Learn more about the challenges facing the Henry's Fork in a dry year and how to better use your pale morning dun arsenal. Get your latest "Voice of the River" newsletter online. Read it now>>
Fifteen local kids experienced fly fishing on the Henry's Fork at the end of August thanks to eight incredible guides who donated a day to the kids as part of Youth on the Fly.
The anglers are recent fifth grade graduates from Ashton Elementary. They spent half of the school year raising trout of their own through HFF's the Trout in the Classroom program under the instruction of teacher Matt Lyon and HFF staff.
To make this happen, we needed the anglers who know the Fork the best-our local guides. Thanks to three local outfitters--Three River's Ranch, Henry's Fork Anglers, and TroutHunter--15 kids ended the day with 119 fish (mostly wild trout) caught on the fly, on the Warm River to Ashton section of the Henry's Fork.
One participant, KJ Lee and his guide Logan Martindale (who grew up in Ashton himself), landed a 22-inch brown trout. Find us on Facebook to see all the photos from this terrific day!
At the end of the day 15 kids caught a total of 119 fish! In the photo above, the Youth on the Fly participants show the number of fish they caught during their memorable day.
Last Chance to Meet Your Trout
You can still help us make history with the first study devoted exclusively to discovering how wild trout use habitat in the legendary Ranch section of the Henry's Fork. You can help us take this multi-year investigation through to the finish line by sponsoring a radio-tagged trout by October 18, 2013.
With this habitat-use study underway, we'll have a better idea what river conditions wild rainbow trout seek and what we can possibly do to make the stretch through Harriman even better. This project is part of long-term commitment to the health of the Henry's Fork. For a gift, we'll send you a photo of the fish you sponsored and a map with a summary report showing where your trout spent the angling season.
River Flow Outlook Improves With Late-Summer Rain
Late-summer rain and careful water management have improved the reservoir storage and winter flow outlook for the Henry's Fork. At the end of late June, we anticipated Island Park Reservoir to stand at 11 percent of capacity, but as of September 10, we predict that 24 percent will remain in the reservoir at the end of irrigation season, a much better situation.
The Island Park Drought Management Planning Committee currently plans to reduce flow from Island Park Reservoir by the end of September in order to store water, then increase flows during the critical mid-winter period in order to protect young wild trout.
Lower than usual flows from the reservoir this fall haven't increased sediment in the river downstream by much. HFF and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation have been monitoring sediment concentration and turbidity in the river above and below the reservoir since mid-August. Turbidity downstream of the dam has remained very low and only slightly higher than that measured upstream of the reservoir. To put that in perspective: sediment movement downstream of the dam has averaged around 9 tons per day, compared with 3,000 tons per day during September of 1992 when the reservoir reached its lowest level on record. Check river flows>>
About HFF
The Henry's Fork Foundation is the only organization whose sole purpose is to conserve, protect, and restore the unique wild fisheries, wildlife, and aesthetic qualities of the Henry's Fork of the Snake River. Learn more>>
