Overview
Hooked Outfitting is a Montana fly fishing outfitter based on the Madison River in Ennis, Montana. We offer fly fishing float trips and all inclusive customized lodging and dining packages. Our waters include: the Madison River, Missouri River, Yellowstone River, Gallatin River, Jefferson River, Ruby River, Ennis Lake and many more. We pride ourselves on enthusiasm, professionalism, a good work ethic and doing everything that we can to put anglers of all levels in a position to succeed. www.hookedoutfitting.com
A full day float trip on the Jefferson. This trip meets in Ennis, Montana or Twin Bridges Montana. The guide will meet you in Ennis or Twin Bridges and provide transportation for the ... moredrive to the river. The drive from Twin Bridges typically ranges from 5 minutes to 45 minutes and the drive from Ennis to the river typically ranges from 45 minutes to just over an hour. At the boat ramp guides will provide instruction on the days fishing tecniques and launch a drift boat for the float. The guide will provide all the flies and tackle that you need for the day. All you really need to bring is a Montana Fishing license, appropriate clothing and sunglasses for eye protection. The fishing involves floating down the river and casting flies from the boat. Floats are typically around 7 hours of floating but can vary depending on the preference of the customer. All of the fishing is usually done from the boat, which makes wearing waders optional and not at all nessesary. At mid day you will take a break on the bank and enjoy lunch provided by your guide. The Jefferson is a smaller, beautiful braided river that flows through the cottonwoods of the valley. The Jefferson is one of our smaller float rivers and it typically sees much fewer angelers than other rivers which means that you are likely to see only a few other boats during the day. The Jefferson typically will fish well from May through Mid October. May through September are considered the peak season. Trout typically range from 10-20 inches with fish over 20 inches possible. Fish in the 14-17 inch range are normal and the bigger fish of the day typically range from 18-21 inches. The river flows through the scenic Jefferson valley with the Tobacco Root mountain range always in view and moose are frequently sighted on the float. The Jefferson is known as a smaller, less fished river that occassionally produces really large brown trout.
A full day trip on Ennis Lake near The Madison River and Ennis Montana. This trip meets in Ennis, Montana. The guide will meet you in Ennis and provide transportation for the short ... more10 minute drive to Ennis Lake. At the boat ramp guides will provide instruction on the days fishing tecniques and launch a drift boat or motor boat on the lake. This trip is not ideal for first time anglers but can offer really fun casting to rising trout for those with some casting experience. The guide will provide all the flies and tackle that you need for the day. All you really need to bring is a Montana Fishing license, appropriate clothing and sunglasses for eye protection. The fishing typically involves targeting rising rising trout with dry flies and dry droppers but fishing weed lines and flats with small lake streamers is effective as well. July and August are the prime months for targeting rising fish during big morning hatches. The fishing is usually done from the boat but wade fishing the flats is an effective technique as well. Wearing waders optional but recomended. At mid day you will take a break and enjoy lunch provided by your guide. The fishing on Ennis lake is typically stalking and delicatly casting flies to rainbow and brown trout. Ennis Lake typically will fish well from May through August. Late June through early August are considered the peak season. Trout typically range from 15-20 inches with fish over 20 inches possible. Fish in the 16-20 inch range are normal and the bigger fish of the day typically range from 19-21 inches. Ennis Lake is a great day trip to add some dry fly fishing to a Madison River or Ennis Montana fishing trip.
A full day trip on the "Land of the Giants" section of the Missouri River. This trip meets at the Gates of the Mountains marina 20 miles south of Helena Montana on upper Holter Lake. ... moreThe guide/USCG licensed captain will meet you at the marina on upper Holter Lake where you will launch a custom jet boat and motor roughly 15 minutes across the lake to the Missouri River. The Boat is a 16 foot G3 skiff powered by a 30hp Yamaha outboard jet. The skiff is equiped with oars, casting braces and seating, which allow it to function much like a drift boat. The fishing is float style fishing with the guide rowing down the river as anglers cast flies from the boat. The motor is used to navigate across the lake and to the various streches of the river for floating. The guide will provide all the flies and tackle that you need for the day. All you really need to bring is a Montana Fishing license, appropriate clothing and sunglasses for eye protection. Floats are typically around 7 hours of floating but can vary depending on the preference of the customer. All of the fishing is usually done from the boat, which makes wearing waders optional and not at all nessesary. At mid day you will take a break on the bank and enjoy lunch provided by your guide. At the Land of the Giants, we target numbers of large trout with nymphs, streamers and ocassionally dry flies. This river will typically will fish well from mid April through June and again from September through October. Trout typically range from 16-24 inches with fish over 24 inches possible. Fish in the 18-21 inch range are normal and the bigger fish of the day typically range from 22-25 inches. The river flows through a steep scenic canyon with beautiful cliffs above. Sightings of eagles, deer and mountain goats high on the cliffs are frequent. This is a truly amazing trip that frequently produces big numbers of large rainbow trout with an occasional brown trout.
A full day float trip on the Madison River. This trip meets in Ennis, Montana near the Madison. The guide will meet you in Ennis and provide transportation for the short drive to the ... moreriver. At the boat ramp guides will provide instruction on the days fishing tecniques and launch a drift boat for the float. For those who have never fly fished, the guide can quickly teach the basics and get you to a the point that you will be able to enjoy the fishing and catch fish. The guide will provide all the flies and tackle that you need for the day. All you really need to bring is a Montana Fishing license, appropriate clothing and sunglasses for eye protection. The fishing involves floating down the river and casting flies from the boat. Floats are typically around 7 hours of floating but can vary depending on the preference of the customer. All of the fishing is usually done from the boat, which makes wearing waders optional and not at all nessesary. At mid day you will take a break on the bank and enjoy lunch provided by your guide. The fishing on the Madison is fast paced with lots fresh spots to cast into and typically great action for rainbow and brown trout. The Madison is one on the most consistantly productive rivers that we fish and it typically will fish well from mid April through Mid October. Late June through September are considered the peak season. Trout typically range from 10-20 inches with fish over 20 inches possible. Fish in the 14-17 inch range are normal and the bigger fish of the day typically range from 18-20 inches. The river flows through the scenic Madison valley with the Madison mountain range always in view.
Southwest Montana is experiencing some hot weather right now, which means the fishing on the Madison River is great in the morning and fades toward the afternoon. Most of the bites ... morecome between dawn and noon with a drop off around 3pm. Most sections of the Madison still have PMD’s, Nocturnal Stoneflies, Caddis, and Yellow Sallies. Don’t expect much from dry flies unless you’re willing to get out really early. With the higher water temperatures in the afternoons you should always try to get the fish back in the water as quickly as possible. There’s a lot less fishing pressure on the Madison now that the Yellowstone has opened up, and the fish have taken well to this.
Date: Monday, 24 Jul, 2017
Spring fly fishing season on the Madison has officially arrived. We have already started leading some guided fishing trips and the ice pack is long gone. The weather is warming up ... morea bit, and overall is nice. Currently, slow nymphing and streamer fishing are getting good activity. Blue Winged Olives should also get some action later in the day. The Madison is living up to its spring potential. It’s also really nice having the entire stretch from Reynolds Pass to Ennis lake open right now—anglers are finding more room to spread out along the river.
Looking forward to the summer, we should see great water conditions on all our rivers, fewer closures, and less crowding on the Madison due to the great snowpack. All of the major drainages in the area are at or above average snowpack levels. This is good news for surrounding streams, where anglers will be able to find their own space instead of clogging up the Madison. On some years with low water (i.e. the last several years), the Madison becomes the only spot with really good fishing in Southwest Montana. That’s because of the cool water coming from Hebgen dam and the fast-moving oxygenated water of the Madison. This should turn out to be a great year with plenty of options for fly anglers to choose from!
We’ll have to wait and see how bad the runoff is this year, and that will all depend on the weather. With temperatures in the 80s for extended periods of time (around late May or early June), the river will become jammed with dirt and the runoff will be extreme, but short. On the other hand, if things start slow with a mix of warm and cool days, it could mean mildly clear water and fishable conditions all through the runoff. No matter what, we can always find a great place to fish, it might just mean we have to spend more time in the car!
Date: Monday, 17 Apr, 2017
Captain Garrett Blackburn is the owner and primary guide at Hooked Outfitting. Garrett began guiding at age 18 on the rivers of western Alaska at Bristol Bay Lodge. After graduating ... morefrom the University of Montana, Garrett began guiding in southwest Montana during the summer months and Chilean patagonia during the winter. He spent 7 years guiding at Martin Pescador Lodge in Chilean Patagonia where he was employed as the lodge's head guide. Today Garrett guides primarily on the Madison River, Jefferson River, Ennis Lake and the "Land of the Giants" section of the Missouri River. He loves showing anglers Montana's best fly fishing spots and experiencing the excitement of a great day of fishing.
|