Welcome to Avalanche Basin Outfitters

Due to the wide variety of available water our fishing trips can accomodate anglers of any skill level. Following is a brief description of the fishing conditions and fish averages for the waters we fish. We provide all transportation to fishing areas, lunches, and refreshments during the day. We also cover all rod fees on private water, provide flies, boats, float tubes and guides.

We fish 5 miles of private land on the upper Smith River between White Sulphur Springs and the Camp Baker floating access. This is fished with waders or from the bank, and averages 15 yards wide. The Smith River offers Brown Trout from 8" to 22" long, Rainbows from 6" to 20" long, and some Brook Trout. Water level and water temperature vary a great deal due to irrigation. You will need to be prepared to fish wet or dry, whichever is working best at the time. We do not catch large numbers of fish on the Smith in a day, normally 5 to 8 fish per person, but catch many 14" to 20" fish. Hay meadows and grass banks make this river fun to fish for the experienced fisherman. We fish the Smith River from June 1 through October 15.

Fish the finest private waters in Montana

We fish 8 miles of Rock Creek, a small spring fed creek flowing completely on private land. This is also fished with waders and from the bank, and averages 5 yards wide. Rainbows from 8" to 14" are very plentiful, with some 12" to 16" Browns and small Brookies being caught. Rock Creek will be 95% dry fly fishing, as water level and water temperature are very stable. Good fishermen should expect to catch 20 to 30 fish per day here anytime from June 1 through October 15. It also offers some spectacular scenery and canyons.

Both the Smith River and Rock Creek flow through ranchlands and open meadows. Walking along the banks is fairly easy in most places. Some of the lower ranches we fish on the Smith have steep dirt banks and brush, and makes it harder to access the river.

Sheep Creek offers 1 mile of mountain stream fishing. Fast riffles feeding into pools and a lot of large rock jutting up above the surface makes Sheep Creek lots of fun to fish for the experienced fisherman. It offers Rainbows from 6" to 14", an occasional Brown, Brookie, or Cutthroat, and will run 75% dry fly fishing. It can only be fished with waders, as trees and undergrowth line the banks. The bottom is solid rocks, and wading is difficult in places. Sheep Creek averages 10 yards wide and produces 20 to 35 fish per day under normal conditions. We are able to drive to this section of Sheep Creek, but some hiking is required to reach the upper parts of the creek. We fish Sheep Creek from July 1 through September 15.

Clear mountain streams and private lakes

Butte Creek offers 3 miles of excellent small stream, dry fly fishing. This small freestone creek averages five yards wide, with a plentiful supply of 9" to 12" Rainbows and Cutthroats. Water temperature and water levels are very stable. Good fishermen can expect to catch 15 to 35 fish per day on Butte Creek. It offers beautiful, mountain scenery, and fishes well from June 15 through October 1.

The Sheep Creek waters and Butte Creek are located on the same ranch, and can both be used in a day of fishing.

Spring Creek Lake, 8.9 surface acres and 30 ft. deep, offers Rainbows from 2 to 5 lbs. and Brookies from 12" to 18" long. It can be fished with float tubes, waders, from shore, or by boat. This lake offers excellent dry fly fishing from May 15 through October 15. Anglers of all skills catch good fish here, and also enjoy the privacy and scenery Spring Creek offers. Here you should expect to catch 10 to 15 good fish per day.

Keep Cool Lake, 35 surface acres and 40 ft. deep, is also privately owned. Many 16" to 21" hard fighting Kamloops Rainbows and Brown Trout inhabit this lake and offer excellent fishing for competent anglers. It will run 50% dry fly fishing, and can be fished with float tubes, boat, or from shore. It is a beautiful, crystal clear lake, and also offers privacy and great scenery. We fish this lake from May 15 through October 15, and are averaging 6 to 10 fish per person on most days.

We are fishing 1 mile of private land on the Musselshell River. It averages 15 yards wide, and 3 ft. to 8 ft. deep. It has to be fished with waders, as tall grass and underbrush line the banks. It offers excellent Brown Trout fishing for the experienced fisherman, with fish size averaging 14" to 20". We are catching 5 to 8 fish per person on the Musselshell on normal days, and have taken several Browns in the 24", 6 lb. to 7 lb. class. It offers good dry fly fishing, with a lot of dirt and grass banks. Hopper fishing is extremely good in late summer - July 1 through October 15.

We also float 70 miles of the Yellowstone River, from Gardiner to Big Timber. This stretch offers Browns, Rainbows and Cutthroat from 8" to 18". It offers good large river fishing and some of the finest scenery anywhere. We use a Hyde 16' Drift Boat on all Yellowstone and Missouri River floats. We will average anywhere from 6 to 25 trout per day per boat on both rivers.

We ask everyone to be able to fish both wet and dry. We realize most people like to fish dry flies, and consider that on all trips. Poor weather conditions, water levels, and water temperatures will affect all waters we fish. To catch fish in poor conditions, you need to be prepared to try fishing emergers and small nymphs under the surface, as well as large patterns deep. Even under the best of conditions, some days do not fish well.

We will fish any and all hours during the day, including daylight to dark. During bright, sunny days, we sometimes fish early morning and late evenings, as mid-day fishing can be poor. High, muddy water will affect the creeks and rivers that we are fishing. On days when these conditions exist, we fish the lakes and do very well.

There are a good selection of motels and one Bed & Breakfast for lodging during your stay. There are also 3 restaurants, 1 Deli, and 3 Bar & Grills in White Sulphur Springs that offer meals. They are clean, modern and offer personalized service.

We offer an excellent variety of waters and fish. We realize everyone is limited on fishing days and take every step possible to insure that everyone will catch a lot of fish during these trips. We always furnish a large selection of flies that work well on the waters we fish. Our knowledge of these waters and years of experience make it possible for anglers of all experience levels to catch fish under all conditions.