Reservoir · Mixed · Idaho, US

Island Park Reservoir

Aerial view of Island Park Dam holding back Island Park Reservoir, with the Henrys Fork River flowing out below the spillway

Island Park Reservoir is the impoundment on the Henrys Fork that feeds the famous river below it, a broad, fertile, weed-rich stillwater up in the Island Park caldera holding rainbows and a few big browns.

Fair · Rainbow
Balanced Leech · 8-12
Fairlive now
Reasonable autumn fishing likely at Island Park Reservoir
Good wave on — drift country. A useful wave. Work the productive shore.
56% confidence

Island Park Reservoir is often best in spring through autumn.

What moved it
  • WindS 9 km/hLight breeze
Today's fly
Balanced Leech
Balanced Leech8-12
Proven pattern for this period
Conditions on the water
Estimate
Wind
Light breeze
S 9 km/h
N
S
from the south
WaveRipple
Water temp14.0°C
Air temp16°C
CloudOvercast
Pressure1011 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm

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

How to fish it · for Rainbow
When
Current conditions suit Island Park Reservoir well for autumn tactics. The ripple should help fish move and feed more confidently.
Where
Start with Balanced Leech (8-12) on a As per local method. Rainbows respond to more active retrieves — try short strips between pauses. If that does not produce, switch depth or speed before changing the pattern entirely.
The plan
Plan A

Start with Balanced Leech (8-12) on a As per local method. Rainbows respond to more active retrieves — try short strips between pauses. If that does not produce, switch depth or speed before changing the pattern entirely.

Plan B

A fry-imitating pattern stripped through the margins can save a blank in autumn.

Watch for

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

Either bank or boat

Good ripple suits both bank and boat. Bank: work inflows, dam walls, and points. Boat: broadside drift covering wind lanes.

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

See the full sub-surface read with Pro.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 2 with Pro.

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Through the year
0–3 scale · September highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Gray DrakeHatch
2
2
CallibaetisHatch
2
3
3
3
2
Hexagenia (Western)Hatch
2
2
Black MidgeHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2

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

Ranked for today
Rainbow 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
  • Level swings with irrigation draw.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Condition match
73%
Cloud50%
Wind100%
Temp60%

A good match for Island Park Reservoir — most conditions are close to what it fishes best in.

Fishing better nearby · 5
Gallery · 2
  1. Aerial view of Island Park Dam holding back Island Park Reservoir, with the Henrys Fork River flowing out below the spillway
    Island Park Dam and Reservoir on the Henrys Fork
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

Island Park Reservoir is the impoundment on the Henrys Fork that feeds the famous river below it, a broad, fertile, weed-rich stillwater up in the Island Park caldera holding rainbows and a few big browns. It's a boat-and-tube fishery, played with leeches, damsels, and chironomids over the weed beds and along the dam face. The fishing swings with the reservoir level and the irrigation draw, and it can get warm and weedy by late summer. Spring and fall, with the caldera rim all around and the big fish on the move, it's a fine, underrated stillwater.

  • Reservoir
  • Mixed
Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic lifeNot assessed
What this classification means

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'Island Park Reservoir' (ID17040202SK020L_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) · ID17040202SK020L_0L

Why this score
  • Wind conditions (ripple) closely match what this water fishes best in.
Directions
Seasons & zones
  • Trout Saturday of Memorial Day weekend30 November
Related guides
Booking & contacts