West - Spokane or Missula, MT for Idaho flyfishing trip?

Looks like I have time to go meet some friends out west for some flyfishing and will be leaving from ATL July 30 and returning early August 3rd.

Looks like flights are hard to come by and pricing is all over the place, from under $500 to over $1,000. Was hoping to get a Missoula flight in before noon so I could have an afternoon of fishing there, but now looking like Spokane will be it... Not sure a free day is worth that much change.

Anyone have any tips on scoring a decent fare that fits my schedule to either places, preferrably Missoula?

Looks like I have time to go meet some friends out west for some flyfishing and will be leaving from ATL July 30 and returning early August 3rd.

Looks like flights are hard to come by and pricing is all over the place, from under $500 to over $1,000. Was hoping to get a Missoula flight in before noon so I could have an afternoon of fishing there, but now looking like Spokane will be it... Not sure a free day is worth that much change.

Anyone have any tips on scoring a decent fare that fits my schedule to either places, preferrably Missoula?

The company I work for has people in and out of Missoula semi-frequently, and it is almost always in the $570 range just from Denver. Spokane or Bozeman are the commonly used cheaper alternatives, so, you may consider Bozeman if you really want to go to Montana.

Missoula is that way every summer for fares. No magic tricks available to get a cheap rate. Good old supply and demand at work. Lots of people want to go there, but is a very limited number of flights in and out of the small airport.

Check Butte, MT as an alternative. It's only about a 90 min drive straight across I-90 and Butte sometimes has cheaper fares.

When you say get an afternoon in the day you get in....remember you're quite far north and at the very edge of the time zone (Missoula is at the very western edge of Mountain). So in late July it won't be getting dark until at least 9pm. Even if you fly into Spokane and get into Missoula in the afternoon, you've got plenty of time to fish that day.

Also keep in mind, Google maps will tell you the drive between GEG and MSO is 3 hrs. That is true without construction. In July there will be LOTS of construction on I-90, especially between the ID/MT border and Missoula. Expect to add at least 30 mins to it and maybe even up to an hour to account for the lane closures along the way. It's like that every summer. Very scenic drive though, I drive it 5-6 times a year and never get bored.

Thanks for the information. I ended up using miles- had to buy a few to get there but with the 50% bonus DL is offering it made the flight very affordable. The schedule I needed was nearly $1,000 if purchased outright!

I appreciate the driving tips, friends will be coming and going from there and I will pass that on.

I didn't realize it stayed light so long there and will take full advantage of that for sure, getting in lots of fishing!