Upland Natural Lake · Mixed · Idaho, US

Henrys Lake

Aerial view of Henrys Lake at sunset with mountains along the far shore, Idaho, Greater Yellowstone region

Henrys Lake is a shallow, fabulously fertile natural lake up near the Idaho-Montana line, and it grows trout the size of footballs — big cutthroat, brook trout, and the famous hybrid 'cutbows' that pull like freight trains.

Fair · Cutthroat Trout
Balanced Leech · 8-12
A respectable few hours, if you choose your moments
Glassy and bright — hard work without a breeze. Hard work without breeze. Look for the dimples.
49% confidence
limited data

Henrys Lake is often best in spring through autumn.

What moved it
  • WindE 5 km/hCalm · Gusts to 17 km/h
Today's fly
Balanced Leech
Balanced Leech8-12
Proven pattern for this period
Conditions on the water
Estimate
Wind
Calm · Gusts to 17 km/h
E 5 km/h
N
E
from the east
WaveFlat calm
Water temp9.3°C
Air temp2°C
CloudBroken
Pressure1029 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm

No gauge on this water — readings are regional estimates from weather, not a live gauge.

Head to
Wind driftE wind
Eastern end

An easterly has held for 6 hours, running colder than the water (-2°C air against 9°C water). The end it blows into is taking that chilled surface water, so try the sheltered eastern end instead — off the back of the wind, where the undertow returns food along the bottom. That chill sits in the top of the water, though, and the bed is slower to feel it — on a bottom bait it is the undertow, not the temperature, that puts you at this end. Treat it as a tiebreaker between good swims rather than an override — features and angling pressure usually count for more.

How to fish it · for Cutthroat Trout
When
Spring and autumn for the big shallow-moving fish; avoid warm midsummer
Where
With limited drift, anchor or fish static from sheltered positions. Work a bushy searching pattern on the bob and drop a contrasting nymph on the point. In the calm, a single dry fly or a slowly-fished nymph tends to out-fish an active retrieve.
The plan
Plan A

With limited drift, anchor or fish static from sheltered positions. Work a bushy searching pattern on the bob and drop a contrasting nymph on the point. In the calm, a single dry fly or a slowly-fished nymph tends to out-fish an active retrieve.

Plan B

If the main plan is not working, switch to a smaller, more imitative pattern fished slower and deeper. A change of drift angle can also make a difference.

Watch for

Keep an eye on changing conditions — wind shifts and cloud breaks can trigger short feeding spells.

Bank

Flat calm suits bank fishing near features — points, weed beds, and inflows where fish patrol.

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 4 guilds as a supporter.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 3 as a supporter.

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Through the year
0–3 scale · October highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Black MidgeHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Flying AntsHatch
1
2
1
Gray DrakeHatch
1
1
CallibaetisHatch
1
2
2
2
1

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Cutthroat Trout fly box
CH
Chironomid
12-16 · Pattern
Proven pattern for this period
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Idaho stillwater regulations — check Idaho Fish & Game.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Condition match
65%
Cloud70%
Wind65%
Temp60%

A reasonable day here, though temperature isn't quite in the sweet spot.

Other water nearby · 5
Cliff Lake
17 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Hebgen Lake
21 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Quake Lake
22 km
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Wade Lake
23 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Henrys Fork
26 km
Rainbow trout
Gallery · 2
  1. Aerial view of Henrys Lake at sunset with mountains along the far shore, Idaho, Greater Yellowstone region
    Henrys Lake at sunset, Idaho
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

Henrys Lake is a shallow, fabulously fertile natural lake up near the Idaho-Montana line, and it grows trout the size of footballs — big cutthroat, brook trout, and the famous hybrid 'cutbows' that pull like freight trains. It's a stillwater game played from a tube or a boat, working damsels, leeches, and scuds along the weed edges and spring inlets. The lake gets warm and weedy in high summer and fishes best on the cool shoulders, spring and fall, when those heavy fish move shallow and a slow retrieve gets eaten hard.

  • Lake
  • Mixed
Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic life: Not assessed
What this classification means

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'Henrys Lake' (ID17040202SK032L_0L), 2022 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Not Assessed. This is a Clean Water Act assessment-unit classification (the US analogue of WFD), not a live reading.

Status is for the Clean Water Act assessment unit covering this reach.

EPA ATTAINS (Clean Water Act) · ID17040202SK032L_0L

Why this score
  • autumn conditions with mixed skies and calm wind.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout Saturday of Memorial Day weekend → 31 October
Related guides
Scotland Playbookloch & river fishingThermal Layers & Troutreading depth and temperatureEuro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts