Fishing Reports

Henry’s Fork 4-10-18

Fishing success along the river from Warm River to Chester Dam has been about normal for this time of year.   Flows here are a somewhat high.  BWOs, and March browns have been providing top water action for those enthusiasts presenting emerger and dun patterns along with midge life cycle patterns. Big rubber leg and stone fly nymph patterns drifted through runs and into upstream portions of holes and pockets will produce with chances for more interest from larger fish.  The same goes for streamer patterns presented under low light conditions.

Be ready to see more anglers, whether wading or boating, present anywhere along the Henry’s Fork because of the South Fork’s high water situation.

Henry’s Fork

This is the time of year where we are starting to see the bug activity picking up on the Henry’s Fork. Around mid-day there has been the long awaited emergence of Blue Winged Olives, and the midge hatches continue to be pretty steady. Fishing midges and BWO in the slower water has been pretty productive, so  try using BWO and midge clusters in sizes 16 and 18, and single midge patterns in sizes 18 and 20. I will fish a sparsely tied BWO size 16, or a well dressed BWO in 18. I usually fish 2 flies 2 feet apart on 4 and 5x Rio Suppleflex tippet, on a 9 – 12 foot Rio Powerflex 4x leader.

As for the nymph angler, running a Pat’s Rubberlegs trailed 18″ off the back with a size 14 Pheasant Tail or chartreuse Glo Bug, have been producing good numbers of fish. We are starting to see plenty of beds dug by spawning rainbows, so like every year, please watch your step if you see areas of dug, clean gravel. There are plenty of fish that are pushed in to a little faster water right now, and they are feeding well on nymphs, so don’t just focus on the deep water. I have caught some nice fish in only a foot or two of riffle water, and there seems to be a good amount of them sitting right off the drop offs of fast water in 2-4 foot deep buckets. The slow pools are kind of tricky to nymph, but running a little lighter setups while slowly bouncing the bottom will produce some nice size fish. I know it sounds like fish are all over the river, and they are, but if you focus your efforts on drop offs and slow pools, you will find fish.

Streamer fishing can produce some nice fish right now. Try fishing a slower retrieve with a pause, or a fly on the swing to produce some feisty fish. I usually swing or dead drift sculpin patterns, and strip some larger articulated patterns, usually in the Galloup variety. Color is going to be a day to day, or hour to hour thing, so bring a good selection of streamers to fish. I can usually get fish to eat olive or brown sculpin patterns on every trip, so you should at the very least have those in your box..

Henry’s Fork 11-21-17

With respect to BWO and midge activity, conditions on the lower river are much the same as those on the South Fork. Upcoming weather and fewer daylight hours means more overhead cover.  So with mild but unsettled weather coming up, now is a good time to give the lower river a try. Presenting small flies will be the name of the game for top water fishing.  Presenting soft hackle patterns just under the surface during BWO activity can be particularly rewarding, and presenting streamers will be the best way to encounter larger fish anywhere on the river.  BWO and midge hatches will slow on the river in Island Park, although presenting streamers remains effective in such as Box Canyon and The Tubs area.  Winter conditions prevail on the river in Island Park, so venturing to the river there means taking precautions for such as well as being aware of any upcoming hazardous travel conditions.