Henry's Fork of the Snake · access
Eastern Idaho, United States · United States
- Osborne BridgeThe upper end of the Ranch. Count the cars: more than eight and walk downstream 20 minutes.
- Last Chance / Harriman State ParkThe middle of the Ranch. Park entrance fee applies; no wading in the park's spring channels.
- Ashton Reservoir tailraceWarmer, less technical water for an evening after the Ranch has been pounded.
Licence and rules
Licence and rules. Idaho sells resident and nonresident licences plus a three-day nonresident permit that suits a short trip. The Ranch section is private land fished under a public easement: stay below the high-water mark and use the marked stiles. A separate Idaho fishing licence is required for the South Fork and the Snake even on the same trip.
Season
A true twelve-month fishery; the famous hatches are mid-June to mid-July and again in September
Flow
380–1,300 cfs at Island Park Dam; the Ranch section rarely moves more than 200 cfs in a week
Island Park Dam is a power peaking dam: it can move from 400 to 1,200 cfs inside an afternoon. Check the gauge before you wade, because the Ranch's soft banks go under fast. Water temperature in the Ranch sits near 9°C year round, which is why the hatches are so predictable and why the fish feed in winter.