Henry's Fork Report - October 17, 2024
Henry’s Fork Streamflows
Island Park Dam: 162 cfs
Ashton Dam: 844 cfs
St. Anthony: 849 cfs
Fall River: 434 cfs
Well, we made it about halfway into the month of October before the weather has shown any signs of turning the needle towards the autumn we’ve all been waiting for. Every angler on the Henrys Fork is an anticipation of some increase and insect activity over the next couple of days and following week. Cloudy days will generally be better than sunny ones, so hope for overcast conditions!
Box Canyon
At current flows, the Box remains a very bumpy boat ride as well as a wonderful place to spend the day fishing. Boaters should be aware that they’ll need to get out of their boat and push through some shallow sections, anglers will do well to remember to stay in their leg locks, as hitting rocks is not a probability so much as it is a certainty. That said, these same conditions can make for some nice wade fishing experiences in the Box Canyon. Wading is still relatively difficult, so we recommend bringing a wading staff along. Small flies are the game down here at the moment, nymphing primarily. However, you never know when a nice snout might slip up to the surface during a period of heavy insect activity, as always, it pays to remain observant. For nymphs, we are liking PTs, Tactical PTs, Cocktail Nymphs, Juju Baetis; red, brown, and black Zebra midges Sizes 16 - 20. A supply of perdigon nymphs comes in handy as well, we like the following in sizes 16 - 20: Olive Hotspot, Bullet Quill, Jake’s Soft Hackle, Frenchies, red Jig Napoleons, and Black Daggers. Anglers will do well to search for concentrations of activity and fish as the trout are not distributed evenly throughout this piece of water at the moment.
Railroad Ranch
Low water, beautiful weather, and finicky trout have characterized this piece of water for the last weeks. With the weather in the forecast, we are hoping to see an increase in larger baetis and mahogany duns. Keep in mind that with sudden drops in temperature, hatches are sometimes more limited in duration, and often start later in the day. Weeds are ever an issue at this time of year, remember to try and use them to your advantage when you’re able, they’re very useful for concealing anglers’ wakes while they are approaching their targets. Patience and observance are the name of the game down here, good luck!
Canyon country
The time for anglers to really focus on these sections of the river has come and gone, although that doesn’t mean that opportunity isn’t there for those who wish to seek out some adventure anyway. Keep a close eye on the weather, as these remote sections are no place to be when things turn foul in late fall.
Warm River to Ashton
This remains a great section of the Fork to spend a day’s fishing. Streamers, nymphs, and even dries can all produce good results. This is a great time to explore this section with a streamer, and it’s still a good time of year to try out a few different sink tips and some of the different water you come into a cross along the way. Focus on riffles, transitions and tail outs with floating lines, and try searching the bigger pools with a sink tip, up to 20 or 30 feet in length can be useful in here. This is a great section of water to have some good action on all sizes of fish. Nymph selection can mirror that of the Box Canyon.
Below Ashton Reservoir
The lower river should respond well to a change in the weather, cloud cover probably plays a greater role than colder temperatures, anglers should see some of the larger trout release some of their long-held inhibitions and come to the surface more readily in cloudy weather. We’re hoping for an increase in bug activity as well, with some good baetis and a few mahogany duns to provide some good sport. Anglers down here should expect to fish subsurface for a portion of the day, and hope for dry fly fishing during the nicest portion of the day. Streamers and dry/droppers will do the trick during these times of day.
Good luck out there!