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Here are some images of the fishing trip Tom and I did on the Ranch this July. I had the best fishing ever this year – there were plenty of fish around and lots of them were big.

The Henry’s Fork has had its problems over the years with reduced winter flows out of Island Park Reservoir, but they have sorted that out and the fishing has improved massively over the years.

The two largest fish I landed were both 19”. I landed numerous fish in the 14” to 16”range. I hooked two very large fish but lost them both in the weed. I’m guessing they would have gone 22” plus. The fly that I got them on was Rene Harrop’s Rusty Para Spinner.

We essentially only had about two and a half hours of fishing each day. The fish got going at around 9am and the fishing lasted to approximately 11.30am. The first insects to hatch were PMDs (about a #18) followed by a PMD and a Flav (Drunella flavilinea sometimes referred to as the lesser green drake)spinner fall.

The Flavs were about #16.  If anybody thinks trout are non-selective they just need to hit the Ranch for a day and all those ideas will evaporate! These fish are as tough as they get anywhere in the world. Probably THE toughest.

The problem with the big fish was that they bolted downstream and then it was a case of trying to work them back against what are surprisingly strong currents. All hooks have to be barbless so once a fish gets you into the weed there is a strong chance they will unbutton themselves and you’re just left attached to a clump of weed.

Once the spinner fall finished around 11.30 that was it for the rest of the day on the Ranch. There was supposed to be a Flav hatch starting at 3:00 pm, but that never materialised.

What Tom and I should have done was head south to St. Anthony where the river is freestone in nature and braided and you don’t have to rely on hatches meaning you can blind-fish the water.

Every section of the Ranch water is named. You have names such as Millionaire’s, The Islands, The Bonefish Flats, Puyan’s Point (after Andy Puyans), The Hopper Bank, Whorehouse Pool and many others.  

 Tom Lewin fishingThe Hog Wallow.

Tom overlooking The Islands with The Hog Wallow on the left and The Bonefish Flats to the right.