Missouri Fly Life Guide Co.
Fly Fishing Guide & Fish Fanatic from the Ozarks
Memorable Experiences
Get to Know Me
My name is Augustus Knickmeyer. Fly fishing is a passion that has grown into a lifestyle for me. My fly fishing obsession started with a strong connection to nature and feeling the need to protect and conserve our natural resources. My goal with this service is to share what I love, and provide a great experience on the water.
I’m confident I can help you learn tactics for catching that first ever smallmouth, increasing your numbers of fish, or helping you put up that fish of a lifetime! My primary focus is guided trips within commuting distance of the St. Louis area. Contact me and we will tailor the day to meet your angling goals.
Guide Services
Book a guided fly fishing trip, observe the beauty of ozark streams, experience high quality fishing, and be home in time for dinner. Based in the St. Louis area, and focused on providing world class fly fishing close to home, this is the perfect addition to a long weekend or a one day "Staycation"
Full Day
Approximately 8-10 hours of guided fly fishing
Rivers near St. Louis:
-repeat customers $375
-new customers $400
Rivers in excess of 2 hours from St. Louis:
-repeat customers: $400
-new customers: $450
Full day trips for smallmouth bass or trout; catch and release only.
We will be fishing from a jet boat, raft, or wading.
Fly fishing gear, lunch, and shuttle services are provided.
Half Day
Approximately 4 hours of guided fly fishing
Repeat customers $275
New customers $300
Half day trip; jet boat or wade trips for smallmouth or trout. Fly fishing gear, lunch, and shuttle services are provided. Catch and release only.
Musky
No other freshwater fish is bad enough, or maddening enough to provide the rush muskies are capable of.
Full day trip, lunch and gear provided
Peak season is fall, sometimes weather allows an extended season, so call for availability.
New customers $500
Repeat customers $450
Westover Farms
A beautiful rainbow trout destination and a great place to stay and fish on your own as well. At Westover I offer hourly guiding(instruction) as well as a Fly Fishing 101 class each month.
Fly Fishing 101 - $275/person, $250/person if reserving as a group. I recommend this for anyone who wants a great full day intro to fly fishing. This includes classroom instruction, casting class, a half day guided fishing, and lunch.
Hourly Instruction - $100/hour cash or $150/hour card. This is hands down the most successful trout fishing I have experienced in Missouri. Guiding by the hour, includes all equipment necessary.
For more information, or to book visit westoverfarms.com
How to prepare for a trip
What to bring:
Light weight cool clothing and shoes/sandals that can get wet in the summer. Warm layers, waders, and wading boots in the winter, please no studded boots in the boat. Hat, polarized glasses, rain gear, sunscreen, bug spray, any personal products necessary to get you through the day.
Plan
I will contact you several days to a week in advance, we'll discuss conditions and plans for the day. Depending on conditions our best float options may change as little as 24 hours in advance of the trip, this is to provide the best possible experience on the water.
Practice
I am more than happy to work with beginners on the water and teach you to fly fish the day of our trip, having said that I recommend practicing your cast in the yard, or on the water leading up to our trip. Mastering the roll cast, pickup/put down cast, overhead cast, mending the line, trout setting, double haul and strip set are all things that I love to teach; if you can familiarize yourself with these skills in advance, that will be very helpful while you are fishing.
Seasons
Not every month is great for every species or location; but we can fish successfully twelve months of the year if we are flexible with our approach, where we fish, and what fish we target. Upon request I can deviate from my seasons to some degree, however I recommend these seasons based upon many years of experience on our rivers and believe that following these guidelines sets us up best to put fish in the net.
February-March
Trout
Trout fishing can be excellent, when conditions are right we can get into smallmouth.
April-May
Smallmouth and Trout
Weather can be unpredictable. We may need to contend with cold and/or rain that can help or hurt the fishing. These risks can come with great rewards as some of the best days for both smallmouth bass and trout happen during this time.
June-July-August
Smallmouth Bass
This time of year we avoid trout streams due to heat stressing the fish and to avoid crowds of floaters, however it is a great time of year for bass. These are great months to fish topwater as well as big streamers.
September
Smallmouth Bass and Musky
September the crowds start clearing off the rivers and smallmouth can become very pattern-able. Also the beginning of my musky season.
October
Smallmouth, Musky, and Trout
Transitional time, can be tough for smallmouth, but there can be good days. This is when we begin chasing trout again, not necessarily a great month for targeting large fish, but trout can be caught and the weather is beautiful. Musky are an option as well.
November-January
Trout and Musky
An excellent time of the year to get away from the crowds and sometimes have the river to yourself. Trout fishing can be good this time of year as well. Musky fishing is still going strong.