The History
Mike and Sheralee Lawson were both born and raised in the Henry’s Fork valley where their respective families have lived for four generations. Both graduated from Sugar Salem High School in Sugar City Idaho. Mike lived in a railroad depot where his father worked for the Union Pacific Railroad. Sheralee grew up on a potato farm. After high school they both attended Ricks Junior College in nearby Rexburg. Later they both graduated from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. They were not high school sweethearts and didn’t date until Mike’s senior year in college. After college Mike took a teaching job at South Fremont Junior High in Saint Anthony where he taught industrial arts.
Mike was a survey crew chief for the Targhee National Forest during his college years where he spent the summers in Island Park close to the Henry’s Fork. After Mike and Sheralee married they started a small fly tying business to supplement Mike’s meager teaching salary. Most of their flies went to Cal Gates’ shop on the Au Sable River near Grayling, MI. They also tied flies for Pat Barnes in West Yellowstone and Will Godfrey in Island Park. In 1973 Mike started guiding for Jim Danskin in West Yellowstone where he guided on the Madison River in Montana, the waters of Yellowstone Park and the Henry’s Fork.
Early in 1976, at the urging of Sheralee’s father, Frank Rydalch, they decided to open a fly fishing business in Last Chance near the Henry’s Fork. Frank secured the property and constructed a log fly shop with the help of his hired farmhand and a local contractor. Henry’s Fork Anglers was officially incorporated in the autumn of 1976 and the doors opened for business the following spring. Sheralee and Mike first leased and later purchased the building from Frank.
Mike stayed in the shop and Sheralee helped along with the full time job of being a mother to their then two young children Shaun and Jeanette. The back room served as a kitchen with a tub in the bathroom. After their third child, Chris, joined the family in 1979 they remodeled the upstairs into an apartment where they lived during the summer. When school started Sheralee packed up everything and moved back to their home in Saint Anthony. Mike followed after the fishing season was over.
Almost all of the store fixtures were purchased from a local sporting goods store that went out of business including a large hand-crank cash register. Mike built a round oak table that was used in the corner of the shop for meals, fly tying and paper work. The table still serves as a merchandising fixture in the shop today! The set of double glass doors in the front of the building came from a church in Rexburg that had been destroyed by the flood from the Teton Dam in June 1976. The office desk, file cabinet, and several other pieces of furniture were also salvaged from the flood.
The sign was purchased second hand from a business across the street known as the A-Bar. The original sign was in the shape of a Saguaro Cactus (which could have contributed to the business going bankrupt). The sign was refurbished with bright red letters and a generic fly. Later the sign was refaced again with local rock from Island Park and a No-Hackle fly logo. The old building was eventually replaced by a spacious log structure in 2006. The old sign was repainted but still stands today in its original location. The double glass doors, covered with faded stickers and logos from almost thirty years gone past, stand upstairs against the wall as a token of remembrance.
In 1999 an offer came from Mark Rockefeller to purchase Henry’s Fork Anglers. Mike and Sheralee were very reluctant at first. The business wasn’t for sale. This changed after they learned more about Mark and realized his highest priority was for Mike and Sheralee to continue to manage the business as they had always done. His love for the river, the fishery and the magnificent resources of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem was a perfect fit. He has honored his commitment to keep the rich heritage and legacy of Henry’s Fork Anglers.
Over 100 men and women have worked as guides and shop employees since the shop opened in 1977. Many of them worked while attending college before moving on with their careers. Several have remained in the fly fishing industry. There are doctors, lawyers, engineers, business managers, biologists, accountants, a veterinarian, and other professionals who supported their education preparing for their respective careers.
The guide staff in 1977 included Jerry Seim, rod designer for Sage and Jim Vermillion who now designs and manufactures Lamson Reels. Mike filled in when there was need for an extra guide. He has always loved to work on the river with his guides and the customers but he has always tried to put the shop first. He felt it was important to be available whenever the phone rang or a customer walked into the shop.
Several of the “old guard” remain from the early years. Bob Lamm began guiding for Henry’s Fork Anglers In 1978. Curt Barker started in 1979 followed by Dom Traverso, Smitty, and Tom Grimes. The blend of 140 plus years of experience among these five veterans has always provided an example for the younger guides to follow.
The Lawson children helped out as soon as they were old enough to stand behind the counter. Shaun and Chris got behind the oars as soon as they were old enough to obtain their guide licenses. As a teenager Jeanette worked at Pond’s Lodge and then at the Henry’s Fork Lodge until she graduated from Idaho State University and moved to Boise. Mike’s brother Rick worked as a fishing guide from 1978 until he became a certified public accountant ten years later.
Today the family tradition continues with Beau, Shaun’s oldest son, who has worked in the shop since 2010. Shaun became an outfitter to manage South Fork Outfitters near Swan Valley after finishing college where he played football for Idaho State University. Later he left to pursue his guiding passion. He currently lives in Livingston, Montana where he guides on the Yellowstone, Madison, Missouri and surrounding waters. He comes back to Henry’s Fork Anglers to help out during the busy season in June and early July. Chris graduated from BYU-Idaho with a degree in Recreational Leadership and Business Management. After an apprenticeship as a guide, shop employee, and as an assistant manager, he became the manager of the business in 2010.
Now there are three generations of the Lawson family working behind the counter at Henry’s Fork Anglers. Shortly after getting married Mike told his new bride that his dream was to make a living in the fly fishing business on the river that he loves. Today he continues to live his dream.
