Building a Legacy: The Mentors Who Inspired Henry’s Fork Anglers

Building a Legacy: The Mentors Who Inspired Henry’s Fork Anglers

During my college years I spent the summers in Island Park working for the U. S. Forest Service. It was a great job which allowed me a lot of time to fish. Along with the Henry’s Fork I frequently ventured north to fish the Firehole, Madison, Gibbon, Yellowstone and other streams in the Park. I spent a lot of time in the fly shops. It was mecca. Visiting the shops in West Yellowstone, as well as Will Godfrey’s in Island Park, were as important to me as the fishing. Bud Lilly, Pat Barnes, Jim Danskin, Bob Jacklin and Will Godfrey were my mentors. My wife, Sheralee, and I tied flies for Pat and Sig Barnes and Will Godfrey. I worked as a fishing guide for Jim Danskin.

 

Mike and Sheralee Lawson - Photo from 1977

All of these outfitters were the standard of professionalism. I wanted to be like them. They were one of the main reasons we took the plunge and we partnered with René and Bonnie Harrop and started Henry’s Fork Anglers in the fall of 1976. Idaho Outfitters and Guides Licensing rules didn’t allow us to advertise until we had our license in hand. That didn’t occur until the spring of 1977 so we weren’t able to promote our business. Consequently nobody knew about us. I still have our 1977 reservation book. We ran a total of 104 trips the entire season. Today we run at least that many in a week.

Rene Harrop fly fishing while wading in a river

We had a storied guide staff including René Harrop, Roy Harrop, Jim Vermillion, Terry Ross, and Jerry Siem. I ran a few trips too along with Bing Lempke. Imagine walking the banks of the Ranch looking for bank feeders with Bing. All of us ended up in the fly fishing industry. René needs no introduction. Roy, René’s brother, was a fireman from Rexburg but he worked as a fishing guide for many years. Terry Ross was a guide on the Big Horn for many years until he settled into building homes in Jackson, WY. Jerry Siem became the chief rod designer for Sage. Jim Vermillion built precision reels for Lamson.

René left the business after our first year, mostly for health reasons, and continued to pursue his fly tying, angling art, and writing. I would never be where I am today if not for René. He was always a couple of steps ahead of me in our pursuit of fly fishing but he was always there for me. I was a nobody in fly fishing. He helped me rise from obscurity to build my own personal reputation in our great industry. He was a great mentor to me and I missed him greatly after he left.

Even though we were now competitors, we maintained a strong relationship with the other shops and outfitters. My greatest mentor was Jim Danskin. He always required a standard of excellence and professionalism from his guide staff. I learned everything about guiding and outfitting from him which I applied to my own career as an outfitter until 2022 when I passed the baton to my youngest son, Chris. Bud Lilly, Pat Barnes, Will Godfrey and Bob Jacklin were also more than willing to share their knowledge and experience. They were mentors.

Jim standing next to the drift boat in the water and Louis Danskin sitting in the front of the boat, talking to each other.

Most of our guides left after the first year. Who could blame them? Yet we were fortunate to have some of the best guides in West Yellowstone to replace them. Jim Vermillion, Jim Campbell, Bob Kelly, Bob Lamm, Smitty, and Dom Traverso brought much needed experience and professionalism from these other outfitters. Like me, the “Old Guard” of outfitters were mentors to them.

Smitty sitting in a chair, smiling for the camera

These guides then became mentors to all of the other guides who worked or continue to work for Henry’s Fork anglers. Curt Barker, Tom Grimes, and my brother Rick also anchored our experienced guide staff. Not only have they been mentors to all who have worked for us or continue to work for us, they are mentors to me.Today I honestly believe that our guides rank at the very top of the fly fishing guide world. They are the reason we have been in business for almost 50 years. I have frequently been asked the secret to our success. Mentors! It’s because of mentors.

Back to blog

Leave a comment

Please note, comments need to be approved before they are published.