Henrys Fork/Buffalo River Confluence, Island Park, Idaho

Fly Fishing the West
Vol. 5, Issue 1
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Henry's Fork of the Snake River at the Confluence of the Buffalo River
Island Park, Idaho

The Henry's Fork flows south out of Island Park Reservoir at the Island Park Dam. About 200 yards below the dam the stream curves east to a landing area where dory boats are launched to float Box Canyon. The stream is wide, deep and relatively fast flowing with riffles down lower in the stream. This whole area of the stream is limited to fly fishing (and possibly artificial lures) only and is catch-and-release (if I read the fishing regulations for this part of the river correctly.) About 200 yards below the boat launch the stream turns south and is joined by the Buffalo River that has a very nice fish ladder built so fish can move upstream out of the Henry's Fork into the Buffalo.

At 7 am Todd and I drove south on Idaho Highway 20 from the Island Park Dam turnoff, crossing the Buffalo River, then taking an immediate right turn (heading west) on the first dirt road south of the Buffalo. The road is Riverside Drive (I believe) and you follow it all the way to the end (about 2 miles). We parked here and took a short hike down to the Henry's Fork, crossing a dam and fish ladder on the Buffalo to get there. Where the Buffalo enters the Henry's Fork there are riffles forming a natural pool with a long deep (about 6' deep) run (about 30 yards).

Todd fished the pool and I fished just below the pool in the run. Todd caught a 12" RAINBOW on a size 14 bead-head flash-back midge nymphing (Tyson Method). I then hooked and landed a ~19" RAINBOW on a size 18 flash-back midge. This was a beautiful fish, both heavy and fat. Todd then caught an ~13" MOUNTAIN WHITEFISH on a size 16 bead-head flashback pheasant tail. After an hour or so here, we moved down the stream about 100 yards where a part of the Buffalo River flows into the Henry's Fork. This water is mainly riffles about 3 feet deep in a run about 20 yards long. Todd caught two small RAINBOWS here. I tried a size 12 Royal Wulff on top. A 10" trout came all the way to the surface, looked at it, then swam away. We returned to the 'pool' and both Todd and I had bigger fish on that got away. Todd caught two smaller RAINBOW trout.

Other Miscellaneous Information/Observations:
1. Catching the 19" RAINBOW above took me back to the same time/same place exactly year two years earlier. Fishing in the same spot with the same fly I lost two fish of similar (or possibly larger) size. Both took the fly and headed immediately into the fast current. One jumped and the other broke the water in a roll. Both broke my 5X (5 lb. test) line. [OK, when it comes to fishing I am still trying to work my way up from rodeo clown!])
2. It was a beautiful sunny day. We saw an OSPREY fly by with a fish in his talons. The OSPREY lives in a tree just southeast of the stream.
3. The Island Park area is known for its wildlife, e.g., deer, moose, fox, and a variety of birds.
4. A 2009 Idaho out-of-state fishing license was $53 for 7 days, i.e., $12.50 for the first day and $6 for each successive day plus a "convenience" fee of $4.96.