Henry's Fork Report - July 10, 2025

Henry's Fork Report - July 10, 2025

Henry’s Fork Streamflows

Island Park Dam:  1600 cfs

Ashton Dam:  2160 cfs

St. Anthony:  1040 cfs

Fall River:  157 cfs

It’s coming into mid-July on the Henry’s Fork and that means beautiful days, great weather, high water, lots of fun being had in certain sections and not so much in others!  Anglers who adapt to conditions and fish accordingly will have some great fishing while discerning, dry fly anglers who are looking for rising trout will find work hard for occasional rewards.  Warm days in the forecast will have us seeking the faster moving, more oxygenated waters in our pursuits of piscatorial fun! 

Box Canyon

The box is the workhorse of the river, and provides anglers with a great day of flyfishing in waters that reward both skillful and novice anglers.  This is generally a nymphing fishery, with indicator rigs our standard choice.  However, quality dry fly and streamer fishing can be found during periods of most days, golden stones are around and higher flows are conducive to streamer fishing, especially during periods of low light.  Faster, more turbulent water can be productive at any time of day with stripped flies.  For nymphing anglers, be sure to bring plenty of B and BB split shot, and a variety of flies, both fast-sinking and non-weighted, try an unweighted fly behind some split shot and a fast-sinking one to fool difficult fish.  We like the following:  Rubberlegs and 101 Stones #6-10,  PTs, R/L Tactical PTs,  Naked PTs, HP Caddis Pupas, Hare/Coppers, Rednecks sizes #14-16, red and black Zebra Midges #14-18.  Fast-sinking perdigons are an excellent choice as well, we like the following:  BSA Jig Rubberlegs #8-10, Olive Hot Spot, Frenchies, red Jig Napoleons, Duracells, PMD Tung Bombs, Spanish Bullets, Bullet Quills, and Black Daggers #14-18.  For dry flies, golden stone imitations will be the most reliable:  HF Golden Stones, Water Walkers, BSA Razorbacks #6-10 are our favorites. 

Railroad Ranch

Though times have been tough, there are trout being caught by anglers devoted to the craft, style and place.  Adaptability is key, a keen eye on conditions and a mindful approach to where trout might be most active will lead anglers to occasional rewards.  High flows are not conducive to rising fish down here, but successes don’t always come from a steadily rising trout.  Now is the time to make the most of targets that you might otherwise ignore as they present themselves; an explosive rise to an unidentified insect should be noted as it betrays the location of hungry trout.  A thoughtful presentation with a terrestrial or some other floaty, juicy offering might just bring that same target to play 5 minutes later.  Everything counts, so stay tuned in.  If you wait for a steadily rising fish, you just might wait all day, but a thoughtful approach will lead you to what they might be eating at infrequent intervals and how best to present to these trout.  There is still some game, but it’s not the game of mid-June or (hopefully) this August, September, and October.  Anglers seeking solitude can generally find it on the Ranch right now, this is one of the understated benefits of a period of challenging fishing.  Springs will provide more stable but challenging fishing conditions during this time of high flows.  We are seeing some caddis, lots of PMDs and spinners, some Flavs, and Gray Drakes.  The odd golden stone, hopper, ant or beetle finds its way to the river on most days as well.  Sight fishing emergers and emerging nymphs to PMD-eating trout is one of the most challenging things in the world of flyfishing and can be done when the light is favorable.  A variety of patterns are necessary to play, we wouldn’t be without some of the following:  Harrop’s Gray Drake Spinner #10, Harrop’s  PMD CDC Biot Dun, PMD CDC Transitional Dun, Last Chance Cripple PMD, Lawson’s Half Back, Heames Klinkhammer PMD #16-18, Heames Honey Ant, non-beaded (naked) PTs, and Split Backs #16-18 will all have their moments. 

Canyon Country

The canyons of the Henry’s Fork will continue to offer a decent day’s fishing with a variety of techniques at play and plenty of solitude.  Dry/Dropper and streamer fishing are the most productive, a “Chubberlegs” rig is hard to beat but the Rubberlegs can be replaced by your favorite fast-sinking caddis and mayfly nymphs in sizes #12-14.  At high flows the river moves along quickly, stop where you can and work the water, these runs require more than one cast to be considered covered.  Indicator rigs can be used, but generally only when stopped unless anglers don’t mind losing lots of flies to rocks and supporting their local fly shops!!

Warm River to Ashton

This section of the Henry’s Fork consistently provides anglers with a fun day’s fishing with a variety of techniques.  The river is cool and clear through here and its residents are active. Indicator nymphing rigs are the most common and provide the most action, but quality trout can be targeted with dry flies and streamers as well.  Patterns that work for both golden stones and grasshoppers are suitable as dry flies.  Streamers can range from baitfish patterns to leeches, floating lines and sink tips can both be utilized.  Nymph selection should mirror that of the Box Canyon.

Lower River

The river below Ashton Reservoir is both high and low, depending on which side of Chester Dam you find yourself.  Above, the high flows are keeping things happy and healthy, but there’s not much fishing opportunity on these sunny days.  Early mornings and late evenings can provide worthy streamer runs, while midday hours are best fished somewhere else.  Below Chester Dam the river is low and is probably best left to rest until the heat of summer turns to the cooler nights of early autumn.  These fisheries will liven up as we come into next fall with a few exceptions.

Good luck out there!!

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THE Henry's Fork

The Henry's Fork Foundation is the only organization whose sole purpose is to conserve, protect, and restore the unique fisheries, wildlife, and aesthetic qualities of the Henry's Fork and its watershed.

ranch tactics

with jonathan heames

the Legendary

Railroad Ranch

A mere mention of the storied Railroad Ranch section of the Henry’s Fork conjures images of expansive flats with large rainbow trout sipping away on the surface.  It's technical waters, and sophisticated fish have earned the reputation of PHD level dry fly fishing. Countless innovations in flies, and techniques have been spawned here, and few places will test an anglers ability more absolutely. Simply put, it is one of the most iconic pieces of trout water on Earth. 

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