Traveled #3: Trouthunter with Jon Stiehl – Henry’s Fork, Leaders, Ranch Water

Show Notes: wetflyswing.com/420 

Presented By: Yellowstone Teton

 Sponsors: wetflyswing.com/teton 

Jon Stiehl is here to take us to TroutHunter Lodge and how he came to own and take this famous lodge to the next level.

We get the history of the ranch water. We’ve heard a lot about that over the years. We get some inside information on Island Park. Find out about some of the cool box canyons in this area, tricos, and what makes Henry’s Fork so famous out west.

TroutHunter Show Notes with Jon Stiehl

3:31 – Jon talks about Island Park and its history. Their town is 33 miles long. The village they are in is called Last Chance. 

7:28 – They have a great bar at TroutHunter called the Last Chance Bar & Grill. Jeff Currier recommended their bar in our first traveled episode.

8:44 – He shares how he started the TroutHunter. He and his business partner, Rich Paini, came out as interns in 1993 to work for the Henry’s Fork Foundation. This was also the time when they met Rene Harrop.

12:08 – Working with Rene was a great help in starting the TroutHunter. The name was his idea.

13:16 – I mention our episodes with Mike Lawson and Brandon Hoffner.

13:49 – He describes Henry’s Fork which is also known as the North Fork of the Snake River.

15:12 – He talks a bit about how the Johnny Sack cabin came about

17:20 – I ask him if there are other things that could be done in their area in terms of conservation. He did a socio-economic survey on angling in the area as an intern for the Henry’s Fork Foundation.

20:33 – He gives tips for those who are planning to visit and fish in their area. Harriman Ranch is crowded from June 15th to July 4th. For him, the Harriman Ranch is the biggest and most beautiful spring creek you’ve ever seen with fantastic hatches.

23:41 – We talk about nymphing in Henry’s Fork.

24:40 – We dig into the hatches in their area. He says the real gem of the whole summer is the flying ant fall. You want to make sure that you got them in your box from about the middle of July until September.

31:15 – He talks about the hatches from late September to early October.

33:11 – He describes the TroutHunter ranch.

38:56 – Most of their guides these days use a skiff because it is easier to navigate when windy.

42:00 – He talks about the brown drake and the blue-winged olives.

43:39 – We talk about flies.

45:12 – He walks us through the process of how to start when there’s a big hatch.

48:42 – He shares that time when Japanese anglers frequently visit their lodge. They had more sizes of tippets. That’s when they thought of bringing their tippets into the lodge to sell.

52:53 – He describes the extrusion process for their leaders.

58:13 – He talks about Rene Harrop and mentions the House of Harrop. He considers Rene his guiding light on fly fishing.

1:03:26 – We do the two-minute drill. I first ask him about a good bar in their area that he would recommend. He recommends Shotgun and Ponds.

1:04:07 – He gives a tip on dry flies and dealing with the wind when fishing.

1:05:51 – He shares the events and things they are looking forward to in TroutHunter. He also mentions a band that their guides have put together called the Tail Hooked Whitey.

Show Notes: wetflyswing.com/420