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LOCAL MISSOULA RIVERS
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THE CLASSIC JOURNEY OUTFITTER GUIDES
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GUIDED RATES
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JOE'S GUARANTEE
Rock Creek - Missoula Montana Fly Fishing Rivers
Located in the Lolo National Forest, Rock Creek flows north to where it joins the Clark Fork River about 20 miles east of Missoula. If you could wrap up all the ideal ingredients of a freestone stream into one Montana fly fishing trip - diversity of hatches, pristine water, dense trout populations, and old time Montana scenery - you would end up creating Rock Creek. The whole Rock Creek Valley is laden with life from the Moose and Bighorn Sheep to the Salmonflies and the trout that eat them. This is a trip that an angler should do at least once in their lifetime. This is a special fishery that just three outfitters in the world have permits to float. We have only 50 launches a year on the Creek so if you are interested please let us know early.
Lobotomy Hatches: There are many Montana fly fishing hatches that move all kinds of fish, but these two hatches seem to make the trout go brain dead and drunk on bugs:
- Skwalas and Grey Drakes (April - May): This is a sneaky hatch that only a few anglers chase on the Creek. You'll have the river to yourself along with a bunch of very hungry Montana trout searching for those olive stoneflies and the smoky wings of big mayflies.
- Salmonflies and Goldens (May - June): This is it - Primetime! Rock Creek is a stonefly making machine, and when they come it is mini helicopters crashing the water and forcing trout to a feast on top. There is really no experience like this in the West that we know of.
The Blackfoot River - A River Runs Through it
The Blackfoot River is a powerful western Montana river. She cuts through canyons and pours over massive rock shelves into the nothingness of bottomless pools. The fish here are opportunistic feeders that hide in the rock gardens and the darkness of the deep. On the 'Foot, you feel tapped into the Montana of old. One of the the reasons you come to the Blackfoot is to cement a size-4 dry fly to a bathtub of water just long enough for a trout to come out of the melee and eat. As the boat screams down the chute so does your reel, and you pray he'll stay on long enough so you can eddy up and land him. Montana fly fishing on the Blackfoot River is very much a time warp that reminds us of what fishing was like many years ago.
Lobotomy Hatches: There are many other hatches that move all kinds of fish, but these three seem to make the trout go brain dead and drunk on bugs.
- Salmonfly (June-July): No other hatch gets them going like this one. Fish you only see once a year show up to feed on top. A size-4 orange cigar butt is too much to resist when the real thing is crashing all over the water.
- Golden Stones (July): Another big meal. Doesn't have quite the same power as salmonflies, but still pretty impressive for numbers of fish.
- Fall Streamer Fishing: The feeding time is getting short and winter is closing in; a size-2 double bunny would go a long way in a big brownie's diet.
Clark Fork River
There's a different critter that lives in the Clark ForkRiver. If you managed to tie a 16-inch Clark Fork rainbow to the tail of an 18-inch trout from another piece of water, the Clarkie would drag it around, no contest. This is a big, flat Montana Fly Fishing River that is dominated by hot rainbows. The insect population is so strong here that trout constantly feed on top. The Clark Fork is Missoula's purest dry-fly fishery that is punctuated by the massive back eddy fishing combined with long flats of single and double gulpers moving through the clockwork hatches.
You won't see all the nook-and-cranny fishing of the Bitterroot here - the sheer size of the water allows you to see those fish from way off. A day on the Clark Fork is full of sipping heads and screaming runs. It's the breakoffs and jumps survived that make her special.
Lobotomy Hatches: There are many other hatches that move all kinds of fish, but these three seem to make the trout go brain dead and drunk on bugs.
- Caddis (June-July): Millions of these size 14-18 bugs literally cloud the water, the air, your nose, and trout bellies.
- Tricos (August-September): Another blanket hatch of size 18-22 black mayflies. When the spinner fall happens pods of 20-50 show up to eat.
- Mahoganies (September-October): This is the last big bug of the year and the fish know it. It's tough for them to resist an easy meal when the bleak winter season is coming soon.
The Bitterroot River
Asked about this Montana river, Classic Journey Outfitter owner and Montana native Joe Cummings responded "This is the water I grew up on. Some call her moody, others dynamic. I call her classically enchanting. A western freestone river that seems to meander through all of the water clichés that fill our sport. The fish on the Bitterroot are exactly where they're supposed to be: rising off the back of a fallen log, hiding under deep cut banks, or moving from the dark holes into the skinny riffles in a hatch. The Bitterroot is also one of the greatest places in the world for stalking tough trout in the 21"-25" range. The river can give you her guts and tie you in knots on the very same afternoon." Enough said!
Lobotomy Hatches: There are many other hatches that move all kinds of fish, but these three seem to make the trout go brain dead and drunk on bugs.
- Skwalas (March-April): This is the first big bug hatch of the year. The fish are coming off the winter fast and are looking for meat.
- Green Drakes (June-July): The fish have been treading the heavy water and dirt of runoff, and are on the feed. A size 10 monster mayfly is too much to resist.
- Hoppers (August-September): No fish can resist a size 6 hopper slapped down tight to the bank.
Montana Fly Fishing - The Missouri River
The Missouri River is basically the world's biggest spring creek with all the great quirks that come in that package. It is an absolute bug factory and if you are into headhunting Trico and Olive sippers this river is the undisputed king. Mayflies and Caddis are the two staples here, and their numbers are shocking when they hatch. The Missouri is a river unto its own and is distinct from the Freestone rivers of Missoula. It is bracketed by sheer canyon walls that open up and wind through wide hayfields (HOPPERS!). The lower river breaks out of the remnants of the Rocky Mountain front to spill out into the Eastern Montana plains. Here the experienced angler can test his mettle with dry flies in the skinny flats on trophy fish and the beginner is treated to a river that is populated with almost 4000 fish per mile. The heart of the Missouri is rooted in the excitement of every cast not knowing what may come out of a skinny spilling weed patch to inhale a fly.
Lobotomy Hatches: There are many hatches that move all kinds of fish, but these three seem to make the trout go brain dead and drunk on bugs.
- PMDs/Caddis/Tricos (Mid June - July): This is bug soup and the weeds are in perfect shape. There is no shortage of catching opportunities and the PMD pods are up during the day with the caddis peak at dark shocking. If you have never seen the spinning spires of the Trico hatch on this river from the HIGHWAY, then mid and late July is the ticket.
- Hoppers (July - Mid September): At no other time will you be around as many 20 inch fish looking for a Hopper, than on the Missouri during primetime. Our favorite times are the last two weeks of July and the first week of August - really a world class timeframe!
- Blue Wing Olives and Streamers (September - October): They are smart by now, but the Blue Wing Olive hatch load is shocking and on clockwork. This is the pinnacle of the little fly game, plus if you like to rip the big junk a two foot brown trout looking to get ready for the winter is a distinct possibility every day.
Joe Cummings - Joe is a 4th generation Montana native that spent has spent his life either working on the Stevensville family ranch or with his feet wet in Western Montana waters. After Joe spent 5 seasons of professional football, he came back to Missoula and opened up the the outfitting business "A Classic Journey." If there is a sneaky spot, private access, a run that only shows up every 5 years, then Joe's the guide and outfitter that has been there, and knows about it. He has spent decades of seeing our area in every condition. From stalking the giants of the Bitterroot, to the massive pods of the Missouri and Clark Fork, Joe loves to feed dry flies to rising fish. He is friendly and patient, and relishes the drama that comes from hunting wild trophy fish. Joe is one of the busiest guides in Montana, so please let us know early if you would like to have him as your Montana Fly Fishing guide. 
Brooks Jessen - Brooks is a Montana native that has hooked fish in pretty much every drop of water in Montana. He found guiding his home in Missoula 10 years ago and we're very lucky to keep him on our staff. An angler's an angler; Brooks will do absolutely whatever it takes to find fish. He is our resident Blackfoot River expert, but works all of our water exceptionally well. We thought after Brooks won both guide competitions in Missoula back in 2005, he would get a little bit of ego, but he's still the same happy and humble, hard working, professional guide that our clients request on regular basis.
Blake Gallagher - Going into his FIFTH year for 2009, Blake is the youngest guide we have ever brought on staff, but he is also the best raw talent we have ever seen and that's why we recruited him. 2005 was his first year, and the positive client recommendations flowed in. Blake just loves Montana fly fishing and to get any level of angler into a bent rod. By far our most energetic and enthusiastic guide, and has that rare ability to infuse that into his clients. He guided far better than we expected and just seems to learn and excel with each day on the water. A great way for a beginner angler to learn the sport the right way is a day on a Montana river with Blake. 
Ryan Geiges - Ryan is a veteran guide that has guided across the US and South America. He was the head guide for the Delaware River Club on the Delaware River in New York for seven seasons. During that stint he also ran the successful Al Caucci Fly Fishing schools. Before he made Missoula his permanent home he guided in South America. An exceptional teacher as well as fine angler, Ryan is well rounded and thoroughly versed in the fly fishing game. He is our most meticulous fly tier and an outstanding stream entomologist, so when he ties on a fly, its worth a second look. If you are into pushing dry flies only and having a fun time on the water, then Ryan's guiding style is just the ticket.
James Whitescarver - grew up in the state of Washington where he began his career in hunting and fishing as a young boy. His college days were spent at Central Washington University, where the Yakima River rainbow fishing and superb bird and big game hunting made it hard to find time to go to class. While in college, James started guiding for fishing on the Chosen River in Alaska. In the four summers of guiding on one of the top rivers in the world, James’ knowledge and love for fishing grew with each cast. After graduating from college, James moved to Montana to further his career in fishing and hunting. He has been a top hand on the river and in the field which comes from his his patience and work ethic.
Dan Mahoney - Fishing has consumed Dan's life since he was about nine years old. Growing up in Kansas City, Dan started fly fishing in the Spring creeks of Missouri, bass ponds in Kansas, and rivers of Colorado. After high school, he moved to Montana to pursue an education at the U of M and has since miraculously graduated despite setting up his classes around aquatic hatches. At his house in Missoula, where he lives with multiple guides, you will find a disturbing amount of fly tying materials sprawled all over what was once a kitchen and more than twice as many boats parked out front than people living inside. Dan has been working in the industry for over six years and guides well over a hundred days a year on our area rivers. The only time Dan is not on the water is in the late fall and early winter when he is chasing deer and elk with his bow. Dan has a reputation as a patient and enthusiastic instructor. He loves spending time on the water and loves sharing his contagious passion for fly fishing with his clients.
First of all, we love our job. We love the outdoors, and we love sharing Montana and it's timeless rivers to others. If you've never come to the Big Sky Country, you're missing something. Classic Journey Outfitters takes your Montana fly fishing vacation time very seriously and our number one goal is a satisfied Montana Fly Fishing Smile at the end of the day. It can come from a single trout up on rhythm on the Bitterroot River that you and your fly fishing guide quietly stalk. It has also appeared on faces from a quick shot with a bright orange size four stimulator into a churning back eddy on the Blackfoot River and watch as a native cutthroat trout comes from six feet down to inhale the fly, or massive pods of trout up on piles of tricos that fell in the late morning on the Missouri River. Montana Fly Fishing Smiles can come from the late fall colors of the Clark Fork River and Mahoganies and Blue Wing Olives filling the riffles and back eddies. But most likely your Montana smile will be rooted in the quiet time spent on our waters and amidst our mountains with your angling companions. Long after you've made a Montana Fly Fishing Trip with Joe Cummings and the guides of Classic Journey Outfitters, that Montana Smile will appear, as you think back warmly to that special day on the river in Montana. Once you get it, it never leaves. Our lead guide Brooks Jessen is living proof of that!