Try floating, camping and fishing on the South Fork Snake River in E. Idaho; beautiful canyon!

Wendy, Lucas and Zach 

Huck, Drew and Steve 

Look at the size of this camp in Lufkin Bottom! Night 2

Wendy loves the South Fork because of all the bird activity! 

Steve has a fish on ... 

Courtesy of South Fork Anglers 

South Fork bald eagle 

Hi all,

This week's topic is about floating the South Fork of the Snake River, located about 30 minutes east of Idaho Falls. Wendy and I met some friends from Utah over there for a three-day float last week, and after I posted some Facebook pics, several people remarked that they'd never heard of boating on the South Fork Snake ... so here's the skinny.

We floated from Conant Boat Ramp in Swan Valley to the Byington takeout in Heise, a distance of 25 miles, including the prized South Fork roadless canyon. The canyon reach is the most spectacular portion of the whole river trip, because of the scenery and solitude, but the fishing can be good all the way from Palisades Dam to Byington.

What amazes me about the South Fork recreation and boating activity is that nearly all the locals zip through the canyon in a day, fishing, fishing, fishing, and hardly anyone camps overnight in the canyon, creating lots of space for the folks who are taking their time on a multi-day trip. This is a special place that deserves to be absorbed slowly, like a glass of fine wine.

Here's why it's special:

"The South Fork supports the largest riparian cottonwood gallery forest in the West and is among the most unique and diverse ecosystems in Idaho," according to the Bureau of Land Management, which oversees the management of the South Fork. "It is also home to 126 bird species, including 21 raptors, meriting a "National Important Bird Area" designation. The river also supports the largest native cutthroat fishery outside of Yellowstone National Park. The corridor is home for an impressive array of other wildlife including moose, deer, elk, mountain goats, mountain lions, black bears, bobcats, coyotes, river otter, beaver, fox, and mink."

All told, I think the South Fork has 20+ bald eagle nesting territories along the cottonwood-lined river corridor. We saw bald eagles every day. 

Consider the South Fork as a great alternative place to do a multi-day river trip with the family and kids, or a group of friends. Take 3 or 4 days from Palisades Dam or Conant to Byington, and enjoy camping in these huge cottonwood groves adjacent to the river. In our three-day trip last week, we saw only one other party staying overnight anywhere in the canyon. It's an under-appreciated treasure! And there are tons of designated camps along the river sitting there empty. 

During the day, the river gets busy with lots of outfitters guiding fly fishing guests on the South Fork, so the native cutthroat trout and brown trout get fished hard every day. I stopped in the South Fork Outfitters fly shop to see what the fish are biting, and stocked up on the latest hot dry flies, my favorite way to fly fish. The South Fork Outfitters also do vehicle shuttles. Ours cost $30 from Conant to Byington. Not bad at all. 

It's fun to fish the South Fork because the fish bite on big flies, salmon flies, large caddis, pale morning duns, and a variety of big hoppers. Those big flies carry some weight on the end of your fly rod, and you can really cast a long ways to land the fly right next to the shoreline, and watch the gin-clear water for a fish rising up to take the fly. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz! Fish on! 

You have to pay close attention to your fly, and cast downstream as much as possible as you're floating along, because the South Fork rips! It's a big river, and lately, it's been running 13,700 cubic feet per second on a daily basis ... so it doesn't take long for the boat to zip by the eddies and bury your fly underwater.   

Even though the river runs fast and high, it's table-top flat the whole way, so it's a good float trip for families and kids. You can pick campsites with slow water next to camp so the small kids can play in the water safely. 

Another cool feature on the South Fork is that there are many islands along the way, and you'll see these narrow channels flowing next to the islands. Many of these are wide enough and deep enough for a boat full of gear, and they are quiet, intimate places to fish, plus see wildlife. I'll never forget pulling into one of those narrow oxbows one time, and around the corner, a huge bull moose was right there on the water's edge. Our springer spaniel was in the bow, with its paws up on the tubes. She got a real good look at that bull moose, and even "boofed" a timid little bark as we went by ... She could have been a lunch snack for the moose! :) 

How to get there: Take I-84 to Idaho Falls. Take Yellowstone Blvd. through town to Idaho Highway 26 to Swan Valley. After about 30 minutes, you'll see the South Fork Outfitters fly shop on the left hand side of the road as you're heading for Swan Valley. If you don't have your own boat, you can book a trip with these guys and you'll catch a lot of fish with their expert guides. Otherwise, you can choose from putting in below Palisades Dam (39 mile trip to Byington), Spring Creek by the highway bridge, or Conant. 

River map: I purchased a South Fork Snake River Boaters Guide from the BLM State Office in Boise in the map room for $7.

Equipment: Be sure to bring your fire pan and porta potty for overnight camping.

Permits: Self-issue permits for floating the South Fork and camping in the canyon are available at the put-in.

Information: See the BLM South Fork Snake River web site. 
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In other outdoor news, Bogus Basin is hosting a clean up day on its Nordic trails on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Registration required. Contact Shelley Pursell at spursell@winterwildlands.org to sign up.

Don't miss the Boise Twilight Criterium on Saturday afternoon and evening!

Save the date: The annual wood-splitting weekend for the Idaho City Park n' Ski Yurts is set for July 26-28. Contact Leo Hennessy for more information: leo.hennessy@idpr.idaho.gov.

Have fun!
- SS

W. Idaho Fly Fishing Expo offers great opportunity to learn about fly fishing

Wendy catches a native cutthroat

The stuff you need (courtesy A.B. Herndon Rod Co.)

Nice brown trout (courtesy My Fly Fishing Blog)

Look at the angler's concentration ... gotta keep an eye on the fly ...

Fly fishing on the Middle Fork of the Salmon (courtesy Visit Idaho)

Hi all,

The Boise Valley Fly Fishermen are hosting the Western Idaho Fly Fishing Expo this weekend at the fairgrounds, and the program is geared toward teaching newbies about fly fishing. There are plenty of things going on that are of interest to the experienced angler as well.

I'd really encourage anyone who wants to get into the sport of fly fishing to attend the two-hour intro session on Friday afternoon, starting at 3:30 p.m., or the Ladies session beginning at noon on Saturday. More on that in a moment.

I've been fly fishing since the mid-1980s, and I love it. I'm not a die-hard angler, but I love to fly fish when I'm floating many of Idaho's wonderful trout streams such as the Middle Fork of the Salmon River, or the South Fork of the Snake River. I also like to wade fish in the Boise River or wade fish when I'm camping on the Middle Fork of the Boise River. Fly fishing can be a great way to catch trout at high mountain lakes as well.

There's something poetic about the sport of fly fishing. Watch video. It's incredibly relaxing to just hang out in the river, cast your line, listen to the sweet sound of your fly line peeling out of the reel and whizzing by your ear, and enjoy the natural environment around you. The sport requires a fair bit of concentration, so it's easy to forget about work or extraneous issues that may be causing stress in your life.

Susan Bernatas, a member of the Boise Valley Fly Fishermen who organized the Ladies program this year, agrees. "I love being on the river, watching the colors on the water, and the meditation of casting and just being out there on the water," she says.

The other benefit is that sometimes, it's easier to catch fish on a fly than using a lure or even a worm (don't mention worm fishing to a serious fly fisher :) ). Dry flies and sub-surface nymphs are replicas of real flies and nymphs. These are the food sources that fish eat to survive. When a big insect hatch occurs on a river or a high mountain lake, the fish come to the surface to feed, and it's really exciting to cast a dry fly on the water and wait for a nice fish to come up and take it.

In many cases, because our trout rivers and lakes are so clean and pure, you can actually see the fish rise from below to take your fly, and then you set the hook and watch the fish jump and dive into deep water while you patiently play it and bring it to your net.

"That's definitely a magical moment when you can see the fish come up to take the fly," Bernatas says.

Fly fishing with a single barbless hook is also a very humane way to fish because it's easy to remove the hook and release the fish back into the water. Some rivers in Idaho allow only single barbless hooks as a method of take to preserve the fishery.

Attending the clinics at the Fly Fishing Expo will teach you the basics about what equipment you'll need, tips on fly casting, what kinds of flies and nymphs to use, and during the Ladies session, there even will be a fashion show. Gotta look the part! Please pre-register if you'd like to attend the Ladies program by emailing Susan at teleskisusan0404@yahoo.com.

There are no costs to attend the clinics - just pay the nominal entrance fee of $3 per person, or $5 for two.

A large casting pond will be created for the show. Free casting clinics will allow people to get a feeling for fly casting, and you can learn a lot by watching the pros, too. But practice makes perfect ... well, sort of, depending on the wind :)

The expo will be a great opportunity for newbies to learn from the pros. Remember, it costs more than $100 for a fly fishing lesson. Check out the event and see if fly fishing is for you.

Have fun!

- SS