Hells Canyon Sport Fishing provides guided Chukar Hunting and Fishing opportunities on the Snake River in Idaho, Oregon and Washington and also on the Salmon river in Idaho.

Our guests will meet their guide at the Heller Bar boat launch usually around 7 am (daylight) in the morning. Your guide will introduce himself and help you get your gear loaded into the boat and out onto the river ASAP. We normally head 20 miles up river to the mouth of the salmon river to start our day. Plan to be back to the launch around 4 pm based on an 8-10 hour day.

Our guides are flexible and can accommodate whatever time you need. Most days are a minimum of 8 hours and may last up to 10 hours on the water. Our guides love to fish and hunt so do be surprised if you are out all day!

From the opener on the 3rd Saturday of September until mid-October the birds are often concentrated closer to the river where they can drink water due to warmer temperatures. As the weather cools in mid-October the birds will be less concentrated but in predictable and accessible places where more hiking is required but very rewarding!

Yes. Bring your own shotgun and please be familiar with it and know how to use it safely. The day of your trip is not the right time to be learning how to load and unload your firearm! Our guides usually pack an extra gun on the boat just in case someone has an equipment failure.

Yes. We recommend #6 lead shot heavy game loads. 2 boxes of ammo per person each day will be more than enough.

Bring any shotgun you are familiar with, shoot well and are completely safe with. 12- and 20-gauge guns are most popular.

Idaho does not require a plug so if you have a semi auto or a pump gun you can load it to its full capacity. Washington and Oregon do have a 3-shell max requirement and require your limiter plug to be in place.

Absolutely! We allow dogs on our boats on leash and in the lodges if you have them in a crate.

Yes. Our guides can provide seasoned hunting dogs. We primarily run with Brittany’s and Labradors.

For all our trips on the Snake and Salmon rivers you will need an IDAHO FISHING AND HUNTING LICENSE. You can download your Idaho license through the Go Outdoor Idaho smartphone app. Idaho offers a 3-day small game license that meets the requirement for Chukar Hunting, and a 3 day Salmon / Steelhead license that meets the requirements and tags for Steelhead, Salmon, Sturgeon Trout and Smallmouth fishing. Anyone whose trips begin at Heller Bar will need a Washington State parking pass or Discover pass to park your vehicle. If you were born after Jan 1st, 1975, Idaho will not sell you a hunting license unless you have proof of completing a hunter safely course.

All our boats are open guide style jet boats. These are welded aluminum river specific boats with no top to impede your fishing experience. We are proud of our fleet of boats and certainly have some of the finest guide boats on the river. Our boats range from 23’ - 34’ in length.

Our boats get bigger with group size. For example…If you book a 2-person trip we would schedule you to fish in one of our 23’ outboard boats. If you book a 4–6-person trip we would use one of our 26’- 34’ boats.

We fish for Steelhead, Salmon and Sturgeon as our primary species. Smallmouth Bass and Rainbow trout are also caught in good numbers. We coordinate with our clients to book your trip dates based on which species they want to target.

No. We provide top quality and appropriate gear for all anglers on our trips. If you have equipment you prefer to use, please bring it along!

If you have booked one of our river fly fishing trips, then YES please bring your waders. Otherwise, none of our other trips require water.

Yes, you can and please do! Our guides will always take the extra time and spend the extra attention needed to make sure all our clients have the accommodation they need to have an awesome experience. Fishing and Hunting with HCSF can be enjoyed by everyone!

You can reserve a boat with as few as 2 hunters. We have 2-person minimum boats, 4-person minimum boats and 6-person minimum boats. Our most popular trip is our 3 days / 3-night cast n blast lodge package.

On the Snake R. HCSF has partnered with Hells Canyon Resort and other lodges to accommodate our clients overnight and multiple night stays. For our clients that prefer to stay in town we highly recommend staying with the Hells Canyon Grand hotel in Lewiston, Idaho.

Our lodge can comfortably accommodate 12 or more guests. We never mix groups in our lodge. If you have a smaller group of, let’s say 6 guests, you will always have the entire lodge for yourselves.

Fall weather can be cold in the morning and beautiful later in the day. You are encouraged to bring a small bag with all your extra clothes and rain gear to be prepared for whatever the weather of the day may bring. A typical day might be darn cold like 40 deg in the morning but warming up into the 70’s during the day. Cactus proof pants, boots and gloves are a big plus for hunting. Hunters’ orange is preferred and highly recommended by our guides.

It's easy! You and our team will discuss fishing and hunting options and dates the work for everyone. Once a date is decided we require a 50% deposit to lock in your spot on our calendar.

Any trips that include overnight lodging with Hells Canyon Resort will include breakfast, lunch and dinner all inclusive. Day trips and clients staying in hotels or otherwise will need to bring your lunch and drinks each day. We have plenty of room for your cooler and a bag of food and such. Our boats always have cold water, sodas and a few snacks aboard just in case!

Please do! We will help work with kids of all ages to catch fish, maybe even their first fish!

Hatchery Salmon, hatchery Steelhead and Smallmouth Bass are all fish you can take home to eat. Our guides will fillet and bag your catch at the end of the day free of charge. Sturgeon and Wild Salmon and Steelhead are 100% catch and release.

Gratuities are always appreciated by our guides and staff. If you feel that you were well taken care of please, feel free to leave a tip. 15%-20% of the total trip cost is the average total given gratuity. Please tip your guide, deckhand and lodge staff separately.

Absolutely! Surprise that special someone for their birthday, Father's Day / Mother's Day, Christmas or any occasion with the gift of a guided fishing experience with HCSF!

A 50% deposit is required to lock in your dates at the time of your booking. The remainder of the trip is due 30 days prior to your trip date.

Payment can be made with check or credit card for a 3.5% fee.

Cancellations must be received 60 days prior to your fishing trip in order to receive a full deposit refund. If cancellations occur 30-60 days prior to your fishing trip, we will issue a credit that expires 1 year from invoice date. If cancellations occur within 30 days of your fishing trip, there will be NO REFUND. Final payment is due 30 days before the time of the trip.

No Show Policy - Each guided trip is issued a start time. Fishing guides will wait for a reasonable amount of time (1 to 2 hours) for groups to show for their guided trip. When a group does not show for their guided trip, full payment is due, no refunds or credit is issued.