Fly Fishing & Whitewater Rafting Combo Trips
On a river like the Middle Fork of the Salmon River in Idaho, you’re sometimes faced with terrible decisions – do you fly fish for free-rising native cutthroat trout from one of Solitude’s McKenzie drift boats, or do you take on famed rapids like Velvet Falls and Powerhouse in a raft you help power? You no longer have to decide – Solitude now offers a combination fly fishing and whitewater rafting trip through the Middle Fork Salmon River wilderness. With a combo trip, you and your family and friends can split your time between paddling white water rafts and casting dry flies to rising cutthroat trout from drift boats.
In the warm summer months of June and July our whitewater rafts cannot slow down effectively to fly fish all of the small pockets and prime water, hence drift boats are a far better craft to fish from. Thanks to the drift boat’s superb maneuverability, your experienced guide will be able to hold you in prime water while fly fishing. Due to the steep gradient and nature of the rapids on the Middle Fork Salmon River, boats are not rigged to have one fly fisherman in the front and one in the back as that is far too dangerous. Instead, one person stands in the bow while the other person scoots to the middle of the seat and cast out the side, so both can fish at once. As an alternative, many people also opt to simply take turns fishing.
As the water drops in August anglers can opt to fish from one of Solitude’s uniquely outfitted fishing rafts, which allow both passengers to fish simultaneously. With the lower water this time of the year, the current slows enough to allow good maneuverability of these specially outfitted fishing rafts. At lunch – or on alternate days – you can switch out with your fellow travelers and experience the thrill of helping to steer your raft through some of the Middle Fork of the Salmon River’s Class III and IV whitewater rapids.
Whether you’re casting a fly or paddling through the rapids, you will enjoy the same tremendous scenery, Solitude’s famed camp meals and comfortable tent camps that make you forget that you’re “roughing it.” The only difference is that you'll have twice as many stories to share when you get back home about the great fish you caught and world class rapids that you ran.
NOTE: Three or more guests must sign up for combination trips to make such arrangements possible.
