The Finest Fly Fishing in North America
The Lodge at Palisades Creek fronts one of America's great fly fishing rivers, the South Fork of the Snake River. The Lodge has five different sections of the South Fork available for guided fishing trips. These sections traverse a total of 55 miles of the South Fork of the Snake. The following briefly describes each section, its proximity to The Lodge, and its unique characteristics. See the attached map which may assist you in your review of the material.
This first section of the South Fork is characterized by spectacular riffle fishing. For the angler who wishes to explore the South Fork "on Foot, " there is simply not enough time in a day (or week) to investigate this section of our river .It contains scenic views of our beautiful Swan Valley and the Fall creek waterfalls. At the end of your fishing day, your return trip to The Lodge is approximately 15 minutes.
Section 2 - Conant to Cottonwood:
This is referred to as the "canyon" section of the South Fork. It is, by any standard, remarkably beautiful with its enormous canyon walls. The fishing is superb and, during the salmon fly hatch, produces unparalleled fishing activity. Although the canyon has its own remarkable riffles, its trademark is astounding bank and Canyon "wall" fishing. Afloat down this 14 mile section is highly recommended, but requires extra time. Access from the canyon is restricted to the public take-out at Cottonwood, which is on the East side of the river. Therefore, the return trip to The Lodge is likely to take 75 minutes. Accordingly, we recommend at least a 9:00 a.m. departure time.
Section 3 - Cottonwood to Byington:
This trip is also unique in that it commences at the tail end of the "canyon" section and proceeds 12 miles to the Byington take-out. The put in takes about 75 minutes to access but is worth it as far as positioning on the river during busy season. Simply put, you get ahead of the crowds. Fishing traverses a number of famous areas including Henry's Bathtub, Table rock, etc. It combines excellent bank and rifle fishing with scenic beauty. The return time to The Lodge is approximately 20 minutes. As with Section 2, we recommend a departure of 8: 30 to 9:00 a.m.
Section - 4 Byington to Lorenzo:
Enjoy a completely different look as the South Fork exits the canyon and flows through one of the largest natural cottonwood stands on earth. This section is recommended early in our season (May 15 to July 1), as the water warms early on this 7 miles section. The Twin Bridges section is known to hold huge brown trout and fishes extremely well during the salmon fly hatch, which usually begins in late June. the return to the Lodge takes approximately 50 minutes. Less bank fishing and more "trash"piles of trees and logs with some outstanding riffle fishing.
This is another unique section of our river which, at times, resembles a trip through the Amazon. Because of warmer temperatures, this section fishes best in May and June. This section is known for early salmon fly hatches and huge brown trout. The float itself is 8 miles long and requires a 50 minute trip to the access and a 70 minute return to The Lodge. This float is particularly recommended in May and June. For those anglers flying out of Idaho Falls, it is worth noting that the Lorenzo take-out is approximately 20 minutes from the Idaho Falls Airport.
Our river is wild, exciting, and not without danger. Your guide carries life jackets on the boat
and we recommend you wear one while on the river. If you should fall overboard, float on your
back with your feet downstream. It goes without saying that a river as big and long as the South Fork will have a variety of fishing conditions on any given day.
