Greetings all! Short and sweet this go-round. It’s been hot and mostly dry the last week or so, but today (Tuesday) we are only topping out at about 75 — some much-welcome relief, but it’s looking like the heat moves back in just in time for the weekend. We do not have any fishing restrictions on the Henry’s Fork right now, but please take care to quickly land fish and ensure they’re good to go before releasing them. Flows out of IP Reservoir have dropped considerably this week, so it’s much easier to get around. Island Park Reservoir is at 41% full. Water clarity and oxygen levels remain good, but the weeds are starting to come in pretty thick. Fishing has been hit-or-miss throughout the Ranch, but some of the other stretches and local waters have remained good. Regardless of where your adventures take you, get out there early, folks; things are dying down around lunchtime.
Box Canyon (1020 cfs): The old Box Canyon remains a solid bet for angling. We’re still seeing some surface activity with Golden Stones throughout the canyon and some Gray Drakes. As always, the better fishing remains subsurface with the usual array of small Perdigons, PTs, Zebra Midges, Mic Drops, Frenchies, etc. We have been moving some fish with streamers as well. Walking access is a bit easier now with the lower flows, but be careful.
Last Chance – Harriman State Park: Rinse and repeat here, folks. Behind the shop and the upper Ranch have been tough. We’re just not seeing much insect activity here. I haven’t made a cast out back in a couple of weeks despite the daily ritual cruising to and from work. Your best bet for rising fish continues to be the middle of the Ranch and below Osborne Bridge. Mormon Crickets are still around, offering some decent afternoon activity. We are seeing Caddis, PMDs, Gray Drake spinners, Tricos, and Callibaetis. As always have the entire insect cycle at your disposal. It’s Terrestrial time region-wide now: have a variety of Ants, Beetles, and Hoppers. We have not seen or heard of any Honey Ants quite yet, but my guess is we will soon enough. Your best bet is to be on the water early, like 8ish, and then again the last hour before dark.
Warm River to Ashton and the Lower River (1600 @ Ashton, 1140 @ St Anthony): WR to A has been pretty good the last week or two. Guides are running Hoppers and Chubbies with a variety of beadhead droppers, or just straight nymph rigs under an indicator. Below Ashton is not your best option right now as water temperatures are on the rise. Fish early if you must with Hoppers and other Terrestrial patterns. Please make sure to take your time reviving landed fish.
Madison River (1200 cfs @ Hebgen, 1300 @ Kirby): The upper Madison is still fishing pretty well. Expect lulls during the heat of the day, but fish are looking up for PMDs, Caddis, and Terrestrials. I wouldn’t be afraid to run a hopper-dropper setup as well.
Yellowstone National Park: The park remains a solid option for anglers looking to hike and get off the beaten track a bit. The Madison, Gibbon, and Firehole are closed to fishing until cooler water temperatures this Fall. The rest of the Park is on “Hoot Owl” restrictions, so no fishing after 2 pm park-wide. I had a decent day on the upper Yellowstone last week, but the Green Drake spinnerfall was pretty short-lived. The shop boys have had fair to decent luck on the upper Gallatin and Slough Creek. Have Green Drake and Green Drake Spinners, Golden Stones, Yellow Sallies, Caddis, PMDs, and a variety of Terrestrials and small attractor patterns if you’re heading into Yellowstone. It might be worth a peek at Yellowstone Lake as well to see if you can find fish sipping Callibaetis.
Henry’s Lake: The fish are on the creeks and springs. Slow-stripping Leeches, Renegades, PTs, Scuds, and Damsel Nymphs should do the trick, or you can certainly try bobbing Chironomids under an indicator.
Hebgen Lake: The gulpers are still doing their thing most mornings until the wind kicks up — have your Callibaetis Duns and Spinners. You can certainly run dry-dropper rigs as well. We’ve been spending quite a bit of time on Hebgen; about as fun as it gets…
Stop in and say hi and get the latest updates. We’re here from 7am – 6pm every day. Lastly, we are super excited to have Texas Music legend Willis Alan Ramsey stopping in for an intimate concert here at TroutHunter on August 12th at 7pm. We only have a handful of tickets left — this is a can’t-miss opportunity to see some great music!
Leave a Reply