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Thread: Middle Fork Salmon River in Idaho

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Aug 2019
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    Guerneville
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    290

    Default Middle Fork Salmon River in Idaho

    Would be interested in hearing from anyone who has fished/floated it, as a friend pulled a permit for a 6 day overnight float in July. Have done some reading online about the West slope Cutthroat and Rainbows, sounds like there are some Bull trout too. Any recommendations for flies would be appreciated. Hoping there are good spots for swinging and I can bring my 12' 5 weight in addition to single hand rods. Feel free to PM if you would prefer, thanks

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
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    847

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Jcolin View Post
    Would be interested in hearing from anyone who has fished/floated it, as a friend pulled a permit for a 6 day overnight float in july. Have done some reading online about the westlope cutthroat and rainbows, sounds like there are some bull trout too. Any recommendations for flies would be appreciated. hoping there are good spots for swinging and i can bring my 12' 5 weight in addition to single hand rods. Feel free to PM if you would prefer, thanks
    I floated it with an outfitter in September, two years ago. Cutthroats weren't picky regarding flies. Something that keeps floating is key...hopper, chubby, etc. I found a large dry fly (#8 or 10) with a smaller dry fly dropper (flying ant, purple haze, etc.) to be very effective. Don't know that I even saw any Rainbows. Nymph dropper went largely untouched. There are some big Bull trout. Throwing big streamers is the way to get them. Did get some Cutties in the evenings swinging a streamer, so worth bringing it along, but a 5 weight two hander is going to be a little heavy unless you're throwing specifically big flies (like 6") for bulls.

    Depending on how high the water is on the main river, the side creeks are also very good spots to hike upstream to fish. Loon Creek, Camas Creek, Big Creek are some of the better options.

    It is a great experience. Enjoy.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Davis
    Posts
    756

    Default

    I did a backpack trip on Big Creek almost 30 years ago in September. I saw an old guy who came in on a horse. He had a plastic motor oil bottle that he drank whiskey from and spit in his hand then put out his cigarettes in the spit. He had horrible back pain. I imagine he is no longer with us.

    A bear tore a whole in my tent while I was fishing one day. I think he pawed at the tent and was interested in the food I had inside. I saw some Chinook spawning which seemed crazy in a mountain setting. That is a long way from the ocean. Very impressive journey they take. I did not hike all the way to the Middle Fork but I was close. I caught Cutts on dries which was okay. 15” was maybe the biggest. The west slopes really like the bushy dries.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jul 2015
    Location
    Idaho Falls, Id
    Posts
    448

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    You can’t go wrong with a pocket full of yellow Humpies!

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Sebastian, FL, USA, Earth
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    23,837

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    For a two handed outfit I would take a #3 or 4 line Switch rod or light Trout Spey.

    A 12' #5 line Spey rod is kind of like a #7 line single hand fly rod for power.

    Other than when it is windy it is a 4 weight single hand fishery for having fun.

    It is famous for a lot of small to medium size Cutthroat on good size (#10/12) bushy or foam dry flies.
    Bill Kiene (Boca Grande)

    567 Barber Street
    Sebastian, Florida 32958

    Fly Fishing Travel Consultant
    Certified FFF Casting Instructor

    Email: billkiene63@gmail.com
    Cell: 530/753-5267
    Web: www.billkiene.com

    Contact me for any reason........
    ______________________________________

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Sebastian, FL, USA, Earth
    Posts
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    The Flying B Ranch is a historic hunting and fishing lodge in the back country on the Middle Ford of the Salmon River.

    My relatives, the Sopwith family, used to belong to the Fly B Ranch in the 1970s mostly for hunting big Mule deer.


    The Flying B Ranch has a quality Cutthroat trip out of the lodge.

    https://flyingresortranches.com/fishing/
    Bill Kiene (Boca Grande)

    567 Barber Street
    Sebastian, Florida 32958

    Fly Fishing Travel Consultant
    Certified FFF Casting Instructor

    Email: billkiene63@gmail.com
    Cell: 530/753-5267
    Web: www.billkiene.com

    Contact me for any reason........
    ______________________________________

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Aug 2019
    Location
    Guerneville
    Posts
    290

    Default

    Thank you for the responses all! am very excited for the trip. I have limited whitewater experience from a few floats in CO, but fortunately get to go with folks that are much better equipped to run the rapids so will be fishing most of the time other than rowing the mellow sections. Will post a trip report this summer, there is some concern that it being a late july float the river will be pretty low unless there is a good amount of snow left. John H, i hope I run into that guy or maybe not on second thought

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Feb 2022
    Location
    Missoula, MT
    Posts
    1

    Default Set your expectations

    Quote Originally Posted by Jcolin View Post
    Thank you for the responses all! am very excited for the trip. I have limited whitewater experience from a few floats in CO, but fortunately get to go with folks that are much better equipped to run the rapids so will be fishing most of the time other than rowing the mellow sections. Will post a trip report this summer, there is some concern that it being a late july float the river will be pretty low unless there is a good amount of snow left. John H, i hope I run into that guy or maybe not on second thought
    I've floated the Middle Fork with an outfitter in 2018 and 2019 in August. We had very good fishing for west slope cutthroat mostly in the 10" to 13" category with a few nicer fish in the mix. The fishing was fairly easy with big attractors, Humpy's, etc. I was a bit bored with the fishing, but not with the experience. It is a wonderful float, the river and canyon is beautiful and the white water, that time of year, is exciting, but not scary. June is another story.

    Be aware that the group has to make time to get to the camp sites and down the river. That means that there will probably be little time to fishing the tributaries. And the tributaries tend to have bigger fish.

    So my advice is to enjoy the float, the camping, the river and your friends and family and the low pressure fishing experience of catching lots of fairly easily caught small trout. It is a wonderful place.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Aug 2019
    Location
    Guerneville
    Posts
    290

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    Hi Mark, thanks for taking the time to share your experience! It sounds like the fish aren't quite as large as I was hoping but looking forward to throwing dries all the same. I've caught Lahontans, Colorado Cutties and sea run Cutthroat, think I may have gotten a Paiute too once as I was fishing a drainage that connects with a creek that has them, but never a Westslope and am very excited to get a look at one of those beautiful fish. There are a couple of other fly fishers going on the trip but the group is mostly experienced rafting/whitewater folks that are friends of my brother. We will be going late July, so hopefully a bit easier in the rapids than June? Guess it all depends on the snow. Will be my first time to Idaho and have always wanted to visit the state. thanks,
    Joel

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Somersett Reno, NV
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    412

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    Have run the Middle Fork 8 times, first time was during college when we paddled borrowed Navy surplus rafts and last time was 6 years ago. All except last trip were self-organized. Last trip we used an outfitter since we had kids and grand kids along.

    Cutties are not selective. Yellow Humpy and any bushy attractors will do well. MF has a hatch of large stoneflies usually late June to early July. If you get bored with the cutties, you can legally C &R Bull Trout in ID, so take some big wooly buggers, articulated leeches or similar. You have chance of hooking a salmon while fishing for bull trout.

    If possible, camp at Big Creek and hike upstream mile or so - some of best cuttie fishing in ID. Most people hike in from upstream as John H did or walk up a short ways from the MF.

    Not sure if campsite reservations operate differently in 2022. Used to be that the group had to request campsites couple weeks before your trip and you were notified of which campsites you were assigned about a week prior to trip date.

    Research the campsites and try to pick ones that are near a tributary or good fishing. Some years yellow jackets are a problem, seemingly more so in low water years. Research online to avoid campsites with known yellow jacket problems.

    USFS has a list of campgrounds online.

    Have fun,

    Jim
    Last edited by JayDubP; 02-20-2022 at 08:04 PM.

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