Guided Fly Fishing on the Missouri River, Smith River, Blackfoot River in Montana

The rates above are per Guide, per day and apply to trips on the Missouri River, Blackfoot River, Beaverhead, Big Hole, Bitterroot, Clark Fork, Flathead, Kootenai, Madison and Yellowstone Rivers. See special rates for the 5-day Smith River Guided Trips below. Fishing licenses, any private rod fees and gratuity are not included. Please see below or view our Policies page for information on our reservation/deposit and cancellation/refund policy. (Click here to purchase your license online.) Other rates &/or restrictions may apply.

Full-Day is 8-10 hours long and includes all the tippet & flies used, snacks, non-alcoholic drinks, a delicious, full lunch and transportation to & from your lodging (some restrictions on transportation may apply). We can also furnish a rod & reel and waders if you don’t have any.

Half-Day is 4 hours long and includes all the tippet & most of the flies used, snacks, non-alcoholic drinks, and transportation to & from your lodging (some restrictions on transportation may apply). Half day trips are only available for the Missouri River. We can also furnish a rod & reel and waders if you don’t have any.

*There are only a couple of our Outfitters who are also licensed USCG Captains and able to do a Land of the Giants trip. Please give us a call early if you are interested in a day or more fishing in this amazing place.

Gratuity for Your Guide: Guides typically receive gratuities for their hard work on the water, and depend on them as part of their income. Typical gratuity for a Guide runs between $60 and $120 per day. However, the decision is yours, and you should tip what you feel is appropriate.

Our standard Guide Day is for 1 or 2 anglers per Guide but we try to be flexible and can sometimes accommodate 3 anglers per Guide. However, we only have a few guides that can handle 3 clients (due to boat size and/or willingness) so please give us a good amount of lead time to ensure that we can book those Guides. We charge an extra $200 for three clients per Guide. This is only available for the Missouri River however, at higher water levels (above 6,500 cfs) we cannot accommodate 3 clients per Guide due to safety reasons. Keep in mind that with 4 people in a boat (3 Clients, 1 Guide), each person’s fishing time is greatly diminished. We strongly encourage the use of another Guide for the third person or find a fourth angler.

If you don’t have a rod, reel and waders, or if you don’t want to put up with the hassle of traveling with them, we can furnish you with a basic set up. If you want to try out a premium Rod & Reel (Orvis Helios and Battenkill Large Arbor Reel) we offer a 50% discount on our rental rods and reels to our Guide Trip Clients. For only $12 you can fish with the very top-of-the-line. state-of-the-art fly rod, the Orvis ZG Helios. If you wish to purchase a rod after you’ve rented one, we’ll subtract the rental price off the purchase price!

Please keep in mind that Montana weather can be wild! It can be a 95 degree day in July and then a thundershower rolls in and the temperature drops 30 degrees and it hails with a 30 mph wind. In the Spring and Fall, some of the best fishing is when we have cool/cold, rainy or snowy weather – perfect for Baetis and excellent for streamers! Nothing is worse than having to row out early because you didn’t bring the right clothes and gear. Please bring a good wool or synthetic base layer, a warm mid-layer and a waterproof/breathable outer shell rain gear with you – or better yet, buy it from CrossCurrents before your trip so it’s waiting for you when you arrive! There’s no such thing as bad weather - only bad clothing.

Smith River Guided Trips

A five-day, four-night trip on this magnificent river includes all the meals, drinks (beer & wine included at dinner – but not liquor), all the flies & tippet, all the camping gear (except a sleeping bag & pillow), transportation to and from the river (including airport shuttle).

The cost for this trip of priceless memories for 2011 is only $3,600 per person.

The Montana Mixer

Why not fish two or three rivers while you are under the Big Sky! Let us arrange a perfect Montana fly fishing river sampler for your vacation. How does three days on the Missouri and three days on the Blackfoot sound? Maybe add the Clark Fork in there or the legendary Madison. We can make it memorable and easy! Just give us a call and we’ll make it happen.

GUIDED TRIPS Reservation/Deposit/Cancellation/Refund Policy

Guided trips require a 50% deposit that is collected and applied on a per guide day basis. Your guide day(s) will not be confirmed until deposits are received. If cancellations are made more than 30 days before your reservation, a full refund of your deposit less a $25 per guide day reserved service charge will be returned to you. If cancellations are made between 7 and 30 days of your reserved date(s) your deposit will be applied to a future trip later that year or the following season. If cancellations are made within 7 days of your reserved date(s) the entire deposit will be forfeited and a portion of that will be used to pay to the scheduled guide(s) in lieu of lost wages and expenses incurred. We do not ordinarily issue cash refunds for cancellations made within 30 days of your reservation. We operate in all safe weather and water conditions, therefore inclement weather or water is not a reason to cancel or receive a refund. (Often times “bad weather” is the best fishing weather! Please keep this in mind.) Failure to show or failure to cancel in a timely manner will result in you being liable for the entire cost of the reservation and our resultant collection of that amount from you. All reservations are secured with a valid credit card. Please be certain of your dates to avoid complications and service charges. Travel insurance is recommended on extended trips. (Some examples: Sportsmans Travel Insurance, Travel Guard, Access America, Travel Insured International, Travelex Insurance Services. CrossCurrents has no affiliation to any of these companies. We are just providing these names and links for your convenience.)

If we are unable to provide your reserved guide service due to unforeseen events, your entire deposit will be refunded and we will grovel for forgiveness.

Special policies for Smith River Guided Trips

Smith River Guided Trips require a 50% deposit and dates will not be confirmed until the deposit is received. The remaining balance is due by February 1st of the year of your trip. The deposit and full payments are non-refundable. We operate in all safe weather and water conditions, therefore inclement weather or water is not a reason to cancel or receive a refund. Failure to show or failure to cancel in a timely manner will result in your being liable for the entire cost of the reservation and our resultant collection of that amount from you. All reservations are secured with a valid credit card. Travel insurance is highly recommended. (Some examples: Sportsmans Travel Insurance, Travel Guard, Access America, Travel Insured International, Travelex Insurance Services. CrossCurrents has no affiliation to any of these companies. We are just providing these names and links for your convenience.)

If our Smith River Outfitter is unable to provide guide service on the Smith due to unforeseen events (mainly low, unfloatable water), your deposit may be applied toward a future launch date or other fishing alternatives may be performed. Our Outfitter will discuss the options with you.

GUIDED TRIPS

Smith River Guided Trips

What our Guides do on their day off – FISH!

> Click on the photo above to see the Photo Gallery of our Guides. <

Since 1994, CrossCurrents has provided the fly angler with the best possible experience on our rivers by using the finest fly fishing Outfitters and Guides. Whether it’s a day trip on the beautiful Blackfoot, a few days on the mighty Missouri, or five, fantastic days on the spectacular Smith, or combinations there of, CrossCurrents can accommodate any guiding needs you may require. We’re experts at helping you plan your fishing vacation to make it effortless and smooth on the front end and, of course, the most memorable trip ever while you are here in Montana.

Besides having the best river knowledge, training and

will benefit tremendously from our Guides skills and knowledge of our local waters. They know where big fish live and feed and can get you in the best possible position to make that perfect cast and make sure you’ve got the right ammo on the end of your tippet.

Our Guide list is solid and set. We have 100% confidence in our Guides. This confidence is based on customer feed back and our personal knowledge of their abilities. When we are booked up, we will tell you that we are full. We will not put any client with a Guide that is not on our list.

experience, our professional Guides are excellent teachers as well. First time or novice fly anglers are welcome and encouraged. A Guide is a great way to get started. On the other end, accomplished fly fishers

This is to ensure the best possible experience for our clients. It’s always best to match our Guides with our client’s special needs &/or interests. With some lead-time, we can do a better job of this for you so

David Perkins, Orvis Vice President (& darn good angler!) with Guide, Rick Weisend & a nice rainbow! (Click here to see a short video of Dave fishing in Montana this Spring using the new Helios!)

On a Smith River Guided Trip you will enjoy large, stand-up-in tents for each two guests, comfortable, heavy-duty Roll-A-Cots with Therm-A-Rest sleeping pads, dry bags for clothes & gear, PFD’s, flies, leaders & tippet you use on the river, wine, beer and non-alcoholic beverages and of course, fantastic Guides & camp/cook crews. The professional camp Chefs serve home cooked, healthful, sit down meals (breakfast, lunch & dinner). A Camp Crew (aka –Freighters) move the entire camp and all gear downstream ahead of the guide boats each day ensuring everything is set up with hour’s devours and drinks ready and waiting, welcoming you to camp each

afternoon.

Every campsite has sturdy, clean, outdoor latrines set up in private locations by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks and the U.S. Forest Service. (You will not find better views or have more elbow room from any loo any where

else!) We provide the paper and a hand washing station. This is as cushy as camping in the wild gets!

E-Mail CrossCurrents about a Smith River Trip!

CrossCurrents’ Outfitters CrossCurrents is proud to work with these fine outfitters: Orvis-Endorsed PRO Outfitters, Scenic Valley Outfitters, X-Stream Fly Fishing, Montana Fishing Outfitters, Lewis & Clark Expeditions, Upland Angler & Wingshooter, Montana River Anglers, David Payne Outdoors, Fishy Expeditions, 45o North, LLC, Orvis-Endorsed Fins & Feathers.

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please contact us as early as possible. If you know the dates of your vacation it’s never too early to reserve a Guide. We often book trips eight months to over a year in advance, especially with our top Guides and it’s a must on the Smith River Trips.