Text and photos by Mary L. Peachin
September/October 2024, Vol.23, No. 11/12

Launching our drift boat in the lower Kelly Canyon Cottonwood’s put-in, we assembled our fly rods as we readied to release trout on the South Fork of the Snake, a river known for its hybrid species of rainbow, brown, cutbow, and two hybrid cutthroat species. There’s also the ubiquitous “riff-raff white fish, a pesty workout for trout anglers. The river meanders through towering cliffs of volcanic basalt. It’s my good fortune to fly again fish the Snake for three days with a great guide Buck Leonard. To say this man knows the River, it’s his 3,000 float trip over the past 25 years.

June is early in the season for trout enticing salmon flies to emerged allowing dry fly casting rather than the submerged nymping that we are doing. We release several larger 17-19 inch trout with each day yielding an Inn at Palisades “grand slam.” There’s a t-shirt reward for releasing a rainbow, brown, cutbow, cutthroat, and whitefish during a single float. We managed that daily.

The following day our 8 hour float is from Conant to Cottonwood, the most remote wilderness of the Snake river. I hook a Utah sucker 8 to 10 pound rarity. Buck has developed his own fishing lingo. “Take” means hook a bite, “rope” subs for line. Buck finds rocky shelves, bubble (foamy) patches of rowdy, swirling or churning current His casting direction is made easy by aiming the direction of his oar. By noon, we had another grand slam releasing a brown and 17 inch cutbow on 3x tippet.

During a previous trip, one in late spring, the southern fork of the Snake River winds through valleys edged with birch and willows as it passes basalt cliffs dating centuries back to its volcanic beginnings millions of years ago. The weather is still too cold for insects to hatch, the trout are just emerging from hunkering on the river’s bottom. The steep cliffs of the snowcapped Tetons are the primary attraction drawing skiers to the area.

During this three-day visit, we experienced sun-kissed cheeks and shivering snow. While our early morning departure was in the 30s, by midafternoon we had shed two layers of clothes basking in the high 70s. Drift floating with guide Buck Leonard and supervised by his devoted puppy Emmett, he rowed us below reservoir along the Palisades Range.

Buck is not your average guide. With more than 20 years of experience on the Snake, he knew every riffle in the river, its ledges, boulders, foam drifts, banks, and eddies. He continually changed flies to determine which one would attract the fish. Not just typical fly shop flies, but nameless, anonymous ones, those that appealed to the rivers “grand slam” release of rainbow, brown, cutthroat, and even whitefish.

Buck’s expertise goes beyond his fishing knowledge. He knows the archeology of the region plus its wildlife (moose, deer, bear), the trees flora and fauna, a “yes, he was a rowing cyclopedia.”

The Lodge at Palisades offers 12 lodgepole cabins at river’s edge, a main Lodge with separate dining and breakfast rooms, a bar, and living room.

There are two gourmet chefs who gussy up four course dinners. They also serve some fancy box lunches to enjoy on the river. The bar is fully stocked with premium brands inclusive with your stay. There is even a humidor filled with Cuban cigars for outside enjoyment.

Exciting fishing days were long and productive, nights tucked under the comforter seemed oh so short. We enjoyed it all, the hospitable staff, beautiful scene, exciting wildlife, and the pleasure of releasing hard fighting fish.