Fly Fishing with a Dog on the River

Montana Casting Co. Blog

Fly Fishing Know-How, Tips, and Stories

Fly Fishing Tips and Tricks

Montana Casting Co. Fly Rod Case and Full Fly Box

Our Kit Series: Fall Streamer Fishing

Fly Fishing for Big Fish Fall streamer fishing: possibly the three best words of the year. They’re the words that summon visions of wide-open rivers, morning fog, and massive browns...

A Fly Fisherman Poses with a Large Trout

Scott Joyner and the Art of Fly Fishing

We get a lot of questions about who we are. What is Montana Casting Co.? Where did we come from? While we encourage you to connect with the roots of...

Using a Seine Net While Fly Fishing

Fly Fishing 101: How (and Why) to Use a Seine Net

The Patterns of Fly Fishing As fly fishermen, we’re constantly tuning into the patterns of nature. We watch the surface of the water for rising fish. We use the pattern...

The Monofilament to Fluorocarbon System with a Micro Swivel

Fluorocarbon vs. Monofilament: The Mono to Fluoro System

Is fluorocarbon better than monofilament? Fluorocarbon (fluoro) leaders and tippet rose to prominence in the 1980s for their near invisibility and abrasion-resistant properties—a clear advantage in rougher waters or when...

Finishing a Custom Fly Rod

Building Custom Fly Rods: Finishing Your Rod

You’ve planned out your dream custom rod, chosen your materials, found the spine on all your blanks, made your measurements, and fitted the reel seat and grip… You’re well on...

Custom Fly Rod Guide Assembly by Scott Joyner

Building Custom Fly Rods: Assembly

In our previous blog on building custom rods, Scott Joyner walked through the various components you’ll need to get started. Now, it’s time to get hands on and start putting all the...

Applying Guides to Fly Rod Blanks

Building Custom Fly Rods: Picking Your Components

We recently talked with Scott Joyner about his experience building custom fly rods, and here is what he had to say: Building custom rods has been a passion of mine...

Fly Fishing from a Drift Boat

Fly Fishing 101: River Etiquette

Respecting Your Fellow Fly Fishermen Thirty percent of Montana’s considerable landmass falls under the label of “public land”. This includes millions of acres of National Forest, National Park, BLM, and...

Golden Retriever Sniffs a Trout Caught While Fly Fishing

Lessons From a Fish Dog

A day of fly fishing in the mountains...  Lincoln, our eighty-five-pound golden retriever and official Montana Casting Co. Gear Durability Tester, learned long ago the meaning of an engine growling to...

Rigging the Fly Rod with Emerger Fluoro Tippet

Fly Fishing Knots: How to Tie a Perfection Loop

Why use a perfection loop? A classic fly fishing knot, the perfection loop has numerous applications on the water. Most commonly you’ll use it to connect backing to your fly...

Using a Tie-Fast Tool to Tie a Nail Knot

Fly Fishing Knots: How to Tie a Nail Knot

What’s a nail knot and when is it used? Many modern fly lines are designed with welded loops, allowing for leader to be attached quickly loop-to-loop. Prior to the invention...

Montana Mountain Lake

Our Kit Series: Fly Fishing Mountain Lakes

Fly Fishing Adventure in the High Country Nothing says summer like hiking to a high mountain lake with your fly rod strapped to your backpack! From day hikes to backpacking...

Fly Fisherman Rigging His Fly Rod on the River

Fly Fishing Knots: Surgeon’s Loop and Double Overhand Surgeon’s Knot

NOTE: If you're looking for the "Our Kit Series" blog, please click here: Fly Fishing Mountain Lakes. Otherwise, read on to learn about the two different Surgeon's knots: Not the Same...

Our Kit Series: Fly Fishing the Upper Madison

Our Kit Series: Fly Fishing the Upper Madison

The Madison River begins at the confluence of the Gibbon and Firehole Rivers in Yellowstone and flows through approximately 183 miles of mountain-framed vistas before arriving at Three Forks—a meeting...

Caring for Your Fly Fishing Rod

Caring for Your Fly Fishing Rod

Caring for your Fly Rod If you’re new to fly fishing, there’s a lot to learn: casting, knots, reading the water, setting the hook… But caring for your new equipment...

Fly Fishing the Missouri River in Montana at Sunset

Our Kit Series: Montana's Upper Missouri River

Fly Fishing in Four Seasons The Missouri is open to fishing year-round in Montana, so you have four very distinct seasons to enjoy. We tend to frequent the section of...

Attending Women's Fly Fishing Clinic at Hidden Canyon Lodge

Reflections on a Weekend Fly Fishing Among Women (Part 3)

Note: This is the third in a three-part series on a women's fly fishing clinic that took place in April of 2024 on the Upper Missouri River. Need to catch...

The Women's Fly Fishing Clinic at Hidden Canyon Lodge

Reflections on a Weekend Fly Fishing Among Women (Part 2)

Note: This is the second in a three-part series on a women's fly fishing clinic that took place in April of 2024 on the Upper Missouri River. Need to catch...

Women's Fly Fishing Clinic Participants at the Missouri River

Reflections on a Weekend Fly Fishing Among Women (Part 1)

The Women’s Fly Fishing Clinic at Hidden Canyon Lodge Stepping into Hidden Canyon Lodge on a cool April evening, the first sensation I felt was one of warmth. A fire...

Montana Casting Co. Envy 406 Reel & Fly Line

Let’s Get into the Weeds: Fly Lines Part 3

The question of which fly line is right for you can be a complicated one to answer. We’ve mercilessly dissected many fly lines over the years in the name of science… As a result, we’ve gotten our fly rods and fly lines to be exactly what we want them to be. 

Fly Fishing in a Drift Boat Casting Fly Line

Let’s Get Into the Weeds: Fly Lines Part 2

Digging into Fly Line Taper In Fly Lines Part 1, we looked at how a rod’s optimal line weight is determined using the Common Cents System as well as how...

Woman Casting a Fly Rod

Getting Hooked on Fly Fishing

The Little Brookie that Flew - A Fly Fishing Story by Hannah Dreesbach I was in elementary school when my father first put a fly rod in my hand. We...

Fly Line on a Fly Fishing Rod

Let's Get into the Weeds: Fly Lines Part 1

Which fly line is right for you? The answer to that question can depend on a slew of factors, including the species of fish you plan to chase, the flies...

Fly fisherman laughs while stripping line from his fly fishing rod.

Rigging Your New Fly Rod & Reel

Rigging Your New Fly Fishing Rod & Reel The big day is here; you finally have your new dream fly rod and reel in hand. The excitement is almost too...

8wt Fly Rod

Choosing the Right Fly Rod Weight

What is Fly Rod Weight? At its simplest, fly rod weight is an indicator of a blank's stiffness: the higher the “weight”, the stiffer the blank. Typically, you will match...

A blood knot can be used to tie tippet to tippet or tippet to leader.

Fly Fishing Knots: How to Tie a Blood Knot

Blood knots—complicated or simple? Whether you’re grabbing your 4 wt fly rod for a weekend in the mountains or preparing for a trip to the salt flats, the blood knot...

Fly Fisherman Magazine is featuring Montana Casting Co. fly rods

Fly Fisherman Magazine is Featuring Montana Casting Co.

Fly Fisherman Magazine is featuring Montana Casting Co. and our Warm Springs Fly Rod in its April-May 2024 Issue! Fly Fisherman loves gear with a story behind it, and Montana...

Fly Fishing Rods and Reels - Craig Fly Rod and Envy 406 Fly Fishing Reel

Our Fly Fishing Reels - The Lowdown on the 406 Series

406 Fly Fishing Reels: Everything You Need to Know Dive into the specs behind Montana Casting Co. fly fishing reels, our favorite uses for each model, and some useful pointers...

Madelynn Pandis holds up a juvenile cutthroat trout while fly fishing.

Fly Fishing in the Little Belts

Hidden in Plain Sight - A Fly Fishing Story by Madelynn Pandis Growing up in the mountains, I have always had a special place in my heart for mountain streams...

Fly Rods by Montana Casting Co. - the Craig, the Dearborn, and the Warm Springs

How We Named Our Fly Rods

Every Montana Casting Company fly rod carries a small reminder of the places and moments that shaped us, both as fly fishers and people.

Redband Rainbow Trout.

Fly Fishing the Williamson

In July of 2022, I was fishing the Williamson River outside Klamath Falls, Oregon. Redband Rainbow Trout come out of Lake Klamath in the summer to seek refuge in the...

Fly Fishing on the Cutthroat Diet

Fly Fishing on the Cutthroat Diet

Fly Fishing on the Cutthroat Diet Though it’s not necessarily known for being the wiliest fish on the river, the cutthroat trout is hauntingly beautiful. Luminous scales of warm gold,...

Dry Fly Displayed on Hand

Fly Fish Much? What to do if you “Get Hooked Up”

If you spend much time around sharp objects, sooner or later, you’re bound to experience a mishap.

Warm Springs Fly Rod and Cutthroat Trout with a Dry Fly

Fancy Fly Rods, Reels, and Flies Only Get You So Far

Doesn’t matter if you’ve been fly fishing for years—practicing your casting techniques, knot tying, and studying entomology... there will be days when the fish refuse to bite. It might be...