Middle Fork of the Salmon River
Fly Fishing and Whitewater
Fish 100 miles of Idaho’s legendary Middle Fork of the Salmon River, a fly-fishing-only destination. This multi-night float trip features 32 named rapids, including exciting Class III and IV whitewater, all while drifting through some of the most spectacular and rugged country in the Lower 48. Trips run from July through September by drift boat or raft.
2026 Rate: $4,050.00 for 5-nights and 6-days guided driftboat fishing.
The Middle Fork of the Salmon
The Middle Fork of the Salmon flows through the heart of Idaho’s Frank-Church Wilderness and the Sawtooth Mountains, some of the most secluded and rugged country in the lower 48. Renowned as one of the Northwest’s premier dry fly fisheries, the river has been managed as catch-and-release since 1973 and offers both steady surface action and impressive numbers of native cutthroat trout.
This multi-day float trip combines world-class fishing with breathtaking scenery, abundant wildlife, and exhilarating Class III–IV whitewater. Carving directly through the Frank Church Wilderness, the Middle Fork delivers not just a fishing experience, but an unforgettable wilderness adventure.
On this trip, you’ll fully disconnect. Once you launch, there is no Wi-Fi and no cell service within the Middle Fork’s 2.3 million acres of wilderness. A satellite phone is available for emergencies only. At camp, there are no generators—just the sound of the river and surrounding wildlife.
Special Permit: To operate these trips, the outfitter has a special-use permit from the Salmon-Challis National Forest.
Fly Fishing - Drift Boat and Rafting
Dry fly fish for native West-slope cutthroat, a few native rainbows, and the occasional bull trout. Cutthroat average 8 to 15 inches, with some up to 20. Numerous feeder creeks provide excellent pocket water for fishing for cutthroat and native redside rainbows.
This is a catch-and-release only fishery, managed that way since 1973, which has made the Middle Fork one of the Northwest’s best rivers for both numbers of fish and consistent action on a dry fly.
Guides: Whether you’re new to fly fishing or a seasoned angler, you’ll be in good hands—guides are patient instructors and specialize in both dry fly fishing and teaching the art of casting.
The class three and four rapids, abundant wildlife, and typically crystal-clear waters make this one of most treasured multi-night camping float trips available anywhere in the western U.S. This fishery has been managed by the state of Idaho as a catch-and-release fishery since 1973, making it one of the best fisheries in the northwest for both numbers of fish and consistently good action on a dry fly.
Cast-and-Blast options run from September through October on the main Salmon River. Read below for more information.
Two Anglers per Guide and Drift Boat
Season: Trips run from mid-June through mid-September. Fishing is typically best late summer (late August and September) when flows are lower and trout are actively feeding before winter. All fishing is catch-and-release only for the river's Westslope Cutthroat Trout, and single barbless hooks are required.
Only One Angler may Fish at a Time.
Boats: On a typical trip, you'll float for roughly 100 miles through an ancient granite rock canyon utilizing a classic McKenzie-style drift boat or 14 to 17-foot high-end rafts. Two anglers per guide and boat/raft. Only one angler may fish in the boat at a time. (For safety reasons, only one angler may stand in the boat at a time.) All boats are equipped with seat cushions with backs, a splash tarp, life jackets, and coolers stocked with cold beverages.
In July, rafts are often difficult to stop and cannot fish the small pockets that a drift boat can.
32 Named Class Rapids - Tappan Falls
A Typical Fishing Day:
8:30 a.m. - You’ll have breakfast. Then, you’ll put on your life vest and head out with your guide, drifting and fishing 15 to 20 miles each day. Each boat will have a cooler containing ice, water, and beverages.
Midday - Guides prepare lunch along the river.
8:00 p.m. - A gourmet dinner is served each evening.
(7:30 p.m. during the fall.)
Fly Fishing at Big Creek
Guides: Licensed and experienced guides provide patient fly-casting instruction for novices and offer helpful tips for more experienced anglers.
Fishing Equipment: Each guide will supply the necessary fly fishing equipment. In the event of breakage, a $75 replacement fee applies. You are welcome to bring your own.
They exclusively use dry flies such as caddis, stimulators, para-Adams, or sofa pillows in the size 8-12 range. Many other dry flies are also effective. Guides provide floatant for your fly.
Fishing License: A 6-day non-resident Idaho fishing license runs about $57.75 (2024) and is not included in the package.
West-Slope Cutthroat
High-End Rafts
Riverside Camping
The camp staff set up tents at the site before you arrive each evening. You'll need to carry your waterproof bag to your tent for the night. Two people per four-person tent, two cots, and two comfortable self-inflating pads. You will need to bring a sleeping bag. There is a cooking area, a dining area with folding chairs arranged around long tables, and a his and hers port-a-potty setup within a comfortable walking distance from camp. A hot shower on two evenings of the trip. Biodegradable soap is preferred, and no soap should be used directly in the natural hot springs or the river.
Sit-down Meals. Wine is Served with Dinner.
Meals: The guides and camp crew are experts in Dutch oven cookery and open-fire cooking. Garden-fresh salads, tasty desserts, and Dutch oven specialties. Fresh supplies, ice, and beverages are flown to the halfway point. The outfitter accommodates special beverage requests and dietary restrictions.
Alcohol: Red wine is served with dinner, and each adult camper is limited to a few cold beers each evening.
Meal Times: Breakfast at 8:30 a.m. Lunch mid-day on the river. Dinner at 7:30 p.m.
Communications: A satellite phone is available for emergencies only. Surrounded by 2.3 million acres of wilderness, no cell service is available, and no generators are in camp.
Great Cooking in the Great Outdoors
Flyfishing for Cutthroat Trout
Middle Fork of the Salmon River
Getting Here:
1.) You'll travel to Stanley, Idaho, a small, beautiful town, a 2.5-hour drive from Boise. You'll need to arrive in Stanley the day before the trip to attend the evening orientation. Most guests stay at the Mountain Village Lodge. The hotel night is not included in the package.
2.) The next morning, the group for the week will take a 1.5-hour bus ride from Stanley to the put-in at Boundary Creek Launch.
Departure Day: At the end of your trip, you’ll take a two-hour bus ride from the take-out at Cache Bar to Salmon, Idaho. (The bus ride is included in your package.) If you prefer to have your own vehicle waiting, a shuttle service can move your car from Stanley to the town of Salmon for $300.
2026 Rates:
2026 Season: June 9 - October 1. The best flyfishing months are June through September, depending on snowpack.
5-nights and 6-day Trips:
Guided Fly-Fishing - Drift Boat:
$4,050.00 per person
Guided Fly-Fishing
Drift Boat and Rafting Combo:
$3,500.00 per person
Rafting Only
$3,000.00 per person
Fishing Trips Include:
• Bus ride from Stanley to the put-in
• Bus ride from the take-out to Salmon, Idaho
• 5-nights tent camping
• Gourmet meals and red wine with dinner
• Soda, water, and beer on the boats
• Use of a water-resistant duffel for day-use items
• 6-days guided fishing
• Use of fly fishing gear: rod, reel, and go-to flies
• $4 per day U.S. Forest Service Fee.
Rafting Trips Include:
• Bus ride from Stanley to the put-in,and from the take-out to Salmon, Idaho
• Tent camping
• Gourmet meals
• Wine with dinner
• Soda, water, and beer on the boat
• Use of a water-resistant duffel for day-use items
• $4 per day U.S. Forest Service Fee
The Packages Do Not Include:
• Transportation to Stanley• The required hotel night in Stanley (-+$130 per night)
• Dinner and breakfast in Stanley
• Indian Creek flight - if low water conditions exist, $160 per person
• Optional car shuttle service ($250)
• Sleeping bag
• Idaho fishing license
• Fishing tackle and gear for those who are rafting
• Alcohol—except for red wine with dinner
and a limited number of beers per guest
• Items of a personal nature
• Global Rescue coverage
• Travel insurance
• Any items not mentioned under inclusions.
The Cast-and-Blast is limited to groups of 8 to 12 and covers 53 miles of the Main Salmon (a completely different trip from the Middle Fork Salmon) and 20 miles of the Snake River. You'll Fish for steelhead and smallmouth bass and hunt for chukar. Dogs are welcome on this trip.
4-nights and 5-days guided fishing and hunting.
$3,500.00 per person.
2026 Cast-and-Blast Dates:
From mid-September through mid-October.
You'll launch near Whitebird, Idaho, in drift boats. Target smallmouth bass on flies, poppers, and plastic worms. Although steelhead fishing has been poor the last couple of years, they still did very well targeting them with lures and flies. It is a deluxe camp with great food and many of my guides from the Middle Fork. Group size is 8-12, and you won't see many other folks on this run. It is a Wild and Scenic classified river. Chukar hunting has been excellent over the past few years. One dog is welcome per boat. Shooting is no longer allowed outside of the boat, but you can step on land and shoot. You must bring your own shotgun.
Cast-and-Blast Package Includes:
4-nights tent camping, gourmet meals, wine with dinner, soda, water, and beer on the boat, use of a water-resistant duffel for day-use items, 5-day guided fishing/hunting, use of fly fishing gear: rod, reel, and flies, and a $4 per day U.S. Forest Service Fee.Package Does Not Include:
Transportation to Grangeville, the first-night stay in Grangeville, meals in Grangeville, optional shuttle service ($300) and Washington Discover Parking Pass ($35), fishing and hunting licenses, sleeping bag, alcohol—except for red wine with dinner and a limited number of beers per guest, hunting gear, items of a personal nature, Global Rescue coverage, travel insurance, and any items not mentioned under inclusions.Fishing with Larry Payment Options:
1.) Credit card (a 2.5% convenience fee applies)
2.) Check. Please include your invoice number in the memo. Mail checks to Fishing with Larry P.O. Box 419 Columbus, MT 59019.
3.) Wire Transfer (Send money electronically – typically a $15 to $30 fee for domestic transfers and $45 - $50 for international transfers.)
Please email Toni at toni@fishingwithlarry.com for wire instructions.
Middle Fork of the Salmon River Policies:
Payment Policy: A 50% deposit is required to reserve your trip space. The final payment is due by June 1st of the year of your trip.
Cancellation Policy: If you must cancel, your deposit will be refunded if you or we can fill the spot(s). If you cancel within 60 days of your start date, you will owe the balance. The balance of your trip will be billed so that it can be received 60 days prior to your start date. Along with your final billing, you will receive a liability and medical information form that must be returned to us along with your final bill.
We suggest you buy trip insurance in case of emergency or illness. Along with your final billing, you will receive a liability and medical information form that must be returned to us along with your final bill. Come rain, snow, or high water, we almost always run our trips. But if there are insufficient reservations, we reserve the right to alter the departure date or place or to cancel a trip. There will be a full refund for any trip canceled by Tight Lines. Our financial liability is limited to the amount paid to Tight Lines and shall not cover any other costs incurred by trip members.
Trip Insurance: Trip insurance is a good choice. It pays to be prepared for the unexpected. If we cancel a trip, you receive a full refund. Low-cost travel insurance is highly recommended and provides emergency evacuation essential coverage, including sportsman's equipment, trip cancellation & interruption, medical expenses, baggage damage, and much more.
Fishing with Larry strongly recommends purchasing trip insurance. Click here for our Travel Insurance page.
