Craig itself has become one of the iconic fly fishing towns of the American West. Evenings are spent among anglers from around the world, with the river never more than a short walk away.
Southwest Montana
Three very different rivers from a base near Dillon
From the Missouri, we travel south towards Dillon, where several of Montana’s classic trout rivers lie within easy reach.
Depending on seasonal conditions, we may fish the Beaverhead, Big Hole or Ruby Rivers, each offering a distinctly different style of fly fishing.
The Beaverhead rewards careful presentation to substantial trout in deceptively compact water. The Ruby offers a more intimate setting, while the Big Hole provides classic western freestone fishing through broad valleys framed by mountain ranges.
Together, these rivers create one of the most varied stages of the journey and reward anglers who enjoy thoughtful presentation, careful observation and adapting to a different fishery each day.
The Greater Yellowstone Region
Wild landscapes, varied fisheries and the final stage of the journey
The final stage of the journey explores the rivers surrounding Yellowstone National Park.
Depending on seasonal conditions, we may fish waters such as the Madison or Yellowstone River, along with other fisheries flowing from the high country surrounding the park.
This part of the journey combines varied fishing with some of the most recognisable landscapes in the American West. Wildlife, mountain ranges, historic towns and the opportunity to spend time in or around Yellowstone National Park make the broader region as memorable as the fishing itself.
The landscapes become progressively more dramatic and every day feels different from the one before. For many guests, this final stage provides the perfect conclusion to the journey.
Small Groups. Personal Attention.
The Montana program is built around groups of four guests, with no more than two anglers per guide.
Larger private groups of up to eight can also be accommodated. Rather than placing everyone into a larger vehicle or reducing the level of service, we expand the operation by adding another host, a second vehicle, additional guides and expanded accommodation where required.
This preserves the features that matter most: private rooms, generous personal space, 1:2 guiding and the flexibility to move comfortably between regions.
Whether the departure includes four guests or eight, the experience remains personal, unhurried and carefully hosted.
Accommodation and Evenings
Accommodation is selected for comfort, location and character.
Guests stay in carefully selected houses, lodges and guest accommodation close to the regions being fished, with each angler having a private room throughout the journey.
Evenings are relaxed and unhurried: good meals, conversation and the quiet satisfaction that follows a full day on the water.
Why Travel With Me?
The fishing itself is conducted by outstanding Montana-based guides, but I travel with the group throughout the entire journey.
My role begins long before departure. I help guests prepare their equipment, understand the different fisheries, organise the practical details and arrive with a clear sense of what to expect.
Once in America, I coordinate the logistics between destinations, accommodation, outfitters and guides. This allows guests to concentrate on the fishing and enjoy the broader journey without having to manage the details themselves.
Having spent many seasons fishing these waters and working with the same outfitters and guiding teams, I understand which guides and personalities will work well together, where worthwhile stops can be made on travel days and how to maintain a comfortable rhythm as we move between regions.
The result is a journey where every guest can relax, fish hard and experience the American West, knowing that the organisation and practical details are being handled by someone who has made the journey many times before.
Hear It from Our Guests
“Every aspect of the trip was exceptional, from the pre-trip planning to the fishing, accommodation and support throughout. Anthony’s experience and relationships with the local guides and outfitters made the journey effortless, while the travel days allowed us to experience far more than the fishing alone.”
Craig Horneman, Sydney, Montana guest
“I was fairly new to fly fishing, but the guides were knowledgeable and friendly and I learned a great deal from each of them. I loved the road-trip format, moving between different locations and fishing a variety of rivers, with every day feeling different.
The fishing, accommodation, wildlife, scenery and food were all excellent, but what truly set the trip apart were the people running it. From my first phone call until the journey was over, nothing was ever too much trouble.”
Tim Hitchins, Melbourne, Montana guest
“The secret sauce is the rhythm created by three days fishing followed by a travel day. It is perfection, and clearly the result of years of fine-tuning. While the fishing is central, soaking up small-town America is one of the memories that will also stay with me.”
Rodney Hirst, Melbourne, Montana guest
Reviews condensed for length from Tripadvisor and Google Reviews.
Pace and Physical Requirements
The fishing is primarily drift-boat based and does not require a high level of physical fitness.
Most fishing is done from the boat, with straightforward wading where conditions and individual ability allow.
Guests should nevertheless be comfortable with full days on the water, getting in and out of drift boats and travelling between regions.
The itinerary is structured to provide substantial fishing time while retaining relaxed evenings and comfortable travel days.
Who This Trip Suits
This journey is particularly well suited to anglers who value:
- an unhurried and immersive fishing experience
- small groups and private accommodation
- experienced local guides
- varied rivers and styles of fishing
- the landscapes, towns and culture surrounding the rivers
Guests do not need to be expert anglers. The journey can be equally rewarding for experienced fly fishers and those still developing their skills, provided they are comfortable fishing full days and travelling internationally.
Individual travellers are also welcome. Many guests join without an existing fishing companion and quickly become part of the small group.
Returning Guests and Private Groups
The standard itinerary above remains the journey I recommend for anyone visiting Montana for the first time.
Many of our guests, however, return to fish with us again.
Rather than simply repeating the same itinerary, I have developed several additional four-night regions that can be substituted into the standard journey or combined into a completely customised itinerary for private groups.
Each follows the same philosophy as the standard program: three days of guided fishing, comfortable accommodation, small groups and thoughtfully planned travel between regions.
The result is a second or third journey that feels entirely different while preserving the relaxed rhythm that has become a hallmark of the program.
Additional Fishing Regions
Paradise Valley
Paradise Valley lies between Livingston and Yellowstone National Park, beneath the Absaroka Range.
The region combines the precise and often highly technical fishing of celebrated spring creeks such as DePuy’s, Armstrong’s and Nelson’s with drift-boat fishing on the Yellowstone River.
The spring creeks offer opportunities to sight-fish for wild trout in intimate water where careful presentation, long leaders and close attention to the hatch become essential.
The Yellowstone provides a striking contrast. Broad, freestone and entirely undammed, it allows us to cover substantial water while fishing banks, riffles, seams and long glides.
This region is particularly well suited to anglers wanting to combine intimate sight-fishing with the scale and freedom of one of the great rivers of the American West.
The Bighorn River
Flowing below Yellowtail Dam in south-central Montana, the Bighorn is one of America’s great tailwater fisheries.
The surrounding country is strikingly different from western Montana, with open valleys, sandstone bluffs and immense skies replacing mountain forests. It feels like a completely different Montana, both in landscape and atmosphere.
Consistent aquatic insect life, exceptional trout numbers and long drift-boat days make it one of the country’s most dependable fisheries.
Travel to or from the Bighorn also creates the opportunity to visit Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, adding a powerful historical dimension to the journey.
Eastern Idaho and the Teton Valley
Based around Victor and Driggs beneath the Tetons, this region provides access to an extraordinary concentration of trout rivers.
The South Fork of the Snake offers immense drift-boat water and native Yellowstone cutthroat trout, while the Henry’s Fork presents some of the most rewarding technical dry-fly fishing in North America.
The nearby Teton River and more remote canyon water around Bitch Creek provide a different character again, with striking scenery, less accessible water and a genuine sense of adventure.
For anglers seeking a larger experience, an overnight float through the South Fork canyon can also be incorporated. Two days of fishing are linked by a night at a comfortable riverside camp, allowing the group to remain in the canyon and experience a section of river that cannot be properly appreciated during a conventional day trip.
Few places in the American West offer such a remarkable concentration of world-class trout rivers within such a compact area.
Private and Returning Guests
These additional regions are generally most suitable for anglers who have previously travelled with us or for private groups wishing to create a customised itinerary.
Rather than offering a fixed menu of destinations, we design each journey around seasonal conditions, travel logistics, accommodation availability and the particular style of fishing the group most wants to experience.
Not every combination will be equally practical at every time of year. We work through those details with the group and create an itinerary that retains the defining rhythm of the program: three substantial fishing days in each region, comfortable travel between destinations and enough time to experience the country between the rivers.
The result is a second or third journey that feels every bit as fresh as the first.
Expedition Dates and Price
This is a deliberately small and carefully run journey. Places are limited each season.
Available Departures
- 6 to 18 June 2027
- 20 June to 2 July 2027
- 4 to 16 July 2027
- 18 to 30 July 2027
13 Days and 12 Nights
- nine days of professionally guided fishing
- one guide for every two anglers
- departures normally limited to four guests
- private groups of up to eight available by arrangement
Price
Private Room (Standard)
US$9,900 per person
Every guest enjoys their own private room throughout the journey.
Twin Share (Travelling Together)
US$9,500 per person
Guests travelling together who choose to share a room pay US$9,500 per person. Twin-share pricing is available only to guests travelling together. We do not pair individual travellers together.
All other aspects of the journey remain unchanged, including professional guiding, private transport, itinerary and inclusions.
Private-group pricing for six to eight guests is available on request.
The advertised dates and price apply to the standard itinerary. Custom or private journeys may vary according to the regions selected, guiding costs, accommodation and transport requirements.
Included
- 12 nights accommodation in single-occupancy rooms
- nine days of professionally guided fishing
- one guide for every two anglers
- ground transport throughout the hosted journey
- pre-trip preparation, coordination and hosting
Not Included
- international and domestic flights
- fishing licences
- guide gratuities
- meals and personal expenses, unless otherwise stated in the final itinerary
Enquiries
If Montana has been sitting in the back of your mind, the best next step is a conversation.
There is no pressure to decide quickly. These journeys tend to come together thoughtfully, one conversation at a time.
Given the time difference, a short text is often the easiest way to begin. I will reply as soon as I see it, and we can either continue by message or arrange a suitable time to speak.
Anthony Boliancu
Goulburn Valley Fly Fishing Centre
Text or call: +61 418 995 611
Email: info@gvflyfishing.com