Giant stoneflies are hatching on much of the Henry’s Fork. We noticed them coming out two days ago on June 1st. Fishing is just getting good on the lower sections as the bugs are making their way to dry land. Yesterday dry flies worked better than stonefly nymphs or other nymph patterns. We have seen some very big fish out looking for the bugs.
Give us a call to get out on the water and try your shot at a big beast.
The Idaho Fish and Game has recently published a report of the Teton River from a 2010 study. The department interviewed fishermen along the river. These anglers were asked to identify the trout species in the river, their catch rates and what fish were harvested.
Fish identification quizzes on the river’s bank indicated most anglers could identify trout species present in the Teton River. Rainbow trout were most accurately identified with 98% of the anglers correctly identifying them followed by Yellowstone cutthroat trout (94%), brown trout (81%), and brook trout (80%).
Angler catch rates were just shy of one fish per hour, and caught an estimated 53,761 fish. Catch was comprised of Yellow-stone cutthroat trout (40%), rainbow trout (22%), brook trout (27%), and mountain whitefish (11%).
Total harvest was low, at 1,183 trout – 98% of captured trout were released. Although closed to harvest, a small portion of the fish observed in anglers creel was cutthroat trout. Based on observations, 6% of harvested fish were cutthroat trout, 50% were rainbow trout, and 44% were brook trout.
Anglers spent nearly 57,000 hours fishing the Teton River in 2010. This is light fishing pressure compared to the neighboring South Fork which had over 233,000 angler hours in 2005. Over 80% of anglers were fly fishing, while 11% were bait fishing and 7% were fishing with lures. Anglers were most often fishing from a boat (71% of the anglers) instead of wading or fishing from the bank (29% of anglers), and most Teton River anglers were Idaho residents (60%).
Read more and download the recent IDFG report:
Upper Snake Region Annual Fisheries Report Activities and Accomplishments
There are north flowing rivers in the United States. Two rivers that flow north in the United States are the Teton and the Snake rivers in Idaho. When we think of rivers in the northern hemisphere, we assume they all flow south. It makes sense, to us south is down.
The lowest point in Idaho is the Snake River at 710 ft. This is right near the town of Lewiston. The Snake River in Idaho is made up of the Henry’s Fork and the South Fork of the Snake which meet up outside of Idaho Falls. The elevation of Idaho Falls is 4744 ft. The beginning of the Snake in Wyoming which makes the South Fork is at about 7400 ft. The Henry’s Fork begins at 6398 ft.
As the Snake makes its way from Idaho Falls it travels a bit south and then the river flows west across the entire state of Idaho. Outside of Twin Falls the river begins to turn to the north west. West of Boise, the capital of Idaho, the Snake makes a sharp turn and makes its way north up through Hells Canyon and onto Lewiston. The Snake then makes its way west into Washington where it joins the Columbia River. The river then makes its way west to the coast of Oregon.
Image from Wikipedia
The Teton River begins in Teton Valley Idaho. While much smaller than the Snake River, it does flow north for nearly half of its length. This river is a spring creek that is formed by many many springs at the south end of Teton Valley. Near the confluence of Fox Creek the Teton is formed. Generally the river begins at the White Bridge. The Teton river makes its way through the valley being fed by smaller streams. When the Teton river reaches Bitch Creek, it turns sharply to the West and makes its way to the Henry’s Fork near Rexburg Idaho.
Have you got some other rivers to add to the list? Comment below.
It’s been a long winter. If you have been lucky enough to get out and do some fly-fishing, it probably wasn’t with a dry fly. Your shoulder is sore from casting that streamer rod and heavy sink-tip line. Every now and then, you notice a fish rise to a midge and you start to get excited about the first major insect emergence of the season, the Salmon Fly hatch, on the Henry’s Fork.
It starts to happen sometime in late May when the elk start migrating back to the high country and the bears are waking up from a long winter slumber. Most of the snow is gone by now and the runoff is in full swing in just about every other river in the area. The Henry’s Fork is clearing up but still running high as those big, black nymphs start crawling for the bank. The water temperature is finally at the magical fifty-two degrees. The hatch begins down low in the river system and migrates up river as conditions allow. Some years the hatch moves miles a day and other years it stalls as a cold snap hits. You are reminded how the weather can change so quickly in the greater Yellowstone area.
One thing is for sure, if you have ever hit this hatch just right, it is something you will remember for a long time. You will be casting a dry fly the size of a sparrow as hard as you can against the bank. Big rainbows gorge themselves on the plentiful insects. In our terms this is like being on a veggie diet for six months and now you are faced with a steady supply of cheeseburgers delivered to you on a silver platter. The first time you see the aggressive strike, you set the hook as much out of self-defense as from the guide yelling “take ‘em”!
It seems like every creature in the area is excited about the hatch. The Western Tanager is just a yellow and red streak along the bank as he collects the adult flies drying out in the trees. The seagulls above are the best indication you are in the heart of the hatch as they pick off the adults flying about tree level. Occasionally, you come around the bend and glimpse a black bear along the bank also gorging on the easy meal. Even the bull moose, still in velvet, seems content just to relax in the open meadow.
It is hard to look up from all the excitement on the water. But if you need to give your arm a rest, take a look around. This is what you came here for, isn’t it?
I made a trip down to the boat ramp at Hatchery Ford while riding in Island Park. I couldn’t resist backing down the ramp. It won’t be long before we are down there looking for lunkers. I also made a trip along Railroad Ranch. There were some big boys feeding on the surface.
