Main Salmon River:
The Main Salmon River begins its over 900 mile journey to the Pacific Ocean from the Stanley/Sawtooth area. Before it joins with the Snake River and then the Columbia, it becomes a mighty river but in the Stanley area, it is a much smaller stream and a great place to fish. The Idaho Fish and Game Department stocks catchable Rainbows in the area from about 20 miles above and about 20 miles below Stanley. Beyond those areas there is a better likelihood of finding native Westslope Cutthroat, Rainbows, hybrid Cutbows and Bull Trout. In the spring there is a great chance of catching an ocean run Steelhead.
If you just like to get out and fish a bit, the fishing within a couple miles of Stanley is a great place to toss a line and relax and fish with the views of the Sawtooth Mountains overwhelming your fishing spot. If you prefer to spend more time and are looking for better chances at native fish try the areas farther from town or give Sawtooth Fishing Guides a call for a day of guided fishing. Call them at 208 774 8768.

Valley Lakes:
There are a number of larger valley lakes that it is possible to drive to and fish, hike or just enjoy the views. The best valley lake for fishing during most of the summer is Stanley Lake. It is located by driving about 4 miles West of Stanley on Highway 75, turning off on the Stanley Lake Road and driving another 3 miles. The most popular spot to fish is around the inlet area at the far end of the lake.
If you never caught a fish at Stanley Lake, you would be sure that just driving there and seeing the view was reason enough to go there! It is spectacular! This lake has several kinds of fish and is stocked with Rainbows. That doesn’t mean you might not catch a Cutthroat, a Brook Trout, a Bull Trout or a Mountain White Fish as all of them are present in the lake.
Mountain Lakes:
Most any of the lakes that have hiking trails also have fish in them. Idaho Fish & Game typically stocks fingerlings in these high lakes on a three year rotation. As always, the place to start with fishing most of the high lakes is near the inlet or outlet. Recommended lakes that aren’t a super long day hike are Farley Lake and Cabin Creek Lakes in the Sawtooth Mountains and Fourth of July and Washington Lakes in the White Cloud Mountains.
If you are up for a longer hike, most any of the lakes hold fish and most of the fish are willing to come to a fly as the season for “food gathering’ for these fish is a short one. Many of the lakes are snowed in and iced over from November until June or later. It is always wise to check with the Forest Service before you hike to a lake to find out trail conditions.
For information on guided fishing in the Stanley area, call Sawtooth Fishing Guides at 208 774 8768 or www.sawtoothfishingguides.com

For information on fishing licenses types, purchase of licenses and Idaho fishing regulations, contact Idaho Fish & Game at 1-800-824-3729 or visit http://fishandgame.idaho.gov McCoy’s Tackle Shop in Stanley also sells fishing licenses.

For more information and a map of hiking trails, mountain biking trails and roads to different areas near Stanley, look for “Sawtooth & White Cloud Mountains” trail map produced by Adventure Maps. It can be purchased at McCoy’s Tackle shop, online at www.adventuremaps.net or sales@adventuremap.net or by calling 1-800-849-6589.

From 1940 until it closed in August of 1952, the dredge dug out rock and recovered gold by washing and separating the rock, dirt and gold. The Snake River Mining Company operated the dredge for several years until it reached a rock dike below Bonanza in 1949. At that time, they sold it to J.R. Simplot the potato magnate form Boise who operated the dredge from 1951 The dredge was then operated until 1952 when it ran out of mining claims on which to work. The dredge has not been operated since 1952.

The dredge is 112 feet long, 54 feet wide, 64 feet high and weighs 988 tons. The fine material was dispersed into 32 sluice boxes where the gold was collected by the mercury process. This was reportedly a very efficient dredge, taking out about 80% of the gold available.

The destruction of the Yankee Fork stream is hard to imagine until one sees the miles of boulders and pools formed by this giant dredge as it ate its way up the stream. Huge losses of trout, steelhead and salmon were lost in the devistation of the stream. In those days people thought more of jobs and money ( even today that mentallity still excists in soem areas) rather than the environment, and today we pay the cost. Fish have returned to the Yankee Fork but not in the numbers before the days of the dredge.

Mr. J.R. Simplot, the last owner, donated the dredge to the U.S. Forest Service. In 1979, The Forest service had no funds to maintain nor keep the dredge open as a visitor attraction. Former employees and their families formed an association to restore and keep the dredge open to the public. This group of volunteers has restored the dredge and it is open for guided tours.
The Yankee Fork Gold Dredge is open from Memorial Day 10:00 A.M. to 4:30 P.M through Labor Day weekend.

DIRECTIONS:

Follow state Highway 75 for 13 miles east of Stanley, then turn north at the Sunbeam Dam onto the Yankee Fork Road and follow the dirt road for nine miles. The $3 fee for a guided tour is used for the preservation of the dredge and the heritage of the Yankee Fork.