During the summer months we combine floating down one of the world’s premier Wilderness Rivers with world-class Cutthroat trout fishing. The side creeks of the Salmon offer amazing wading and bank fly fishing options for both beginners and experienced anglers. Many of these creeks are rarely fished and most are only accessible by rafts and have drainages that are entirely in a wilderness area. They are stunningly beautiful.
Cutthroat trout were once the dominant trout species of the western United States and were the first salmonid chronicled by Lewis & Clark on their historic journey west. Through the years the Salmon River and its tributaries have remained one of the great strongholds for this fish and a trip down the River of No Return provides a spectacular setting to pursue them. The setting, along with the fish’s natural beauty and its willingness to take a dry fly, have made it a favorite river system for many western anglers.
Our Salmon trips are ‘multi-sport” rafting trips and are great for experienced anglers who want to vacation with family or friends that are either beginners or who simply do not love fishing. Anglers will have the opportunity to float the river with the group and stop at the numerous side creeks on the way down the river. The fishing will be lightly guided by the accompanying river guide so anglers should be prepared with all necessary tackle and flies. Between the side hikes, the whitewater, and the camps it is easy to mix activities.
For beginners there are few better places to be introduced to fly fishing than the Salmon. There is plenty of time and space at camp to work on casting and once at the creeks the fish are plentiful and very quick to rise. It is an amazing thing to watch a loved one make a cast, set the hook, and land their first fish.
The vast majority of the fishing on the Idaho Salmon is where the small steep side creeks enter the river and then up the creeks as far as you are willing to hike. Because the creeks can only be accessed by raft, there are days that offer abundant fishing opportunities and days that depend on the water and weather of that specific trip. There are great fly fishing options during all times of the summer, but on a normal snow-pack year the season with the widest option of fishable creeks is early July through mid-August. On these trips anglers can expect to have one to three hours of creek fishing on days two through five with an evening option on day one (there is always time to fish the main river).