The Start of the Salmonfly Hatch on the Henry's Fork

Jared Cady, guide at Big Sky Anglers discusses the start of this historic hatch. See the nymph stage, the shucks and live salmonflies - plus see brown trout blowups on film.

Salmonflies are found in almost any water temperature above 32 degrees. The Salmonfly hatch happens across several states in the western US, and understanding when they will pop is crucial for planning a fishing trip (It’s almost impossible to time perfectly).

On the Henry’s Fork, a good time frame to shoot for is Memorial Day weekend. It may be a week early, or a week late, so if you can be flexible with your schedule you have a better chance of hitting it. In Montana, a good time frame is from June 20th to July 4th.

Fishing the Salmonfly Hatch on the Madison will give you the best chance at catching a beautiful fish on a topwater fly all year - but the Henry's Fork has world class fly fishing, with even larger fish. The opportunities are endless if you employ many nymphs and dry fly imitations.