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Henry's Fork Area Fishing Report
Last updated: October 6, 2009
By: Chris Lawson
Upper Henry’s Fork - Box Canyon:
Flows in the Box Canyon have dropped significantly over the past week, and currently hold at 325 cfs. This is good news for those wanting to walk and wade this stretch of the river. In the Fall the fish will pool up in the deeper water. This time of year you can wade to them. The fishing is very good. Size 18 and 20 tungsten bead head nymphs (zebras, pheasant tails and soft hackles) are the staple flies. Streamer fishing under the Dam is also effective in the evenings.
Upper Henry’s Fork - Harriman State Park and Last Chance:
With the recent cold snap, the fishing has turned on here. We have had some blanket Baetis hatches in the afternoon. The fish are very selective, but can be caught. We have seen the best fishing in years on this stretch of water. Try baetis emergers, no hackles, thorax duns, tilt wings, parachutes, and etc in sizes 18-22. Make sure to have a good variety of flies to try here as the fish may test your patience. You may still get a fish to take a hopper, ant or beetle.
Middle Henry’s Fork - Riverside Campground to Warm River:
This is a beautiful stretch to fish, especially if you’re up for a little hiking and some beautiful scenery. Use the famous hopper dropper technique. If planning on visiting this stretch of water, bring a fly box with several different hopper patterns as well as a number of bead head nymphs to use as droppers. You can also get fish to attach streamers in the afternoon.
Middle Henry’s Fork - Warm River to Ashton:
If you are looking for a big Brown trout on a streamer, this is a good section to try. The Browns are staging to spawn and are very aggressive. Use olive and copper zonkers, sculpins, and big wooly buggers. You can also try hopper dropper and straight nymphing here. We have seen some October caddis here as well.
Lower Henry’s Fork - Ashton Dam to Saint Anthony:
With the recent cold snap the fishing has really turned on here. Just like in Harriman Park, we have seen some excellent Baetis hatches. The best fishing is in the afternoon hours, but the big fish are rising here. You can also get fish on Streamers and nymphs here as well.
Lower Henry’s Fork - St. Anthony to the Confluence:
Just like in the Warm River stretch streamers are pulling out some great Brown trout. The access here is difficult because of private land, but you can still access the river in several places around St. Anthony. The baetis are hatching here as well, but the biggest fish have been taken on Streamers.
Henry's Fork Tributaries:
Tributaries are really fishing well with the arrival the cool fall weather. If you are planning to visit the Fall River or Warm River, bring a number of small attractor flies as well as terrestrials. The Teton can be hard to access, but very rewarding with lazy cutthroats rising to chernobyl style dry flies. Streamers work well too.
The Madison River:
Steamer fishing has been very good here. We have had good reports using small nymphs around the Slide Inn area. You can find fish rising on Baetis in the afternoons. The float section has been good with nymphs, streamers, and still some terrestials. Look in the side channels for fish rising on Baetis.
Area Lakes:
Great reports from anglers fishing Henry’s Lake. Brook trout are migrating to the North shore. Get out early. Scuds have been working great, as well as a variety of wooly buggers ( olive, brown, halloween, and black). The Bill Schiss mity mouse and californial leech have been working as well.
South Fork of the Snake
Very good fishing since the cold spell. Beatis have been hatching up and down the river in the afternoon. The fish will be rising in the flats below the riffles. The streamer fishing is also very good now. The browns have been holding in the soft water. They will start staging to spawn in the next few weeks. They are very aggressive though. You can also still get fish to come up to hopper patterns in the afternoon.
Yellowstone Park
The fishing has kicked on in the Firehole. Good Baetis hatches with lots of rising fish. The Madison just inside the Park has been good on streamers. The browns are moving up the river out of Hebgen Lake. The Lamar, Slough Creek, and Yellowstone will be fishing very good as well. Now is the time to hit the Park. You won't see near the crowds this time of year.
For more detailed information, please refer to our Hatch Chart. This is by far the most comprehensive hatch chart in the entire Yellowstone Region. Make sure to check out the hatch chart behind the aquarium in our shop.
