Goulburn Valley Fly Fishing / International journeys
The American West · June & July 2027
Fly fishing
in Montana
Three Regions. Nine Guided Days. Hosted Throughout.
After dinner near Craig, we’ll sometimes head back to the Missouri to see whether anything is rising. Four nights in the area give us time to get to know the river from the boat by day and from the bank in the evening. Then we head south for Dillon, with Yellowstone country still to come.
I’ve been bringing anglers here since 2010. Four guests travel with me on a standard trip, fishing in pairs with local guides I’ve known for years. We leave a full day to get from one base to the next. Some of the little towns along the way deserve more than a look through the windscreen.
12 nights away
Guided fishing
2 per local guide
Per person · own room
The GVFFC film / About 17 minutes
A Montana Fly Fishing Journey
For a sense of the scale of these rivers and of the trip itself, start with the film. You’ll see the boat fishing, the country we travel through and what a day in the American West looks like with a rod in hand.
The standard journey
From the Missouri to Yellowstone
For a first visit, these are the three places I’d choose. Each base gets four nights and three guided days, with two days set aside for the journeys between them.
First base / Days 1–4
The Missouri at Craig
Arrive on day 1. Fish days 2, 3 and 4.
The Missouri gives us room to drift. Near Craig the river opens into long flats where, on a good hatch, hundreds of trout can be up at once. From the boat you can take your time and choose a particular fish. On a quieter day the same guide might put you over a deeper run with a nymph or a streamer.
Three days here lets you see more than one side of the river. There’s the fishing itself, and there’s Craig at the end of the day, when the boats come off and anglers who spent the day miles apart end up in the same little town.
Second base / Days 5–8
The rivers around Dillon
Travel on day 5. Fish days 6, 7 and 8.
The change around Dillon is as much in the scale of the rivers as in the scenery. The Beaverhead is narrow, quick water for the size of the browns it holds. The Ruby is smaller again. Then there’s the Big Hole, a freestone river with a whole mountain valley around it.
We choose the water with the local guides. Three days gives us choices, including going back to a river that fished well rather than leaving it behind just to tick another name off a list.
Third base / Days 9–13
Greater Yellowstone
Travel on day 9. Fish days 10, 11 and 12. Depart on day 13.
For the last four nights we base ourselves in the country around Yellowstone. The Madison and the Yellowstone are among our options. Depending on the water and the group, we might spend the day in a drift boat or get out and fish on foot.
This is the part of the trip where many people are as keen to look up from the river as they are to watch their fly. We leave room for that. Where we fish and how much time we spend in the park depend on conditions on your particular departure.
Days 5 & 9 / On the road
The country between rivers
On the fourth morning there’s no boat to meet. We pack up after three days of fishing and head for the next base. A mountain pass, a ranching town or a stop for lunch can take as much of the morning as it deserves. We’ve allowed a day for the move, not a few hurried hours after coming off the water.
Those two days are why I like doing Montana this way. A river gets you to Craig or Dillon in the first place. The drive gives you a chance to see a little of the country people live in between the two.
“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
Guest review, as excerpted on the GVFFC Montana page.
Your host / Anthony Boliancu
Why travel with me?
I’ve personally hosted our Montana trips since the first departure in 2010. Before we go, I’m the person you’ll talk to about the fishing you enjoy, what tackle you already own and which departure makes sense for you.
In Montana, our local guides are on the oars. Some anglers want to spend a morning looking for a particular rising trout; others would rather cover water and see what the river gives them. Knowing both the anglers and the guides helps me put the right people in a boat together.
I stay with the group as the local teams change. You don’t have to organise another outfitter, find the next house or work out how to get everyone there. I look after those arrangements, so when you come off the river you can decide what you’d like to do with the evening.
Between fishing days
A room of your own
Four nights in each place means you can unpack. We use houses, lodges and guest accommodation chosen for their location near the fishing. There’s company over dinner or in the shared areas, and a bedroom to yourself when you’re ready to call it a night.
You’re welcome to come on your own. We pair anglers for the fishing, not to fill bedrooms. Two friends can each take a private room or choose to share and pay the lower twin-share rate. We’ll confirm the room arrangements for your departure before you book.
From the guests
What stayed with them
“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
Reviews condensed for length from Tripadvisor and Google Reviews.
On your feet & in the boat
Is this your sort of fishing?
Most of the guided fishing is from a drift boat, so the standard trip doesn’t depend on long hikes. There are opportunities to wade where the river and your footing allow. You do need to be comfortable getting into and out of a boat, spending a full day outdoors and travelling between bases.
You don’t need to be an expert. There’s time across nine fishing days to become more comfortable, or to spend a day on the sort of fishing you already love. Tell me about any concerns with walking or wading before you book, and we’ll talk through what each stage involves.
June & July / 2027
Departures & prices
These are the four scheduled departures. Contact me for current places before making travel arrangements.
| Departure dates | Availability |
|---|---|
| 6–18 June 2027 | Enquire ↗ |
| 20 June to 2 July 2027 | Enquire ↗ |
| 4–16 July 2027 | Enquire ↗ |
| 18–30 July 2027 | Enquire ↗ |
Included
Twelve nights’ accommodation in the room you book. Nine guided fishing days with a maximum of two anglers per guide, including lunch on each of those days. Ground transport during the hosted journey, pre-trip preparation and my hosting throughout.
Allow separately
International and domestic flights, fishing licences, guide gratuities and personal expenses. Breakfasts, dinners and meals outside the nine fishing-day lunches are additional unless your confirmed itinerary says otherwise.
By arrangement
Coming back, or bringing your own group?
The three-base route above is the one I recommend for a first visit. For a return journey, we can substitute a different four-night stage rather than asking you to repeat a trip you’ve already done. The options below are alternatives, not extra destinations on a standard departure.
Private groups of six to eight are quoted individually. We add a second vehicle, another host, guides and accommodation. We don’t fit more people into a boat: there are still no more than two anglers per guide.
Paradise Valley
The spring creeks at DePuy’s, Armstrong’s and Nelson’s offer a different scale of fishing from a drift down the Yellowstone. This stage can combine the two. We discuss access and the mix of days before confirming the itinerary.
The Bighorn
Below Yellowtail Dam we trade the mountain valleys for sandstone bluffs and open country. This is a good choice for several days getting to know one tailwater. With the right route and timing there may also be time for Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument.
Eastern Idaho & the Teton Valley
From Victor or Driggs, the South Fork of the Snake and the Henry’s Fork give us a choice between big drift-boat water and more technical dry-fly fishing. The Teton and canyon water around Bitch Creek are other options. An overnight South Fork canyon float can be arranged separately; it isn’t included in the standard trip.
Goulburn Valley Fly Fishing
Talk to me about Montana
Mention the dates you have in mind, who you’re travelling with and which bit of the fishing appeals to you. You don’t need to have the whole thing worked out. I’m just as happy to talk to someone considering a first trip as to an old friend planning another.
Before you commit, we’ll go through the room, travel arrangements, payment schedule and cancellation terms. Please check with me before booking flights or buying gear for the trip.
Anthony Boliancu
Goulburn Valley Fly Fishing · +61 418 995 611