Henry's Fork Trip

A few weeks ago I took an epic Henry's Fork trip with some good buddies and one very special friend visiting, Evan Schwanfelder.  Schwanny's a pal I used to work with in the fly shop and has since moved back to the NE where he is largely considered one of the greatest fisherman/singer-songwriter/pimp to ever be in the game.

This freaking monster ate a hairy, olive bugger in the canyon.

I had parlayed a SF canyon trip (video on that coming later...) on Friday into an all weekend Henry's bash with some of my old fly shop friends including Jeff Currier, Granny, Josh Gallivan, Neil Chamberlain, Kyle Somers and, of course, Schwanny.  After having an absolutely killer day on the South Fork with big Pat Harrington and Dave Smith, I parted ways and headed up to Last Chance to meet up with my boys.  The beer flowed, well, like wine and we partied all night at the Trout Hunter until they gave us the boot.

Party at the Trout Hunter

We fished the Ranch section all the following day after an amazing Trout Hunter breakfast.  The fishing on the Ranch is always a challenge and this day was no different, but for a situation I rarely find my self in...too many insects.  The Baetis at one point were so thick I couldn't find my fly or even detect a strike to save my life.  It was incredible.  Such a dense hatch and so many fish rising was really a sight to see.  We all eventually caught some nice fish and returned to the Trout Hunter for round two that evening.

The next morning Neil and I parted ways from the group and headed south to float the lower Henry's for a couple of days.  Sunday on the lower was some of the best streamer fishing I've ever had.  Neil blasted the Sirius radio and we caught up on all of our NFL games whilst we laid waste to burly browns and enjoyed cigars on stream.  It was a great day.

Neil's really colorful brown.

After much debate and confusion, we finally found a bar (the only bar) in Ashton and sat down to watch the Sunday night game.  If you ever find yourself in Ashton, ID and are thirsty, Ott's Place is it, literally.  We met some great people that night and I will definitely be back for a re-visit.

Another nice brown on the Henry's.

The next day proved to be another great one; nice fish and plenty of strikes in the afternoon after a fairly slow morning so I couldn't complain.  We fished hard and caught some bruisers until the sun was nearing the horizon and then finally headed back home.

This was an awesome trip with some great friends and yet again reinstates my passion for fall fishing, not even just because the fishing is so on, but because it's great to fish with a group that is all out of work, enjoying the offseason, with a hankering to cut loose and get out on the river.

America.

I'm always amazed by the vastness of this part of the world and love the country and the people that make it their home.

More to come soon!

Bass Tourney

While spring run-off surges past the solstice and officially into summer, I'm left realizing that this time of year (and the alternate autumn off season) are the main times I fish.  Guiding season is of course the same as prime summer fishing months and I rarely get to fish much during that time.  What is great about fishing primarily in the spring/early summer and fall is the fact that you become creative with the limited time you get to spend on the water.  Personally, fall, while colder and unpredictable, is my favorite time to fish: Less people, low water, hungry fish, good hatches, oh, and nothing but time.  

The inaugural Bass Tournament 

Now, however, in what seems like a "pre-pubescent" summer, it's time to get creative and fish some clear water....somewhere.  The carp tourney was a blast, lake fishing is on, so what to do?  Head up to Ririe Lake outside of Idaho Falls for the 4th annul Bass on the Fly tournament.  This time of year, again, is mostly slow trout fishing and luckily for the competitive angler there is a multitude of solid fly fishing tournaments to distract. 

First Bass Tourney teams

Ririe Lake is loaded with smallmouth bass as well as some healthy cutthroat and kokanee salmon, so it's the perfect locale to forget how bad our rivers look right now.  Its a great time to fish due to limited options on streams as well as the fact that come those prime summer months, ski boats pretty much ruin the fishing on the Lake.  Smallies in Ririe range anywhere from very small to upwards of 2-3lbs; nice size for smallmouth.  The past few years I've always competed in the event with team mate Jeff Currier and his wife Granny.  In the first year of the tournament we bagged 3rd place and again in the fall tournament we finished 3rd.  We were both hungry for a better podium as well as some cash prize to cover our travel and entry expenses.  The tourney is always fun as hell and bass are a kick in the pants, plus Currier and I love the challenge.  The Bass tourney couldn't have come at a better time.  

We headed out June 18th at 5:45 from Victor to go straight to the Lake for check in.  This year without the backing from WY BASS, we had to improvise.  Boots Allen came in huge, and as far as I know, organized most of the event.  Thanks so much for hooking it up Boots!  With a max of 5 fish over 12 inches to qualify, the heaviest total weight would take first place.  With a big fish category thrown in the mix, it was gonna be a fun day.   With aerators cranking in live wells (catch and release), motors firing up, and stoke high for this years tourney, the familiar faces took off from the dock around 8am to hit everyones favorite holes.

Currier and I hit some of our better known spots on our long motor up to our main honey hole and secured 2 fish at 12 inches right off the bat.  We were pumped and on the board.  The fishing was slow at first yet soon we began to get into them.  A sloooooow strip on a sinking line rigged with double clousers proved effective.  Our hole was reliable as always and we quickly were replacing our first fish with our new hogs.  Just before noon I hooked the biggest bass I've ever caught on Ririe that later weighed in at 1.7 lbs!!!  Currier and I were both fired up as always and knew we were in contention.  As the fishing continued to slow in the afternoon, the beer consumption didn't and we ended up happy to hopefully have our heftiest catch yet on the lake.

We motored back to the 4:00 weigh in very pleased with our catch for the day.  As it turns out after official weigh in, we scored 2nd place and I missed the biggest fish by 0.7lbs!!  We were so pumped and the cash prize didn't hurt either.  Yet another bass tournament for the books, and this one was just as fun as the last.  Thanks to everyone who continues to support the Smallmouth Tourney and show up consistently every year and thanks agian to Boots for getting it organized!!!

Although this years tourney was done, the fishing was not:  we all convoyed up to Island Park for the Henry's Fork Ranch opener the following day!!