We have a boy who loves fishing. Since he’s a little older, he does a lot of fishing by himself, but we try to give him as many opportunities as we can. Recently, we scheduled a river trip with Mile High Outfitters out of Challis, Idaho. They were wonderful to work with and communicated quite often beforehand to let us know what to bring, what they provided, and what the water levels and fishing were like.
The trip we scheduled was a full day, fully guided river float. This meant that we’d travel down the river for about 16 miles over smooth waters fishing in the pools and eddies of the river. The entire trip lasted around 8 hours. Best of all, Mile High Outfitters took care of all the details. All we needed was our Idaho fishing licenses, and a little patience.
After meeting our guides, we dropped off the boats, and then shuttled up the river. Once we were in the boats, our guides, who fish this section of river often, gave us a quick tutorial. We were already pretty good at casting and reeling, but we appreciated the direction on where to cast. This helped us know where fish like to hang out, and how to maximize our chances. They are prepared to help beginner fisherman, too. So even if you haven’t fished before, this is a super fun family adventure.
As we floated along, casting, and occasionally catching a pikeminnow or a trout, we’d sometimes snag our line. Then our guide would help us get unstuck, or, if it was bad, rerigging the rod with new spinners or lures. This took all the stress out of fishing, and it was really very relaxing to float along.
Lunch
By the middle of the day, we reached a small picnic area on the shore. Our guides guided us to shore and opened up their coolers. The owner’s wife had made delicious sandwiches that were too big for our boys to even finish. There were also homemade brownies and drinks. We sat at a picnic table and enjoyed lunch before hoping back into the boat.
During the second have of the trip, our youngest was bored of fishing. Well, Mile High Outfitters was prepared. They had brought some blow up kayaks, so he could kayak through a few of the small rapids as we went down the river. He was in heaven, and we were so happy that they were taking care of everything.
We also saw a lot of wildlife along the river. There were deer, eagles, osprey, great blue herons, mink, and more. Mom mostly enjoyed riding in the boat. She threw her line out a few times, and did catch a fish, but she loved being on the beautiful water and looking for wildlife. The Salmon River is usually crystal clear, but there was a mudslide a few days before our trip so it was quite muddy. We can’t wait to visit and see the clear water another time.
We really enjoyed our fishing trip with Mile High Outfitters in Challis, Idaho. They took good care of us and made the fishing fun and worthwhile. When our son expressed an interest in fly-fishing, the guide even gave him a few lessons and let him try the fly rod. He spent nearly an hour working with the fly rod, which was an experience we couldn’t provide ourselves. It was a really great day on the river. If you are looking for a great guided fishing tour, check out Mile High Outfitters. They also do guided hunting trips in the fall. For a list of other things to do around Challis, check out our new post: Things to do near Challis (coming soon).
