Words: Guide Pat Gaffney [profile here]
Images: Greg Schoby / Idaho Fish & Game

"SHOCK THERAPY"

For years, the lower Henry’s Fork has flown under the radar, taking a bit of a back seat to the more famous Harriman State Park section of river in Island Park. Walk into a fly shop where I’m from ‘back east’ and mention the Henry’s Fork, and talk will quickly turn to ‘the Ranch’ and its bountiful hatches and large, wary rainbows. But it is the brown trout which is the main attraction on the Fork’s lower reaches, and quite possibly the star of the whole show. Brown trout can be finicky, and yet aggressive. I’ve seen browns rise to the surface only to refuse a natural golden stone fluttering down past their lie, and I’ve seen them voraciously attack an eight inch long streamer. I’ve seen them sip grey drake spinners with only the slightest bit of surface disturbance, and I’ve seen them explode on stoneflies with reckless abandon. The tightest nooks and crannies brownies tend to call home make me shake my head, and if lucky enough to hook one up, it will certainly shake its head too. Like any worthy adversary, these fish are not easily defeated, which makes an angler’s success that much more of an achievement. I spent 6 hours last year with a client fishing to one fish that we estimated was over 2 feet long. We got it to eat twice, but never got it to the net. On another day, I witnessed a tantrum that would make my 2 ½ year old very proud after another large brown came unbuttoned. On yet another day, I saw a grown man reduced to tears of joy when the measuring tape on the brown in my net stretched to 24”. Whether the fish ends up in the net, or it kicks your butt up and down the river, if you encounter a large brown trout on the lower Henry’s Fork, it will be memorable, and you will be back.

Of course these magnificent brown trout are testament to a healthy river. They could not grow so large if not for a number of factors, including the truly ridiculous stonefly hatches which happen each year. It is not uncommon to catch browns, and rainbows alike gorged on stoneflies, with their stomachs ‘crunchy’ to the touch. These stonefly hatches coincide with and are followed by multiple species of caddis, march browns, baetis, pale morning duns, green drakes, grey drakes, and of course, midges.

After experiencing first-hand the incredible dry fly fishing that the month of June on the lower Henry’s Fork has provided over the past several years, I was saddened and disheartened by the chocolate-milk flows of the Henry’s Fork below the Ashton dam last fall. All anyone needed was to look in the water to see that siltation was going to be a factor. To what extent was it going to influence insect activity? What was it going to do to our future fishing? What was it going to do to the fish themselves? These are all legitimate concerns, and questions that still will not have answers for some months.

With the current health of the river in mind, I eagerly jumped at the chance to assist biologists with the Idaho Dept. of Fish and Game in an electro-study of the fish population from Vernon Bridge downstream to Fun Farm. Biologists use a moderate electric current to cause a muscle spasm in the fish, which actually makes them swim toward the current. The fish are then netted (that’s where I came in handy), placed in a large holding bucket, measured, documented, and released none the worse for the wear. At least that is what they tell me. Fish and Game biologists are currently studying the effects of shock therapy on fish…seriously.

Simply stated, I personally could not have been more pleased with the results. Seeing does truly make a believer, and with my own two eyes, I saw big, healthy fish, and lots of ‘em. I also saw an abundance of stonefly activity. Salmonflies and golden stones were crawling and hatching on the bridge abutments at Vernon. Overturned rocks had literally hundreds of mature, ready-to-hatch stonefly nymphs on them. There were caddis galore all the way to Fun Farm. March Browns and Baetis were in the air and on the water. Midges were everywhere.

Get ready. The Lower Henry’s Fork is about to go off. Again…

To see for yourself, and to see me in action on the net, check out Idaho Dept. of Fish and Game’s YouTube video...[here]... Many thanks to Greg, Brett, Steve, Jordan, and all the guys at Fish and Game for letting me take part in their work.


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TroutHunter #1 in George Anderson's Tippet Shoot Out!

TroutHunter is pleased to announce that our new TroutHunter Flurocarbon has won the 2012 Tippet Shoot out, competing against 30 total tippets, 16 of which were fluorocarbon.  

In addition to receiving a 20 out of possible a 20 in "Expert Angler's Preference", the folks at Yellowstone Angler also appreciated the value, just 46 cents/meter, and our "outstanding spool design."

Our nylon placed as we hoped and expected. Scoring best in both "Knot Strength" and "Stretch Before Breaking" amongst nylon deemed "supple," attributes considered advantageous on technical water.  TroutHunter Leaders and Tippet - Fisherman tested and approved.

Thanks to Yellowstone Angler for inviting us to the competition.

Read the full review of George Anderson and crew in the current issue of
FLY FISHERMAN MAGAZINE June/July 2012 [FULL STORY HERE]

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2012 A FORECAST

[by]
Rene’ Harrop

Throughout my entire memory I have relied on a fixed set of indicators when attempting to predict what lies ahead in a new year on the Henry’s Fork. Reflection on the previous season is the general starting point.

A season of weak hatches and low trout populations are seldom followed by substantial improvement in the following year. Conversely, a season yielding sustained dry fly opportunity to solid numbers of rising trout can be altered in the following year by the effects of catastrophic weather conditions or man caused disaster such as the great siltation event of about twenty years ago. Severe icing caused by excessively cold temperatures can devastate the habitat and numbers of trout as well as the aquatic insects which they depend upon for their existence. Inadequate water flows are known to suppress trout numbers, and such conditions are also not ideal for insect survival.

Most who fished the Henry’s Fork in 2011 would agree that the quality of experience from Box Canyon to Riverside was the best in nearly a decade. This stretch includes the fly only water of Harriman State Park where disappointment was often the result in the first few years of the new century. This improvement has been the gradual result of beneficial winter flows negotiated by the Henry’s Fork Foundation over the past four years and the absence of serious icing problems during the same period. The recent reconnection to the Buffalo River is also believed to be a contributor to improved trout numbers, although this has not been officially confirmed.

Veteran of the Fork have noted a resurgence of aquatic vegetation in areas that were over harvested by waterfowl during periods of inadequate water flows. Once considered empty water, these areas have returned to producing the customary habitat and insect activity that must be present in order to become occupied by trout.

While trout in the 18 inch range and larger were certainly present, the number of young adults that will soon enter that size category were in greater than usual abundance in the year just passed. These 14-16 inch fish that have been in the system for three years are a lively testament to a healthy fishery that continues to benefit from the cooperative efforts of local water and state fishery managers along with the dedicated staff of HFF.

An abundance of water carried over from the 2011 irrigation season has allowed flows from Island Park Reservoir to average about 500 cfs through the cold months most critical to trout survival. This, combined with a mild winter in terms of temperature and duration, has set the stage for the likely continuation of trout prosperity in the current year. Also factoring into this sense of optimism is a new indicator that has been available for only slightly more than one year.

With fishing above Harriman State Park now open year round locals have thoroughly tested the productivity of the Box Canyon and Last Chance stretches throughout the winter. While adequate in terms of providing stream flow, the lower snow pack of the past winter allowed relatively easy access to the newly opened water, and the fishing results were more than simply encouraging. This especially applied to Last Chance Run when nearly every day of reasonable air temperature would deliver good numbers of midges, Baetis, and rising trout. Vigorous spawning activity was easily observed beginning in March with size and numbers of trout being equally impressive.

An early end to winter found Island Park Reservoir filled to capacity by mid- April, and spring runoff was well underway by the beginning of May. Though spring conditions can always change, a repeat of last year’s excessively high water through late June seems unlikely.

Anglers and other river users watched rather anxiously as the Ashton Reservoir was drained for critical repairs on the Dam late last summer. Higher than usual flows for that time of year and a moderate release of sediment caused unavoidable disruption to fishing from late August through October. Though significant damage to the fishery below Ashton Dam was not identified, trout and insect activity were not typical through late fall, winter, and early spring. I am assuming that colder water temperatures due to water flowing from the surface of the reservoir was influential in suppressing midge and Baetis hatches during that period, although nymph and streamer fishing was quite productive. This speculation is supported by a change that occurred in mid-April when unusually warm temperatures caused the lower river to spring to life. By early May extremely strong hatches of midges, Baetis, March Browns, and caddis began to appear as weather conditions returned to the seasonal norm.

A second and final drawdown of Ashton Reservoir is planned for around mid-May which will allow for the final phase of dam repair to be completed. Authorities expect the drawdown to be completed in advance of early June when fishing on this stretch of water is normally at its best. Serious sediment release is not anticipated during that period. Of course, this event will be closely monitored by HFF personnel as has been the case throughout the project. If all goes according to plan, fishing between Ashton Dam and Fun Farm should be fine.

While official verification has not been established, it is reasonable to assume that the river could be the recipient of trout escaping from the reservoir during the drawdown of 2011 and 2012. The transfer of several thousand stranded trout from a pool below the dam to the river downstream does lead one to speculate, however. This rescue was conducted by staff from Idaho Department of Fish and Game last winter, and their efforts are appreciated.

Allowing further deterioration of Ashton Dam was not an option and the managers of the rebuilding project should be commended for the consideration they have given to the fishery downstream. Thanks are also due to the Henry’s Fork Foundation and Idaho Fish and Game Department for their determination in protecting this special stretch of the Henry’s Fork.

Regional Fisheries Biologists will complete population sampling on the lower and upper river by mid-May. It normally takes a few weeks to crunch the numbers but results should be available by early June.


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HENRY’S FORK FISHING REPORT
[Early May 2012]

Good news friends; Things are really starting to warm up here in the Caldera. The remaining snow is hardly noticeable, trees are budding & the grass in front of the shop already needs a cut. Old man Winter is gathering the last of his things as the warmer spring days send him packing. I’d like to say we’ll miss him, but he’ll be back soon enough. The local critters are back as well. The meadows are alive with Elk, Deer & Antelope. The Osprey are here and tuning up their roosts as well....in between sparring sessions with the local Bald Eagles for the best fishing beats. A few of the TroutHunter guides we’re fortunate enough to come across a wounded Osprey [HERE] last weekend in the Box Canyon. The little lady was grateful as they wrapped her up, floated her back to Last Chance & delivered her to the Raptor Recovery center in Jackson Hole WY. Stay tuned to the TroutHunter blog & Facebook page for updates on her recovery. If everything goes well, we hope to release her back in to the Box Canyon soon.

Along with the weather, the fishing is heating up as well. But, with fluctuating weather, comes fluctuating river flows & conditions. When you come to fish, be prepared and open to rapidly changing weather, fishing conditions and bumps in river flows. Here’s a current report:

BOX CANYON: The Box is currently running at 1,210cfs. Nymphs and streamers are the name of the game in the upper canyon. Fish rubber-legs with small bead-head droppers for consistent action. It’s hard to beat OMP’s Rub-Her-Legs trailed with a #16 red Zebra Midge this time of year. When the novelty of bird-dogging a bobber gets old, rope up one of Gaffney’s Box Canyon Double Bunny’s and have your way with those rambunctious Box Rainbows. This pattern fishes best on a short-stout leader in front of a 200-300 grain sink tip. Below the lunch counter, keep your eyes open for Baetis & March Browns. On the right day, either of these two bugs can literally blanket the water. A well presented HOH Para-Cripple or Biot emerger will most often turn the trick. A few Caddis are bouncing around as well.The fishing here will only improve as we move through May and we’ll keep you up-to-date on Salmon-fly activity..... Stay tuned.

LAST CHANCE: When conditions cooperate, the dry fly fishing through Last Chance to the North Ranch boundary can really light up. Come prepared with Midge, BWO & March Brown life cycle patterns. These fish demand a proper presentation, so take your time & cast well my friends. Stop by the shop & browse our kind selection of Harrop flies before heading out on the wide river through the lower end of Island Park.


WARM RIVER TO ASHTON: This fine section of river is really starting to come to life. Reports are coming in of steady hatches of Baetis, Caddis & March Browns. In between working rising fish, nymphing this section is a no-brainer. A rubber-leg bead-head combo is the way to get it done. The streamer fishing here is starting to improve too. Pound the banks with big nasty articulated junk to lure the alpha fish in for the strike.......then hold on. We should start seeing adult Salmonflies here within the next few weeks, so keep your eyes peeled for the big-bugs.

LOWER RIVER: Ashton damn is pumping out 2,780cfs. The river from the Damn to Vernon bridge is closed until Saturday the 26th, but the river from Vernon down is fishing well. Caddis, Baetis & March Brown hatches are keeping the fish....and fisherman busy. Nymph the same set-ups mentioned above in between dry fly action and chucking streamers is always a safe bet on the Lower, so mix it up for bonus opportunities. The river below Chester is dirty from heavy Fall River run-off, streamers will be your best bet if you choose to fish the lower-lower.


UPDATE:: LOWER RIVER: Pacificorp is scheduled to begin the Ashton Damn draw down on Wednesday May 9th, was delayed until May 11th. its projected for a 14 day period of increased flows to bring the resevoir elevation back to 5,130’ to complete some work on the damn face. This will affect the fishing, but to what extent? We’ll have to wait & see.

Also, he Idaho Department of Fish and Game will be monitoring fish populations on three sections of the Henry's Fork this year: Chester to Fun Farm, Vernon to Chester and Box Canyon.

• More on Ashton Damn Project: [HERE]
• More on Electroschcking Dates: [HERE]

LAKE UPDATE: Island Park, Quake Lake & Hebgen Lake are all ice free. Mixed reports are filtering in, but it sounds like they are all fishing well at certain times with a wide array of flies & presentations. Stripping buggers, leeches and forage fish patterns is a safe bet. Hanging chironomid patterns is always a solid approach on still-waters after the hard-deck dissipates. Henry’s Lake is ice free as well & should be in prime shape for the much anticipated opener on the 26th of May.





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TROUTHUNTER BAR & GRILL - NOW OPEN!

//////SPECIAL MOTHER'S DAY DINNER//////

Come celebrate Mother's Day and mom
with TroutHunter
&
Chef Christian Hung!

//////SPECIAL MOTHER'S DAY DINNER//////

CURRENT & UPCOMING TROUTHUNTER 
BAR & GRILL
HOURS

OZZIE: THE Trout Hunter BOX CANYON OSPREY RESCUE

A young female Box canyon Osprey was rescued by our two veteran TroutHunter guides, Brad Miller & Doc Martin Reed as well as our tongue twisting shop manager Chris "Grizz" Andelin.



From the good folks at ISLAND PARK NEWS
check out the story
[click here]


UPDATE SNIPPETS:
From The Henry's Fork Foundation Facebook page:
"The Box Canyon Osprey rescued Sunday has been taken to the Teton Raptor Rehabilitation center in Jackson Hole, WY. She is a young female, a bit malnourished. It appears she has either a break, or dislocation of the clavicle on the left side. While injuries like this in Raptors used to require invasive surgery, new understanding and techniques now allow avian veterinarians to set the wound using special wraps and therapy, which will be applied in this case. Sixty percent of raptors with this type of injury are successfully returned to the wild."



Box Canyon Osprey update from Jason at the Teton Raptor Center in Jackson Hole, WY: "The osprey is eating and we are just waiting to see what she is able to do, physically, in a few weeks. Our vet had forwarded the new x-rays to an exotics vet at CSU and we just heard back from him today. He is not able to see a fracture but thinks that it is actually a dislocation of the corocoid. These are able to heal on their own with some success. Same as a fracture, a surgical option doesnt' have any better release success because of the damage to the muscle during the operation. Our vet's plan is to limit movement and wait. We have her in a small chamber that is just big enough to spread her wings but not fly."

The TroutHunter crew is hopful for a full recovery & once she is healed, she can be released back to her home in the Box Canyon on the mighty Henry's Fork River. We will keep you updated on "Ozzie's" progress.






GUIDES DAY OFF VIDEO?! - WHO ALLOWED THEM TO HAVE A CAMERA ANYWAY?? 
as always comical with this crew. Nice job fellas!




*all images: Bryan Gregson Photography
*video: Marty Reed
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FISH SHOCKING SCHEDULE   HENRY'S FORK

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game will be monitoring fish populations on three sections of the Henry's Fork this year: Chester to Fun Farm, Vernon to Chester and Box Canyon.

To avoid any conflicts with your fly-fishing plans, they have provided the below schedule... photo courtesy of Henry's Fork Foundation [ HERE ].

ASHTON RESERVOIR DRAWNDOWN BEGINS MAY 9th?...errr...May 11th?!

!!Drawdown Delayed!!- see updates below

This just in...
Island Park News Reports:
[ FULL STORY]

We received notification from PacifiCorp today that the Ashton Reservoir draw-down is scheduled to begin Wednesday May 9. The draw-down is anticipated to take 14 days to get the reservoir back down the level it was at last fall (5130 feet elevation).


UPDATED: May10, 2012
PacificCorp was slightly delayed starting the drawdown while they awaited approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. They got that approval yesterday afternoon and this morning they removed the downstream coffer dam. They plan to open the bypass tunnel to begin the drawdown tomorrow. Unfortunately this means the drawdown will be at the most critical time just as the fishing season opens at Ora Bridge. Again, as no excavation work is planned in the river channel this year, we really don’t think the water will look near as bad as last fall.

UPDATE: MAY 10, 2012
The temporary coffer dam was removed Thursday morning in preparation for the drawdown.

UPDATE: May 11, 2012
The Ashton Dam bypass tunnel was opened this morning and the Ashton Reservoir drawdown is now in progress.


For more information on the Ashton Dam Project be sure to visit
The Henry's Fork Foundation webiste [ HERE ]


Photo courtesy of the Henry's Fork Foundation
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We are pleased to anounce that our very own TroutHunter staff photographer, Bryan Gregson, just finished competing in the SIMMS ICE-OUT film contest event. He teamed up with Detonation and together they took home FIRST PLACE!!


4 teams of 2 film makers, with one SIMMS Guide Ambassador to accompany each group. 2.6 days to film and a edit 3-6 minute film for the big screen.

This year they decided to make things easy, so they floated 24 miles on a PUBLIC piece of water (Big Hole) and brought a mobile editing studio along with them… so much for the easy part.

 

• There is also a 'people choice' award going on, voting ends Sunday April 29.... follow the link & watch the rest of the flicks.. and don't forget to vote! --> http://www.simmsfishing.com/site/ice...04-24-08-28-32

The Drake Magazine's Geoff Muller reports [ FULLSTORY HERE ]
BOZEMAN, MT—Photographer Bryan Gregson and hometown filmmaker Ian Majszak of Detonation Studios captured first-place and $2,000 with their banger film edit “Untitled” at this weekend’s 2012 Simms Ice Out Shoot Out.

WINNING FILM - 2012 SIMMS ICE OUT / SHOOT OUT

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TRANSITION
By: Rene’ Harrop

In a land where seasons respect no fixed date, spring in Henry’s Fork country is a process of separation between the longest and shortest seasons of the year. For an angler, winter can be a six month ordeal that arrives abruptly with heavy snow and frigid temperatures that care nothing for human comfort. A late October beginning is no more unusual than a fierce June blizzard that leaves 18 inches of snow in its wake. And here, residents know better than to expect 90 consecutive days without frost at night or a dusting of snow. Bugling elk in late August announce the end of a summer that, as a rule, only begins in early July. 

   While true relief from winter may lie more than a month away, the transition into spring typically begins in mid-March with a changing of mind state when temperatures cease to drop into single digits on a nightly basis and snow levels that may exceed 5 feet begin to inch downward. Mud becomes the order of the day and will remain so until the last drift of snow has disappeared sometime around Memorial Day. It is then that optimism returns in the outlook of folks who become excited by simple things like the return of certain creatures that have the sense to temporarily abandon a climate that can rival Alaska in its harshness. The advancement of spring is measured incrementally by the staggered return of wild bird and animal life whose varying habit requirements become gradually available with receding snow lines and warming temperatures. The Osprey is generally the last to arrive and is joined by other trout hunters of the human variety. And together they pronounce that another fishing season has officially begun. But prior to this event there is a minimum of 60 days when fishing is not complicated by competition from visiting anglers and the hearty souls who weather year round residency are rewarded for their ability to withstand the discomfort of a Henry’s Fork winter.

    There are many who would not relate temperatures in the 40 to 50 degree range to an acceptable level of comfort on the water but this can seem almost tropical to those who have just emerged from a long string of days when the thermometer never rises above the freezing mark. Granted, there are winter days when conditions are right for an emergence of midges or Baetis, but they are usually few and far between. Submerged nymphs and streamers are the usual drill prior to March and trout move only begrudgingly to flies when ice on the edges become a factor in water temperature. Frozen guides and numb fingers are about all that can be counted on at this time of year because fishing is almost never very fast.

    Remarkably, even a few degrees of temperature can influence trout feeding behavior to the positive side if the trend is upward. Insect and trout activity seem to stir simultaneously as the water begins to warm, and an angler’s productivity improves proportionately to this occurrence. No longer depressed by extremely cold water, trout move aggressively to an improved availability of food whether feeding above or beneath the surface

    Midges and Baetis continue to be the main surface fare well into April or until night time temperatures cease to fall below freezing in general. From that point on caddis and March Brown mayflies will be added to the mix and these hatches will dominate well into May when high flows from spring runoff present a different picture on the river. Depending upon the location and volume of flow anglers will be compelled to adjust to deeper or nonexistent wading opportunity. But these difficulties are generally mitigated on much of the river when giant stonefly nymphs begin to concentrate along the edges in advance of the Salmon Fly emergence. For several weeks big trout will consume these 2 to 3 inch long insects in near abandonment of smaller food forms. And fortunately, it is not necessary to venture into possible danger because nearly every trout in the river will be found within 20 or 30 feet of the bank. While catching a flight of adult Salmon Flies can be a hit or miss proposition, a big, black nymph can be a reliable choice both before and beyond the actual emergence period which typically lasts only about a week.

    Although Blue Bird days of sun and warmth are not completely absent from March through May their appearance is often fool’s gold. Wind and wet conditions comprise the dominant weather pattern in most years and the temperature will seldom average above 50 degrees F. In a comparative sense, however, spring on the Henry’s Fork is a gift of deliverance from the short, gray days of winter that can suppress the spirit for months and can sometimes seem endless for those who crave free access to the bounties of the Henry’s Fork. And though imperfect in comparison to the prime months of June through September, it is a good time to be alive in this part of the world when those things we cherish most lie directly ahead.
 

 

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