Summary: This week I welcome Dennis Alverson from Dennis Alverson Fly Fishing Guide Service out of Livingston, Montana. As everyone knows, Montana offers some if the best dry, nymph, and streamer fly fishing anywhere on earth. Dennis guides on the longest freestone river in the country, the Yellowstone River, which is said to have the longest stretch of "blue ribbon trout stream" in the Americas. His fly fishing territory includes the nearby spring creeks (or “cricks” as he calls them) with names like Armstrong, Dupuy, and Nelsons. In within a two hour drive he can guide you on the Boulder, Madison, and Stillwater rivers or take you to fish the Burns and Storys lakes. Needless to say, Dennis Alverson and the great state of Montana offer every type of fly fishing adventure for anyone at any skill level. PART ONE In the first part of the interview Dennis starts out by telling us that he grew up in Montana with the Gallatin River not more that five feet away. He remembers fly fishing guides from the Yellowstone National Park asking his fathers’ permission to fish on their property and how eventually Dennis tagged along to see what they were doing. Dennis tells us how going to church every Sunday made him want to be a guide even more than he already did. I mean, if you had 5 world-class fisheries, plus the Yellowstone River, in your neighborhood, wouldn’t you want to be a fly fishing guide? Dennis explains how to effectively use the reach cast when you are casting from his drift boat. He gives up a guide tip on the one thing to do at the very end of that drag-free drift you just did that drive trout crazy. Dennis tells us about the one spring creek that he doesn’t talk much about, what size fly rod he uses for dropper rigs (and everything else), and why placement & presentation is more important that the fly pattern. Information about the 3 parts of a good run, don’t look under the rocks, and hopper hatches of Biblical proportions round out Part One of the interview. Top Fly for Fly Fishing with Dennis Alverson WINTER 18 Blood Midge 18 Sawyer 14 CDC Soft Hackle Pheasant 12 Girdle 18 Prince SPRING 14 Soft Hackle CDC Pheasant Tail 8 Girdle 12 Prince 12 Caddis 10 Chubby SUMMER 12 Caddis 14 Parachute Adams 12 Chubby 12 O-Natural Hopper 14 Black Ant FALL 4 Black Rabbit Streamer 14 Parachute Adams 14 March Brown 4 Girdle 338 cal.- 180 Grain bullet for Elk PART TWO In Part Two of the interview, Dennis talks about what to do at the end of a strip to get a reaction from the trout, what his new favorite floatant is, window shade casts, and how to properly present your dry fly. I have always wondered what the difference is between a riffle and a ripple and Dennis puts in his two cents worth about that subject. Wrapping things up, Dennis talks about his Take A Kid Fishing program he started and the success of getting kids to be aware of the great natural resources they have right outside their front door. And finally, he gives us a guide tip that we all know we should do, but most of us do the exact opposite and a guide story that shows just how far he will go to make sure his clients get great fish! Tight lines. David Darling Call Dennis at (406) 220-0755 Email: dennis@guided-fly-fishing-trips-montana.com Website: Dennis Alverson Fly Fishing Guide Service Music provided by JewelBeat.com
