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Fly fishing report · West
Henry's Fork
A lower Henry's Fork planning page for the St. Anthony-to-Menan corridor, built around float access, lower-river rules, and realistic decisions about wind, weeds, and side channels.
Check flow & weatherToday's fishing decisionMost live data available
39
Skip today
Do not commit until the safety issue clears.
Red Flag Warning issued August 2 at 1:04AM MDT until August 2 at 9:00PM MDT by NWS Pocatello ID
Best supported approachNo approach recommended
Watch nextRed Flag Warning issued August 2 at 1:04AM MDT until August 2 at 9:00PM MDT by NWS Pocatello ID
Updated Aug 3, 1:06 AM UTCUsually refreshes about every 45 minutes
Red Flag Warning issued August 2 at 1:04AM MDT until August 2 at 9:00PM MDT by NWS Pocatello ID
Safety overrides tacticsNo approach recommended
The active safety or closure reason takes priority over wading, bank fishing, and floating guidance.
Check before you drive
Current flow and weather.
Look at whether the river is rising or falling, then check wind, rain, and storms. These can change both safety and fishing.
Loading current flow and weather.
Before you rely on this report
How current is this report?
Conditions can change quickly. Check these dates before you decide to fish, and open the official source when safety or rules matter.
- River conditions
- Checked Aug 2, 2026, 9:06 PM
- Fishing guidance
- Reviewed Jun 2, 2026
- Public access
- No reviewed map pin available
- Rules and closures
- Official rule links checked
High confidence in the current score inputs.
6 sources are listed below for you to open.
3 public access records are listed. Private spots are never shown.
Source checked Jul 30, 2026
Plan your access
Know where you can enter.
These are public parking, launch, trail, or recreation areas—not secret fishing spots. We never show an angler's private pins, notes, or photos here.
- 0
- Shown on map
- 3
- No map pin
Location checkedDescription only
01No map pin
Boat launch
Red Road Bridge boat access
The best lower-river BLM starting point for a St. Anthony-facing float plan.
Restrictions and seasonal notes
BLM's Henry's Fork access page is the cleanest official summary for lower-river launch and takeout choices around St. Anthony and Menan.
Warm Slough remains an important public access, but IDFG's 2025 site note means anglers should treat it as day-use only from February 1 through September 30.
02No map pin
Boat launch
Warm Slough access site
Important IDFG launch and day-use anchor when you want easy public staging close to the lower corridor.
Restrictions and seasonal notes
BLM's Henry's Fork access page is the cleanest official summary for lower-river launch and takeout choices around St. Anthony and Menan.
Warm Slough remains an important public access, but IDFG's 2025 site note means anglers should treat it as day-use only from February 1 through September 30.
03No map pin
Area description
Menan Butte and Beaver Dick takeout corridor
Useful downstream public access when you want a shorter or more deliberate float finish.
Restrictions and seasonal notes
BLM's Henry's Fork access page is the cleanest official summary for lower-river launch and takeout choices around St. Anthony and Menan.
Warm Slough remains an important public access, but IDFG's 2025 site note means anglers should treat it as day-use only from February 1 through September 30.
How to fish it
Treat the lower Henry's Fork like a float-and-access river, not a clone of the ranch water upstream.
The St. Anthony corridor is broader, slower, and more wind-sensitive than the famous upper river. Use the St. Anthony gauge first, then decide whether you want a short float, a bank-and-slough day, or a different river entirely if weeds, wind, or summer traffic stack against you.
- Use RiverReports first for the public chart, then confirm the lower-river trend with USGS 13050500 at St. Anthony.
- IDFG reach lines matter here because the lower corridor carries a simpler two-trout framework than the more restrictive technical water upstream.
- BLM and IDFG access sites around Red Road, Warm Slough, and Menan make this a practical float corridor when launches and wind cooperate.
- If the river is weedy, windy, or crowded with pleasure traffic, commit to fewer cleaner drifts or move before the day turns into endless repositioning.
Why the score looks this way
Public alertLowers score
An active alert is in effect: Red Flag Warning issued August 2 at 1:04AM MDT until August 2 at 9:00PM MDT by NWS Pocatello ID. Check public safety sources before going.
HeatUse caution
The NWS forecast is near 88F. Fish early and verify water temperature where trout stress is possible.
FlowHelps score
USGS shows 1,070 cfs with a stable over about 6 hours trend. Today's flow is within the normal seasonal range of 955 cfs to 1,400 cfs. Weather, water temperature, and access are the next checks.
SeasonHelps score
Summer: A practical float and hopper season, but wind, weeds, and recreational use become bigger factors.
Fishing usefulnessHelps score
Skip when hard valley wind, thick weed mats, or crowded launches turn the lower river into a boat-control problem instead of a fishing problem.
Read the water
What changes the plan.
The lower Henry's Fork is most useful when flows are steady, afternoon wind stays reasonable, and you have a clear launch or walk-in plan. It loses value fast when anglers show up expecting upper-river dry-fly precision from a much broader lower-valley system.
Lower steady flow
Best for side-channel scouting, cleaner weed lanes, and manageable bank or boat angles.
Stable medium flow
A good all-around lower-river level if wind and boat traffic stay modest.
High or pushy flow
Focus on launch-to-takeout planning first because the river spreads out and loses easy wading options quickly.
Heavy weed and wind
Downshift expectations, fish sheltered lanes, and avoid pretending every drift needs to be forced.
Your trip plan
Know when to go—and when to skip it.
Best flows
Stable lower-river flows that keep side channels defined without flooding soft banks or turning weed lanes into constant fouling.
When to skip
Skip when hard valley wind, thick weed mats, or crowded launches turn the lower river into a boat-control problem instead of a fishing problem.
Local plan
Use the St. Anthony gauge first, pick one access cluster like Red Road or Warm Slough, and commit to a shorter cleaner day instead of chasing miles of similar-looking lower water.
Backup water
If the lower Henry's Fork is too weedy or windy, move to the Ashton-focused Henry's Fork route for a different style or switch to the South Fork Snake if you still want a larger drift-day setup.
Hatches & flies
Bring a flexible box.
TimingWhat to watchUseful flies
SpringMidges, BWOs, and caddisZebra midge, BWO emerger, soft hackle, caddis pupa
Fly pattern · report suggests “Zebra midge”Zebra MidgeLook for a very slim tapered thread body, evenly spaced contrasting wire rib, a small bead, and no tail or wing. The reviewed classic is black with silver wire and a silver bead. Red, olive, brown, glass-bead, jig-hook, resin-coated, or tailed forms must remain labeled variations rather than replacing the classic identity.See photos & how to fish it ↗
Fly family · report suggests “BWO emerger”Blue-Winged Olive PatternsBWO describes a hatch group, not one fly. Nymph, emerger, dry, cripple, and spinner profiles must stay separate because they occupy different parts of the water column.See family guide ↗+ 2 more reviewed guides in the Fly Box Early summerCaddis, PMDs, and stonefly leftoversPMD dry, elk hair caddis, prince nymph, rubberlegs
Fly family · report suggests “PMD dry”Pale Morning Dun PatternsPMD names an insect group, not one fly. Pale nymphs, trailing-shuck emergers, upright or low-riding duns, cripples, and spent-wing spinners stay visibly separate.See family guide ↗
Fly pattern · report suggests “elk hair caddis”Elk Hair CaddisLook for a tented elk- or deer-hair wing, clipped hair head, dubbed body, rib, and hackle palmered along the body. The body color should be labeled because tiers often match different natural caddis colors.See photos & how to fish it ↗+ 2 more reviewed guides in the Fly Box SummerCaddis, terrestrials, and evening spinner windowsHopper-dropper, beetle, ant, rusty spinner
Fly family · report suggests “beetle”Beetle PatternsBeetle flies range from simple foam shells to hair-bodied and sunken forms. A rounded back and compact profile distinguish the family from ants and hoppers.See family guide ↗
Fly family · report suggests “ant”Ant PatternsAnt patterns can be foam, fur-bodied, winged, or sunken. The narrow waist and paired body lobes matter more than one material recipe.See family guide ↗+ 1 more reviewed guide in the Fly Box FallBWOs, midges, and small streamersParachute BWO, RS2, zebra midge, olive bugger
Fly family · report suggests “Parachute BWO”Blue-Winged Olive PatternsBWO describes a hatch group, not one fly. Nymph, emerger, dry, cripple, and spinner profiles must stay separate because they occupy different parts of the water column.See family guide ↗
Fly pattern · report suggests “RS2”RS2Start with the beadless architecture: two dark-dun Microfibett tails separated behind a slim, tightly twisted and visibly segmented dubbed abdomen; a fuller thorax; and saddle-hackle web clipped into a short angled wing bud. Rim Chung's original-style form uses natural beaver dubbing and hackle web. CDC- or Antron-wing ties, beads, curved hooks, flash, and tailless Avatar-style flies must remain labeled variations.See photos & how to fish it ↗+ 2 more reviewed guides in the Fly Box 01
Pick one access corridor and fish it with purpose instead of trying to sample every launch between St. Anthony and Menan.
02
Use weed lanes, side channels, and slower bank structure more than the broad flat middle of the river.
03
Float only if your put-in, take-out, and shuttle are settled before you rig rods.
04
When wind rises, shorten drifts and fish protected water instead of fighting open straightaways all afternoon.
Rules & closures
Check the official rules before you go.
Open the agency page to confirm the exact river section, species, season, tackle rules, limits, and emergency closures.
Official links checkedRules for this river or sectionSpecial rule found
Special regulation
Henrys Fork regulated reaches
IDFG splits Henrys Fork into reach-specific rules, including catch-and-release periods, barbless and no-bait water, and a Harriman Ranch seasonal closure. Match the access point to the planner.
Rules checkedJul 30, 2026
Report a correction ↗Always follow the official rule
This summary helps with trip planning. The linked agency rule is the one you must follow.
Updates from anglers
What anglers are seeing.
Recent observations from general areas of Henry's Fork. We review every update before it appears and never publish exact fishing spots, private access details, or photo locations.
Angler updates are not loading right now.
You can still use the river plan above. Check back later for recent observations from other anglers.
Where this report comes from
Open the sources we checked.
Fishing guidance checked: Jun 2, 2026
Site check: Jul 14, 2026. We regularly test report links, live scores, flow and weather data, and page loading. The content date changes only when the fishing guidance or its sources change.
flowRiverReports: Henry's Fork at St. AnthonyflowUSGS monitoring location: Henrys Fork at St. AnthonyregulationIdaho Fishing Planner: Henrys Fork Snake RiveraccessBLM Henrys Fork access at Red Road, Warm Slough, Beaver Dick, and MenanaccessIdaho Fish and Game Warm Slough access site updatesafetyNational Weather Service forecast point near St. Anthony
Common questions
Before you leave.
What part of Henry's Fork does this page cover?+
This page is built for the lower St. Anthony-to-Menan corridor, not the technical ranch and Ashton water farther upstream.
Is this mostly a wade river or a float river?+
It can be both, but the lower river makes the most sense when you plan around public launches, side channels, and a realistic float or bank-access lane.
What gauge should I trust for this reach?+
Start with RiverReports and USGS 13050500 at St. Anthony because they match the lower-river corridor far better than the upstream Ashton gauge.