Damselfly nymphs are very active on all reservoirs to the southeast (Chesterfield, Daniels, Hawkins, Springfield, Treasureton, Twenty-Four Mile), and patterns simulating them are producing very well. No reports of damselflies hatching big time yet, but fish are also taking midge pupa patterns on all these places. When we hear of big time damselfly hatches, we will pass that info on here.
Any stream not draining high country such as the Teton Range, the southwestern parts of the Madison and Pitchstone Plateaus of Yellowstone Park, or subject to an increase in irrigation water are currently in great fishing condition. Some of these include Willow Creek (tribs are closed until July 1), South Fork of the Madison River, Palisades Reservoir tributaries (catch & release for cutthroat trout), Warm River and Buffalo River. With action heating up on the Henry’s Fork and the South Fork, these make great alternatives with good fishing and a better chance of solitude. Come into the shop and let us advise as to which may be best to visit.
Hatchery Ford
The Henry’s Fork could be the most famed trout stream in our country. That being the case it is a huge destination, and for good reason. It is one of my favorite rivers, but with its reputation I tend to seek out the the less visited reaches. My favorite part of this great river is in Cardiac Canyon which begins just below Riverside Campground and ends at the Warm River confluence. Within this reach are a number of places to access the river, and the best of these from an overall fishing experience require some physical effort. Two locations, in particular are my favorites: Bear Gulch and Hatchery Ford. Let’s look at the Hatchery Ford access for now and talk of the Bear Gulch later.
A boat ramp is present on the east side of the river here. It is the last place a boat from the Riverside Campground access can leave the river before entering the perilous waters beginning not far below. Because of relatively easy access, the boat launch is increasingly used by walk-in anglers. I prefer to access the Hatchery Ford area from the West Hatchery Ford Road off Highway 20. It’s a bit tricky to zero in on getting to the river, but if you travel down the road almost exactly a mile you come on your left to some boulders placed to discourage motorized access down the dugway to the river. Once you access the river after a quarter mile walk downward the river comes in view making a big bend. Below it drops swiftly to the Sheep Falls area. Above, for about a mile the gradient eases and becomes more hospitable for fishing, but either direction on the river will get you into great fishing. Walking upstream you skirt a cliff at the bottom of which is a long, deep run which hosts trout that rival in size those in Box Canyon. These large fish reside here until an event such as the giant and golden stonefly hatches bring them out. That event is happening at the time I’m writing this and it is an excellent time to fish here. That means right now for the next few days fish with big dry patterns that imitate the big stoneflies. If you cannot try it at this time try it in about a week to ten days depending on weather conditions. Fish will have digested eaten bugs and be looking for more. If you cannot try the river during this time, come back during the terrestrial season with hopper patterns. Try at the head of the long, deep run or go to the broad flat water above and try the same strategy you might choose for the earlier stone fly hatch. That means concentrate presentations around overhangs, rocky or vegetated banks, and boulders out in the stream. If you cannot fish here during the terrestrial season, come back in October and November (weather permitting) and present streamer patterns in the same manner you would use in the Box Canyon. In any of these time periods you have a chance at those famous big Henry’s Fork rainbows. And in the fast water they are sure to test your skill at handling large trout.
This time last year Henry’s Lake Outlet was full of escapee trout from the lake. Flows as high as 300 cfs had flushed these into the outlet, and good fishing resulted down into the Flat Ranch well into the summer. Fewer fish are in the Outlet this year because flows out of the lake have not exceeded 80 cfs. Unless there is a flush out of the lake equal to that of last year, fishing will be slower here this year. If a significant increase if flow out of the lake happens, we will report it here because such an event would have a good impact on fishing.
Best days are ahead on almost all still waters, but try them before irrigation demands set in. Both Chesterfield and Daniels reservoirs are several feet low. This is not the best situation for going into the irrigation season. Twenty-Four Mile, Springfield, and Hawkins reservoirs appear to have full pools, so these should remain in good shape well into the irrigation season. For now try midge life cycle and damselfly nymph patterns on all these. When fishing on these reservoirs picks up, we will report such here.
The big attention getter right now is the giant stonefly “hatch.” Folks come from far and wide to try for that big fish through using a big dry fly. So some locations can become quite crowded. Knowing this, I seek out locations sure to be less crowded. Yesterday I walked into Hatchery Ford from Highway 20 to fish the west side of the river. Two fly-fishers had walked in from the east side boat access, but they left early. Only three boats came by ( that won’t happen at Box Canyon, Warm River to Ashton or Ora to Chester!) during the time I fished. Action began just after 2PM when big bugs were warmed enough to fly and deposit eggs. Some olive duns, BWOs, midges and a number of caddis species were also active, but only small fish responding to them. I did not catch a big number of fish, but had two “hogs.” All fish I caught appeared to be in early stages of keying on the big bugs. None were “full of bugs.” Based on this experience I recommend that during the next few days Riverside Campground to Hatchery Ford will offer some terrific fishing with adult stonefly patterns whether you fish from a boat or by wading.
Yellowstone Park’s fishing season opens today, so it is time to pass on some information on fishing there this time of year. The Firehole River will be the stream drawing the most attention for a while with legendary BWO and caddis activity (Don’t overlook presenting dragonfly and damselfly nymph patterns on slower reaches). Gibbon River, Duck and Cougar creeks are in fishing condition. The Madison River will host a few Hebgen Lake rainbows heading home, but better fishing days there are around the corner. The Ashton-Flagg Road will not open until the end of June, so those great fisheries east of Calf Creek Hill along the Park’s south boundary are not accessible until then. You can walk into Bechler Meadows and even fish some of Fall River Meadows, but high water will limit you big time. The best days fishing in the Park are ahead, and we will keep you well informed of their arrival and progress on this web site.
Not much change in activity since our last report. Midge life cycle and damselfly nymph patterns are producing on Chesterfield, Daniels, Hawkins and Twenty-four Mile reservoirs. Try the upper end of Daniels or around the point just west of the boat dock on Chesterfield. Better days are ahead, especially when damselfly nymphs become active big time.
Horseshoe Lake
Grayling are tough to find in eastern Idaho. Your best chance of encountering them is in some mountain lakes further west toward Copper Basin and such high locations where they are present because of IDF&G stocking programs. You can also encounter them as wild fish in Yellowstone Park’s Cascade, Grebe and Wolf lakes where occasional individuals escape to the Gibbon and Madison rivers below. Not far away in Montana wild grayling are also present in upper reaches of the Red Rock, Ruby and Big Hole river drainages. Fishing all of these require some travel time. There is, however, a near-by location in eastern Idaho that hosts a put and take grayling population. That is Horseshoe Lake east of Ashton. Take the Mesa Falls Scenic Route (State Highway 47) east out of Ashton to the Green Timber Road, also known as the Cave Falls Road. Travel east into Targhee National Forest past the Porcupine Creek and Rock Creek crossings. About a mile past the Rock Creek crossing the signed road to Horseshoe Lake leaves on the left. It is fairly well maintained and suitable for two-wheel drive passage after drying out from winter snows. It accesses the north side of Horseshoe Lake and goes on to a youth correctional facility on the east leg of the pond. Primitive camping locations dot the northwest shoreline where only primitive boat launch facilities are present. Motorized boats are not allowed on the lake which has no surface outlet and inlet. Float tubes and pontoon boats are the best bet for fishing here as the shoreline is mainly swampy or timbered. Along with grayling, put and take rainbows are present in the lake. Midge activity is ongoing most of the season, but sometime in June damselflies will emerge to be followed later by speckled duns. Beginning in the early season with damselfly nymph patterns, moving to dry damsel patterns and on to speckled dun life cycle patterns one can attract grayling the entire season. Lilly pads dot some of the shoreline, and these locations provide a tip of where to concentrate fishing efforts. Get out in front of the pads, that host copious insects, and watch for active fish. Light weight equipment with a floating line is the name of the game here, and I really enjoy presenting with my two-weight system whether it is small nymph, emerger or dry patterns. When grayling are active catching a few dozen is possible. A braggin’ size grayling here is a bit over a foot long (but they are beautiful!) meaning that with their small mouths, small flies (#14 on down) are necessary. You might encounter as many rainbows as grayling, and they range a bit bigger. If you camp here, you also have the option of a scramble down the rocks to Robinson Creek where few people fish. It’s a bit of a tough go, but company on the creek is doubtful. Pocket water cutthroat and brookies will respond well just about any time to your dry and wet offerings here. But if you are looking for some unique fishing in this part of Idaho, Horseshoe Lake’s grayling population offers it.
We fished Henry’s Lake Outlet above Highway 20 yesterday. What a pleasant day to be out fishing with air temps in the mid 50s, very light breeze, and occasional light rain! We caught some cutts and a few brookies using medium sized streamers. Trouble was the fish were not present in big numbers like this time last year. Big part of the reason for this is the flow out of Henry’s Lake has yet to exceed 61 cfs this season. Don’t expect fishing to pick up here and down below in the Flat Ranch until an increase in flow brings more fish into the outlet.