The Swans & the River
The Swans own and operate Montana Classic Boat Tours. Kari and Matt met while Kari was working as a biologist and interpretive ranger in Yellowstone National Park and Matt was guiding fly fishing and scenic tours in the area. They both carry decades of knowledge of the greater Yellowstone watershed, its geology, wildlife, and the communities built around these rivers.
Their daughter Sophie Joy Swan was born soon after. Matt and Kari wanted to build something that could pass along what they know, to Sophie and to every guest who steps into a boat. The two dories are named after her. The Joy comes from her middle name. The Cygnet is a baby swan. The hope is that she will carry the same feeling for this river that built the business in the first place.
Matt Swan
Matt is a Montana licensed outfitter, FFI Certified Casting Instructor, Trout Unlimited Business Member, Guiding for the Future graduate, and Montana Freshwater Partners Ambassador based in Livingston.
His guiding foundation was built on the Colorado River at Lees Ferry, a tailwater where precision matters: reading seams, controlling drifts, and understanding how subtle changes in flow affect trout behavior. He later guided with The Fly Shop in Redding, California, splitting seasons between Northern California trout and steelhead and summers in Montana. That schedule built range across freestones, spring creeks, tailwaters, stillwaters, and big Western rivers.
Now based full time in Livingston, Matt splits his time between guiding fly fishing trips through Swan's Fly Fishing and running scenic wooden boat floats through Montana Classic Boat Tours. Both programs share the same water, guides, and booking system. Matt handles every booking directly.
Kari Swan
Kari brings a biologist's eye and a park ranger's ability to read a landscape and tell a story about it. Her years as an interpretive ranger and biologist in Yellowstone National Park give guests a level of knowledge that goes beyond what most scenic float operations offer. Wildlife identification, geology, hydrology, plant life, and the natural history of the Paradise Valley all come through naturally on the water.
The Joy & The Cygnet
Both boats are 20 foot McKenzie style wooden dories built by Ray's River Dories in Portland, Oregon, one of the classic names in drift boats since the 1970s. The McKenzie hull was designed for running whitewater, which means it feels smooth, stable, and predictable on the Yellowstone.
The scenic program grew out of a simple idea: not everyone who visits this valley wants to hold a fly rod, but everyone deserves a great day on the river. Same water, same attention to detail, same local knowledge. Add Pendleton blankets, local food from Ranchmade Charcuterie, and the kind of pace that lets you actually see the valley, and that is the program.
KTVQ Out And About: Unique Wooden Boat Tour Paddles Through Paradise
Private, Hosted, Built Around Your Group
Private Trips Only
Every float is private to your group. No shared boats, no strangers. The trip is built around your timing and pace.
Hand Built Wooden Dories
Ray's River Dories are quiet on the water, stable in current, and look like they belong on this river.
Local Food and Comfort
Pastries, coffee, or a custom charcuterie board from Ranchmade Charcuterie in Livingston. Pendleton blankets on every trip.
A Biologist on the Team
Kari's years in Yellowstone National Park mean your guide knows the wildlife, geology, and ecology of this valley firsthand.
Scenic Floats & Guided Fishing
Montana Classic Boat Tours and Swan's Fly Fishing are the same operation. Fish one day and float the next. Or run a fishing drift boat and a scenic wooden boat on the same stretch at the same time so everyone in your group gets the day they want.
Guided fly fishing: full day $700, half day $600. Yellowstone River, Paradise Valley spring creeks, Madison, Bighorn, private lakes. Year round.