Gallatin River Guides — Attraction in Big Sky

Read down to my other reviews.

Aug 2025 We messed up and didn't schedule a drift trip in time. So I rented a rod for 2 days and struck on my own, the first day was a bust. But after talking to Drew the General Manager and his guidance I was able to redeem myself. 11 Rainbows in hand, 5 LDR and one break off. All in 3 hours. Thanks again for the wisdom Drew. Hopefully be back again soon.

3rd trip July 2024 My wife and I floated with Tommy on the Madison, and the a few days later the Yellowstone. Best trip ever.

2nd trip 6-25-2023 See earlier review below.

Well our drift trip on the 23rd was so good, we called the shop and booked a 4 hour afternoon walk and wade for 3 people yesterday the 25th.

We were greeted by Paty, Conner and Tyler. Did our check in requirements and were fitted with waders and boots. Introduced to our guides, Jesse and Vincent. A little pow wow on our skill levels which was a first timer, a 3rd timer and myself (still learning).. We rode with our guides to our first location and spread out along the river. Vincent was my guide and Jesse took my friends. Let's just say right now, we all enjoyed our experience. Maybe me a little more.

Fly fishing for my friends is very new to them and the sutal takes they experienced by these fish were missed except for a short battle by one of them. But we've all been there.

Vincent and I on the other hand killed it. At least 4 or 5 Rainbows made it into our hands, and a few LDRs... But we will always have the story about the One that Got Away.

Not 2 feet off the bank and directly up river about 15 feet was a nice little Boulder. Vincent had me rigged and said see that rock? Yes, put the flys right, and he pointed where. I don't recall which cast try it was, maybe the 3rd or 4th try. Then BOOM! A monster Brown takes the fly. Being so close to where it happen we got to see everything up close and personal. What would've been a personal best for me, decided to take to the fast water and break the surface right in front of us, then comence to take line down river as fast as it could. Reel spinning, Vincent helping direct me, but nothing was going stop that fish. It ran down river at least 30 yards before the hook pulled. We knew that fish would've had the whole town talking. We were stunned, even shaking a little after that.

We recouped and found a few more Rainbows and ended our afternoon calling it a successful day.

That fish is still out there! Book a trip, listen to the guides. Keep your eyes on the indicator and set the hook.

Can't wait to come back and try again. One happy fishermen named Bill Thanks again everyone.

1st trip 6-23-2023 Booking was as easy as it could be. Thank you Tyler.. Fly Shop fully stocked . Staff super helpful.

A buddy and I drifted the Madison yesterday with guide Tommy. A well educated young man that was born to guide. All his gear was in top working condition. His skills were well polished and knowledge of the fishery got us on fish all day.. Our fish count on a difficult day was outstanding. Personal best Brown for me, everything after was a bonus. Plenty of shoreline wildlife to distract you, and unparalleled beauty as we drifted. Thanks again for making my short time Montana everything I had...

I booked with GRG to fish two walk-in days in June. The over-all trip was a wonderful success, but there were a few concerns with the process. Shane from GRG did a nice job of keeping in touch, but GRG as a whole did miss on a a few things. The service is "all-inclusive," including all your needed gear and lunch. I was not contacted to set up a time for gear or asked what gear I had or needed...along with that I was never asked if there were any dietary issues or restrictions (which seems like they both might be important to ask). I searched their website and could not find a "to bring" list or information about how to dress or what might be needed (yes I understand common sense should apply, but a list to make sure nothing is forgotten and one is dressed appropriately is definitely helpful)...this was also never provided via email or phone. Luckily...Kara Tripp...my guide came to their rescue. When I couldn't find the information I needed, I reached out to Kara. Kara provided me with her "guide checklist" and a wealth of other tips and suggestions. I corresponded back and forth with her ensuring I had what I needed and that my gear was appropriate for our two days together. Kara Tripp was an amazing guide! She was patient, knowledgeable and a true champion of the fly fishing community. I can not thank her enough for making my trip not only a fishing success, but a complete educational experience as well. Kara took the time to work with me on casting, several different fly presentations and she also took the time to talk proper ethics of this great sport. She gave me the "whys" as well as the "hows," setting me up to be able to continue my week of fishing on my own...being confident that I knew what to do and would be successful. I can not express my gratitude enough to Kara...she has given me a skill that I will enjoy the rest of my life. I highly recommend Kara Tripp to be your guide, I promise she will provide an wonderful and memorable fly fishing adventure for you!

ps...Kara also has an amazing women's fishing accessory line called Damsel Fly Fishing...check...

If you only read one line of this.. BOOK THE TRIP! Lindsey is amazing and we couldn’t have asked for more.

Now for the details.. We booked a full day fly trip on the Madison River and Lindsey was our assigned guide. The meet up location the morning of our trip was easy to find and we started with a quick conversation about our skills. We made sure she knew we were total newbies. Lindsey seemed genuinely excited to teach us.

Once we arrived at the location, we did a quick run through of the gear and we started the short walk to our first spot. First, Lindsey put me in the water and began teaching me how to cast. She was patient and joyful and after a few minutes left me to work on my own so she could go get my husband started.

It wasn’t long before we started getting a few bites and we both felt more confident. Honestly, we caught out first fish a lot faster than I thought we would. Lindsey was excited each time we caught one and calmly coached us on how to get it to the bank for netting.

We’d fish a spot for a while and then move down or further in the river if we weren’t having any luck. Lindsey changed our flies several times if we weren’t getting bites. Before we stopped for lunch, we ended up catching 3 nice size rainbow trout and one BIG brown trout. We had several good hits that got away but, in our opinion, that just adds to the adventure.

After about 5 hours we stopped for lunch. The provided lunch was tasty and more food than we could eat for lunch. This was a pleasant surprise.

After lunch, we fished some more but it was getting warmer and the fish were not cooperating. At this point, we called it a day. My husband and I walked away feeling like we had a good grasp on the basics and caught some great fish in the process. We had an absolute blast and I couldn’t have dreamt up a better day.

We we thrilled with Lindsey as a guide and could have asked for more. She was an excellent teacher, a wealth of knowledge and enthusiastic through the whole process. We would absolutely use her and Gallatin River...