Row, Row, Row Your Boat

We had a return fishing float on the Salmon River in Stanley, Idaho with Guide Scott Bruckner @totemsportfishing.  We had a wonderful time fishing with Scott last year 2025, so we were lucky enough to get a float date with Scott again this June.  It turned out to be a perfect day.  The fish bit very well.

Coming into Stanley, Idaho


 All set up at the campground


We parked just above the White Cloud Outfitters where we will meet Scott in the morning.  All we had to do was walk down the hill behind the camper and we could leave all of gear at camp for the day.

Headed out of town, down to the put in below the old Sunbeam Dam

Salmon River

 

A little tributary coming into the Salmon

A couple already fishing under the bridge
The Old Sunbeam Dam.  The story is that a couple fishermen loaded an old boat with TNT and floated it into the dam, re-opening the way for the Salmon that run up and down this river.  



The steep put in ramp

 
 
All loaded in the raft and raring to go fishing!
Let's go fishing!
Gari started the day with the first fish, an very nice Cutthroat.  She set the bar for the day!
We stopped in a few places to give the respective holes a little more work.  We had hits and mostly caught fish in every place we stopped and got out.  It was a very good bitey day!  I am mending my line below.  We had such a great time with Scott.  He coached so well and had great fun doing it.  Mending was a theme of the day.  Scott called me stand up Steve, because my line slack management was poor, my trigger finger was frequently missing and I would stand up every time I had a hit to set the hook.  Gari was similar; Scott called her Backup Gari, because every time she had a hit she would start to back up to keep the line tight, just like she was back on the beach at Assateague!  We had great laughs about all this and our skills & discipline improved significantly over the course of this all day float.
I presented my first fish of the day, an unassuming Rainbow.
Gari strikes again!  Another nice fish.  I had better get busy to stay in this fishing tournament!

A second for Steve, better... but I still have work to do to catch up to Gari's catches.
Now we're talking.  Alright Gari, fish game on!
Whopper of the day!  Scott said that was the best fish of the season to date on his raft and he expected it may stay that way for a few weeks.
Bam! another nice one!
Last picture worthy fish of the day, caught just 100 ft from the take out at Torrey's Hole.
Back at camp.
We departed the next morning and headed back toward home, via our old stomping grounds below the dam at Mackey Reservoir.

 

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