News and Fishing Reports

by Steve Trafton The last few weeks have been an emotional ride for lovers of Harriman State Park. On January 11 the Governor of Idaho, C.L. “Butch” Otter, unveiled a draft state budget that showed the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation (IDPR; the agency that manages...

Courtesy of The Henry's Fork Foundation: The following is the best information that we have at the moment concerning the status of the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation, Harriman State Park, and the Governor’s proposed budget. We will keep you informed of developments and, as...

“Fall Trout Hunting on Henry’s Lake” by René Harrop There is something bordering on sinister when a half dozen top Henry’s fork guides are joined by still water master Gareth Jones from Wales and one of Japan’s most aggressive and effective anglers, Masa...

Box Canyon: Water releases out of the Island Park Dam are at 260 cfs. Normal releases for this time of year are 735 cfs. As you can see the water levels are presently far below average for this time in October. At 260 cfs it is very difficult to float the "Box" without punishing your...

By Rick Smith Box Canyon: Water releases from the Island Park Dam are slightly below normal at 600 cfs (725 cfs is average for this time of year). At this flow there is still enough water for floating but it is at a level that allows good wading opportunities for the shore fisherman. ...

Jon Stiehl fishing an epic PMD hatch on The Ranch. Photo by C. Robinson. Fishing Report by Rick Smith Box Canyon: Flows below the Island Park Dam are well below average for this time of year at 735 cfs. Average flows for this date are 998 cfs. 735 cfs is more than adequate for effective...

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Box Canyon: The water releases from the Island Park Dam are a bit higher than normal for this time of the year (1390 cfs). Fishing in the "Box" continues to be very good to excellent. The most productive fishing has been with small, size 16 and 18, tungsten beadhead nymphs. Some of...

Box Canyon: Water releases from the Island Park Dam remain well below normal for this time of year. Present flows out of the dam are at 625 cfs which is about 300 cfs below average. These lower releases have made for some great fishing conditions for both the float and wading fishermen. The...

Box Canyon: Flows out of the Island Park Dam are now at 650 cfs which is a bit low for this time of year. Fishing continues to be good in the "Box" with rubber leggs, small beadhead nymphs and streamers. There have been golden stones hatching in the "Canyon" over the past...

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Box Canyon: Fishing in the Box has been OK since the opener on May 23rd. At 1350 cfs the flow is above average for this time of year but the water is clear and very fishable. There have been a few salmon flies spotted down below the confluence with the Buffalo but not enough of them to get...

"A Message of Spring" Words and Images by René Harrop As the original fair weather fisherman, the Osprey’s autumn departure from the Henry’s Fork warns of winter’s arrival. Always the first to leave with the approach of cold weather, Osprey do not return...

The month of March arrived like a lion. We have had two really substantial snow events over the past two weeks adding greatly to our winter snowpack. Presently, Island Park is reporting in at 95% of average precipitation and over the divide in Montana the Madison is coming in at 95%, the...

Snowpack figures for the area have declined slightly since my last report. Current figures put the upper Henry's Fork at around 91% of average through the 24th of February. The same is true for the Montana side of the divide with the upper Madison coming in at 87%.  All things considered...

A Henry’s Fork Forecast for 2009 by René Harrop For more than a decade, members of the scientific community have attributed draught related trout mortality to inadequate water flows. If this assumption is correct, anglers should expect to see considerably improved trout numbers...

I can't believe that one full month has already slipped by in the new year. We here at Trouthunter would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you for your support in 2008 and look forward to seeing and visiting with you in 2009. Now that the election is over, the holidays are past and...

Box Canyon: The "Box" continues to fish well with streamers and small (size 16 to 20) beadhead nymphs. Presently the flows are at 220 cfs which is great for wading or those individuals with pontoon boats but it's a little skinny for drift boats. Last Chance/Railroad Ranch: Fishing...

Box Canyon: Fishing in the "Box" continues to be productive with small beadhead nymphs and streamers. There is alot of moss and flotsom in the water so be prepared to spend some time cleaning off your rig during the day. A few of our favorite beadhead nymphs are red and black...

Box Canyon: Fishing in the "Box" continues to be very productive. Try streamers early and late and a tandem rig of small beadhead nymphs during the middle of the day. There is a little build up of moss on the bottom so if your fishing deep, like you should be, you will get hung up a...

Box Canyon: The "Box" continues to produce good fishing. Best results have been with small beadhead nymphs and streamers. Try streamers early and late in the day and nymphs from late morning through the afternoon hours. For streamers we suggest Sculpzilla's, Olive Zonkers, Olive...

Box Canyon: The “Box” has been fishing very well with adult Golden Stone imitations, small beadhead nymphs, rubberlegs and streamers. You might want to avoid the “Box” on weekends due to the large number of recreational floaters, but weekdays have been fine. In fact, I...

Box Canyon: Fishing in the "Box" continues to be very good. As I have reported in the past, this may not be the first choice for the dry fly purist but it is a place that tends to produce fish on a very consistent basis. This is not to say that you cannot catch fish on a dry fly...

Box Canyon:  The "Box" continues to produce great fishing day after day after day.  Granted, this is not the first choice for a serious dry fly fisherman.  However, if you are an avid nymph fisherman, or you don't mind fishing two fly rigs under a strike indicator, this...

Box Canyon: The Box has fished very well over the past couple of days and I predict it will continue to do so. Our guides are having their best luck fishing tandem rigs of rubber legs and smaller beadhead nymphs. We suggest black, brown, and coffee/black rubber legs in sizes #4 and #6 teamed...

Anglers that came to the Henry’s Fork over the past ten days or so were able to find excellent fishing if they were flexible and willing to move around a bit. Warm River to Ashton section was exceptional a week ago. The salmon flies were out in good numbers and the fish were on them. The...

Saturday, May 24th, was the Idaho general fishing season opener and anglers across the state were greeted with high, and in most cases, muddy water due to the Spring snow melt. The Henry's Fork was no exception. In spite of the higher than normal flows the Box Canyon, which has clear water by the...

Each Spring Rene, Marty and I manage to get out on the water in late May for a few hours.  The ritual, which is always met with great anticipation, is predictable:  We meet at TroutHunter and buy a few gigantic orange flies, proceed to the Grubstake to load up on Natty Lites and ice, then...

Historically we no longer expect to add to snow pack levels after the 15th of April.  What we have by mid-April is all we should expect to get.  However, as I write this report a huge storm is coming across the border from Canada, it is expected to arrive sometime during the next 24 to 36...

We are more than 80% into our 2008 snow season and snowpacks are still looking very good. The latest figures for the Henry's Fork drainage puts us at 111% of average for our snowpack and 106% of average for water content. Over in Montana the most recent reports show the Madison River drainage at...

The sun was bright and the air was crisp as we hooked the 16' crestliner fishing machine to the trailer hitch. Yes sir......another beautiful fall day in Idaho. We loaded too many rods and even more reels lined with fly lines for every depth. Why do we do that when we end up fishing the...

Okay, so I apologize for the lack of an update for a couple months, but you try running 70-something trips to date in your first year of guiding full time and see if your fingers want to type at the end of the day. Between rowing and tying and UNTYING knots, I’ll seriously wager a bet...

My appreciation for Tennessee grew tremendously following my latest guiding experience.  My fondness for the state was previously based solely on a gentleman named Jack Daniels but now I have two more reasons, Trey and Jared.  Trey played ball for the Broncos, Jets, and Bills as a center,...

It was 52 degrees with intermittent, gusty winds at game time on Cinco de Mayo at the Vernon boat launch for the first game of the season between the hometown Fish of the Fork and the Visiting Anglers from Texas and southern Idaho, respectively. The fish got some strong pitching in the early...

With the weather showing some signs of Spring, Brad Miller and I have gotten out on the water quite a bit recently.  We began in late March, swinging streamers around the Chester backwaters, and the Fun Farm and Del Rio bridges for aggressive, early season Henry's Fork fish looking to pack on...

Let me give you a taste of the chase for some of the biggest brown trout in the world at the end of the earth. I fall out of bed after six hours of sleep as we had dinner at midnight the night before. The cooler is in the truck and 12-14 foot two handed rods loaded with short-head...

After returning from their winter habits, the Osprey have just recently began to return the Henry’s Fork. One was kind enough to take a break from trout hunting in Last Chance Run to perch up with us and answer a few questions. FNR: ( Forkin News Reporter): Where did you grow...

"Year of the Farmer" by Tyler Treece Call it a long distance release. Call it breaking off or coming unbuttoned, call it a fast hook set, a whiff, a miss or even bad luck, call it whatever you want. We call it farming,and let me tell you I might as well plant a bunch of seeds and...

by Tyler Treece I met the Predator at TroutHunter late in the morning, by fishermans terms. Anticipating the day, we took time to drink coffee and shake hangovers hoping most the other boats would clear out before we got down the hill. Overcast skies and rain were to our West, and...

The drive was different this time. Jeep packed full of fuel and gear I didn’t bother with directions, just pointed her West and hit the gas. Twenty hours flew by, and I found myself in the Rockies already dreaming of the fish and game that call these mountains home. This time however...

TroutHunter is running some remarkable late season specials through the end of October: 5 Days Guided Fishing & 6 Nights Lodging for $1250 per person! One Day Guided Fishing & One Night's Lodging for $250 per person! Two anglers sharing a room and guide can enjoy some fantastic fishing...

Late Spring is one of our favorite times of year to fish the Henry's Fork. Book a vacation with us between May 10th & June 7th and receive an early season discount on guide services and lodging. Early season hatches of Blue Winged Olives, March Browns, Caddis & Salmonflies produce...

DRIFT @ TroutHunter - Friday, September 26th All proceeds to benefit the Henry's Fork Foundation A stunning visual journey, DRIFT combines the highest quality film production, world class flyfishing and an eclectic group of anglers to create the most definitive film about the sport to...

AN EVENING WITH DOUG PEACOCK Renowned American Naturalist, Outdoorsman & Author Friday, August 22, 2008 @ TroutHunter Bar & Grill. 7:30pm. Doug Peacock will describe his experiences in the wilderness with grizzlies and share his early film footage of bears. A question & answer...

The 24th annual Henry's Fork Day is June 21, 2008.  It is largest event for the Henry's Fork Foundation, the voice of the river.  Please support the Foundation and attend this event.  If you are interested in donating cash or auction items, it would be greatly appreciated.  Call...

Simplifying CDC A Fly Tying Class with Leslie Harrop Saturday June 14, 2008 1pm – 4pm @ TroutHunter This workshop will cover various applications using Cul de Canard. You will learn a variety of techniques for tying wings, legs and tails. $40.00 per person which includes...

Between May 1st & May 22nd we are offering Guide Trips for $375 for one or two anglers.  A streamside lunch is included. We will even throw in rental rods & waders.  There is no sales tax. Flies, terminal tackle, and guide gratuity are not included.  We are also offering a...

by René Harrop   It was with guarded optimism that we entered the 2009 fishing season on the Henry’s Fork. Adequate winter flows and relatively mild temperatures are typically considered a recipe for strong hatches and healthy trout populations. With both components in place it...

"Drake Withdrawl" by René Harrop While easy fishing is seldom associated with the Henry’s Fork, a month long period beginning in mid June produced something that came pretty close. Green, Brown, and Gray Drakes are all size twelve or larger and the effect they have...

“Playing Hooky at Sheridan Lake” -René Harrop Dawn on a day in mid August felt more like September as Rich and I made our way west on Yale Kilgore road. Smoke hung low over the Centennial Range mixing with dust from the fire crews assigned to manage the Willow Creek...

More than five decades separate my first float through the Harriman Ranch and a pleasant July morning in 2008. An invitation to join my TroutHunter partner Rich Paini and his fellow Henry’s Fork Foundation Board member Robert Dotson was too tempting to refuse given recent reports of...

Appearing at least weekly, April showers of the white variety continue to punctuate a very unusual Spring in the flat land. Navigating the ice ledges continues to add an extra element of excitement to fishing the bank feeders along the edges at Fun Farm but otherwise, access to the lower...

The end of one of the driest summers in memory found IP Reservoir at a perilously low level. Prospects for adequate winter flow on the ‘Fork looked grim until nature responded in early October. A series of heavy storms began to pile snow into the high country at a mid winter rate, and the...

Archipelago Los Roques National Park is a coral reef that sits about 80 miles off the north coast of Venezuela. Over 350 islands, islets and cayes are arranged in an oval shape around a central lagoon. It is a stunning sight from an airplane.  I was pretty sure it was going to look even better...

When I awoke to the morning call to prayer I realized that Island Park, Idaho was a long way away.  It had taken us 32 hours of travel including an obligatory wide stance photo op at the stall made infamous by Idaho Senator Larry Craig.  This celebration of absurdity prompted the first...

Another morning shared with the mosquitoes!! It's 5:30am and Ned and I are getting ready to launch the boat for my third and final day in the glades. The tides will be low between now and about 10am. He fires up the Yamaha and idles through the Manatee zone between us and the Tarpon. The first...

I fly in, get my $20 rental car, drive for an hour and a half, sleep for three hours, and meet Capt. Ned Small at the boat ramp. So here I stand, on the front of a skiff in the Everglades, and we see Tarpon in the first spot we stop. To make a long story short, I dropped the line out of...

Life is good at 17 degrees 30 minutes north.  The weather has been perfect.  There has been just enough wind over the last few days to keep the anglers cool and the fish comfortable.  The clouds have been small and sparse creating excellent fish spotting light.  As result...

April 3, 2008 We just finished the first day of fishing.  7 more to go.  We are in Placencia, in southern Belize.  We have a great group of folks in addition to Jon, Millie & I.  Our good friends, Tim & Joanne Linehan (fishmontana.com) happen to be staying at...