Planning a western fishing trip

[lycoflyfisher]

For you experienced western anglers...

If you were planning a predominantly diy trip out west for 4 guys, driving out and camping what state/ region are you heading to? Possibly backpacking for a few days and fishing along the way, otherwise planning on car camping. Timeline is mid August, 10-11 days. 1 of the 4 has been to Glacier on primarily a backpacking trip with a little bit of fishing. Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho all in play. Where would you go?

Thought this might be a fun change of pace for the group.

 

[salmo]

You can easily do Montana, Idaho and Wyoming in that span. You can stay in West Yellowstone initially. Great access in that area to all three states. Depending on the weather I would be careful if the water temperatures in the bigger rivers in August, but if you a willing to backpack and hike you are likely to find good water to fish. If you are a YouTube watcher, I suggest that you look up Drew Looknfishy for some ideas. I envy you guys.

BYW my son and I will be in the Madison Valley about that time of the year 2023. Send me a pm if you would like to chat.

 

[mt_flyfisher]

Why mid-August? That might be a better time for backpacking, but the fishing would probably be better in July or September.

Also, 10-11 days won’t allow much time when you finally get there, if you’re planning on driving from PA. I’ve probably driven to MT and surrounding states from my home In SE PA 30 times, and spent 20 summers there.

For a trip where you want to combine backpacking and fishing, I’d go to Yellowstone. And, don’t plan on hitting a number of different areas and rivers in multiple states unless you want to spend most of your time driving.

 

[Zipper]

A month later and you would be dealing with thousands less fishermen.

 

[KeviR]

I drove to Montana with three other guys last summer and camped for 11 days at two different spots - the Missouri below Dillon and the Big Hole at Divide. We spent the majority of our time at Divide. We were originally planning to also spend a few days on the Blackfoot near Ovando, but the fly shop in Ovando talked us out of staying there because of grizzly activity. We did a couple of day trips on the Blackfoot, traveling from Divide. We had two rafts so we could float, and we did float most days. What I would have done differently is I would have hired a guide at least one day on each river to let someone else man the oars and to pick their brain about access, hatches, flies, etc. We went at the beginning of July and conditions were a little high but very fishable. Runoff was a little above average last year and just was coming into shape as we arrived. (Though we were holding our breath watching the flooding during June. We almost pulled the plug. That's why we went to the Missouri first - it's dam controlled.) We stayed at a MFWS campsite on the Missouri and a BLM campsite at Divide. Most of the tent campsites are first come first serve.) It's a little unnerving to plan a trip that far and have to roll the dice with finding a campsite, but things worked out after all. It took us two full days to drive out and find/setup our first camp and three to tear down and pack and drive back. It was very nice having all the stuff you can bring to car camp, so that was the upside. One guy of our group flew out and rented a truck so we had two vehicles which made shuttling easier when we floated. But many of the fly shops had shuttle services, so that's an option. You have to be OK with someone else driving your vehicle - they move your vehicle at some point during the day while you are on the river.
I spent a lot of time worrying about warm water conditions and hoot owl restrictions. That's why we went in July instead of August. Another way to slice it is to plan to go to areas that don't normally have hoot-owl restrictions if you are there in August. (Look at MFWS press releases from prior years to get an idea of rivers to avoid. )
PM me if you want more details.

 

[lycoflyfisher]

Thanks salmo, that seems like a great channel and resembles what we have on mind.

Timeline is set and firm due to military and higher education commitments for some in the group. Probably the last opportunity for us to do this for the next 4-5 years.

I fully recognize the weather and river conditions may not be ideal for the big, famous waters. That is okay and also why we are willing to backpack to get away from people and access smaller to medium streams with better temps and conditions.

 

[KeviR]

N. Fork of the Blackfoot is in prime shape in August-Sept. It's on the edge of the Bob Marshall Wilderness with lots of options for backpacking. It's the grizzly country I mentioned in my prior post. But "the Bob" as they call it is on my bucket list to visit. If you're really adventurous and like to hike, you can hike all the way to the S Fork of the Flathead in the middle of the Bob. 25-30 miles, depending on where you start.

 

[Acristickid]

WY. Tri Basin Divide - Pinedale area. It’s super terrific

Green River , LaBarge Creek, Horse Creek, Smiths Fork, Greys River, South Fork of Snake, Hoback, Gros Ventre