Fishing Report - August 30th, 2026

Upper Henrys Fork:

 Flows in Box Canyon are currently 985 CFS. 

Box Canyon is a fantastic choice this time of year as the water remains cooler exiting the island park reservoir into the canyon. This section is loaded with fish and they are usually willing to eat nymphs. Rubber legs, blowtorch or duracel. A popular tactic to pick off the big fish is drifting a streamer through the canyon section. Fish will hang out in the fast water behind rocks and react quickly to a streamer floating by.

Railroad Ranch is going to pick up this time of year as the cooler temps move in. You can expect to find mahogany duns beginning to emerge and more fish looking up. Ants and beetles will continue to work when you find a rising fish. Dry fly fishing is usually the standard technique in this section, but hanging a small nymph still works when sight fishing to these big rainbows. 

Lower Henrys Fork:

Flows Below Ashton Dam are currently 1340 CFS.

The lower Henrys Fork is another great option this time of year with the fall weather upon us.  Get out early and strip streamers. Sparkle Minnows and Rusty Trombones are perfect flies to hook up on a big brown trout. The nymph bite is starting to improve especially in the deeper holes. Pheasants tails, Midges, and Stonefly nymphs will work great. As far as dry fly fishing goes, look out for Mahogany Duns coming off in the evenings. 

South Fork of the Snake: 

Flows near Irwin are currently 9450 CFS.

Flows at Lorenzo are currently 6220 CFS.

The South Fork is continuing to produce great fishing. The big bugs are waning out, but there are still opportunities to fish small dries in the riffles. Mahogany Duns and BWOs.

Nymphing has been the best option as of recently. Heavy beadhead nymphs and stonefly patterns are the name of the game. Gravel bars carry a lot of fish so focus on finding some of those areas to spend your time. The streamer bite could be outstanding on these cool cloudy days we have ahead of us.

Madison River: 

Flows Below Hebgen currently 760 CFS

The Madison river between the lakes has been wonderful as fish are eager to eat nymphs and streamers pretty consistently throughout the day. Ants have been in the area and are a good option for dry fly fishing. There are still some Tricos between the lakes and into Quake Lake. The upper Madison flowing above Hebgen is under hoot owl restrictions, and the lower Madison near Ennis is recovering from warm temperatures as well. Streamers are also good this time of year, and should be a solid option until the end of the season.

Teton River:

Flows on the Upper Teton near Driggs are currently 286 CFS 

The Teton River is fishing great. The Old Dam site is a great option for streamer fishing as we get into the fall and nymphing remains productive. The upper teton will have some Grey Drakes and Mahogany Duns moving through this time of year. The Last Chance cripple and Hudgens Spinner are great patterns to have in your box. BWOs will also be around. A dry dropper will be a go to option for consistency.

Yellowstone National Park:

Full closures on the Madison, Firehole, and Gibbon have been lifted for the season, but these rivers are still under hoot-owl restrictions, so plan to finish your day of fishing before 2pm. The reports we have gotten from the Yellowstone region have been productive, with the Lamar Valley waters productive with terrestrials and hopper-dropper rigs. The Yellowstone River fishes great with beetles and ants, and also can fish well with a small streamer. The Gallatin River has been fishing well in between the rains, and can make for a great day on a small river. Small ants and grasshoppers usually work pretty well, but if the river is colored up you might have to nymph san juan worms, or small rubberlegs to get the bite. Streamer season is right around the corner, and early explorers may find some early lake run fish in the next few weeks. 

Lakes:

Henry's Lake-

The bite at Henry’s lake is picking up, and the fish seem to be slowly moving back into shallower waters and becoming more accessible to anglers. Still target springs and creek inlets, snow cones, balanced leeches, and cocktail nymphs are a good option for fishing subsurface. As the lake continues to cool off, we should have some great fishing coming in a few weeks.

Hebgen-

The gulpers are slowing down, but there should still be some fish available for another couple weeks until the callibaetis and tricos are completely done. Slow stripping a hot-bead leech worked great for me the other day, and it is time to start concentrating in the Madison and grayling arms as the larger browns and rainbows prepare to start heading into the tributaries.