We Got Married!

New Wedding Date!

Our Wedding

And so it began...

Our Story

We would love folks to stay as close by to our house, Three-O-Nine, as possible so we can all hang out. Anywhere within the blue outline is relatively quiet, residential, and easy to walk and bike around. Outside of the blue outline has a newer more subdivision like feel: there are pockets of quiet neighborhoods and folks need to drive to get most places.

Airbnb or VRBO

Rent an RV! Take it out to the Ranch for the wedding, and then anywhere you want from there!

RV Share

Lewis & Clark Motel

The LARK

Element Bozeman

Lehrkind Mansion Bed & Breakfast

The Lindley House B&B

Places to Stay

Notes from Ben and Rob:Hello All!!!&nbsp;Along with visiting Bozeman, Montana comes an opportunity to fish some of the great trout fisheries of the West. The Gallatin, Madison, and Yellowstone rivers are within relatively easy driving distance of downtown. Their sources all begin in Yellowstone National Park and offer distinct types of water to fish. With a little more effort, a handful of other big rivers can be reached. In the middle of July, snowmelt is receding, but the region is typically still experiencing elevated flows. This can make wade fishing on the main rivers quite difficult, with some exceptions. Spring creeks and lakes also provide alternative opportunities to wet a line. Below, I have a brief description of some of the local rivers, maps, and links to follow if anyone wants to hire a guide service. Please note that the options I have included are not listed in any particular order, and any of them would be good choices.On Monday, July 20, we will have between 6-8 boats booked through a guide service to fish the Yellowstone River. This means that 12-16 people can be a part of this excursion. If a large number of guests express interest, we could possibly book a couple more boats. Some of the spots are taken due to the anticipated participation of the bride, groom, and immediate family. What can be expected for this trip, and any other fishing experience, is between $500-$650 dollars for an eight hour day for two people, depending on the guide service that we book. This typically includes lunch and non-alcoholic beverages and may or may not include the price of flies. The service will have fishing gear. Some guide services include transportation from Bozeman, and some don’t, so I will keep everyone who is interested posted. Livingston is about a 35 minute drive from downtown Bozeman, but depending on the exact stretch that we float, the commute could be longer. Please reach out to Rob Deford (<a href="mailto:rob@boordy.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">rob@boordy.com</a>), or me, Ben Deford (<a href="mailto:bfdeford@gmail.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">bfdeford@gmail.com</a>) if you would like to join us. First come first serve!Note: Montana has fishermen friendly private property/wade access regulations. Anglers are allowed to fish anywhere along a river, as long as you are below the high water mark, and the original point of access is public. Madison RiverIn Yellowstone National Park, the Firehole and Gibbon rivers come together to form the Madison. The most famous stretch for fly fishing is between Hebgen Lake and Lake Ennis. Wade fishing is easier the closer you get to Hebgen Lake and YNP, and fishing from a drift boat is the popular choice closer to Ennis. Below Lake Ennis, the Madison flows through a canyon and meets up with Highway 84 between Norris and Black’s Ford Fishing Access. It then flows due north for some miles along the Madison Road. The stretches below Lake Ennis are good for both wading and floating. The Madison has many native and non-native fish species, but the main targets for fly fishermen are rainbow, brown, and cutthroat trout. Considering the nature of its tributaries, and the presence of several lakes/reservoirs along its path, the Madison experiences a relatively smaller increase in flows due to snowmelt. This results in decent wade access when other rivers are too high. As arguably one of the top five most famous western trout rivers, anglers have an opportunity to catch large fish on dry flies with a backdrop of snow capped mountains.&nbsp;Here are some helpful links:<a href="https://billingsgazette.com/outdoors/madison-river-fishing-access-site-map/pdf_7b60854b-3ffd-5590-a0e3-b0c1fb2b6982.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Map of fishing access on the Madison&nbsp;</a><a href="https://www.bigskyfishing.com/rivers/southern-montana/madison-river/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Information for the Madison River</a><a href="https://waterdata.usgs.gov/mt/nwis/uv?site_no=06040000" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Flows of the Madison River near Cameron, MT</a><a href="https://waterdata.usgs.gov/mt/nwis/uv/?site_no=06041000&amp;PARAmeter_cd=00065,00060,00010" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Flows for Madison River below Lake Ennis near McAllister, MT</a> Gallatin RiverAlso starting in Yellowstone National Park, the Gallatin is Bozeman’s closest river drainage. It meanders through meadows in YNP before plunging through a canyon between Big Sky and the valley floor near Gallatin Gateway. This long section is bordered by public land for almost its entire length. The river then flows towards Belgrade before taking a westward trajectory and meeting the Jefferson and Madison at Three Forks. This marks the beginning of the Missouri River. The stretches below the Gallatin Canyon are flatter and often braided, and there is more private property. Anglers can expect to find browns, rainbows, cutthroat, and the fearless Rocky Mountain whitefish throughout the river system. Wade fishing is your best bet here, since float fishing is illegal on most stretches. The Gallatin, however, drains some of Montana’s biggest mountains, so snowmelt can last longer here than on some other regional streams. Additionally, this is a freestone river, so there are no reservoirs to help mitigate the high flows. With tremendous wade access along its entire length, the Gallatin offers great opportunities to catch some very nice fish in every type of water a river can offer.<a href="https://www.bigskyfishing.com/rivers/southern-montana/gallatin-river/#fishing" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Information for the Gallatin River</a><a href="https://waterdata.usgs.gov/mt/nwis/uv/?site_no=06043120&amp;PARAmeter_cd=00065,00060,00010" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Flows for the Gallatin above Deer Creek near Big Sky, MT</a><a href="https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?site_no=06043500" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Flows for the Gallatin River near Gallatin Gateway, MT</a> Yellowstone RiverPossibly the most famous freestone western river, and certainly the longest in the lower 48, the Yellowstone River is a dynamic fishery that is host to a lifetime’s worth of fishing opportunities. In short, wade fishing is your only option from Yellowstone Lake down to Gardiner. After Gardiner, you can access the river on foot, or hop on a drift boat with a guide which is the preferred method. Paradise Valley, which stretches between Gardiner and Livingston, is arguably one of the more scenic stretches of river around, and it provides opportunities for some great fun. Additionally, the valley is home to a handful of spring creeks which can be very technical, but are home to trophy fish. These creeks typically flow through private property, so a guide is a must. Last but not least, the famous Salmonfly hatches latest on the Yellowstone. The typical window of opportunity to experience this bucket list hatch is around early to mid July. Big fish drop their guard, and technique need not be perfect, but the river will see anglers from all over.&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thehandymap.com/Yellowstone_River_Fishing_Map_p/pmyem.htm" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Map for fishing the Yellowstone&nbsp;</a><a href="https://waterdata.usgs.gov/mt/nwis/uv?site_no=06192500" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Flows for the Yellowstone near Livingston, MT</a> Madison/Gallatin/Yellowstone Guide Services<a href="http://www.troutwranglers.com/guide-service/rates" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Montana Trout Wranglers</a><a href="https://montanaflyfishing.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Gallatin River Guides, Big Sky, MT</a>Fins &amp; Feathers, Bozeman, MT<a href="https://finsandfeathersonline.com/guided-fly-fishing-trips/our-trips" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Montana Angler, Bozeman, MT</a><a href="https://troutfitters.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Montana Trout Fitters, Bozeman, MT</a>The River’s Edge, Bozeman, MT Livingstone Guide Services<a href="https://www.longoutfitting.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Long Outfitting</a><a href="https://www.sweetwaterflyshop.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sweetwater Fly Shop</a>Brant Oswald Fly Fishing Services

Lilly & Pete

Lilly & Pete

Photos