Drift Boat Fly Fishing on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River in Idaho is the way to catch the most fish from a boat.  We use Hog Island HDPE roto-molded mcKenzie Drift boats.  Drift Boat Fly Fishing on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River in Idaho with these boats is ideal as they have large padded casting braces on the bow and stern of the boat.  Drift Boat Fly Fishing on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River in Idaho has never been easier and as cost effective as they are on a Middle Fork River Expeditions trip.  There is not an additional cost to rotate into a Hog Island for Drift Boat Fly Fishing on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River in Idaho.  All fishing is catch and release fishing using single barbless fly’s or hooks.  We fish for Western Cutthroat Trout while Drift Boat Fly Fishing on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River in Idaho.  We even carry a couple of Orvis Fly Rods for guest to become introduced to Drift Boat Fly Fishing on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River in Idaho or anywhere in the world.  You can be sure that Drift Boat Fly Fishing on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River in Idaho is the best in the world as well.  Fish are not huge, ranging from 10-14″, but an accomplished fly fisherman can catch over 100 fish a day no problem.

One of MFRE’s fly fishing guides, Willis McAleese, is hand making custom Drift boats in Pocatello with is new company, Lost River Boat Works.  These drift boats are of the highest quality using the stitch and glue process.  Willis will bring one of these custom drift boats on the river this summer, so come and check it out.

Middle Fork River Expeditions offers Drift Boat Fly Fishing on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River in Idaho with exclusive 2 to 1 fisherman/guide ratio on our September dates.  Never has Drift Boat Fly Fishing on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River in Idaho been so accessable to so many people.

Come on out and learn to fly fish this summer, or for the veteran angler, come have the time of your life.   Drift Boat Fly Fishing on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River in Idaho is just waiting for you.

We hope to see you in Stanley this summer.

Yours for fishing, Ellsworth

Drift Boat Fly Fishing on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River in Idaho

Idaho Whitewater River Rafting is one of the best activities you can do as a family these days. Idaho river rafting has more than 13,000 river miles to choose from. At MFRE we focus on the best idaho river rafting destinations by floating on the Salmon River. We offer both the Middle Fork of the Salmon River and also the Main Salmon River as well.

Idaho river rafting on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River are 6 days, and we float 100 miles. Idaho river rafting on the Middle Fork has over a half dozen hot springs, incredible Blue Ribbon cutthroat trout fishing, visits of lots of homesteads, and float through a canyo that is deeper than the Grand Canyon. Idaho river rafting on the Middle Fork Salmon River has more than 400 rapids in it’s 100 mile distance. Most are un-named as they are class I and class II rapids, but there are still over 60 rapids that are class III or above. Idaho river rafting does not get any better than on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River. It is fun for the whole family to enjoy a vacation or holiday together rafting the great rapids of Idaho, some of the best in the country. No doubt about it, Idaho River rafting is fun for everyone who gives it a try.

So come on out in 2012 and join MFRE for some of the best Idaho River rafting ever.

We also offer Idaho river rafting on the Main Salmon in Idaho. We offer 4 day trips in 56 miles. We start the trip in Salmon, Idaho and then on Day 4 we fly you out at 10am from Mackay Bar Ranch. The Main salmon does not have excellent Idaho River rafting. It is know as the “River of History” both natural history and also human history. We visit three “working Homesteads” while on the river. These include Yellow Pine Bar, where we meet Greg and Sue. Greg makes knives out of the old cable from the cable Crossing at Campbell’s Ferry. He makes the handles for the knives out of Mountain Mohagany from the Salmon River Canyon.

We also visit Doug and Phyllis Tims at Campbell’s Ferry. They are amazing people. Doug is the founder of Maravia INC., which are the types of boat we run on the Middle Fork and Main Salmon. Both Doug and Phyllis give us an amazing interpretation of Francis Winemiler and also Jim Moore, who lived across the river and ran Campbell’s Ferry. They are in the process of finishing a book on the history of the Main Salmon River.

The last place we visit is 5 Mile Bar, which is where Buckskin Bill used to live and make his own guns. Barbara and Heinz now live there and run a permaculture garden and live off the grid completely. We can watch a video on Buckskin Bill and connect with Barbara and Heinz, who are great people that immigrated from Germany in the early 80′s and found the Main Salmon River Canyon and never left.

Idaho River rafting is best with Middle Fork River Expeditions. Please come out next summer and join us for an adventure of a lifetime. We hope to see you soon for a fun family vacation and the best Idaho river rafting, connecting with each other in the largest wilderness area in the US.

MFRE bought Hen Wen, an 18 foot Wooden River Dory last May and she did three descents down the river.  She’s back again with a new sister Dory that is being built this spring inn Stanley by Willis Mcaleese, her name is yet to be determined.  In fact, we just bought the 1/4″ marine grade plywood yesterday and the resins as well.  So you can be sure to have twice the fun on the Main Salmon River in Idaho this summer.  Whitewater rafting at it’s finest.  The Wood Dories make it super fun thru the wave trains of the Main Salmon and as it has more water than the Middle Fork we don;t worry as much about hitting rocks.  Although it can occur and we bring lots of Gorilla Tape along.  These Dories are beautiful historic river craft that beckon to the Gondola’s of Venice.  But you ride these historic boats right through the heart of the largest roadless wilderness area in the US outside of Alaska.

So come join Hen Wen and her sister this summer on the Main Salmon River in Idaho.

There are no strangers here, only friends we have not met.

Yours for Rivers, Ellsworth

Welcome group to Stanley, introduce yourself. And thank them for choosing MFRE!  Our hope for you this week is to:

1.  Have fun (after safety)

2.  Get unplugged from technology and connect with nature: to protect it.

3.  Feel refreshed, renewed and excited to come back again with friends/family.

4.  We encourage lots of fun during the trip, AND also moments of silence and solitude.

Group Introductions

Roundabout of names, hometowns, and what they want from this trip.

Group Dynamics

River trip is like a tribe of Sheepeater Shosone Indians, we travel as a group of 30 and  each person affects the others thru their actions.  Helping each other, learning from one another, compassion and making contributions (playing music, telling stories, just being happy) makes the trip better for all.  Workload is shared!  Kitchen, loading boats, etc.

Encourage questions during meeting.

This is your trip, please let guides know if you are needing more of something.

Talk about guides and explain types of boats.

Typical Day on River 6am to 10pm

Environmental Stewardship- Leave No Trace, Veggie Oil, MFRE Recycling Program, Carbon Offsets and IRU partnership.

Environment

Weather varies between hot and dry to cold and rainy. Upper section cooler than lower, esp. at night. It can be sunny and rainy in the same day. Water is from springs and clean!  One liter water bottle essential.  Skin should be protected from sun, lips with balm and eyes with sunglasses.  At  night, lots of lotion on hands!!

Fishing, Drinking, Extra stuff you want to bring.

Fishing lic. are required and can be purchased at Merc. We have two spinning rods and reels for all to use, buy lures at the Merc.  Mepps Killier kit is good, single barbless hooks are required.

We provide some wine on a couple of the nights, margaritas on Mex. Night. Beer/liquor is on our own and can be purchased at the Merc across the street.

Clothes, sunscreen, lip balm and utility items you’ve forgotten can be bought at the river store (carabiners are extremely useful for attaching things to the boats). Stores are open till 10pm and again at 7am. Store at Flying B has trinkets sodas t-shirts etc.

Clothing

What to wear will depend on weather. When it’s hot wear lightweight light colored clothes, cotton ok. When it’s cold wear synthetic clothes to stay warm while wet. Wear raingear  for rain/wind and for rapids when its’ not hot. You have raingear provided for you.  Wear sandals or sneakers in the boats and sneakers (light athletic shoes) for side hikes. Socks with sandals help prevent blisters/sunburn. Ball cap for those in paddle boat and IK’s so helmet can be worn over. Sunglass and hat straps are essentials! Light fleece jacket and a set of syn. long underwear will be usu. be enough insulation (except for spring/fall trips).

Packing- How many tents?

Demo Large/small Dry bags, Sleep kits, cup, carabiner, sleep kit and rain gear.

PLEASE USE THERMARESt on top or ridgerest!!!!!!!!!!

If arrived by car, leave city clothes in car. If airplane, bring city clothes etc. out to meeting place tomorrow morning and we will find safe place for it in Motel.

Day 6- 4-5pm back at MV, Optional farewell dinner at ~7pm

Fly in?- If YES:  Because of water conditions, we will be collecting $115/person by cash or check after the meeting to Sawtooth Air Services.

Tomorrow

Eat before departure. MV open at 6:30 am. MEET OUT FRONT of MV READY TO GO AT 7:15am. Cars- you can park cars across the street in the lot and lock your valuables in the trunk.  Fill out a slip at the front desk and put on front of dash.

Shuttle- If you need to shuttle your vehicle to Salmon, fill out cards at front desk, pay $95 by check to River Shuttles and have it shuttled to the Stagecoach Motel.  Put keys in envelope after you have driven across the street.

Wear clothes for river plus fleece if cool here. Usually warmer at put-in. Bring Liquor!!

Tonight- Get packed!  Soak in the hot spring out back!  If you need anything, call warehouse at 774-2004 we are right up the street or call 800-801-5146 if we don’t pick up.

THANKS FOR YOUR ATTENTON AND WELCOME ABOARD!  Let’s get packing!

Middle Fork Salmon River fly fishing is one of the most popular activities in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness. Fly fishing can be a challenge, but it’s also one of the most rewarding hands-on experiences nature can provide. Here are a few things that might help you get the most out of fly fishing Idaho or anywhere else for that matter.

Try Different Retrieves

Most fly fishers cast, and then they pull back their fly with the same speed, the same smooth motion, and the same pacing that they’ve used for years — for many of us, it’s second nature. But while this might work often, sometimes you just run into a batch of fish that’s feeling lazy. They can’t be bothered to charge after a bug that’s zipping long at what they see as a rapid pace. Similarly, some fish want a fast-moving, energetic bug to snap up.

The end result is that, if your normal retrieve isn’t working, you should switch it up. Mix up the speed — make it quick and jerky, or slow and smooth, or slow and jerky, etc. Twitchy retrieves work particularly well on fish that can’t be bothered to do any chasing
and want to snag something that looks injured.

Change depths

Some days, fish hang out near the surface — other days, not so much. That means that if your floating line isn’t working, it’s time to grab one of those sinkers that will have your fly slowly moving toward the bottom until you start your retrieve. Wait different amounts of time on each cast until you figure out where the fish are sitting today.

Fish Downwind

If there’s a decent wind blowing, go to the downwind side of the river. It’s a small effect, but the wind tends to blow the bugs and other fish food, and the fish often gather on the side of the river that has all of the food blown over to it. This move alone can mean the difference between wasting your day and hooking several decent ones in an afternoon.

The Middle Fork of the Salmon River in Idaho is the premier wilderness rafting trip in the US. It flows 100 miles of Wild and Scenic free-flowing river through the largest wilderness area in the US. The canyon is the second deepest in North America.  The Middle Fork of the Salmon is unspoiled, remote and roadless so you can be sure you will “get away from it all”.  Simply put, it is the best river run in the West!

Middle Fork River Expeditions, licensed and bonded outfitter, has run safe and well-managed river trips on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River in Idaho and are celebrating our 30^th Anniversary in 2010. Trips are 4 or 6 days of exciting river rafting, wilderness camping, fine fishing, and adventure travel. Our equipment is specially designed for wilderness whitewater rafting, and offers mild and wild boat choices (oar boats, paddle boats, inflatable kayaks and stand up paddling surf boards!).  Our river guides are seasoned professionals, licensed by the state of Idaho and First Aid Certified. They are expert river runners, magnificent cooks, great storytellers, and knowledgeable, helpful outdoorsmen.

Join Middle Fork River Expeditions for a magical wilderness river vacation this summer!

MFRE just purchased two 16 foot Hog Island Mckenzie Drift boats to use this summer.  These boats have large padded casting braces on the bow and stern.  This makes for some amazing fishing.  These boats are also indestructable, made of HDPE plastic in a process called Roto- Molding.  There is a You Tube video about chainsawing one in half and it still floats with three fisherman floating in a lake!  Amazing.  The stern has a large captains chair fishing seat and the bow has a 125 qt padded cooler to sit on.

Come Join us this summer on the Middle Fork of the Salmon in style with these new drift boat options.

Fish on!

Yours for rivers, James

Idaho whitewater rafting means exploring more than three thousand miles of rivers — more than any of the other lower 48 — through trips easy enough for a five-year-old and trips that will challenge the best whitewater rafters on the planet. The mighty rivers of Idaho can be tamed in rafts, kayaks, canoes, drift boats, jet boats or whitewater dories. Idaho also offers hundreds of experienced guides and licensed outfitters to help you get your whitewater on no matter what level you’re at.

The trips can last anywhere from six hours of drifting down a river, to week-long camping trips that stop at some of the most astounding natural tourist attractions in the United States. The longer trips involve everything you associate with traditional camping, from gourmet fireside cooking to fishing for your supper.

Here are some of the best Idaho river journeys the Gem State has to offer:

Snake River

The flatlands in southern Idaho lull you into a false sense of security as you watch the beautiful scenery float by…and then, the Snake plunges you into Hell’s Canyon. The South Fork will show you some top-notch fly fishing and pleasant rafting trips until you hit the rough-and-tumble Murtaugh area just east of Twin Falls.

Payette River

Just north of Boise, the Payette offers fairly easy paddling, with the South Fork fairly calm and the North Fork offering up Class III rapids at the worst — an area known as the Cabarton Run. The Payette also offers top-tier half-day trips for beginners and families.

Salmon River

The Salmon River is by far the best. Known as the “River of No Return” for some of its dangerous stretches, the Salmon also offers long, beautiful stretches of easy drifting if that’s your speed. Famous as one of the best catch-and-release trout fisheries in the world, the Salmon runs through the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness, the single largest designated wilderness areas in the lower 48. The Middle Fork of the Salmon offers trips of 3, 5, and 7 days that explore this heartstoppingly beautiful area.

No matter which river you pick — even one of the dozens that aren’t mentioned here — a single Idaho whitewater rafting trip will etch its mark upon your heart for the rest of your life.

In terms of the sheer variety of outdoor recreational activities like hiking and fishing Idaho is one of the most diverse places in America. The locals tend to take these everyday pleasures for granted as part of their live here in the Gem State, but visitors to our neck of the woods will find it beckons them to return again and again.

To Idaho’s natives, fishing is a way of life. No one asks if an Idaho man fishes, but rather when, and where. With thousands of miles of rivers and creeks — more than in any other state except maybe Alaska — and more than two thousand lakes and reservoirs, you can fish your whole life away and never stand in the same place twice.

Idaho’s fishermen, both native and migrant, quest out every spring to Lake Pend Oreille, Lake Coeur d’Alene, and Priest Lake up north, on the lookout for the Kamloops Trout, the Mackinaw Trout, and the fresh-water Chinook Salmon. Some of them chase down the elusive White Sturgeon, a magnificent creature that can live for a century and weighs as much as a small car. The Snake and Salmon Rivers are the best places to hunt down that unique game fish — but it’s best to bring a licensed professional with you; they’re not easy prey.

The rivers here in the Gem State are packed with all kinds of Salmon and Sturgeon and a giant mess of Steelhead, probably the most popular game fish in the state. Fishermen after those fish should head to the Clearwater, the Little Salmon, the Lower Salmon, the Upper Salmon, and the Snake Rivers.

Of course, it’s Trout fishing that made Idaho famous. Every creek, river, and lake in the state seems to be teeming with all manner of Trout. Trout can be snagged on bait spinners, flies, and just about any kind of lure. You can go trout fishing on a drift boat, from a kayak, an innertube, or a dock, or even just standing on the shore.

And no mention of all the fishing Idaho has to offer would be complete without mentioning the Whitefish, Perch, Walleye, Northern Pike, Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass, Bluegills, Crappies, Catfish, and other warm-water fish that await the fishermen in the southern part of the state.

Yeah, there’s pretty much every kind of sport fishing, vacation fishing, and even occasionally survival fishing here in the Gem State, and the friendly folks here will be happy to help you find that perfect spot to have a perfect afternoon catching the perfect fish. That’s why the locals call Idaho the Fisherman’s Paradise.

There’s no place like Idaho for people who love the outdoors, and Idaho river rafting is no exception. Travelers to the Gem State get the best of both worlds in Boise, for example: river rafting, skiing, hiking, classy dining, big-city entertainment, nightlife…the works!

It’s easy to spend an entire day just outside of Boise — snowboarding, shooting the whitewater, fly fishing, or walking the thousands of miles of trails — and then be back for dinner and a movie. But during the dog days of summer, when the mercury climbs up into the triple digits, there’s only one place to go for a truly perfect day: the rivers. The water is always cool, the beaches are always hot, and the accommodations are plentiful.

The Payette

About an hour from Boise, you’ll find the Main Payette River. Trips leave from Banks, travel for eight miles down some beautiful stretches of river, through some Class II rapids including the infamous Mike’s Hole, and then come to rest about three hours later. It’s an excellent and relatively safe way to find out if whitewater rafting is your cup of tea.

If you’re looking for an even greater challenge, the South Payette offers a brutal Class IV rapids known as The Staircase. The name alone should conjure about the right image in your head: rapid-fire mini-falls with just enough space to catch about half a breath between them.

The Salmon

If you’re looking for something a big longer, the Middle Fork Salmon River offers five- and six-day rafting trips that careen through the infamous River of No Return Wilderness Area. There is, arguably, no more beautiful stretch of river in the entire Pacific Northwest…and with more than one hundred separate rapids, no more exciting stretch, either.

The Snake

The deepest gorge in America — Hell’s Canyon — is smack dab in the middle of a beautiful five-day rafting trip down the Snake River. Part of the Idaho-Oregon border, the Snake drops you into Class IV rapids on the very first day. Cliffs tower nearly eight thousand feet over your head as the waters swirl around your feet — it’s an experience that even the most veteran rafter will never forget.