The Adventures of Flybum - Part 4

Well the last time I blogged, we had just finished up a true deep wilderness fish chase and won! We didn't win big like we would have liked, but we still accomplished a few new species of trout.

After our exploration of parts of northern Idaho, it was time to hit some highly sought after water.....namely the Henry's Fork of the Snake in the northeast part of the state. Our plan was to get there mid morning after a short drive and pop into TroutHunter, one of the many fly shops that line the highway in Island Park. We had the opportunity to shoot the breeze with a couple of the employees and then decided to grab a bite to eat at there bar and grill knowing that in days past there wouldn't be a whole lot of options for eating after the evening hatches.

A VIEW OUT THE BACK WINDOW AT TROUTHUNTER...

YES THAT'S THE HENRY'S RIGHT OUT THE BACK DOOR!

We didn't get to spend much time on the Henry's, so what time we did have was spent fishing and not taking photos....unfortunately. However, Don did get this nice sunset photo of myself and Ben Barger fishing an evening hatch and spinner fall. Other than that, all we got was a little bit of video. You can look for that later in the blog.

PATRICK & BEN FISH THE EVENING HATCH AND SPINNER FALL

ON THE RANCH SECTION OF THE HENRYS FORK.

The day we had on the Henry's was way to short, due to some crazy circumstances. But we tried to make the most of the afternoon slowdown by finding some nearby mountain streams that held fish.

I don't know about you, but we enjoy small streams and small fish as much as we do the big ones. There is something about the allure and beauty of small streams and the fish that they hold. On this afternoon, we found another mountain jewel that held some beautiful little fish!

PATRICK READIES A FLY FOR THAT PERFECT PRESENTATION

In short order, I was on the water of this little stream. I found it to be narrow, but pleasantly cut into the floor of the mountain that it meandered in. Those nice deep cuts with undercut banks was picture perfect trout habitat. I knew that it was only a matter of time!

PATRICK PREPARES A CAST IN A TIGHT LIE...

Not long after I found the water, fish started coming to hand. They were feisty little guys for their size and were more than happy to put a bend in your rod. I was more than happy to let them too! This was the only stream that we fished that had a healthy population of Brook Trout. At most locations, these fish were found in a stream no more than three to four feet wide. The amazing thing was the spinner fall we witnessed late in the day! It was mind boggling to see the vast numbers of mayflies dancing above the waters surface.

PATRICK HOOKS UP ON A NICE IDAHO BROOKIE

We fished for an hour or two seeing what we could find and it turned out being just enough fish for an afternoon's entertainment. The scenery was great, the fish beautiful, and the camaraderie was second to none. All in all, it was another great adventure in the midst of our explorations of Idaho and the surrounding areas.

PATRICK POSES WITH A NICE SMALL STREAM BROOK TROUT

AN UP CLOSE SHOT OF THE COLORATION ON THESE

SMALL STREAM BEAUTIES!

Earlier in the blog, I told you we didn't take many photos of our time on the Henry's Fork, but did shoot some limited video. So that we didn't miss highlighting this awesome fishery, I decided to break out a little video....trust me, I wanted to see it worse than you!

At any rate, I hope that you enjoy this simple video highlight from the few hours we spent on the river.

Next time, we will jump up to Yellowstone National Park and the Madison and Firehole Rivers. Truly a stunning area of our country.

Until then....

Patrick "Flybum" Robinson

Head Guide

Steelhead Alley Outfitters