Henry’s Fork

Henry’s Fork 6-18-13

Now is a good time to go back to the Cardiac Canyon reach with dry golden and giant stonefly patterns. The giants and golden hatches went through big time a few weeks ago, and fish have had a chance to digest those eaten.  Fish remain conditioned to look for these, so a good strategy for such as Hatchery Ford, around the Mesa Falls area, and Bear Gulch is to present them.  You may not get into quite as many fish as during the peak of these hatches, but you will surely have good results.  Cardiac Canyon keeps you away from crowds on the Harriman-Last Chance reach above looking for responses to green drakes, caddisflies, and PMDs and from the crowds on the river below responding to the gray drake hatch.  Speaking of green drakes, they’re ramping down on the lower river and yet to make  a major appearance in the Last Chance-Harriman part of the river.

Henry’s Fork 6-13

If your not fishing the Henry’s Fork right now you missing some great dry fly fishing. I have been fishing in the evenings on the lower river and have great success with Chernobyl ants and Caddis flies. There have been good hatches of PMD’s, Caddis, Golden Stones and Yellow Sallies. No reports on Green Drakes yet but they should be hatching anytime now and I would have a good selection in you fly box.

The Ranch will be opening this weekend after that happens the entire river system will be open for fishing. This is the prime time for fishing the Henry’s Fork. June is the magical month for fishing this river. Make some time and go fish it.

Henry’s Fork 6-1

The Henry’s Fork is fishing really good right now! The Salmon flies have moved through the lower river and are up into Box Canyon. However the Fish are still looking up and are still eating big stonefly patterns on the surface. Chernobyl Ants have been working the best for stonefly imitations on the surface. The Golden stones are starting to emerge and there has been some Yellow Sallies and PMD’s hatching on the lower river as well. Things are about to come into full swing on the Henry’s Fork. This is prime time to be fishing up there.

Henry’s Fork 5-28

Lots to talk about for the Henry’s Fork. The Salmon flies are still hatching. There are really good numbers above Warm River through the Canyon. Walking into Hatchery Ford or Riverside is a great idea for wade fishing. The Box Canyon has very few Salmon flies as of yesterday. Nymphs are all over the banks and that section is literally going to explode any day now.

As far as the lower river goes the majority of the hatch has moved through. Warm River to Ashton still seems to have more Salmon flies that below Ashton dam. However fish are still feeding on them. I was between Ora and Vernon yesterday from 2-6pm and we caught fish on Dries and I saw many fish rise while floating with my family. Other insects flying were lots of caddis, some Yellow Sallies, and a few PMD’s. These bugs will continue to hatch during the next few weeks and expect the fish to key into those hatches.

If your looking for a shuttle on the Henry’s Fork Idaho Irresistible in Ashton does a great job.

Henry’s Fork 5-25-13

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.

Henry’s Fork 5-23

The Salmon flies are continuing to hatch in good numbers. This cold weather might slow things down a little. The hatch has started to move up the Canyon and bugs can be found at Hatchery Ford. The main portion of the hatch is still below Warm River. Caddis are still present on the river and make a great alternative fly when the trout are not keyed in on the Salmon Flies. We have some awesome patterns here at the shop for imitating both insects.

The water below Ashton Dam to Vernon bridge opens on Saturday morning. This is going to be a great section to float if you one of the first boats down the section. Lots of fish have not seen any flies all winter and they will be eager to eat some Salmon Flies on the surface.

Henry’s Fork 5-21

Well if you haven’t heard yet, the Salmon Flies are out in full force. You can expect to see good numbers of these stoneflies from Warm River down to Chester Dam. As the week progresses the hatch will begin to move up stream into Island Park. I am expecting Salmon Flies in Box Canyon for the Holiday weekend. The fish will key into the big dries for a few hours during the day. When the fish are not taking the big flies on the surface, fish with nymphs or try a caddis or Yellow Sallie. Streamers is also a good option for those slow times during the hatch. Remember that the fish gorge themselves on the nymphs and the adult flies. This is also the first major hatch that we see in this area and it brings a lot of anglers to the river. Mixing up the patterns or your fishing technique is a good option for showing the fish something different or interesting. That could make all the difference between a 2 fish day and an epic day. Don’t hesitate to call the shop if you have any questions.

Henry’s Fork 5-14

Fishing has continued to hold steady on the Henry’s Fork. Good hatches of Blue Wing Olives and March Browns on the upper river in Box Canyon. Warm River to Ashton and Vernon bridge down have had excellent hatches of Caddis and March Browns. The fish have been looking and eating dries. Nymphing and streamer fishing have also been very effective. If I were to nymph and I would be fishing 2 large and  heavy stonefly nymphs close to the bank. I am predicting we are still at least 10 days from seeing a Salmon Fly hatch. However I could be wrong and things might begin to happen earlier with this warm weather we have been experiencing. Regardless of the hatch the fishing has been really good and the Henry’s Fork is about to turn into it’s prime time for fishing.

They are still doing construction on the Fun Farm boat ramp, however you can still take a boat out at Fun Farm. With the flows up on the Fall River, we don’t recommend floating below Chester Dam until runoff on the Fall is over.