Flylab Interview: Fly-fishing Guide Lincoln Powers

Flylab Interview: Fly-fishing Guide Lincoln Powers

Lincoln Powers is a fly-fishing guide from Absarokee, Montana and owner of the Montana Fly Fishing Lodge. For years, he’s been a working guide on the varied rivers of south-central Montana: the Yellowstone, Stillwater, Boulder, Clark Fork of the Yellowstone, as well as a number of smaller spring creeks.

Why is south-central Montana and your location so unique?

A true family legacy, our property has been owned and operated by the Powers family since the 1940s. Our hand-hewn log lodge sits in a quiet, untouched corner of Montana, far from the crowds, offering an unpressured fly-fishing experience. Nestled near the eastern slopes of the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness, the area is home to multiple blue-ribbon trout streams, perfect for both float and walk-wade fishing.

For reasons unknown, this part of the state has remained under the radar, untouched by the intense fly-fishing pressure seen on the Madison, Big Hole and Missouri rivers. Here, you’ll experience fly fishing the way it was meant to be–wild, scenic and with hardly another angler in sight.

The best part of your job?

Having spent a lifetime investing in this lodge, both financially and personally, and fishing these home waters, sharing this special place with others who truly appreciate the experience is incredibly rewarding. For me, it’s not just about the fishing; it’s about the connections made along the way. I love hearing our guests’ life stories and sharing their daily adventures on the water.

For an angler who’s never been to your lodge, or visited Montana, what’s a typical day at the lodge like?

A guest’s day is designed to blend technical progression on the water with the comfort of a luxury lodge experience–and as your guide, my role is to make it fun and educational.

Your morning starts with a delightful hot breakfast, where we’ll go over the day’s objectives based on your mobility, desires, weather, water levels and active entomology. We’ll review fly patterns, likely hatch activity, and discuss whether we’ll be focusing on dry fly presentations, nymphing, dry/dropper combos, or streamers–tailoring the day to your experience level and goals.

After breakfast, you’ll grab your gear from your personal locker and we’ll load up the truck. During the drive to the river, I’ll share some history of the watershed, everything from Indigenous use of the area to Lewis and Clark’s expedition, plus my own intel from the past few days on water clarity, fish movement, feeding patterns and what’s been working.

We fish a curated set of Montana’s best waters–spring creeks, freestone rivers and tailwaters–each with its own quirks and opportunities. These are relatively lightly pressured waters, so we often have miles to ourselves. Whether we’re drifting under a tight cut bank or sight-casting to rising fish, I’ll coach you on line control, drift correction and fly placement. Expect frequent feedback and a lot of hands-on guidance–mending, adjusting leader length and leash setup, or changing fly rigs to respond to fish behavior and water conditions.

Wildlife sightings are a bonus and my favorite part of the day. It’s not uncommon to spot bald eagles, whitetail deer, sandhill cranes and even the occasional bear or mountain lion. I always encourage guests to take a moment to soak it in–it’s about the full immersion, not just the fish count.

We’ll break midday for a riverside lunch–quiet, scenic and delicious. It’s a chance to regroup, talk through the morning’s action, swap flies if needed and adjust our strategy for the afternoon hatch.

After wrapping up the day’s fishing, we’ll return to the lodge to clean and stow gear. Dani, Guest Delight Lead, always greets everyone with a cold drink and a warm smile. While you relax, the team makes sure everything is rinsed, dried and ready for the next day. Before we part, we’ll chat about what’s next–new water, different rigs, or maybe a challenge you want to tackle tomorrow.

The evening is about camaraderie and comfort. Guests often gather on the patio with a local microbrew, wine, or a signature cocktail, sharing the day’s best fish stories. Some nights feature live music by local musicians, and dinner is always a gourmet affair. After dessert, you might catch the sunset by the bonfire or head into our Recreation Barn for a little friendly competition–pool, shuffleboard, or even Pac-Man.

The hardest part of your job?

Running guide shuttles, but it’s a necessary evil.

The number one piece of philosophical advice you give new anglers…

During the day, close your eyes and push through the thoughts of your life and work reality, so you can experience unscripted, fly-fishing moments on our home waters.

How about nuts-and-bolts fishing advice?

The three topics we come back to with our clients most often are line management, understanding hydrology and fly presentation.

Control your drift with micro-mends and slack line management. It’s not just about mending–it’s about how and when you mend. I teach clients to initiate micro-mends within the first second of the drift to keep the fly in the feeding lane without affecting its natural movement. For nymphing, stack mending upstream can reduce tension and let the indicator or sighter drift at current speed. For dry flies, reach casts and parachute casts help introduce slack at the right angle to mitigate micro-drag. And I always say, “Don’t just mend the line, adjust the leader and even the tippet orientation when needed.”

Target structure with intent, and understand the hydrology. We break the water down by velocity gradients and substrate transitions. Trout hold where laminar flow meets turbulence–think seamlines next to riffles, or inside corners of current tongues. I push clients to dissect water like a map: look for the thermocline layer in deeper pools, use polarized lenses to read current breaks caused by mid-stream boulders and cast upstream of soft pillows behind submerged structure where fish stage. We also talk about fish positioning in different flow regimes–riffle, run, pool–and how that varies with light, temperature and pressure.

Refine your presentation based on entomology and water column targeting. I emphasize adjusting not just fly pattern, but fly weight, depth and drift speed to mimic the natural insects present that day. For example, during a PMD hatch, I’ll often run a double dry with a dun and emerger combo, using a 5X-to-6X dropper to allow the emerger to sit in the film. For subsurface work, I guide clients to rig with micro-shot or tungsten beads to control sink rate precisely, aiming to hit the zone in the first 2–3 seconds of the drift. When Euro nymphing, I’ll dial in tippet diameter and fly density to balance tensioned drifts vs. dead drifts depending on the target depth and flow speed.

All these subtleties and fishing techniques can matter.

When not at the lodge, where will we find you fishing?

Central Patagonia around Trevelin, Argentina.

What was your closest near-death fishing related incident?

My first, and only, time falling out of a raft on the Yellowstone River. We were dead drifting and pulling a streamer and a large brown hit the fly, probably my biggest ever on a freestone stream. The guide said, “You better take a seat,” while we plunged down a short rapids. Instead of turning around and sitting in my seat, I went to lean back against the thigh brace–one cheek connected with the brace, the other was off, so “ass-over-tea-kettle” I went into the water with my waders on. My life-long mantra “don’t panic” paid off, and I was fine, but the fish broke off…

What was a recent, unforgettable fishing experience?

On the Futaleufú River near Trevelin, Argentina my wife and I had been catching a bunch of medium-sized rainbows, and I had another one on when my line went heavy–I thought the fish got wrapped around some underwater structure, but eventually, it started to move. When the fish came to the surface it had been T-boned by a 27-inch brown. The brown let the rainbow go, but stayed right behind, surfing the top of the water. I dropped my rod tip, and the brown ate the rainbow again–he held on all the way into the net…

A fish that still haunts you…

The brown trout from the Yellowstone River rafting incident.

When I'm not working and fishing, where will we find you? 

Visiting our seven kids and grandkids, working on the lodge property, or a European river cruise.

The Montana Fly Fishing Lodge is a luxury, all-inclusive fishing retreat located at the base of Montana’s tallest mountains in the Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness. Owned by 4th generation Montanans, the lodge offers a local experience with warm hospitality and deep roots in Big Sky Country. Guests enjoy world-class, unpressured fly fishing on blue-ribbon rivers, spring creeks and private waters, including access to the Yellowstone River basin streams. Expert guides tailor each trip to your skill level, creating a rewarding adventure for beginners and seasoned anglers. After a day on the water, relax in handcrafted accommodations and enjoy farm-to-table meals with stunning mountain views. “Come for the fish–stay for the experience.”

Find more information about the Montana Fly Fishing Lodge.

Contact Lincoln at: info@montanaflyfishinglodge.com or 406-641-1472.

Flylab discount: 10% (pro) / 5% (basic) off destination travel packages.