I can't say enough good things about Park's Fly Shop. I live in California and wanted to book a float trip on the Yellowstone in September. I googled around on the web for a while and found the Park's website (http://www.parksflyshop.com). It is outstanding, providing an enormous amount of information. Even my wife commented on how much content was there. So, I called them. They were very helpful, suggesting a "combo trip:" 1/2 day walk-wading in the Park for Fall browns running up from the Yellowstone to spawn and 1/2 day floating the Yellowstone. I booked the trip for myself, my wife, and my two sons and paid my deposit.
About a month before the trip, Montana wildlife officials announced that the Yellowstone River had been closed due to a liver parasite outbreak. I called Park's to discuss our options. Once again they were most helpful. Richard, the proprietor said that we could still do the walk-wade and, if I wanted to cancel the trip altogether, they would return my full deposit. I said we would stick with the walk-wade and do the float if the river opened back up.
We arrived the day before our scheduled trip and dropped by the Park's store. Very modest place. Not all the commercial crap that other fly shops (think The Fly Shop in Redding, CA) try to sell you at inflated prices. They fitted my wife and sons out with serviceable boots and waders. They also informed us that, although the Yellowstone had been opened back up, there was no way we could do the float part of the trip because it had rained for several days and the river was just too muddy, so we would just have to walk-wade for a half-day. I was very disappointed, but appreciated their honesty; other outfitters would have gladly taken my money for the full day and floated me down the Yellowstone with no hope of catching any fish.
The next morning we headed out with our two guides, Walt Wiese and Ben Jewell. They were very congenial and knew exactly where and how to fish the river. They gave us lots of good instruction and casting tips and described the various kinds of browns we were catching (residents vs runners). It ended up being a spectacular day, one of the best days fishing we have ever had.
I have to add a few words about Walt, who was the guide that I fished with. Walt is a real renaissance man. He was the person who did such a spectacular job putting together all the information on Park's website. He has also published a book, Fly Fishing Yellowstone Country (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TRTO8M6 , a bargain in the Kindle edition at $2.99), which includes all the information from the website in addition to more details on each of the rivers and hatches in the area and the various techniques and flies to use for the different seasons. In addition to his skills as a web designer and author, Walt is an outstanding fisherman and guide. He can be blunt at times, but I always prefer that in a guide (I would rather have him tell me what I am doing wrong and try to correct it rather than allow me to keep on doing the wrong thing all day long). As you would expect from his book, he has intimate knowledge of how to fish everywhere in Yellowstone Country. And he is a maestro with a fly line, showing me just how to cast in order to catch the most fish.
We definitely plan on doing business with Park's Fly Shop again on future trips to Montana and Yellowstone, and look forward to fishing with Walt and Ben again. read more