There are a million wonderful reasons to live where I do. Entirely too many reasons to list here, so I am going to stick to the one that’s near and dear to my heart: fishing! I feel like I have evolved as a fisherman to the point where it’s not about how many fish I can catch or how big. Now it’s as simple as just enjoying a walk down to river. The days of running down to the river and wrecking shop are behind me. We all know what Mr. Robert Traver has to say on the matter and I agree with him almost 100%, the only thing I would change is that “I fish because some day I hope a mermaid catches me!”
The one thing that always amazes me is the diversity of the bug life here and on all of our area waters. I love bugs, always have. In my mind they are perfect. It’s a bold statement, I know, but take a close look at any mayfly and tell me how I am wrong. Everybody has their favorite and mine is the Flav. For a lot of folks when they think of fly fishing for trout, the first bug that comes to mind is the salmon fly. When the salmon flies show up, the people show up. These big beautiful insects seem to always be the unofficial kick off to the fishing season. The question “why?” has always puzzled me because we have stellar fishing on most of our area waters well before the salmon flies arrive. Blue wing olives, march browns and caddis are a few that come to mind.
At Henry’s Fork Anglers, we are licensed in Idaho to guide on the Teton, the Henrys Fork and the South Fork of the Snake. We can also take you to the Madison or Yellowstone Park. We are also prepared to provide you the most current fishing information on these and any other waters in our area if you contact us or visit our shop in the event that you are not utilizing our guide services. There are some great advantages being able to fish this much water. The first that comes to mind is the diversity of all these rivers. Each one is unique with its own personality—the different hatches being one of the most distinct features.
Did you know that if you can’t make it to the Henrys Fork in May for the fabled salmon fly hatch that you have at least three more chances to see the big bugs? That’s right! Three more chances! If water conditions are right you can plan on seeing the big bugs on the South Fork of the Snake mid-June to early July. If you can’t get to the South Fork then, look at the top end of the Teton later in June. Can’t get here still? No worries, you can still fish the big bugs on the Madison in July. If the Madison is not going to work then guess what, you will find both golden stones and salmon flies on the Yellow Stone River in the park on the opener
July 15th. I use the salmon flies as an example, but the same hold true with all of our hatches. People from all over the planet flock to Harriman to fish the green drakes. It’s an exciting time for sure. My favorite part of the ranch opening is meeting new people from different places. One thing folks don’t consider, however, is that we have green drakes on the Henrys fork in June, the South Fork in July and all the way until early October on Slough Creek in the park.
These are just a few examples of the diverse insect life and hatches in our area. Honestly I could write multiple pages about all the different hatches. I haven’t even touched the grey drakes or caddis or the multitude of may flies that we see in our area. You can expect detailed information on current hatches and where they’re happening on our weekly fishing reports. The advantage for you is that when you come into the shop as a guide client you can rest assured we will find water that will meet your expectations. Our guide staff has intimate knowledge of all these different waters and will work hard to find what will be productive for your trip. If you are in the area and are looking for advice on what is happing on these area waters, we will give you honest information. All of our staff at Henrys Fork Anglers fish whenever they can. By that I mean when these guys are not in the shop, they are spread out all over our area doing exactly that: fishing! I always look forward to the reports I receive from these guys after they have had a few days off. This is one reason our weekly fishing reports are the most detailed and current in the region.
The phones have been ringing off the hook here, and we already have a few days that are completely booked. If you are wondering when the best time to be here is, my answer is simple. The best time to be here is when you can come!