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​Get ready. The Salmonfly hatch is just around the corner.

Choosing the Perfect Flies for Your Fly Fishing Adventures

One of the most exhilarating aspects of fly fishing is the art of selecting the perfect fly to entice those elusive trout…

Welcome back to the excitement of another fly fishing season! As the weather warms and nature awakens, it’s time to dust off those rods, buy some new flies, and prepare for memorable days on the water.

Some thoughts to consider.

I expect the 2024 season to be better than we’ve seen in the past several years.

Today I got one of those notices on Google Photos of a photo that was taken 5 years ago on this date. This photo is my window screen covered with Gray Drake spinners on June 9, 2018.

A good snowpack and a late spring should provide great fishing.

​2022 was a very tough season on the ranch. What can be done to bring it back?

2022 wasn’t the best year but it was OK. Fortunately there is so much water with so many opportunities you can usually find good fishing somewhere.

All I can say is Wow! Here are how things stand with the big flood of 2022.

Salmonflies - Ready, Set, Go!

​We’re a long way from out of the woods but our water situation for the upcoming season has improved.

Spring is here. Midges are here. BWOs are on the way.

If you want to get away from the crowds? The Henry’s Fork canyon offers 20 miles of some of the most picturesque water on the planet.

​We need more snow and a cool, wet spring.

In my last blog I wrote in detail about my first guide trip that could have been my last. There’s more to the story.

​This blog relates the story of my very first guide trip. It was on the Madison River and it was pretty interesting.

​We’re excited to be a part of the Anglers Academy to be held at Elk Creek Ranch on August 6 - 11, 2022

I know that Veteran’s Day is set aside to honor all veterans, living and dead, but today I want to focus on a few of my heroes who I’ve known through fly fishing. Some are famous; some not so famous.

Our dry spring and low snowpack will pose some challenges for this season.

Our phone is ringing with inquiries about our salmonfly hatch. While this big stonefly grabs most of the attention there are some other important aquatic insects that deserve consideration.

When fishing is good, it gets crowded.

2020 brought more fishing pressure on our local waters. Here are some of our thoughts.

​We have enough information to know we will have great fishing this year.

2020 turned out to be far better than expected.

This past year was nuts but there is a lot to be grateful for.

​We’re off to a great start. Here’s a look at what’s ahead for the 2020 season.

​The salmonfly hatch is on and the river is crowded. Don’t blame it on guides.

We’re looking forward to a very buggy season!

​It’s time to start thinking about big trout and salmonflies.

​I’m looking forward to writing blogs about fishing instead of the effects of COVID-19 on fishing.

​It’s time to hunker down and to try to stay out of harm’s way.

​Our retail store is officially closed for the next 21 days unless otherwise noted.

​It’s time to hunker down. Hang in there. Fishing can get us through.

​With the entire world in turmoil thankfully we can still go fishing.

There’s too much information to cover the entire 2020 season in one blog so I’ve split it into 2 parts.

2019 was a year to remember. We expect the year ahead to be as good or better.

​The Fly of the Month will be the beetle. This is a must have pattern for anyone pursuing trout.

Before I started this, I decided to look at the last blog I wrote. I’m terribly embarrassed to say that it was published on June 17^th.

In fly fishing, a “drake” is a large mayfly, usually size 12 or larger. The Henry’s Fork is known for its many small mayflies but there are three, or maybe four that qualify as drakes.

​This month we will be featuring Sawyers Pheasant Tail.

Winter has been big but things are about to change. Here’s some of our thoughts about the upcoming fishing season.

We are excited to get the the fly of the month going again. This year we are going to focus on Mike Lawson’s deadly Dozen.

So, let’s talk about guides. Let’s talk about respect. Respect for those who have paid their dues, respect for the resource, respect for clients and customers, respect for the non-guided public, respect for peers and most of all self-respect.

Changes are in the wind for Montana’s busiest trout stream.

2018 was a great year but as I look back I can’t help but think of what I could have done. Maybe this year will be different.

With rivers like the Henry’s Fork, Madison, Teton, South Fork, Henry’s Lake, Hebgen Lake and more, every season is great. Read on to see what was special about this year.

It’s hopper time and this year is shaping up to be one of the best in decades.

The foundation of our legacy encompasses the many individuals who have had great influence on us over the past 40+ years. It all started with Joe Brooks.

​Henry’s Fork Anglers has partnered with Yellow Dog Fly fishing Adventures to offer a number of exciting hosted trips. We promise to do everything in our power to ensure your trip meets or exceeds your expectations.

If you fish with them you likely think guides are great. If not you might not be very fond of them. Here are some facts and some thoughts about fly fishing guides.

I’d like winter in Idaho if it wasn’t so long. One way to shorten it is to get away for a few weeks. New Zealand is a great option. It’s a lot like here and their summer is during our winter.

​The waters of the Henry’s Fork and surrounding area may have the most diverse and intense aquatic insect activity of any trout region in the world.

The phones are ringing off the hook at Henry’s Fork Anglers. As the 2018 season approaches, we thought it would be a good idea to give you our outlook.

I’ve written two books. In each book I devoted an entire chapter on etiquette and acceptable behavior on our trout streams. Recently I put up a post on our Facebook page about this issue.

My last blog was so big I had to split it into 2 parts. It was personal mostly focusing on my own fishing in 2017. This blog provides a summary based on where our guides focused most of their efforts in 2017.

This is part 2 of my personal take on the 2017 fishing year. What a year it was.

​2017 was an awesome year for me. In fact putting it all together in a single blog was impossible so I’ve split it into two parts.

For me, without a doubt, the most important holiday of the year is Christmas. A time for us to celebrate the birth of Christ. It’s also a time when other friends celebrate the 8 days of Hanukkah which ends today.

​We looked to the 2017 fishing season with great anticipation and it didn’t disappoint. I want to share a few thoughts on how it has gone up to now.

The changes that almost always surround the September Solstice kick off some of the best fishing of the season

August is the time and the Henry’s Fork and surrounding waters are the place to hook a monster trout on a hopper.

Early July is a great time to look back at past forecasts and predictions that we made back in the depths of winter relative to what has actually happened. Let’s see how accurate our forecasts were.

Fishing has been great. The Henry’s Fork is a busy place. Let’s all do our part so that the fishing experience will be great for everyone.

I live for this! It’s Drake Time on the Henry’s Fork.

For as long as I can remember, Memorial Day weekend has ushered in the start of the fishing season. That has changed a little now that most of our waters are now open year-round but it is still synonymous with the beginning of the fishing season.

​There are literally hundreds of flies tied to imitate the giant Salmonflies of the west. You only need one - Mike Lawson’s Henry’s Fork Foam Stone.

The headlines in the local papers are warning of flooding on the Lower Henry’s Fork.What does that mean for the fishing on the Henry’s Fork? Pick your favorite word. Mine is AWESOME!!!

It’s the 1^st day in May and a very exciting time in East Idaho. We have talked about midges and also covered the first May fly hatch, the blue wing olives. We will feature two flies for the month of May. The first fly of the month will…

​As we come up on the season, there are some exciting things to keep in mind as we look forward to the upcoming season.

We have not had precipitation like this for a while and I am still a bit guarded but I think this summer is going to be one to remember. The outside temps have become bearable and with that insects have begun to stir a little. We’ve talked about…

My last two blogs have primarily been focused on the fishing on the Ranch last season. This time I want to focus on what we expect for our entire service area for the 2017 season.

Even though Mother Nature hasn’t been very friendly to the Henry’s Fork the past few years we are anticipating a better season than we experienced in 2016.

Since June of 2016 the Ranch has been a major topic of discussion both in print and by word of mouth. There has been a lot of opinion, information and disinformation in these discussions. With this in mind I’d like to toss in my two cents.

​We are excited to begin our fly of the month. Starting now and throughout the summer we will highlight a fly that we think the trout in our area are keying on. This month we have selected the Midge.

If you browse through our website you’ll see that our marketing and promotional efforts are focused heavily on our spring fishing. There are two reasons for this.

​I’ve been visiting New Zealand off and on over the past 35 years. It has definitely changed but it is still a wonderful place to get out of the cold Idaho winter. It’s summer in New Zealand.

​A look ahead of the coming months on the Henry’s Fork and surrounding waters. Spring time truly is one of my favorite times to be fishing in our area. Watching things go from gray to green and feeling the sun on my face. Most importantly catching…

​Andy Jenkins weighs in on some of the great early season opportunities in our area.

We’re a little past New Year’s Day but it is good to take a few minutes to reflect and anticipate. 2016 wasn’t what I’d call a banner year but at least I’m still walking on the ground.

We still say Merry Christmas around these parts. At this joyous time of year we wish all of our valued friends and customers the best of the holiday season.

​Henry’s Fork Anglers offers a year round opportunity with our retail store, guide service and our website and online store.

40 years we formally incorporated Henry’s Fork Anglers, Inc. Construction of our building, procuring store fixtures, planning and ordering inventory, and marketing were daunting tasks since we knew little of how to run a business.

​Trying to predict what fishing will be like a season 6 months beforehand is like trying to guess who will win the World Series in April. Fortunately all of the many great rivers, streams and lakes in the Henry’s Fork region really ups the odds.

​It’s hard to summarize the changes I’ve seen in a short blog because of the vast amount of world class trout water in our operating area over the last 40 years but I’ve given it my best shot.

The fishery has definitely changed over the past 40 years. This blog focuses on the Henry’s Fork. In Part 3 I’ll cover the other waters in our operating area. Overall I think the fishing is actually better today than 40 years ago in 1976.

​40 years is a long time. When I started my blog I thought I could cover all of the pertinent information but after getting rolling, I realize it isn’t working. I’ve decided to split the blog. Look for part two in my next blog.

​Opening day on the Yellowstone River in the park was busy but it was well worth the drive. The cutthroat trout are big, strong and healthy. It was a very memorable day.

​As we move into mid-summer one of the most important mayfly hatches is the Flav. You can get to know this sweet little bug better when you check out this blog.

​Opening day on the Ranch is one of the most festive occasions in all of fly fishing. There’s no place like it in the world!

The Teton Dam collapsed 40 years ago on June 5, 1976.

​Fishing has been great but things got a little crazy earlier this week.

Back in the day when I was young there wasn’t a Saturday in February or March that I didn’t saddle up and go fishing, no matter what the weather. I never gave much thought to the weather other than to bundle up more if it was cold. I’ll admit,…

We incorporated Henry’s Fork Anglers, Inc. as a subchapter S corporation in 1976. The original partners were Rene & Bonnie Harrop, Sheralee’s father Frank Rydalch and Sheralee and me. Frank also built the original building which was leased…

While there are some decent fishing days in December and January, the weather often isn’t up to my liking. It’s likely one of the things that go hand in hand with getting old. I’ve spent plenty of days breaking ice out of my guides but for the…

I spent most of last week out of town. We exhibited at the Western Idaho Fly Fishing Expo on Saturday and Sunday. From there I traveled to Spokane for a presentation to the Spokane Fly Fishers on Wednesday. In between Chris drove to Western Idaho with…

From all of us at Henry’s Fork Anglers we wish you all the very best of 2016. May it be the best year yet! If it can be as good as 2015 we’ll be happy as our customers and guests experienced some of the best fishing overall we’ve seen in quite…

We at Henry’s Fork Anglers typically have our busy season between May and October of each year. During these months a lot of things happen. I guess it would be similar to a farmer making things count while the sun is shining. After October I try…

Owners of the Oregon Short Line Railroad purchased the original Thurmon ranch/homestead in 1898. The official title of the property became the Island Park Land and Cattle Company. Because of the affiliation with the railroad, the ranch was nicknamed…

Moving into August is a good time to reflect on the season and look ahead to what we might expect moving forward. I must be honest, at the end of April I was very apprehensive about the upcoming season. I was anything but optimistic. Our snowpack had…

Near record heat in late June and early July really got the aquatic vegetation (macrophytes) growing in the Ranch. The hot weather also increased irrigation demand. Flows from Island Park Dam increased from around 1000 cfs when the Ranch opened on…