Info:       

McCall Angler
307 East Park
McCall, ID 83638  

Web:
www.mccallanglers.com

Phone:
888 -634 -4004, or 208-634-4004, 

Lodging Info       

InIdaho.com
1410 Mill Road
Box 2013
McCall, ID 83638

Web:
www.inidaho.com 

Phone:
800-844-3246 208-634-4787,                  

General Info         

McCall Chamber of Commerce
P.O. Box 350
102 N. 3rd Street
McCall, ID 83638

Web:
www.mccallchamber.org

Phone:
208-634-7632

Tourism Idaho
700 West State Street
Box 83720
Boise ID 83720

Web:
www.visitidaho.org 

Phone:
208-334-2470

Angling for Trout in McCall, Idaho                  

by Phil Johnson
photos courtesy of McCall Angler

When you travel for play, always try to have a Plan B for your stay.

Heading to McCall, Idaho, the intention was to hook up with local outfitter Robert Monroe at McCall Angler for a day trip of chasing trout on the South Fork of the Salmon River. But as everyone knows—or finds out sooner or later—the weather can play havoc with even the most carefully laid out plan.

In this case, the weather was too nice! We had a stretch of beautiful days with temperatures in the low 80s, low humidity, and not a cloud in the sky. In other words, great for swimming. For fishing—not so much.

Monroe delivered the bad news the day we arrived. Seems the good weather had put the trout in a funk, so going to the Salmon, no matter how appealing the idea might be, wouldn’t be a productive choice.

Plan B!                       

Robert likes the Cabarton River, about 45 minutes south of McCall. It's a day-long float trip on primarily flat water that flows through fields and pastures, with little to suggest that there were trout around.

Turns out, the day we were there, that was pretty much the case.

The fishing was with five and six weight rods, mostly with Number-10 grasshopper imitations, looking to hook up with rainbows in the riffles by the banks of the river and around fallen trees and brush.

This is a very pretty float, with the few trees along the banks home to numerous eagles and osprey, confirming the presence of fish in the area. These majestic birds were our companions all day long, and were having similar fishing success, as far as we could tell. While the action on the water was slow, the birds and the rest of the wildlife—a mink, a coyote, a deer, and three river otter (which was one more than the number of rainbow trout we caught) provided us with a very pleasant day outdoors.

But as interesting as the Cabarton turned out to be, there is still lots to be said for catching fish on a fishing trip.

Striking Waters              

A day later we were back at it with Robert again at the oars. This time the location was the Brundage Reservoir, about 20 minutes from McCall just up the access road that leads to the Brundage Ski Area.

The pressure was on Robert.

But not for long. On the second cast of the day, a feisty rainbow hit a dry fly. On the next cast, a cutthroat grabbed a similar ant pattern. And we were off to the races.

The reservoir is a giant fish tank of trout, rainbows, cutthroat and a mix of the two called a cutbow.  To keep a trout in this managed water, the fish must be at least 20 inches. We didn’t see one of those all day. But, we did see plenty of 13- to 15-inch fish, plump from feeding on ants blown into the water from the bushes and grass near the shoreline.
   
These fish were aggressive, and plenty of fun on five-weight rods. We landed more than 30 and missed at least as many strikes. Like the previous trip, this was a blue sky day with temperatures in the low 80s. But unlike the other, this was fishing action all day long.

But even when the fish are the most active, there comes a time to take a break. Robert had us covered there too. He had shady spots picked out both days, and brought chairs and a table cloth covered table. The menu featured a more than adequate mix of cold cuts, locally baked rolls, veggies and fruit. It was a welcome break each day.

Despite being relatively young, Robert has been around the block as a fishing guide. Having grown up on a ranch near Lake Tahoe, he's a life-long outdoorsman and, when not tending to business in Idaho, has led international trips to places like Costa Rica, South Africa, Mexico, Panama, Brazil and the Seychelles Islands in the Indian Ocean. He regularly places in the top 10 in international fly casting competitions. During the winter months he's based in the Florida Keys.

We found it interesting that he chose McCall, Idaho to base his business. The answer:

• not a lot of competition—he has the only fly fishing shop in town
• and location—McCall is located on Payette Lake about two hours north of Boise, a very scenic location with lots of fishing options from backcountry streams a good hike up the trail to famous fisheries like the Salmon and Payette Rivers.

In spring, the rivers near McCall are the place to be. In early and mid-summer, it's drift-boat and walk-and-wade fishing. In the fall, the high lakes are the most productive. After October 1, the salmon and steelhead arrive.  

Idaho isn’t Montana, where it seems there are fertile streams everywhere. But, there are lots of options and not many people there looking to take the catch. Even more important, when the first choice doesn’t work out, count on McCall to offer a ready Plan B.