South Fork of the Snake River

Having fished all over the west on all the top rivers, we can say with complete certainty that the South Fork is better than all the rest. In case you haven’t heard, the lower stretches of the South Fork are jam-packed with brown trout. The Idaho Fish and Game states that the lower river has 80% browns. We have always found that there are a lot of rainbows and cutthroat down there too. This year the browns were out on gray days and bright days as well. It was amazing. Most people think of the brown as one who avoids sunny days – laying dormant or eating off the bottom. However, this was not the case this past season on the South Fork.

Browns now dominate the lower 30 miles of the South Fork. If you love browns like we do, try the lower section of the South Fork. This is the finest dry fly fishing river in the West. No other river is consistently as good day after day, all season long. From the third week in June with the monstrous Salmon Fly Hatch, to the Chernobyl Ant Hatch that lasts into the middle of October, we enjoy fantastic dry fly fishing every day.

Our definition of a great dry fly river is every time you look up there is a great place to cast a dry fly. This defines the South Fork, and it’s exciting water. If you have never fished this river, you have not fished “The Best in the West”. Once you have, you will wonder why you did not come to Teton Valley Lodge sooner.

The south fork is a large river, and big water equals big fish and big flies. The river flows out of Palisades Reservoir. It has a pretty consistent flow rate all season. South Fork water management is very good. The upper stretch is a long straight section with a good salmon fly and PMD hatch. As the water reaches the lower stretches of this float, the water breaks up into channels with lots of wading. For the next 50 miles the river is braided, and gets more channels as it travels west through the secluded canyons toward Idaho Falls. The flows are heavy in the South Fork usually running 8,000-12,000 cfs. This is not your typical wading river. Access is limited since roads do not follow the river and there is a lot of private property on the upper section. So, almosteveryone floats the river to gain access to great bank fishing and to the hundreds of riffles.

This river has prolific hatches of big flies and hoppers, and we fish big dry patterns nearly every day during the season, and that is what brings up the huge trout. There are times when mayflies are out strong and we will fish sizes 14 to 18 parachutes for giant fish. However, it is the big flies that make the South Fork so unique. Rainbows, browns and cutthroat all have very strong numbers in the river and all grow to world class size. You are going to love fishing this river the Teton Valley Lodge way. No one does it better.

If  you have not fished the south fork with Teton Valley Lodge you have not fished the South Fork the way it is meant to be fished. Our guides reign supreme here, putting you into numbers and sizes of fish you never dreamt of. Call early to make your reservation.