Knowledgeable advise for river fishing trip

couesmagnet · Jul 5, 2023

I’m leaving July 20 th for 16 days with the girlfriend on a rivers only fishing trip in Montana exclusively. Tried to do the same trip last year ,the same time and made it to Dillon driving, only to have to turn around immediately due to a family death. I was in Dillon for less than a day before turning right around to drive home to Scottsdale az. Most brutal feeling ever to taste and see the rivers and have to turn around immediately. I was so close!! I’ve dreamed of being able to finish this trip,,I’ve always wanted to do since in college.
I love fishing for trout, easily and equally as much as hunting. I’m really looking for another hard core trout guys knowledge or be able to talk to on the phone. I’ve been guiding in Arizona for 30 plus years and know most units extremely well. I can give back super sold info when drawn in return for really solid info on certain rivers in Montana. I’m extremely knowledgeable on over the counter coues deer and mule deer hunts , and almost all units for elk. I realize I’m asking for really good info and will return such info with super solid spots and or advise in Arizona. I know it extremely well.
This trip is super special to me and I want to do it right.
Really interested in the Maddison, big hole , Yellowstone, maybe big horn or any other river down near these rivers. I want to catch giant brown trout , but will take any big trout. Also very curious about fishing the crow Indian reservations as that might be even better since maybe they charge more to fish it. Maybe it’s more private I have no idea what to do but want to do this trip the really really right way. Wade fishing only. Would even pay trespass fees a couple days to fish prime water wherever it is, wade fishing a river.
Really want to concentrate on fishing for fish over 17 inches. I routinely catch 17 to 20 inch fish here in Arizona. Really looking for some big fish and is why I’m doing the trip in the first place. Lifelong dream this trip is.
I can really help your dream come true here in Arizona especially for coues deer across the counter, north of the ditch hard to draw mule deer and almost all units for elk. Killed many 370 plus bulls myself, and helped many others to several more. I’ve been on 20 plus kills of coues bucks over 110 gross, I’m willing to help big time in return. Please pm me with your number as I don’t want to blow up anyone’s holes on the thread.
General knowledge would be appreciated though on the thread.
Is the crow reservation bad ass for fishing? Is it extra special?
What are the best wading rivers for giant fish? It’s a 16 hour drive for me so I won’t be back for years fellas. Please help me out. This is my biggest fishing trip I’ve ever done. Can’t wait. As excited for this trip as any tag I’ve ever had anywhere.
Thanks in advance for help. Really looking for solid knowledgeable advice.
Dave

couesmagnet · Jul 5, 2023

Also would entertain trading some days guiding across the counter coues deer or mule deer late archery. I know the draw well, and the easier units to draw that are still capable of producing really good bulls or coues bucks. Maybe even guide some part of an elk hunt, for solid private land access to a really top end river. I’m sure being able to park in certain places on certain rivers is a premium, thus Getting far away from the standard let ins would be nice. Catch and release strictly. Always have been.
I Would be very respectful and honored to fish someone’s private hollowed ground. This trips really important to me.
Really want to talk to some really hard core river fisherman/ and or landowner access to some of the best. Basically will do almost anything for big trout out of river. Lol

MTunderRadar · Jul 6, 2023

PM me

Rie bread · Jul 6, 2023

Ditto hit me up and maybe we can get out a fish!

couesmagnet · Jul 6, 2023

I’ve never pm’d anyone before. I’ve only replied in the past to pm’s always helping others. I did send my number to the 2 fellas above via what’s called a conversation?
Thank you for maybe being willing to help. Nothing expected, and any advise is truly appreciated at the highest level.

Hnttillmt · Jul 7, 2023

Just curious why you stated wade fishing only. Unless you gain some very lucky access to some prime spring creeks, or perhaps the beaver head, the best way to catch the biggest fish will be out of a drift boat or raft. Like trophy hunting though, without paying high dollar for it you’ve got to invest a lot of time to really dig up the big ones. Being here at peak fishing season will make it harder. Not trying to be discouraging but have real expectations for catching giant fish.
Feel free to pm me if you want to do a float. I live in Livingston and have a drift boat, almost exclusively fish large streamers hunting for big browns, and I haven’t caught that many really big ones but it’s sure awesome when you do.

couesmagnet · Jul 7, 2023

I was saying wading only, because I don’t have a boat. Kept saying wading only because I knew I was going to need advise based on doing it the hard way. Wish I had a boat. I’ll pm ya. I can afford to throw you some bones for a drift. Just didnt want to spend tons of money, already spending 5 k on this trip when you add everything up. That’s without drifting at all. Thanks for the advice. Appreciated.

Moe · Jul 7, 2023

Anybody that wants to catch a giant trout should have Pyramid in NV on the short list.

mtmuley · Jul 7, 2023

Moe said:
Anybody that wants to catch a giant trout should have Pyramid in NV on the short list.

LaHontan cutthroat. Only place they exist. mtmuley

2lumpy · Jul 9, 2023

Moe said:
Anybody that wants to catch a giant trout should have Pyramid in NV on the short list.

Got any pictures of a giant you’ve caught at Pyramid Moe?

Rie bread · Jul 9, 2023

2lumpy said:
Got any pictures of a giant you’ve caught at Pyramid Moe?

It was thiiiissssss—————-big

Moe · Jul 9, 2023

Moe · Jul 9, 2023

Think this fish was 15 lbs. Fairly typical if you fish the right times. Biggest is 19, crappy pics. They come a lot bigger.

2lumpy · Jul 9, 2023

Moe said:
Think this fish was 15 lbs. Fairly typical if you fish the right times. Biggest is 19, crappy pics. They come a lot bigger.

Big fish. Thanks for sharing.

couesmagnet · Jul 9, 2023

Wow moe!!! What a fish. I’d rather catch that fish than shoot a mid 180 s buck. Only thing better , in a perfect world is that fish thrashing on the end of my line in a stream. Absolutely crap my pants. Thanks for posting.

couesmagnet · Jul 9, 2023

Out of curiosity moe, how long is a fish like that?

Moe · Jul 9, 2023

Not sure of the length on those CT? I weigh em and get em back asap. No need keeping em, they taste bad to me.

mtmuley · Jul 9, 2023

Moe said:
Think this fish was 15 lbs. Fairly typical if you fish the right times. Biggest is 19, crappy pics. They come a lot bigger.

You fish off of a ladder? mtmuley

Moe · Jul 9, 2023

I use a ladder if I'm fishing the shallow sandy beaches and the wind/ waves aren't to bad. But I preferred lots of wave and wind/ stormy days. Then I fish the steeper rocky banks. Hard to set up a ladder on em.

couesmagnet · Aug 4, 2023

Just wanted to say a huge thank you to all who reached out to me. Especially MTunderadar, Brandon. Also a huge thank you to rie bread. It was nice to receive some help for once, I never ask for it in the outdoors, this was a first.
Fished the Bighorn, Missouri , Maddison , and Yellowstone.
Out of the 4 rivers the bighorn was the best for me on the trip. Biggest fish was a rainbow from the Bighorn river that measured 25.5 inches.
Caught several between 21 and 23 inches.
The land of the giants on the Missouri yielded a 23.5 inch brown trout and several in the 18 to 20 class.
Struggled on the Maddison, didn’t catch many.
Crushed it on the Yellowstone on cutthroats but nothing over 18 inches. But lots of fish caught numbers wise. Last morning caught 24 fish in 3 hours.
Thank you for everyone’s help. It was very appreciated.

Rie bread · Aug 4, 2023

Any pictures!?
Heck yeah man happy you had a good trip and hit all the big rivers.

couesmagnet · Aug 4, 2023

I was always fishing by myself. Fish laying on the ground at all is dangerous, and the pics of it laying there never do it justice. Usually look smaller anyway. I measured everything that was 22 or I thought better than that and put them back as fast as possible. Wish I would have had a friend with me to take pics.
The 25.5 was my second biggest fish ever out of river. I felt super lucky and even more thankful to have a fish that size on my line. I did snap a brown right in front of me in a side eddy that was every bit of 29 to 30. Saw the fish first and retied and was ready and he snapped me in less than 2 seconds. I’ll never see a fish that big again in a river. Shot 2 feet over his back type thing. Lol. Can’t believe it. What an honor to even see a fish that big in a river.