Fly Fishing in Northeastern Idaho Bites

Posted on   September 27,2023   By John Compisi

Those who know me, know I am not a fly fisherman by any stretch of the imagination but you are about to read about my amazing fly fishing experience in Northeastern Idaho just across the state line from Yellowstone National Park earlier this month. I did not see this one coming and it did, indeed, bite!!

Making a long story short, my brother Pete is a lifelong fly fisherman. Besides fishing the Cumberland River near his home in southern Indiana, Pete takes an annual trip with several fishing buddies to the pristine rivers of northeastern Idaho. He’s been doing this for over a decade. This year, one of his buds had to bow out and Pete offered me the opportunity to fill the gap. I jumped at the chance, with the encouragement of Linda, not because I wanted to go fly fishing but because the idea of spending this quality outdoor time with my brother was too good to pass up. I set about making travel arrangements to get from Reno to the closest airport, West Yellowstone Airport, Montana, which, by the way, is only open seasonally.

ARRIVAL – WEST YELLOWSTONE

West Yellowstone Airport is quite small but new construction to enlarge was evident. The airport Avis shop owner/operator, Douglas Barton, a friend of Pete’s, arranged a ride for me to get to town (thank you Doug and Doris). I got to enjoy several hours in town at Hanks Chop House watching Sunday NFL football while I waited for Pete and his gang to get off the river and come pickup me and another fishing bud from Louisville, KY. I must say, West Yellowstone had the look and feel of the town used as the backdrop of an old television series called Northern Exposure. Rustic, charming and a magnet for Yellowstone visitors and fly fishermen.

Our lodging for the week was a beautiful log cabin graciously provided by one of my brother’s close friends, a former basketball head coach at the University of Louisville. This cabin was a true log cabin of rather massive proportions and comfortably housed and slept six of us. It was situated along the tranquil eastern shoreline of Henry’s Lake and looked due west at Mt. Jefferson and a couple other peaks that separated Idaho from Montana. Stupendous and majestic while peaceful. From the shoreline you could look south and see the distant outlines of the Grand Tetons, about 80 miles away.

We settled in and I was introduced to my fishing buddies for the next 6 days. Bill from Boise, ID; Joe from Denver, CO; Allen and Alan from Louisville, KY and, of course my brother Pete, Henryville, IN.

DAY ONE – THE TETON RIVER AND DAM

Up early Monday morning we loaded up in two SUVs and drove about 25 minutes to our outfitter, Three Rivers Ranch Outfitters in Last Chance, ID. There we purchased our fishing licenses and met our guides. Each party of two was paired up with a guide who had his ‘drift boat’ on a trailer. Once paired up, we loaded in their respective trucks and headed to the day’s put in point another 30 minutes away. This first day, Pete and I went with Eric and all three parties drove to the site of the former Teton Dam.  

Eric expertly backed his boat and trailer down a steep embankment and let his drift boat loose to slide down to the river’s edge. After he parked his truck, we loaded in the boat with our flyrods and dry bags. Thanks to Eric’s (and later the other guides) expert knowledge, we never got our feet wet getting in or out of the boat, all four days that I fished.

The river moved rapidly as we pushed off but soon, we were floating (drifting) as Eric used his oars to keep us headed wherever he thought the fish would be biting, sometimes actually ‘backing upriver’ to fish a particular spot longer. In minutes I had my first bite but my skill was inadequate to properly set the hook. I got better at that and by the end of day one, Pete and I had caught and released nearly 20 trout. They were brown trout, rainbow trout and cutthroat trout. Pete caught the largest, a 23-inch brown trout.

DAY TWO – HENRYS’ FORK OF THE SNAKE RIVER

On day two, the routine was the same. Pete and I were teamed up with Eric again but other boats went to different locations. We were fortunate to put in at the confluence of the Warm River and the South Fork of the Snake River (aka Henry’s Fork as it flows out of Henry’s Lake). The scenery, like the day before and each subsequent day, was breathtakingly gorgeous. We caught a lot of fish and observed osprey, bald eagles, heron and more common ducks and geese migrating as autumn rapidly approached.

DAY THREE – EARTHQUAKE LAKE AND ENNIS, MT

On day three we took a break from fishing and did some exploration north to Earthquake Lake, Hebgen Lake and Ennis, Montana. We started at breakfast along the Madison River at one of Pete’s breakfast favorites…Campfire Lodge Resort Café. The breakfast was simple, fresh and tasty but the Cinnamon Buns were way over the top.

After a couple of photos along the Madison behind the café, we drove back down river to Earthquake Lake, a real disaster site from 1959 well worth your time at the visitor’s center. Quake Lake is six miles (10 km) in length with a maximum depth of 125 feet. The earthquake measured 7.3 on the Richter scale and caused an 80-million ton landslide, which formed a landslide dam on the Madison River. The earthquake was the most powerful to hit the state of Montana in recorded history. The landslide traveled down the flank of Sheep Mountain, at an estimated 100 miles per hour (160 km/h), killing 28 people who were camping along the shores of Hebgen Lake and downstream along the Madison River. Remnants of this 6-decade old event remain as silent reminders of the power of Nature.

Leaving Quake Lake on our way to Ennis, Montana, we just had to stop at Kelly Galloup’s Slide Inn along the Madison. A fly fisherman since age 13 in his hometown of Traverse City, MI, Kelly has become world famous for his fly-tying and knowledge of streamer fly fishing. Kelly was there so we took the mandatory picture with him, one of his dogs and our gang. Fun!!

Ennis, Montana was our lunch stop. Another fly fishing town with their own fishing and outdoor festival each August. The town, similar to West Yellowstone in appearance, has numerous outfitters, outdoor gear shops and several restaurants. Pete was set on the Gravel Bar so we stopped there for lunch. The burgers looked great but I enjoyed a Caesar Salad. My waistline can’t handle 3 meals a day!

DAY FOUR – SOUTH FORK OF THE SNAKE RIVER

Day Four we were back to fly fishing. We gathered at the outfitters per usual and all three groups traveled over an hour to a very remote location that required driving 12 miles on gravel roads way upriver on the South Fork. The long drive paid off in scenery, fish and solitude.

DAY FIVE – SHERIDAN LAKE, CLARK COUNTY

Sheridan Lake (reservoir) is a large private lake situated on the huge Sheridan Ranch outside of Island Park, Idaho but in Clark County, one of the least populated counties in Idaho. Our guides and brother Pete thought it would be good to try lake fishing as a contrast to being on the various rivers on this, our last fishing day.

The lake was serene and placid but filled with large brown, rainbow and even Banana Trout. All three boats with our group of six fished the lake but we were so far apart we hardly were ever close enough to chat or compare notes.

The lake was bounded on the ranch house side by flat grazing fields with mountains in the distance and on the other by a fantastic stand of evergreen trees that reflected in the mirror-like water.

The fishing was excellent and all catch-and-release, as always.

GUIDED FLY FISHING

The beauty of guided fly fishing for someone like me is manifold. They know the rivers and lakes. They know the rules, laws and regulations. They know what is biting and where. They bring all the flies needed. They prepare your fly rod, they coach you, they help you be successful, they net your fish, they help with dehooking and release and they even pose with you and your fish for pictures.

Have I mentioned that each day, the guides brought our lunch aboard. The variety and quantity were perfect with pulled pork, tacos, fried chicken fillets and more followed by chips, fantastic cookies or brownies.

EVENING DIVERSIONS – GUIDED WINE TASTING

Each evening in our cabin one fishing buddy or another would volunteer to prepare their specialty. We had great tacos with a corn salad, pasta Alfredo, and other delightful specialty. Well in advance, Pete asked me if I would be interested in leading a wine tasting. I actually jumped at the opportunity. I asked our friends Adam Lee, Clarice Wine Company and Morét Brealynn of Morét Brealynn Wines if they would be interested and able to ship six wines for me to Idaho. In their typical generous fashion, they were all over it and before I arrived in Idaho, the six wines were waiting at our outfitters shop in Last Chance Idaho. I prepared our typical tasting placemat with the wines all identified and in the sequence we would be tasting. Morét provided her 2022 Rosé of Pinot Noir, 2021 Morét Brealynn Central Coast Pinot Noir and her 2021 Lakeview Vineyard Pinot Noir while Adam sent his 2021 Clarice Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir, 2021 Beau Marchais Soberanes Sud Vineyard Pinot Noir and his 2020 ENOW Paso Robles Grenache/Mourvèdre.

These are all beautiful wines and my diverse group of fishing buddies were thoroughly impressed with the quality of these wines and the generosity of Morét and Adam. My thanks to them both for making this seated tasting such a hit.

All in all, this adventure was a great experience. I was able to hone my fly fishing skills, travel through amazing parts of the United States that I had never seen, catch and release a good number of trout, meet some new friends and most especially, spend a week with my brother Pete. I hope you enjoyed reading about it as much as I enjoyed doing it!