Overnight bags and sleep kits will be available on the trail the first night. Sign up for our email newsletter for great articles, tips and news from our adventures. The South Fork of the Flathead, located in the heart of the Bob Marshall Wilderness, is a horsepack in/float out trip of 5-7 days, putting you over feisty Cutthroats to 22 and "Bull Trout" to 15 pounds. Learn to tie the Woolly Bugger fly with master tier Charlie Craven. Trail 110 begins approximately two miles from Holland Lake (take TR 415 to TR 42 from the trailhead). What size and type of sleeping pad does WRO provide? Up until reaching Meadow Creek Gorge 40 miles later, described later, the river presents no special challenges to a rafter. Online purchases are immediately effective, but must be printed and kept on your person at all times when fishing. Learn more about these fun boats. We are consistently told by guests that we out-do their expectations when it comes to our foods quality that we can accomplish in the wilderness. In addition to guided fishing trips, we offer drop & float trips on the South Fork of the Flathead River. These are very comfortable and fit very nicely in our gear bags. If I did not book the fishing-specific trip, can I still fish? I highly recommend them! Failure to take these precautions is likely to lead to uninvited and probably unwanted guests with large claws and teeth probing your campsite during the night. Day 5-6: Well be rafting the calm and beautiful upper South Fork, floating around lazy corners and casting along undercut banks. To reach the trailhead, turn onto Holland Lake Road from Highway 83 and follow the signs. Fine-spotted Snake River cutthroat from Wyoming were stocked in Arkansas in 1984 (Robison and Buchanan 1988). The fishing we will do is primarily inside of our fishing rafts, and you will not need waders. Why do you recommend synthetics instead of cotton? WRO operates under National Park Service contract in Glacier Bay. Westslope cutthroats are blue-collar fish that work hard for their living. You will head to the trail the next morning (the official starting date of your trip) and start the hike or pack in. Booking fishing-specific trips on the South Fork Flathead ensures that you have a fishing frame and a fishing guide, and will fish most of the day. Be sure to check out the weather section of the packing list for specific seasonal information and average temperatures for your trip, as well as doing your own research a week prior to your trip, checking anticipated weather at Seeley Lake, MT (our put-in) as well as at the Meadow Creek Trail, MT (close to our takeout). Sprawling more than 1.5 million acres, the Bob Marshall Wilderness complex (known to locals as the Bob), which also includes the Great Bear Wilderness and the Scapegoat Wilderness, is perhaps the wildest location in the lower 48 states. Learn to tie the Sparkle Caddis Pupa with master tier Charlie Craven. Fishing pressure is very low in the wilderness area compared to virtually any other Montana river. My husband, two daughters ages 12 & 14 and I recently took a week long trip into the Bob Marshall Wilderness with the assistance of 406 Wilderness Outfitters. Each trip is tailored to the desires of the guests, but generally we will be on the water a total of 5 or so hours each day (give or take a couple of hours), broken by a lunch stop and any other side adventures. While you probably won't catch a 22-inch trophy, you will catch some of the most perfectly configured trout in the world. This cold, clear water flows into the North, South and Middle forks of the Flathead, which merge together near Columbia Falls to begin a southward journey. Occasionally hiking members can pack a few beers on their personal backpack, but one can imagine we need to keep these quantities limited. There are many beautiful places in the US that don't see lots of visitors and are best experienced with guides who know the place and can help you make the most of being somewhere so special. If you are bringing a large, expensive camera, we recommend you bring a hard waterproof case in which to store it and accessories. Your river and/or hiking clothes can double as camp clothes, but you are welcome to bring something else if you would like, such as a cotton shirt, an athletic dress/skirt for women, dry pants, layers or some fiesta-wear. To even contemplate going through this gorge will require a very small, tough raft, whitewater inflatable kayak or hard shell kayak, as any large raft is quite likely to get frequently stuck and require countless portages. Booking fishing-specific trips on the South Fork Flathead ensures that you have a fishing frame and a fishing guide, and will fish most of the day. Wilderness River Outfitters and Trail Expeditions Inc is an equal opportunity provider. Feel the exhilaration of puckering whitewater rushing through a narrow gorge. How will they locate us? The fish pound attractor dry flies, not because they are stupid, but because they have to eat when food is available. As the river flows through this gorge, the river becomes extremely narrow with big drops and sharp turns. A floater reels in a 12-inch cutthroat trout from the emerald green water of the Middle Fork of the Flathead River in Montana's Great Bear Wilderness Area in . On this trip, we offer a deluxe camping option where a gear boat goes ahead of the other fishing boats to start setting up camp. We do not provide any food or drinks for any part of the trip including the ride in. To access the road section above the reservoir, you still have several hours of dirt road just to get there. This bag should be plenty large enough for everything listed on our suggested packing list. We are consistently told by guests that we out-do their expectations when it comes to our foods quality that we can accomplish in the wilderness. Copyright 2017 Montana River Outfitters - Site by. Guests will need to arrange to meet us the day before their scheduled trip to drop off the gear by 2:00pm. The three forks offer opportunities for day floats from vehicle accessed sites, thrilling whitewater stretches, and permitted guided trips for day and overnight experiences. Those willing to venture away from the beaten path will find refuge from people, especially in late June and early July when high water recedes and again during fall as visiting anglers head home. Please contact our office ahead of time to arrange logistics if you need to be picked up. How old does my child have to be to participate? The run through the gorge is dependent on the river level, the gorge being clear of logjams and guide discretion. There is the option to add a fishing boat for an additional fee, fishing boats are booked for two people. Flip-flops are great for around camp but you need something that will stay on your feet while we are on the boats. Means of Introduction: This species has been intentionally stocked as a sport fish in most areas. Each fishing boat will carry one or two fishermen with a professional fishing guide and a fishing-specific standing frame. Fill your gas tank before leaving the town of Hungry Horse. Check out the full of story of Sage Indendi Johnson's journey from a path towards professional basketball to guiding in Alaska. They also know how to get you from amazing point A to beautiful point B safely. With near freezing water no longer flowing through the river during the middle of the summer, insect hatches have improved significantly on both the South Fork and the main stem of the Flathead River. From this point, you can float another 18 scenic miles to Hungry Horse Reservoir. Any fish you catch while in the wilderness area will have to be eaten there. The experience is authentic wilderness with delicious meals cooked over a fire (most outfitters use propane) - and the team knows the story of the geology, the flora and fauna and the people that lived along these great rivers. During September, October, and even November, South Fork cutthroats eat everything that floats over their snouts as they gear up for a long winter. This is because if they break, it is very disruptive to the mules, and can cause a whole mule crash. This trip you need to have your bags packed by that evening or very early morning for the packers. Please notify us of any dietary restrictions or allergies as early as possible so that we can adjust the menu accordingly. After unloading the mules that pack the gear out, we will meet the vehicles and WRO will provide transportation back to Kalispell. This allows us to cover new scenery, rapids, and side adventures each day at a fun, comfortable pace. For well information this can be a district-assigned local number. There is one rapid section below the dam called Devils Elbow, with two short Class IV rapids. Due to the remote setting and the difficulty and expense of bringing in rafts, the river is relatively free of floaters, allowing for a peaceful, scenic float. If you look at the Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks website, it will direct you to options for online purchases or in-person vendors around Montana. The initial climb is moderately steep, making this route more suited for horses, but once through the pass, the trip to the river is scenic and enjoyable. Breakfasts consist of a combination of grains, vegetables, eggs, and breakfast meats, and dinners consist of culinary delights such as wild salmon and steak, many of which are cooked over open campfires and dutch ovens. Matches and lightersor any other fire-building toolsare potentially lifesaving. The nose-diving U.S. economy has persuaded many families in recent years to put costly and exotic vacation plans on hold . We try to arrive back to Kalispell late afternoon on the last day of your trip if running the gorge, but will typically arrive closer to early evening if hiking out, as you are dealing with additional logistic factors. Everyone is issued a waterproof day bag to carry items you will need access to during the day while on the river. It is recommended to keep your wallet at the bottom of your overnight bag, so it does not get misplaced. Each trip is tailored to the desires of the guests, but generally we will be on the water a total of 5 or so hours each day (give or take a couple of hours), broken by a lunch stop and any other side adventures. S F Flathead R ab Twin C nr Hungry Horse MT. They say anglers used to catch nearly 30 cutthroats a day between 15 and 20 inches. Grizzly bears, moose, elk and wolves all call the Bob home. It's pristine. The second, and somewhat obvious, reason is that in order to reach the river in the wilderness area requires considerable time and energy, as it lies in a very remote setting by any standard. 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