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Good Ol’ Henrys
By Phil Barker
The joys of fishing Henrys Lake continues to bring us back every summer. The anticipation of catching the ‘big one’ never ceases. Decades of determination and remembrances help fuel our desire to entice the fish of a lifetime, but as time passes, our time on the water can grow shorter and shorter. There are always competing priorities let alone the changes in our health that come with age.
I think back through all my fond remembrances of fishing with some incredible anglers that are no longer with us. All of these people had an incredibly huge amount of love of Henrys, some of them even died here. When I am on the water, I feel confident in benefiting from their knowledge and fishing acumen that they imparted on me. As we all know, Henrys can be very fickle and humbling to even the most experienced angler. In addition, conditions change, catch methods vary, and it is essential that we try and think through our best fishing practices in pursuit of the big one. This is what keeps us coming back!
The shoreline of Henrys continues to reflect the incredible growth of summer homes on the lake. Thinking about what it looked like previously and contrasting it with the here and now can cause us to pause and fondly remember the way it used to be. One is not necessarily better than another. Growth is inevitable, especially with popular fisheries. Highway traffic, roadkill frequencies, and dangerous intersections, however, do give us concern. Adjusting to this growth and understanding how best to deal with it are not easy problems to solve especially since our ‘mainstreet’ leads to one of the most popular entrances to an incredible national park.
My time on the lake has also changed. As a fulltime caregiver for my loving wife of 43 years, I escape to fish only during her nap time. So, my fishing is even more pressured since I can no longer spend full days in pursuit of the big one. That however does not in any way diminish my fishing experience, but it does cause me to spend less time trying to figure it out. I try a spot, try a technique, change to a different strategy, and try again but in shorter intervals. If it works, great, if not, head back to the dock and look forward to trying yet again on a different day.
So far this year, I feel fortunate in maybe not catching the big one, but certainly some big fish none-the-less. Whether my fly-fishing strategy and experience caused me to use a midge, damsel, or leech, it is always exciting to know that the next grab could be the big one. For me, the ‘tug is the drug.’ The fish picture below show that good ol’ Henrys can still produce some mighty fine fish.
I also want to take this opportunity to wish my friend and current President of the Henrys Lake Foundation, Richard Hodge, a speedy recovery. As always with age, we all will or have experienced changes in our health or that of a loved one. Richard is an incredible fisherman with a huge passion for helping to preserve and protect this incredible fishery. He exemplifies what the foundation stands for and the benefits it is forever trying to achieve. God speed in your recovery, my friend.
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