Wilderness Fishing Pack Trips (Venturing into the Bob Marshall Wilderness):
Located in the 1.5 million acre Bob Marshall Wilderness, America’s first ever designated wilderness area, the South Fork is formed from the junction of Danaher Creek and Young’s Creek and runs for 45 miles due north, fed by dozens of small tributaries, where it exits the wilderness near Spotted Bear Ranger Station.
Enter by horseback and exit by raft. The only way to begin this float is by trail and since this is a wilderness area, getting there is huge part of the adventure. This trip is set up for groups of 4 - 6. You will spend the first two days of your trip traveling on horseback to get to the upper reaches of the river. From the trailhead where they load everything up, to the start of your float which is around 25+ miles. It is a long, but beautiful ride in. The first day is shorter, around 10 miles, staff will set up camp while you can get your first taste of cutthroat dry fly fishing on the South Fork and settle in under the stars.
Depending on riding ability and whether you take your time and enjoy the scenery or ride straight through will determine the amount of fishing you will do during or after the ride. Day two is a little longer ride and you will head up river 15 miles or so for the final part of the pack in. You will once again set up camp and fish this 2nd evening. You can stop along the way to fish or head to camp and get out and fish in the afternoon. The third day is typically spent walk and wade fishing the South Fork and the White River. You can stay close to camp or hike even further into the back country. This is a favorite for most of the guests as it is a beautiful area and the river is spectacular to fish. The remaining 3 days of your trip will be enjoyed traveling downriver on rafts, enjoying world class float fishing, meals, and comfortable back country accommodations. You can fish completely based on your preference; from the boat or on foot. Most anglers prefer to get out of the boat to maximize the amount of water that is covered. In between fishy runs boat fishing is a great way to ensure that you are covering water.
Fly-fishing on the South Fork is known to be some of the best in the world. The South Fork is located in an isolated wilderness and the river and its tributaries remain lightly fished during a short summer season, and the result is a wonderful secluded native cutthroat fishery that remains mostly unchanged from its original state. Skilled anglers can plan on getting lots of opportunities with dry flies, and it is not uncommon for each boat to land dozens of native cuts a day. These Cutthroat trout range in size, but there are plenty in the 12 - 18” range, and they love to rise to big puffy dry flies! The South Fork is also one of the few places where an angler can target native Bull Trout in the lower 48. The South Fork Drainage is one of the last strongholds of these native Char in the lower 48 states. Because of the construction of Hungry Horse Reservoir, there fish grow big in the lake and migrate upstream early every summer to spawn in the fall. Every June and July lucky anglers intercept a few of these fish up to 30 inches. Fishing for Bull Trout closes on July 31.
Lodge Fishing:
Spotted Bear Ranch has 17 miles of the South Fork that they float fish from the lodge. They typically break this section of river into 2 separate floats which offer two full days of fishing. One ends at the lodge and the other starts at the Lodge. It is a beautiful section of river to float. If you enjoy fishing this float section and want to explore it again, you can do multiple days on these two stretches. However, it would not be the same if you didn’t check out a few of the many small streams and tributaries in the area. SBR has many miles of small rivers and stream fishing accessible within a short drive from the lodge. Spotted Bear River, Bunker Creek, Upper and Lower Twin creek are a few of the smaller tributaries the guides will take you to. Some can be challenging wading but for those that can cover water, there are plenty of eager cutthroats ready to eat your fly. Many of these small creeks rarely get fished and you can expect to catch lots of aggressive fish on big attractor patterns while wading in pristine clear mountain water in a stunning mountainous setting. You can also walk and wade the “Gorge,” which is untouched by floaters leaving cutthroats even more naïve than normal.
