" Being on the Middle Fork of the Salmon was the best time I have ever had with my two young sons. By day six everyone was calling it the trip of a lifetime! "
Terry Mc Donell, New York
New York Editor, Men's Journal

Summer Fly Fishing on the Middle Fork

Cutthroat trout were once the dominant trout species of the western United States. In fact, cutthroat were the first salmonid chronicled by Lewis & Clark on their historic journey west. Among the angling cognoscenti, cutthroat hold a warm spot. They are a beautiful fish, often sprouting intense yellow, orange and red shades. And they are very willing to take a dry fly.

While progress has not been kind to the cutthroat, the Middle Fork remains one of their great strongholds. Since 1973 a catch-and-release, single barbless hook only policy has allowed the trout to thrive. Middle Fork cutthroat average 12 to 15 inches in length, with some up to 20 inches and more. Framed by the Sawtooth and Salmon River Mountains in the heart of the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness in central Idaho, the Middle Fork provides a stunningly beautiful backdrop for pursuing this most becoming salmon.

The cutthroat of the Middle Fork are very surface-oriented; in fact, we only fish with dry flies! Standing in the bow of Solitude River Trips drift boat, you'll cast easy-to-follow attractor patterns -- Stimulators, Schroeder's Hoppers and Parachute Adams - against granite walls, behind mid-river rocks and along the seam lines of back-eddies. More often than not, your casts will bring a vigorous rise. The crystalline waters of the Middle Fork often let you follow the action from when the fish begins to move for the fly to when it takes. Because the fish are very opportunistic, they're willing to take flies on top throughout the day, whether there's a hatch on or not-and in summer, the hatches of caddis flies can be so prolific that you can barely open your mouth, unless you want to taste what the trout are eating! An angler with modest skills can expect to hook 30 to 50 fish a day.

Thanks to the cutthroat's cooperative nature, there are few better places to introduce newcomers to fly fishing than the Middle Fork. It's a wonderful thing to watch a spouse or son or daughter make a cast, set the hook, and play their first fish in.

Feeder Creeks: An Added Bonus
While most of our fishing on the Middle Fork is done from inside the drift boat with one angler casting from the bow at a time, there are several feeder creeks in the course of our 106-mile float-including Loon and Camas Creeks-that offer excellent pocket water fishing for cutts and native redside rainbows. These creeks provide a special treat for the angler who enjoys wet wading and the intimate dynamics of creek fishing. We will generally camp at a few of these creeks in the course of our float, so the angler who can't get enough can fish before/after dinner and breakfast.

YOUR DRIFT BOAT FLY FISHING TRIP INCLUDES...

All meals while on the river, including lunch the last day, round trip ground transportation from Stanley to the river and return to Stanley at the end of the trip, sleeping bag, deluxe soft pad, life jacket, roomy four person tent for every two people, camp chairs, dining table, complimentary water resistant duffle for your personal gear (size: 12"x24"), waterproof container for your day use items, eating utensils, drink cup, water bottle, plenty of ice, wine with dinner only, and an ample supply of cold beverages. All the above, with the addition of all fishing gear. Two guests per boat and guide. If you have a favorite rod and reel, please feel free to bring it along. If you are a serious fisherman, or just want to improve your fishing skills, then nothing compares with fishing from a drift boat. Rafts cannot get stopped, or are unable to fish the small pockets that a drift boat can.

Print out a Reservation Form for this trip.

Quite Simply . . . The Best!