Henry's Fork Report - October 24, 2024

Henry's Fork Report - October 24, 2024

Henry’s Fork Streamflows

Island Park Dam:  170 cfs

Ashton Dam:  836 cfs

St. Anthony:  861 cfs

Fall River:  423 cfs

The weather forecast looks like a fine fall fishing forecast for the Henry's Fork, but be sure to pack your beanie hats and fingerless gloves this coming week! The peak hours of activity throughout the system are 10-3, with the greatest amount of hatch activity during this timeframe.

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

Though low and weedy, the Ranch fishes well in October with these flows. During hatch periods, you can find lots of trout rising, the real difficulty lies in differentiating small fish from large fish. Be on the lookout for the unmistakable signs like the slurping sound of a large trout, fins that become visible and indicate the size of the trout they’re attached to, heavy but slow pushes of water, noses, roaming feeding patterns, etc. It often requires using all senses to determine whether or not the trout you’re scoping out is a prize specimen or not. When in doubt, take a shot, you’ll find the small trout are great practice as they also require a careful presentation. This is a fun time for anglers of all skill levels to take a walk along these hallowed waters, with lots of rising trout around most foiks can find something to fish to and practice their approach. Small bugs are the name of the game now: baetis 18-20, pseudos 18-22, and mahoganies 16-18 are all on the menu, so bring emerger, adult and spinner versions of each. Cloudy days will delay the hatch but will help increase its longevity and intensity. Sunny days will keep things sparse but game is there to be found for those who search it out. 

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

Decent fishing to be had down here, but a little foul weather will help liven things up and increase the intensity and duration of the hatch periods. It will also delay the bugs, on a cold and nasty day you might not see significant bugs until 2pm, so don’t give up early. Mornings are generally fished wet with streamers on floating lines, dry/dropping or fishing shallow nymph rigs. Water temps are cold and the river has good fishing opportunities throughout its length to its confluence with the South Fork. You are likely to begin to encounter spawning brown trout in some areas, be sure to give them the same respect you might expect in your own bedroom and let them do their thing, careful not to trample spawning beds (redds).

 

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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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