Fly Fishing Destinations: Forget About "Yellowstone"- Find an Authentic Montana in a Small Town

Get away from the Yellowstone hype and find yourself some unforgettable Fly Fishing in Craig, Montana: Here's a DIY Guide to the Real Big Sky Country.

A colorful Montana brown trout. / Ken Baldwin

The Mecca of Fly Fishing

If you're a fly angler and haven't been to Montana, it should be on your bucket list. It's the mecca of trout fishing in America and has that magical feel of wide-open spaces. However, parts of the state are changing fast, and you need to be selective about where you visit if you want to experience a real Montana.

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As great as the TV show Yellowstone is, it's turned some of Montana into a Hollywood backlot, with many people playing dress-up in cowboy hats, boots, and the latest "Kevin Costner" jacket. Steer clear of these crowded areas. To find the real Montana, look at smaller towns or visit after the summer crowds have left.

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Montana in the Fall: Perfect Scenery, Ideal Temperatures, and Great Fly Fishing

I recently took a DIY trip to Craig, Montana. The experience renewed my faith that the real Montana still exists. It's an easy trip, made easier by using The Trout Shop as my base of operations. It's a perfect setup for a DIY trip that provides a full Montana experience.

The Trout Shop lodging in Craig, MT / Ken Baldwin

Why The Trout Shop?

Walking into The Trout Shop first thing in the morning for my breakfast burrito, Cuban coffee, and flies I'll need for the day. / Jay D'Arpini

Craig, Montana, has a population of about 50 full-time residents, maybe a hundred during the summer. Finding a place to buy food, beer, a room, and basic necessities isn't easy. This is where The Trout Shop comes in. First and foremost, it's a fully stocked fly shop with everything you need for fly fishing. But what made my life easy was that they also had a food and coffee counter. Every morning before heading out to the river, I'd order a breakfast burrito, Cuban coffee, and sandwiches for the day.

The Only Shop That Sells Beer

The weekly delivery of cold ones. / Ken Baldwin

Of the three fly shops in Craig, The Trout Shop is the only one that sells beer. In fact I looked around and it is the only place in town you can buy beer over the counter.

The Trout Shop fly fishing guides throwing back some of those cold ones at the end of their day. / Ken Baldwin

Hire a Guide for the First Day

On DIY trips, I like to hire a guide for the first day. It speeds up the learning curve and teaches you about the area right. Most guides will give you the lay of the land and information you can use for the rest of the week. Share your beer, tip them well and they will set you up. The Trout Shop makes it easy to book a guide.

Great DIY Lodging

Single and double capacity rooms right by the Missouri River. / Ken Baldwin

At the entrance to town, bordering the river, The Trout Shop owns a rustic, cabin-style motel with single and double capacity rooms, some with kitchenettes. They are simple, clean, roomy, and affordable – perfect for a DIY trip.

The Missouri River

I arrived in Craig to fish the Missouri the second week of September. The heat and summer crowds were gone, and the fishing was great. It's a clear river with flowing underwater grass – both beautiful and mesmerizing. And fish, lots of fish! Standing on the bow of the boat as we drifted down the river, I'd sometimes stop casting and just stare into the depths. "There's a fish, there's a fish, there's three more, there's another."

The Missouri River running through a wild and wide open Montana. / Ken Baldwin

Unbelievable Trout Density in Montana's Missouri River

According to data from Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks, the stretch of the Missouri River around Craig, MT boasts one of the highest trout populations of any river in the United States.  An average of 5,000 to 6,000 trout per mile, while some estimates go even higher, reaching up to 8,000 per mile in certain years.

DIY Fly Fishing

My routine was to go to The Trout Shop and get my morning breakfast burrito and Cuban coffee. While eating I'd talk with Ethan Crawford, one of the employees of the shop. He was on top of what fly was working because he spends his lunch break everyday fishing the river for an hour. Between that and working the shop, Ethan was dialed in. He would recommend some flies, sell me a six pack of beer, and tell me of the good spots to fish that I could access from the road. I was surprised at how much road access the Missouri River offered in the area. This made for a perfect DIY trip.

The Trout Shop employee Ethan Crawford catching a fat, colorful rainbow trout during his lunch break. / Ken Baldwin

The Extras

The streamer wall in The Trout Shop / Ken Baldwin

Using The Trout Shop as your center of operations will make your trip easier and more productive. The town is small, as in real small. The Trout Shop has all the fly fishing gear you will need, the flies that are working, informative employees that aren't stingy with fishing info, food, beer, guide services, housing, and a cool place to hang out at the end of the day. You will see the local guides gathering around a picnic table at days end sharing some cold ones. If you are smart you would contribute a 6 pack to this gathering, introduce yourself, say as little as possible, and just listen to their stories. Listening to guides talk "off the record" is worth the price of admission.

Easy To Get To

Fly into the Great Falls International Airport. The town of Craig is a 44 minute straight shot down the I-15 S from the airport. After I pick up my rental car I swing by Smith's Groceries which is just across the street. I highly recommend you doing your grocery shopping now. Smith's is open till midnight, and with a population of 50 in Craig, this will be your best oppurtunity to stock up on food and goods.

The Real Montana

The real Montana still exist, and if you do it DIY it's affordable. I used the small town of Craig that rest alongside the Missouri River, and The Trout Shop as my base camp. The Trout Shop simplified my visit because it had everything I would need for my fly fishing in one place. A guide service, housing, fully stocked fly shop, food, coffee, beer, and employees who shared their knowledge of the river.

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“The gods do not deduct from man’s allotted span the hours spent in fishing.” - Herbert Hoover