We just got a vacation home in Driggs, and I'd like to start fishing the Teton with it being so close by.
What would be the best way to fish it by boat? What should I try to buy?Most of the time I'd probably be fishing solo, but might have one other person with me.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
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Rubber raft. There are some slow sections where you have to row quite a lot so if it's windy this could be tough...small trolling motor would help. There's also a couple of sections with rapids/rocks...a lot of anglers portage around them, with a rubber raft you can possibly run them. These sections might be further down then where you're going. Before you buy, go with someone else and this should help you decide.
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Get ahold of the teton valley lodge. The Berry boys will set in the right direction.
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It depends on what section you will be floating. If you are floating the slow section in the valley then a drift boat or skiff would be ideal. If it is just you and one person, the skiff would be perfect. Look at the clackacraft headhunter skiff, pretty sweet boats. If you are interested in floating the canyon section from tetonia down then you should have a raft with a frame and be ready for a lot of work. The guides around town could definitely give you suggestions. Hope this helps,
Cole
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Yeah, a guide is a good idea, any suggestions on some?
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World cast anglers or three rivers ranch are the two in the valley that I am familiar with.
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There's around 16 miles of meadow stream in the valley that is ideal for a drift boat, canoe or a 1 man inflatable. There's no rocks or rapids, certainly no need to portage or to buy a raft. It's usually down to the size of a large creek (250cfs) by late summer and a motor is total overkill. Not sure what Ironrod is referring to by portages. It's all flat water and mostly too shallow for a motor. There's six boat ramps spread over 16 miles. Perfect beginner water.
On the other hand....
Between the highway bridge and the Bitch Creek slide, the Teton can NOT be run in a raft. Anyone who says otherwise is blowing smoke. It's called "the Narrows" for a good reason. It is continuous class 3 to 5 whitewater and too constricted for anything but expert kayakers. At Boulder Dam rapid, the river dumps almost 10 vertical feet into a pile of rocks and then zooms through a maze of boulders and logs. There are four other rapids almost as bad as Boulder Dam. At Felt, the power plant diversion pulls most of the river through a powerhouse, not even a kayak can run that half mile. Putting in at the powerhouse means you have to run Loco-motive (aka Trainwreck) rapids, a nasty class 4 lurking 1/2 mile downstream. The lodges access at Bitch Creek to avoid running Loco-motive. It would be 10 times easier for the guides to use a cart on the powerplant service road to get a raft into the canyon but Loco-motive is a serious drop featuring the river slamming headlong into a wall.
Rafting starts at the mouth of Bitch Creek via the slide. If you want to drag a raft down a 600ft hillside and lower it on rope over two cliff bands, then you can access the river at the Bitch Creek slide. This is probably Idaho's most brutal boat launch. Spring Hollow is the only public access point in the canyon where one can get road access to the water until the takeout at the old dam site, 12 miles down. The other two roads are private and gated. About a mile below Bitch Creek, the landslides from the dam collapse begin and the river is frequently blocked by debris fields. These change the nature of the river from continuous rapids to a pool and drop profile. Some of these pourovers are no big deal. Others rate class 3 to 4 in high water. Many are shallow boulder sieves in low water. Most years, shallow pourovers through boulders becomes an issue around late july or august. These landslides are only 40 years old, so this is often rough, loose terrain. Portages involve dragging rafts over boulder fields. If you plan to raft in the canyon, you need to be a very skilled oarsman and very fit. And, yes, it's true, the canyon is full of rattlesnakes so watch your feet on those portages. Point is, you don't buy a raft for casual use on the Teton.
Here is a video of what is waiting for you if you try to run the Narrows. That's Boulder Dam at 1:24, the powerhouse at 1:47, Loco-motive at 1:56 and he passes Bitch Creek at 2:13, to give you an idea of the "easier" whitewater below Bitch. If you freeze frame at 2:15, you can see the slide on the hillside behind him..
[url "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZtAi0V32ZM"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZtAi0V32ZM[/url]
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Thanks for all of the info everyone. I'll be fishing the lazy water, I've got no business in the narrows. I kinda like the idea of the one man inflatable, but I'm gonna get a guide and ask around.
Also, are there decent spots to walk in if I don't have time for a float?
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The boat launches are your access points. Most riparian land is private but undeveloped. Generally, if you are just occasionally walking around on the river's edge, most landowners don't care. But they don't want you parking on their land, messing with fences or walking in their pastures. Access at the designated spots and you'll be fine.
90% of the river in the valley is easy to wade, up to a point. It's a meandering river here with lots of shallows and gravel bars to walk. In a lot of places, though, the river bottom is often rather silty and there are deep pools so staying inside the high water mark is often a chore. Some willow thickets can be so dense that they are almost impassible and many contain a big moose or two or three. It's bigtime mosquito country in midsummer. A canoe or 1 man inflatable will greatly extend your wading range.
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What about one of those Hyde Wayaks?
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