Healing Waters Lodge is an Orvis endorsed fly fishing lodge centrally located in Montana's Ruby Valley to some of the planets great trout streams. We provide a beautiful setting, good food, and comfortable accommodations at a fair price so we can get you casting a fly rod and setting a hook on the rivers and streams that dreams are made. We are only as good as the people around us and at Healing Waters Lodge and Lewis and Clark Expeditions it is the dedicated group of professional guides and hospitality staff that work on behalf of our guests, knowing attention to detail will differentiate us from our competition. We work diligently to maintain a cadre of guides that intimately understand the rivers we fish, along with the needs of each individual client. While the emphasis is on fishing we also take considerable pride in the fine cuisine we create and our clean and comfortable rooms, accommodations up to 18 guests. The grounds at Healing Waters Lodge flourish with flowers spring, summer and fall. The garden provides a bounty of fresh vegetables and herbs that compliment meals. Our goal is simple: good food, good comfort and good fishing. Waters We Fish
Healing Waters Lodge is located in the Ruby Valley a few miles east of Twin Bridges; this is where rivers will haunt your imagination. The Big Hole River runs 150 miles supporting Cutthroat, Grayling, Rainbow and Browns with the entire river echoing "Trout". The Beaverhead River starts below Clark Canyon Reservoir forming a tailwater giving birth to some of the largest brown trout in the state. These two rivers combine to form the Jefferson River below Twin Bridges. The Jefferson River has made a dramatic comeback becoming an excellent fishery through the hard work and cooperation of Landowners, MontanaTrout Unlimited, Water Conservations Districts and Anglers illustrating what we can accomplish when working together. The Madison River is one large continuous jazz riff as it bee-bops over endless riffles creating a river full of action, constant casting along with endless fishing rewards. The smaller creeks and streams we fish are the sweet spot for many of our anglers. We have been working in conjunction with local landowners creating relationships built on trust, thus allowing us access to waters hidden from the public view. The streams both whisper and beckon the angler with the allure of solitude and gently rising trout. Lewis and Clark Expeditions – Smith River Trips
If I had one river left to float I would be on the Smith River. The Smith River is a 60-mile float that takes five days and four nights and embodies everything I love about fly fishing and Montana. It has incredible beauty, it breathes adventure and like religion it is both mysterious and eternal. We are the largest outfitter on the Smith with 26 of the 73 allotted commercial floats. The Smith is floatable in May through the middle of July. The Smith River is whimsical but it virtues always exceed its vices. "Learn How to Fish Like a Guide Live Like a Client" School – April and May
Hemingway thought if he could get one true sentence out the rest would follow. Here is ours, "Fish like a guide but live like a client." Healing Waters Lodge and Lewis and Clark Expeditions is open for business and our Fish Like a Guide Schools will be held in April and May. The school is designed to improve every angler's skill level by providing a solid foundation on stream entomology, improving angling technique (a variety of casts and mends), reading water, and the three ways to bamboozle a trout with a nymph, dry fly and a streamer. The equivalent would be leaving baseball's spring training with a 98 mph fastball, a Sandy Koufax curve and a change-up that can stop traffic. There is class time at Healing Waters Lodge but the real school is on the water. The Madison, Big Hole and Beaverhead are all classrooms along with the more intimate settings of the Ruby and Mill Creek. This is the time of year you can expect to see the stately mayfly - the blue winged olive. You can also witness the first stonefly of the year - Skwalas. Stepping Up to the Plate
We have been working with Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, Inc. (PHWFF) for over 12 years. They have given us the opportunity to serve the men and women in uniform using fly fishing as a rehabilitative tool. We do four trips a year. We take two groups of Disabled Vets down the Smith River and also save six spaces at our lodge in the peak season for a group in October. PHWFF will always have a home at Healing Waters Lodge and Lewis & Clark Expeditions. If you would like to assist or be involved in anyway, please call or go directly to www.projecthealingwaters.org. Trout Unlimited is the singular strongest advocate we have in the state of Montana for trout and their habitat. We encourage everyone that has ever tied on a fly to join. We also strongly encourage you to participate with the Lewis and Clark Chapter 656 of Montana Trout Unlimited. We believe supporting our local chapter and our projects gives you the biggest bang for your philanthropic buck. On Facebook: Trout Unlimited: Lewis and Clark Chapter 656
Montana Land Reliance-Ruby Habitat Foundation are two organizations that make our neighborhood and the state of Montana a better place. The Montana Land Reliance is a land conservation organization that tireless works in keeping Montana's open spaces open. They create win/win situations between landowners and conservationist. The Ruby Habitat Foundation participates in the stewardship of the Woodson Ranch in the Ruby Valley. They are committed to the compatibility of agriculture, wildlife and trout streams creating a ranch that flourishes as example of excellent stewardship. They also create a program that keeps sections of the ranch open to the public for fishing. This is a win/win for our valley. Website: Montana Land Reliance - The Ruby Habitat Foundation
