Guided walk-and-wade days on the most famous spring creeks in Montana. Clear water, feeding trout, and patient instruction, twelve months a year, 30 minutes from Bozeman.
About 8 hours. Lunch, flies, tackle, and loaner gear included.
Walk-and-wade days only, when the water suits three rods.
During the ranches' $50-per-angler season, Swan's pays your access at DePuy's or Armstrong's. Outside those dates, ranch fees are additional and quoted before you book.
Armstrong's and DePuy's are two ranch sections of the same spring creek system in Paradise Valley. Armstrong's is the upstream water; DePuy's continues downstream toward the Yellowstone River. Each ranch sells its own rods, and a reservation on one does not include the other.
Because the creek rises from springs, its flow and temperature stay steady when the Yellowstone is blown out with runoff or locked up in winter. That is why the spring creeks are where we fish in March, where we hide during June runoff, and where the best dry-fly days of the whole year happen when the big river is unfishable.
Hatches vary with weather and the section of creek. The calendar below is the starting point; the trout decide the rest.
Baetis (blue-winged olives) and midges. Small nymphs and emergers cover the gaps between rises. Cloudy days bring the best hatches; bright, windy days favor sight nymphing. Spawning trout are left alone.
Midges and subsurface fishing are the foundation. Dry-fly windows open on the right days but are never guaranteed. Later starts, time for observation and instruction, and warm-up breaks built in.
Midges continue as Baetis become the main event. Be ready to follow the bugs from nymph to emerger to adult. Careful wading and choosing feeding fish away from redds matter here.
Pale morning duns, caddis, sulphurs, and terrestrials. Weed beds define the feeding lanes. Summer rods are in demand, so reserve access well ahead. Ranch fees are at full seasonal rates and are additional.
Fall, winter, and early spring run on the seasonal all-in rate: $700 for one or two anglers with ranch rod fees included.
Spring creek fishing is less about covering water and more about solving one fish at a time. You will spend more of the day watching, and the fish you catch will mean more for it.
Trout hold along weed edges, below riffles, and beside depth changes. We watch where a fish feeds before choosing a casting position.
A rising fish may be eating emergers just under the film, not adults. We adjust fly and depth as the feeding changes through the day.
Accurate casts, useful slack, and line control make the fly travel naturally. Changing the angle often beats changing the fly.
Clear water shows you how trout respond. Approach, presentation, and strike detection learned here carry straight to the Yellowstone.
Look before you cast. Check the insects on the water, then watch how the trout feed. A fish taking emergers beneath the surface will ignore a perfect dry fly drifting over it. We work through size, profile, stage, and presentation until the fly reaches the fish the way the naturals do.
We pick the creek around your goals, the conditions, and which ranch has rods open. Both are excellent; they fish a little differently.
The longer section: riffles, flats, pools, deeper runs, and spring ponds. The variety means you can change tactics through the day without leaving the property. Warming huts on the ranch make it the winter favorite.
Meadow-stream fishing with riffles, pockets, and runs under the red barn. A sight-fisher's creek: careful approaches and precise presentations to individual trout in gin-clear water.
A reservation on one property does not include access to the other. We confirm the creek, the rods, and the total before your trip is booked.
Ranch availability and the trip total are confirmed before booking. A 50% deposit holds the date; see booking policies. The three-angler option applies to walk-and-wade days only, not drift boat trips.
These are walk-and-wade trips. We may spend an hour on one run, watching feeding fish and refining a presentation, rather than covering a long stretch of water. Winter starts are later in the morning, with ranch check-in arranged ahead of time.
Start with manageable casts and forgiving water. Patient instruction helps you learn to see fish, control a drift, and recognize a take. The clear water makes every lesson visible, which is why many people call a spring creek day the fastest way to get better.
Work on sight nymphing, small-fly presentations, and reading subtle feeding behavior. The instruction can be as technical as you want it, or we can simply hunt heads together. Bring your 4- or 5-weight and long leaders if you have them.
Yes, from October 15 to April 14, during the ranches' $50-per-angler seasonal rod-fee period. The guided day is $700 for one or two anglers, or $875 for three anglers on a suitable walk-and-wade trip. Outside that window, ranch fees are additional and quoted before you book.
The full-day rate is $700 whether one or two anglers fish. During the seasonal offer your $50 ranch rod fee is included.
No. DePuy's and Armstrong's have separate ranch reservations and access fees. We pick one creek together before your trip and confirm it with the ranch.
Rods, reels, waders, and boots are available on request. Tell us what you need and your sizes in advance so everything is ready. If you bring your own, a 4- or 5-weight with a floating line is ideal.
No. Midges bring trout to the surface on the right winter days, often in the early afternoon. Small nymphs and other subsurface presentations remain an important part of every winter plan.
Sometimes, depending on ranch availability and conditions. If you want the spring creek as a backup for a blown-out river, say so when you book so we can hold a rod; creek access cannot be guaranteed at the last minute.
Check dates online or call or text Matt. We confirm ranch availability, the trip total, and the terms, and a 50% deposit holds your guided reservation. Full details are on the booking page.
Tell Matt when you will be near Livingston, how many anglers are coming, and what you would like to work on. We will choose the creek together and confirm availability with the ranch.
Comparing a creek day with a float? Yellowstone River trips · Where we fish
Matthew Swan · Owner-Operator · MT Outfitter #26324
P.O. Box 1642 · Livingston, MT 59047
Based in Livingston and guiding the Yellowstone River, DePuy’s and Armstrong’s Spring Creeks in Paradise Valley, the Madison River, and surrounding southwest Montana waters.
Where We Fish
Yellowstone River Fly Fishing
DePuy’s & Armstrong’s Spring Creek Trips
Madison River Fly Fishing
Rates & Policies
Where to Stay & Eat in Livingston
Trip Planning Hub
Fishing Journal & Reports
These pages cover typical seasons, water types, and what to expect on guided days, from Yellowstone River floats to technical instruction on DePuy’s and Armstrong’s spring creeks.