Year: 2018

  • End Days

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    by

    René Harrop
    in

    In any year, the days of November hold special meaning to a Rocky Mountain fly fisherman. From mid-month on, each day on the water is treated as though it is the last, because it could be. I enter the month with brown trout on the brain finding it nearly impossible to resist what is possibly…

  • The Quiet Season

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    by

    René Harrop
    in

    In a place where activity is dictated more by weather than the calendar, it was not extreme cold that brought the busy fishing season in Henry’s Fork country to a close. It was the absence of people that caused the TroutHunter Bar and Grill to close its door for the winter on October fifteen….

  • Report October 31, 2018

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    by

    Rick Smith
    in

    After weeks of frustration on my home water, the “Ranch” section of the Henry’s Fork, I was finally able to rid myself of that black cloud that was hanging over me. It happened about ten days ago when I suddenly found myself at the right place on the river at exactly the right time. On…

  • Report October 19, 2018

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    by

    Rick Smith
    in

    Twice over the past two weeks I have found myself driving over to the Firehole River in Yellowstone National Park to prove to myself there are still fish in the rivers around the area and that I can still catch one. It’s not that there are no fish in my home water, the Railroad Ranch…

  • Fall Discovered

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    by

    René Harrop
    in

    Through most of my memory the conclusion of the busy fishing season was as sudden and final as closing time in the local saloons. For decades the Labor Day holiday marked the end of visitor dominance on the Henry’s Fork and other waters in the Yellowstone region. For locals, September was the…

  • Report September 28, 2018

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    by

    Rick Smith
    in

    On Friday Doug Winnicky, Trouthunter fly shop manager, and I headed over to Yellowstone National Park in search of some small stream Brook trout fishing. Over the past couple of years Doug has been getting into fishing small streams with light line fiberglass fly rods. Originally from New…

  • Report September 14, 2018

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    by

    Rick Smith
    in

    Last post I reported that I left the area not in search of better fishing but cleaner air. This time I must confess that I abandoned the area in search of less demanding fishing. After a day of having my butt handed to me on a silver platter by some very selective, snooty Railroad Ranch…

  • The Hatches of August

    The Hatches of August

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    by

    René Harrop
    in

    It is not a stretch to call July the lost month for a significant portion of the Henry’s Fork. As in most years, the lower river fished as well as could be imagined with strong and reliable hatches through June. And as usual, this remarkable stretch faded into near dormancy around Independence…

  • Report September 1, 2018

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    by

    Rick Smith
    in

    I want to apologize for the tardiness of this report. We have been experiencing unsettled weather over the past week to ten days. I did not want to post a report until we had several days of consistent weather in a row. Over the past ten days we have had hot dry days accompanied by…

  • Report August 21, 2018

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    by

    Rick Smith
    in

    I did not have to leave the Henry’s Fork to find good fishing this past week but my wife wanted to go camping so we packed up our Tab trailer and drove east to Wyoming. There we camped for a couple of days along the Hoback River. Over the years we have developed a friendly…