Henry's Fork Report - June 25, 2026

Henry’s Fork Streamflows

Island Park Dam:  1230 cfs

Ashton Dam:  1800 cfs

St. Anthony:  961 cfs

Fall River:  170 cfs

Overall, more stable conditions than expected have prevailed on the Henry’s Fork this week, which has produced good results on the upper river so far.  We do expect this to change, but may luck out in the week to come as forecasted precipitation will possibly reduce irrigation demand through the weekend.  At the moment, we are enjoying the stability but bracing for the inevitable rise in flows at some point.  Water conditions are currently good throughout the system, water temps are cool, turbidity is still low enough for all sections to remain fishable, and flows are not yet prohibitively high.  Lots of opportunity with the coming weather, anglers will do well to keep an eye on the weather and on flows coming out of Island Park Dam.

Box Canyon

The Box is the workhorse of the river and has been producing quality days of fishing lately, we expect this to continue as long as water clarity remains in good shape.  At these flows the Box is easily floated in a half day or enjoyed as a full day’s endeavor.  Forecasts through the weekend suggest that there may be some quality streamer fishing in the future, but certainly good nymph fishing with indicator rigs.  Flies should be representative of PMDs, flavs, green drakes, golden stoneflies, caddis and midges.  For nymphs we like to keep our boxes stocked with the following:  PTs, R/L Tactical PTs, Rednecks, Split Backs, Hare/Copper, Olive HP Caddis Pupa 14-16; Rubberlegs and 101 Stones #8-10; red, brown and black Zebra Midges #14-18.  Your favorite perdigons will work in here but these are the ones we like:  Olive Hot Spot, red Jig Napoleon, Black Dagger, Spanish Bullet, Bullet Quill, PMD Bomb #14-18.  For streamers, it’s hard to beat an olive or black BFE #4 or a BSA Bouface Leech #6.

Railroad Ranch

Though reports vary from angler to angler, our experience on the Ranch has been good this past week.  More often than not, reports have been good.  A good mix of insects out there have been present and it seems every target is doing something different, so keeping a variety of flies in your boxes is a great idea.  We like 11-12' overall length leaders including tippet and are typically using 5X out there.  We are seeing 3 scenarios out there with feeding fish, generally:  fish that are feeding consistently and holding their location steadily, others that are feeding consistently and are roaming, and those that are feeding inconsistently and roaming.  The former being the easiest targets and the latter the most difficult.  Fish that are consistent and not moving require a rhythmic and patient approach, anglers should consider matching their presentation frequency to the rhythm of the rise.  For consistent but roaming feeders, anglers should consider holding their ground further from the target and identifying the cruising pattern, strategizing their approach based on the portion of the trout’s circuit that is closest to the angler’s position rather than to chase targets to the outer perimeter of their patterns.  For trout that are both inconsistent and roaming, it may be helpful for the angler to position themselves strategically with the light behind them so that the actual trout is visible, sight fishing directly to the fish rather than chasing infrequent rise forms.  For bugs, we are seeing brown drake spinners, green drake adults and spinners, flavs and flav spinners, PMDs, caddis, yellow sallies and even a few golden stoneflies here and there.  Patterns we are using frequently at the moment are:  Harrop’s Hackled Spinner Brown and Green Drake, Harrop’s Paraspinner Green Drake,  Variant Cripple Green Drake, Jojo’s Green Drake, Last Chance Cripple Flav, Barret’s Flav Spinner, CDC Biot Emerger Flav, CDC Thorax PMD, Heames’ PMD Klinkhammer, PMD Comparadun, Harrop’s Paraspinner Rusty and PMD and a Shimazaki Ant. 

Canyon Country

The canyons of the Henry’s Fork are producing fun fishing days for smaller and medium sized trout in a spectacular wilderness setting.  At current flows, these sections are moving right along and anglers should focus on the water that they can effectively penetrate and present their flies.  Streamers can be a great idea in here, but the standard dry/dropper rigs will still prevail and produce the most consistent results.  If you’re heading into these sections, bring along storm gear as weather will sneak up on you and remember that solid oarsmanship is a must!

Warm River to Ashton

This section has been fishing well and should continue to do so in the coming weeks.  Good action with indicator nymphing or dry/dropper rigs will be the most consistent, but streamer anglers will find fertile ground here from time to time, especially during periods of low light.  Dry fly fishing will be spotty, and anglers should keep their eyes peeled for dry fly options and occasionally rising trout.  Fly selections should be about the same as those recommended for the Box Canyon.

Below Ashton Reservoir

Though there are still some trout to be found down here, hatches are dwindling quickly.  Water temps remain cool and flows are high, which should present opportunities for imaginative anglers willing to think outside the box and fish subsurface.  Streamers and nymphing options are present, but consistent dry fly fishing is coming to an end.  Anglers can still find golden stones, green drakes, PMDs, flavs and caddis but in very small numbers.  The most observant anglers can still find some game down here, but it will be sparse and challenging on most days.  Streamer opportunities are present during periods of low light and in the early/late hours of the day.

Good luck out there!!