As the summer fishing season gets into gear, it is an ideal time to load up the car and hit the road on a fly fishing road trip. With two decades of experience traveling and fly fishing the fabled waters of the western US and Canada, our team at Yellow Dog knows how to plan a close-to-home and unforgettable fly fishing road trip adventure. A fly fishing road trip allows you to slow down, take it all in, and immerse yourself in the small-town angling culture that we know so well here at Yellow Dog.
From the Missouri or Madison Rivers in Montana to the Rogue River in Oregon and the Middle Fork of the Salmon River in Idaho, there are limitless of options to create your own Endless Angling Summer—a road trip to the best fly fishing destinations without ever having to get on a jet airplane…but only if you plan it with our help as we’ve been there and done that.
Here are some favorite destinations for The Best Fly Fishing Road Trip ever.
The Grand Slam Trout Road Trip: Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming.
These three states boast some of the world’s best trout waters. From luxury lodges with miles of private access or overnight float trips on specially permitted trips and isolated waters, a summer fly fishing road trip throughout Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming is sure to excite even the most discerning angler.
If you enjoy remote and specially permitted waters, start a trip on Wyoming’s Wind River, then wind your way through Yellowstone National Park, then finish with some native Westslope Cutthroat trout on the rivers near Glacier National Park.
If your tastes are more inline with consistent hatches and large trout, consider Idaho’s Henry’s Fork or Montana’s Bighorn and Missouri Rivers. These tailwater fisheries offer clear, cool water and are home to an abundance of hatches and nice-sized tailwater trout to boot.
Book a Middle Fork of the Salmon or Smith River float trip for solitude and scenery. These two overnight trips are a nice break from the car—and offer a specially permitted fly fishing trip experience. Our outfitters on these two rivers have extensive experience doing these trips; no detail is spared, bringing all the comforts of home on an overnight night fly fishing trip.
Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho all offer diverse, world-class options for a fly fishing road trip of a lifetime. Whether you want to piece together a variety of day trips or several nights at some of the finest lodges, our fly fishing road trips are world-class. Any duration can be arranged—from a day to a month. We’ve done trips of all lengths.
Oregon and Washington Serve Up Unique Opportunities
Steelhead can be found in Oregon year-round, and excellent guides have been fishing Oregon’s waters for generations and are well-versed in skating techniques and spey casting. Yellow Dog Flyfishing Adventures focuses on the Deschutes and Rogue River systems and the wild steelhead and native trout in them. Even if steelhead isn’t on your brain, the rambunctious rainbow trout–known locally as redsides–of the Deschutes River are worth a trip.
In Washington state, anglers can access a variety of options with some excellent and passionate guides. Olympic National Park’s Sol Duc and Hoh and others, the Grande Ronde, the Columbia, the Klickitat, and others create a line-up of Washington fly fishing rivers offering steelhead and trout. Knowledgeable and fun guides and destination lodges offer single-day and multi-day trips. If steelhead is not your primary focus, we also offer fishing for a unique strain of landlocked Columbia River steelhead.
The Rogue River, in southern Oregon, is an ideal backcountry trip for groups, families, and all skill levels. The Rogue River is designated a Wild and Scenic River for over forty miles. If the beauty and enjoyment of a multi-day river trip aren’t enough, the river is home to healthy populations of steelhead and trout.
It’s never too late to load up the car, pull out the map, and take a fly fishing road trip. But before you do, contact Yellow Dog and plan it with us. We ensure every angler is fitted with a lodge and operation best suited to them. With a massive array of different lodges and outfitters, Yellow Dog can always find an operation that caters to your individual needs and preferences.
With a boots-on-the-ground approach, every program director at Yellow Dog has been to and experienced the lodges and destinations we offer. Give us a call to chat with any one of the angling and travel experts in the office to start planning your next great fly fishing road trip!
Montana
The diversity and raw beauty of Montana’s rivers, creeks, lakes, and mountain scenery have delighted and inspired generations of anglers. This variety creates many lifetimes worth of angling choices for all abilities. From broad rivers to intimate wilderness creeks to overnight floating and camping trips, we offer a Montana fly fishing trip for every skill level and every season.
Idaho
Idaho borders Yellowstone National Park, Montana, and Wyoming and is home to many of the world’s famous trout rivers. With rivers fed from the Teton and Sawtooth Mountains, Yellowstone Plateau, or Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness, Idaho’s fly fishing waters should be on every angler’s wish list.
Wyoming
Wyoming is home to Yellowstone National Park, the Grand Teton, and the headwaters of the Yellowstone and Bighorn Rivers. Wyoming also boasts several species of native cutthroat trout, hundreds of miles of difficult-to-access rivers and creeks, and a rich tradition of western hospitality. All of this is within the least populated state in the union.
Oregon
Any angler’s trail should lead to Oregon. Home to forests of pine and fir, peaks left by ancient volcanoes, fertile valleys, expansive high mountain deserts, and a rugged coastline, the state’s geography is a splendid backdrop for any Oregon fly fishing trip. Oregon’s waters consist of large rivers and small creeks draining the various mountain ranges or coastal rivers and creeks leading to the Pacific Ocean.
Washington
Home to some of the Pacific Northwest’s most dedicated guides and lodges, Yellow Dog Flyfishing Adventures offers a wide array of options for fly fishing in Washington. Washington fly fishing rivers offer steelhead and trout, knowledgeable and fun guides, and destination lodges offering single-day and multi-day trips. If steelhead are not your primary focus, we also offer fishing for a unique strain of landlocked Columbia River steelhead.
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