Henry's Fork Report - September 5, 2024

Henry’s Fork Streamflows

Island Park Dam:  548 cfs

Ashton Dam:  1340 cfs

St. Anthony:  923 cfs

Fall River:  377 cfs

The Henry’s Fork is seeing a slow ramping up in its fishing and has been increasing in activity gradually over the past few weeks.  Most sections are fishing well enough to be a reasonable choice on most days, and the lower river should begin to slowly come back alive after this next week.  Flows are still at a comfortable level and should remain relatively stable as we have now passed most of the irrigation demand for the year.  The warm days and cold nights of early September are upon us and these are some of the most beautiful of the year, this is a great time to be on the water and enjoy the last weeks of summer!

Box Canyon

The Box has been fishing pretty well these past weeks and we expect the trend to continue for the week to come.  Flows are at a great level for spending the entire day in there and working through its runs with nymphs and streamers.  If you’re in it for a short run, there’s enough water in there to make it through in half a day as well.  Small nymphs are producing the most fish, but streamers will have an impact for those who choose to search for larger and fewer fish, especially in the upper reaches.  Weeds are an issue in here, if your indicator moves and you come up without a fish, you’ll be wise to check your hooks for greenery and keep them clean, so frequent inspection of your flies is a must at the moment.  Change your weight for the depth of the water you’re fishing and consider changing the distance between your indicator and your flies to minimize the contact with weeds.  As most of the action is on the smaller fly, at times it’s useful to consider putting your dropper fly on a tag mid-leader, or just above your tippet knot, this allows the larger weight fly to be at the bottom and suspends the smaller fly mid-current.  We’re liking the following nymphs in here at the moment:  Rubberlegs and 101 Stones #8-10, PTs, BH PTs, Micro Mays, Red and Brown Zebra Midges, HP Caddis Pupa #14-18 and your favorite perdigons:  Olive Hot Spot, Spanish Bullet, Bullet Quill, Frenchies, Jake’s SH, and Red Napoleon Jigs #16-18. 

Railroad Ranch

The Ranch has been fishing pretty well this past week, fishing will favor anglers who look for game where it should be taking place, there are lots of different opportunities out there and knowing where to look will get you started.  If you’re not finding fish, get those legs moving and seek waters that have activity.  The weeds are a force out there, and finding a way to quickly shed weeds from your flies is paramount to success.  We’ve been seeing lots of small trico, PMD and Pseudo spinners, some Callibaetis spinners, honey ants, small winged black ants, mahogany duns, and hoppers around, so be prepared with a variety of flies and make your first shot count, these trout aren’t putting up with dragging flies, learning to present the fly effectively is half the battle as they’ll often eat a variety of offerings if your first shot is a good one.  Our boxes are well-stocked and have the following patterns:  Harrops and Copenhaver spinners in PMD, Trico, and Callibaetis #14-20, Harrops and Heames’ Honey Ants #14-16, Shimazaki Ant #18, CDC Biot Duns, Thorax Duns, and Last Chance Cripples in PMD and Mahogany #14-18, and a spattering of grasshopper imitations in sizes #4-10, we’re liking the Henneberry Hopper, Moorish Hopper, and CDC Mimic Hopper these days.  Fishing the Ranch is a good idea on just about any day from now through October, it’s a matter of watching the weather and letting it guide you to what you might expect to see out there.

Canyon Country

These are the final weeks that the canyons of the Henry’s Fork are a good choice;  these beautiful September days offer spectacular scenery in the canyons, the fishing is generally good, and the weeds are less of an issue in the churned white water.  We like dry/dropper rigs, short leash indicator rigs, and streamers for success in here.  A rubberlegs is always a good bet and smaller beadheads in #14-16 will help to do the trick when the trout are being more picky.  At the current flows, the lies are more easily read and penetrated by flies, making this a great time to explore these waters.  Remember that a rubber raft and solid oarsmanship are a must to enjoy these sections, and to bring rain and cold weather gear as these canyons are no place to be for the ill-prepared!

Warm River to Ashton

This section of the Henry’s Fork deserves a special award for the joy it brings anglers of all skill levels; it provides fun fishing for small to medium-sized fish and the occasional shot at something larger along the way.  Its waters can be plied by many different methods, making indicator nymph rigs, streamers, and dry/droppers all effective choices.  Fly selections mirror those for the Box Canyon.

Below Ashton Dam

The lower river is yielding a few nice fish for anglers who are happy to focus on quality over quantity, generally the activity is better in the morning hours, but afternoons can play if the weather stays cool.  Otherwise, anglers might consider finding another section to play in for the afternoon hours.  One more week and these sections will begin to come into play once again.  Dry/droppers, dries, and streamer rigs are all producing some trout to the net.

Good luck and enjoy the last weeks of summer out there!