Hey yall. My name is russell and i live down here in Texas. I have just started flyfishing. I LOVE fly fishing and have gotten pretty good at it. I currently use an 8wt TFO BVK and i really like it. I mainly use it for saltwater fishing for reds and speckled trout. Anyways, this June/July i am going to our family friends house in Livingston, Montana. I REALLY want o get in on some brown amd brook trout action. Which rods (3-5wt) do you reccommend for stream fishing? I am only 15 so i would like to keep the total cost of line,rod, and reel under $400. Also, i am interested in fly tying. What materials do i need to start out with? What are some effective patterns for trout? Also feel free to give me any tips you think could be helpful, they will be MUCH appreciated.

Thanks,
Russ

4/5wt or 5/6 wt
fly tying is a big investment, i would make sure i like it before i start, i enjoy it, but its some money once you buy your vice and feathers/twine/shimmertwine/hair $$$

Hi Russ, welcome to the site. A lot is going to depend on where you intend to fish around Livingston - if it's the Yellowstone River, be aware that it is BIG and fast flowing, with BIG trout in it, so you'll need something like a 9' #7. Not an ideal river for wading, but you can do it at the back of the High School and at some boat put-ins like Carter's Bridge or Mallard's Rest upstream of the town. Most people drift the Yellowstone from a boat but that is an expensive way to fish unless you can persuade your parents to pay the $450 per day rental

There are some nice creeks which flow in to the main river further up Paradise Valley where you'll get away with an 8' #4. The best of these is probably Mill Creek which has some nice cutthroats but note that there is some private water up there so watch out for posted areas (if the fence posts are painted orange, don't go there!) Snowbank Campground is way upstream on Mill where you'll find lots of small brookies and cutts and plenty of public access.

If you're on a budget, keep away from the spring creeks south of Livingston, - great fishing for big fish but $100 per day and there is plenty of free fishing elsewhere

You might also want to try the Boulder River, about an hour east of Livingston, or the Shields River, half an hour NE

When you get to Livingston, go into any of the flyshops and ask the guys there where's fishing best. Dan Bailey's is probably the best known shop and is really great for a wide range of fly-tying materials and tools. Also George Anderson's Yellowstone Angler is a good shop, couple of miles south of town on Hwy 89, helpful staff in there.

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Game fish are too valuable to be caught only once - Lee Wulff

Hi Russ-I,m an american living in nw england who taught myself to tie flies at 14. Start with a few flies easy to tie like a gold ribbed hare,s ear(grhe) and a Pheasant Tail Nymph(ptn) then buy the materials you,ll need to tie them, To begin I would get practising on no more than six flies-and those flies will work on any river in the world for trout. For tools just get basics-vice, hackle pliers, one or two bobbins to hold your thread, dubbing needle and a piece of velcro. By the time you fish Montana you,ll be proficient enough that you,ll have plenty of flies to use. I only wish I were going with you as I passed through the area last year while over there and it was very tempting not to stop and try some fishing.

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The scenery in the Grand Coulee area of eastern Washington was worth the air fare on its own!