This late-night host just bought an Idaho fishing lodge listed for nearly $8 million

SWAN VALLEY (Idaho Statesman) – Late-night television host and comedian Jimmy Kimmel has partnered with renowned fly fishing guide Oliver White to purchase an Idaho fishing lodge that was on the market for nearly $8 million.

According to a Wall Street Journal article published last month, Kimmel and White closed on the South Fork Lodge in June after nearly a year of negotiations. Though the final purchase price of the property wasn’t disclosed, the 25-acre lodge near Swan Valley was on the market for $7.95 million in 2019, according to Flylords magazine.

The Eastern Idaho lodge sits alongside the Snake River and boasts “eight bedrooms with their own outdoor patios, two private cabins containing five suites, a self-contained four bedroom/2.5 bath river house, four fisherman cabins, and a high-end restaurant replete with outdoor, riverside seating and a grand bar,” the magazine said. It even has its own in-house fly shop and guide service.

So what would the “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” host want with the South Fork Lodge? Probably what any visitors are angling for — great fishing.

Kimmel’s no fishing newbie. In 2012, he told Vanity Fair his favorite travel destinations are fishing spots in Montana and Wyoming. (He even gave a shout-out to the Stanley Baking Company.) He regularly posts fishing photos on social media, including snaps from around Idaho.

In August 2019, Kimmel posted a photo of himself with a rainbow trout on Instagram. The post was geotagged in Swan Valley, and Kimmel tagged White, who is known for his fishing lodges in the Bahamas.

“18” rainbow. Dry fly. Snake River,” Kimmel captioned the photo. He posted another picture the following day of a cutthroat trout caught on the Snake River.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the South Fork Lodge “will incorporate fishing art and books from Kimmel’s personal collection when it opens next spring for the 2021 season.”