Part 3: Max from the Trout Highway!

Part 1 of Max from the Trout Highway, please CLICK HERE

Part 2 of Max from the Trout Highway, please CLICK HERE

Click Max's road trip playlist below and enjoy Part 3 of Max from the Trout Highway!

Spotify Playlist: CLICK HERE

STOP 8: The Madison & Henry's Fork — BIG SKY ANGLERS, MONTANA

From North Fork Crossing I traveled approximately 4.5 hours south and east through Helena to Bozeman and then south, up the Gallatin River. After passing through Big Sky and the western edge of Yellowstone National Park I found myself in the small town of West Yellowstone, Montana.

West Yellowstone is a tourist town just outside the park. At first glance it is pretty standard issue: motels, RV parks, t-shirt stores, ice cream shops, a taffy establishment or two, lots of restaurants (most serving a bison burger of some kind), even an IMAX theatre. But dig a little deeper and you begin to realize just how remarkable West Yellowstone really is. For starters, at the corner of Madison Avenue and North Canyon Street sits Big Sky Anglers, one of the finest fly shops in the west. Walk a block or two to Yellowstone Avenue and just behind the Museum of the Yellowstone, the city police department, and the Union Pacific Dining Lodge, you will find the Bob Jacklin Casting Pond. A public casting facility built in 2023 and made possible by a collaboration between the Town of West Yellowstone, several non-profit organizations, local businesses, and lots of individual donations. Then continue two more blocks to South Faithful Street, near the high ropes course, you will come to The Golden Stone Inn, a wonderful base to explore the region’s fisheries from. And the fisheries! In the Rockies I like to have many options, and Big Sky Anglers and The Golden Stone Inn deliver. The Madison, Henry’s Fork, Gallatin, and the rivers in Yellowstone National Park are all within striking distance of West Yellowstone. There are multiple lifetimes of water to explore in the area.

For me, West Yellowstone has positioned itself to be the heart of western American fly-fishing education. The folks at Big Sky Anglers are dedicated to introducing, advancing, and sharing the sport through their wonderful shop and guide staff. BSA employs some of the best teachers in the west and are a cornerstone of the small-angling and West Yellowstone communities. I am biased, but it is a privilege for me to be part of the team, led by Simon Gawesworth, that presents the Next Level Trout School at Big Sky Anglers/Golden Stone Inn each year. Coupled with a city casting pond and access to a variety of world-class fisheries, from the approachable 50-Mile Riffle on the Madison to the challenging Railroad Ranch on the Henry’s Fork, there is something for every level of angler and every angling scenario available. If you fish in West Yellowstone, for any amount of time, you will become a better angler.

Once in town I made my way to The Golden Stone Inn where General Manager Cory Inouye met me and showed me to my room. At the GSI they do not provide dinners, which is a great way to keep package rates down and guests can eat however they are feeling. If you want a fancy meal, it is available; if a pizza and a beer will suffice, pub food is just down the street. I hit up Madison Crossing Lounge, a short walk from the inn, where I had the bison burger.

I only had one day to fish and Cory wanted to get me a small sampler of the local fisheries, and show me something I had not experienced before. We got an early start, and when I walked out to the van Cory had a Hyde Power Drifter hitched up to go check out a special program he likes to fish. We drove outside of town to Earthquake Lake, a lake on the Madison River created in 1959 when an earthquake and subsequent landslide created the lake. We launched the boat and motored up the Madison River to the small section between Hebgen and Earthquake Lakes. There are a few perfect runs which are only accessible by boat or by walking an hour down the trail to the river. Looking into the water we could see fish in the run darting in and out of food and bubble lines. We fished it for a while with a hopper-dropper, landed a fish, and then changed to a streamer to see if we could target the larger fish. After a tug that came unbuttoned, Cory wanted to show me something else fun and interesting about Quake Lake. He told me to leave the streamer on and jump in the boat. From the river, we rowed downstream where the remains of trees drowned by the lake are strung through the middle of the lake. Cory told me to cast at the structure and strip it back fast. It was very active and fun fishing trying to put my fly in tight spots and not get hung up on the trees. I missed a few fish and after about an hour Cory wanted to show me another fishery. I would love to spend more time in that section of the Madison; there are some big aggressive fish in that lake.

By noon we were back in West with Cory’s drift boat hitched up, and by 1:00 PM or so we were launching a drift boat on the Box Canyon section of the Henry’s Fork. The Box Canyon section is fast-flowing and beautiful. River levels were low and we bumped down the river, avoiding rocks, finding enough water to keep the boat moving. We were on a short timeline, so I had to be ready to fish individual riffles as we passed by. It was fast, and there was a lot of setting the fly or putting it back in the zone quickly. Cory told me that if he was guiding it, he would walk the boat through the choice sections and slow the trip down significantly. We had a great afternoon talking about our partnership, fishing, our families, and life in general, while putting a few fish in the net. We took the boat out just below the community of Box Canyon then went to grab a cold drink at the Last Chance Bar and Grill at Trouthunter. The place was packed with guests and anglers. We had encountered almost nobody on the rivers, so it was somewhat surprising to see the place so full of sun hoodies, trucker hats, and quick-dry pants, all telling fish stories. It gave me a moment of perspective about how much the local towns and communities rely on outdoor recreation, and in my world fly-fishing, to survive and even thrive. Cory drove me back to West where he had to go man the Inn for the evening and I needed to round up dinner. After a day like that, where I saw two special fisheries, I needed something a little more my speed, something with a little more dirt under the fingernails, so to speak. Cory let me know The Buffalo Bar was what I was looking for. He was right. I saddled up to the bar and ordered the bison burger, of course.

Stop 9 & 10: The Yellowstone River — THE HARRISON HOMESTEAD & MONTANA FLY FISHING LODGE

My 10th day on the road was a long one. I needed to get from West Yellowstone to Fort Smith with two stops along the way. The first stop, the Harrison Homestead, was just outside of Greycliff. Listed on the National Historic Register, the Homestead is a home, not a lodge, located not far from the Yellowstone River near the confluence with Sweetgrass Creek. The fully-staffed home is a great base to explore the Yellowstone and Boulder Rivers, in addition to the Paradise Valley spring creeks, and their exclusive access on the North Fork of the Musselshell River.

I was there on change-over day and met with the longtime caretakers of the property. The love for the property was clear, and as we toured the grounds they told me the history of the home built in 1878. The house and property, like a lot of ranches in the west, had fallen into neglect by 1971, when Margaret and Dale Vermillion purchased the property and then improved the structures, recreated the river habitat, and protected the land with an easement so that it could not be developed. It is a special place, and it is great for anglers that want to set their own pace and enjoy a low-key, off-the-grid, private experience.

From the Harrison Homestead I drove approximately one hour east to the small town of Absarokee and then south to one of the biggest surprises of my trip, Montana Fly Fishing Lodge. I had heard stories about the fisheries of this area of Montana. They are not a secret, but also not necessarily well known. There is a lot of water to explore on the north side of the Absaroka Mountains, and overall it is less traveled than the other fisheries of Montana. As I drove up East Rosebud Creek I came to the lodge driveway and was quickly greeted by lodge owner Lincoln Powers. Lincoln and I jumped in a side-by-side to see the property. I was immediately struck by the amazing oasis that Lincoln has built. There are multiple trout ponds onsite, and the East Rosebud runs through the property and under the fly shop (more about that later). As we motored around the property Lincoln relayed the history of the ranch, which his family has owned since the 1940s, and all the different fisheries that are available to anglers at Montana Fly Fishing Lodge. From the lodge, guests can float the Yellowstone, Stillwater, and Shoshoni Rivers. For guests who want to walk and wade, the East and West Rosebuds, the Boulder River, and numerous spring creeks are a short drive from the lodge. Lincoln then took me to tour the impressive accommodations, starting with the barn, which he has repurposed into a great guest hangout, full of almost every bar game imaginable, and an attached full massage studio. From there we went over to the main lodge, an impressive hand-scribed white spruce log building. He showed me the kitchen, the dining areas, the wine cellar, and the guest gear lockers, complete with boot dryers. Everything the lodge does is top notch. However I was taken by the five “Canvas Cabins” down by the creek. Lincoln and his staff have built five amazing tent cabins, each with their own private ensuite baths, in a cozy aspen grove along the creek. Lincoln is passionate about using recycled building materials, and the walls and bathroom fixtures are built from reclaimed materials that Lincoln sources in the area. They are super hip and where I would choose to stay. Not far from the canvas cabins is the onsite fly shop built over one of the branches of the East Rosebud, complete with a window in the middle of the floor looking down into the creek, where they can often see fish swimming by, a detail I found super funky and cool.

One of my favorite things about the lodge, though, is that every few days the lodge sends out a newsletter to all the guests with the schedules and menus, the staff on duty, and general happenings around the lodge. I was impressed by what I saw at Montana Fly Fishing Lodge. The accommodation, the fisheries, and level of service all make this a destination I want to dig into. I can’t wait to come back and spend more time in the area. I also had wanted to check out the Tippet Rise Art Center not far from the lodge, but it was not open when I was passing through. Next time!

Stop 11: The Bighorn River — KINGFISHER LODGE, MONTANA

From Billings I headed south through Pryor then east through wide open country to Kingfisher Lodge outside of Fort Smith. When I pulled into the lodge, I was greeted by GM Matt Gotto and Head Chef Jason. I instantly realized that I had forgotten to buy beer in Billings and I was now on the Crow Indian Reservation where tribal laws ban the sale of alcohol completely. A rookie mistake on my part. The nearest beer store is 40 minutes away in Hardin. Matt laughed and let me know that I could have one of his.

The Bighorn River fishery in southern Montana has an interesting history, one with many different stakeholders, lots of scar tissue, a dam, a six-year closure, and a plethora of side stories. It does, however, have the reputation today of being one of the best trout streams in the world.

Founded in 1991, Kingfisher Lodge has a legacy in the area. Countless anglers have stayed at the Kingfisher while fishing the Bighorn and there are many past guests with a deep connection with the place. A month before I arrived the lodge had been sold somewhat suddenly to two local, long-time guests with a love for river and the lodge. It was interesting for me to see from a lodge-business perspective; I have never visited a lodge with a new ownership group feeling their way through a transition. Doug Gouge, one of the new owners, arrived shortly after I did to welcome me and fill me in on their plans to keep people coming back year after year. The formula is relatively simple: comfortable accommodations, top-tier guides, and unforgettable food. The river is a productive fishery. If they can do the things they control well, guests will keep coming back. The lodge welcomed me with a great dinner that evening and gave me a room for the night. After dinner and sitting up way too late with the other guests, I crashed out hard. At that point in the trip I had spent a lot of windshield time, met lots of interesting people, made new friends, reconnected with old ones, shared a lot of laughs, experienced world-class hospitality and cuisine, ate a fair share of gas-station roller-machine food, stumbled my way into some pretty cool fishing, and I learned a ton.

Isn’t a road trip ultimately about the journey rather than the destination? The fishing is the fishing. It is the vehicle, the activity to get you excited and moving, but what you learn along the way is what stays with you. The thing that nobody can ever take away from you. As I drove home across Wyoming I worked to sort through all the fish stories, the follow-ups I needed to make, fly patterns guides like, feedback from my partners, the difference between the Clark Fork and the Clarks Fork, and a host of other thoughts that arise at 80 miles-per-hour outside of Kaycee, Wyoming. I kept coming back to a central thought…. I’m lucky. I get to learn these lessons. In the end, after a trip like this, all I can say is that I am super thankful for what I learn along the way. Thanks for following along.

The Trout Highway Full Itinerary:

June 1: Arrive Thermopolis / Best Western – Thermopolis

June 2: Fish with Matt Schliske / Drive to Dubois after fishing (2 hours) – Stagecoach Inn – Dubois

June 3: Drive to South Fork Lodge (3 hours) / Tour SFL / Super 8 – Driggs

June 4: Tour Henry’s Fork Lodge / Tour Madison River Lodge / Drive to TMORC (4.5 hours)

June 5: Fish with Meadows on Rock Creek

June 6: Depart TMORC / Tour Bitterroot Mile Club (3 hours) / Lunch in Missoula / Arrive NFC (1.5 hours)

June 7: Fish with North Fork Crossing

June 8: Depart NFC / Arrive Golden Stone Inn (4 hours)

June 9: Fish with Cory

June 10: Depart Golden Stone Inn / Tour Harrison Homestead / Tour Montana Fly Fishing Lodge / Arrive Kingfisher Lodge (6 hours)

June 11: Depart Kingfisher Lodge