Flyfishing has become a 'big' business, and costs associated with gear and services have reached heights which may discourage those on a limited budget, or those who feel that more can be had for their money. For example, a one-day river float with an oarsman handling the raft or drift boat, costs from about three hundred to over five hundred dollars at destinations such as the Bighorn river in Montana, the Green river in Utah, or the Snake river in Wyoming and Idaho.

      Similarly, pay-to-hunt locations throughout the West charge as much as four hundred and fifty dollars per person per day to hunt upland game, and much of this is over pen-raised birds. Anyone who has hunted wild pheasants, partridge or grouse will never compare the experience to hunting pen-raised birds.

      LIPRIPPER offers the chance to custom-design your trip, taking advantage of all or some of the services we provide. We will pick you up at the airport and take you wherever you want to go. We cover all of the western states, and require longer advance notice (as much as ninety days) and larger deposits on trips outside of the Wyoming-Montana-Idaho area.

      Our service is a small one, and two persons are all we can properly serve. Our equipment list is extensive; starting with a late model one-ton four wheel drive pickup carrying the largest fully equipped slide-in camper made. The camper serves as kitchen for meal preparation and service, and as lodging for the driver, who also cooks and serves the meals, handles the boat, and cares for the bird dog on hunting trips. Guests may avail themselves of the shower and head in the camper when necessary, but must realize that water may not always be readily available for showering, and the camper may have to be driven some distance for refilling. Most of the places we camp will have outhouses, but no city water. A thirteen – foot self-bailer whitewater raft, framed and set up for fishing comes with the truck and driver. A roomy four-wall tent, with sleeping bags and pads, cots, coolers, chairs, rain fly, and all the other equipment necessary to comfort in the outdoors is available.

      If tenting it is not your style, we will drop you off each night at the lodging of your choice. Do you want to overnight camp on the river for days at a time? We can do that. Each trip is custom-designed by you. You just tell us what you want to do, where you want to go, and we’ll price our fees accordingly.

      For example, day floating and truck/tent camping along the river of your choice with all meals, soda and a reasonable amount of beer included is three hundred dollars per day for one or two people in the Wyoming-Montana-Idaho area. Upland bird and waterfowl hunting runs about the same. Keep in mind that the driver will be cooking and cleaning up, preparing and loading and unloading equipment, as well as caring for bird dog, so guests are requested to participate in light camp chores such as setting up and striking tents, and preparing their own bedding. Guests will also drive shuttle vehicles as changes in campsites and launch and recovery points dictate.

      Although we do navigate some fairly exciting whitewater, it is only when we have to in order to gain access to a stretch of river with desirable fishing and/or camping opportunities. To assure ourselves and other anglers future populations of wild fish, we practice catch and release barbless single hook fishing. Spin fishers are welcome, but must follow the barbless single hook rule. Similarly, bird hunters will strictly observe bag and possession limits. The dogs rarely lose a winged bird, but in the event a cripple does escape, gunners are encouraged to count that bird as part of their daily bag limit. Hunters will clean their own birds.

      Old hands at flyfishing and bird hunting will appreciate the fall "cast and blast" trips, when rods, scatterguns and bird dog all go in the boat. When the action heats up, dog is in the river fetching bird, someone is trading shotgun for flyrod, someone else has Moby Trout doing Fred Astaire fifty feet out and oarsman Cap is laughing his head off.