Yellowstone Guide Recommendations?

[Rockman]

My wife and I will be celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary on Aug. 14th. For our honeymoon, we planned a trip to Yellowstone, sadly, in 1988 it was on fire and two hours after we arrived, we were told to evacuate. We never saw yellowstone. We would like to plan our trip the 1rst & 2nd week of Sept. to avoid the crowds.
I would like to take my wife back for our 25th and am seeking advice & recommendations for places to hire guides for 2 or 3 fishing/photography float trips. I would like to target big browns on the floats. My wife is not an adrenalin junkie like me, so the floats can't be wild whitewater trips. I would like that, but its not for her.
If anybody can make some recommendations, I would be grateful.
We will be taking my truck with an Outfitter pop up camper. Somebody told me you can't camp in Yellowstone w/ soft sided campers. Mine is like a hybrid, hard side on the lower, soft on the pop up. Can anyone clarify if we will be allowed to camp?
Thanks in advance for advice & recommendations!

Will & Patrice Keller

[Bruce Slightom]

Andy Szofran http://www.flyfishredlodge.com/ Good guy.

[Randy B]

Talk to Arrick at Arrick's Fly Shop in West Yellowstone. He's a great guy who doesn't let his ego get involved in making guiding recommendations like you will experiece with other shops in that area. Tell him what you're looking for and he will set up a day that will meet your needs.

[Tim Fox]

If you go out the East Gate towards Cody, the North Fork Angler in Cody is a good choice to find a guide. Get a hold of the National Park Service for camping information, but I'll be there next week and try to find some info about camping in the park (I've camped there before, but not sure why soft sided campers would be a bad things, other than grizzly bears tearing into them?) West Yellowstone is also a great place, as stated below, Arrick's is a wonderful little shop and has a bunch of good employees and guides there.

[koffler]

2nd post for North Forth Anglers put of Cody. I forget his name but he made the north fork special stone pattern - nice fly. I think his name is Tim ???? but google it - I spend a lot of time out that way in Sheridan wy about 2 hrs east and always call them before I head to Cody and they have never steered me wrong. Good folk.

There's some great lakes out there as well - call and ask or PM me for details. They require a 25 minute hike from the nearest parking but fishing can be UNREAL.

Jason

[pgw]

Will,

I've been going up there every year for almost 30 years and I support all the fly shops in West Yellowstone but use the guides out of Blue Ribbon Flies (Craig Matthews' operation)

A lot of businesses, stores, and services in the towns and YNP are on limited hours or closed after September 1st or Labor Day...after Labor Day, there are a lot fewer folks crowding the park roads (and streams). The most productive floats are on the Madison and it's barely a CI river.

Regarding the campgrounds, the Hard-Soft issue is generally an area by area thing depending on the threat/risk level of bear activity. Some of the park campgrounds close after Labor Day or fill with reservations made as much as a year in advance. A lesser known campground, run by the State of Montana is the Baker Hole Campground on the Madison River, just outside of West Yellowstone and 10 minutes from the park entrance.

I'll be up there the end of August and post a report after the trip.

Have fun,

Paul