Idaho Fly Fishing: Summer Dry Fly Fishing On The Middle Fork Of The Salmon River

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!

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. Findout more at Solitude River Trips