05-06-2009, 03:22 AM
The South Fork above Heise typically has more water than the lower South Fork. This is because of the large volume of water diverted into the "dry beds" aka Great Feeder Canal. There are also a couple other canals by Heise that pull water out of the river.
There are plently of places you could use your jet boat on the Swan Valley stretch. As you get to know the river better I doubt you will spend much time fishing the lower sections of the South Fork when you have some of the best water in your own back yard.
Unless you have a lot of experience on big rivers with your jet boat I would also recomend going with someone who knows the river the first few times. Unless you have confidence you will not have any motor problems a good rule to follow is to fish upstream of where you launch. That way if you have any motor problems you can always float back to the boat ramp. If you launch at Conant and head down river to fish "the canyon" and have motor problems you will be in for a long day and possibly long night. Cottonwood and Wolf's Eddy are easy to float past if you don't know where they are and they are also a long drive on a dirt road to reach. Floating from Conant to Byington is a full day event
I doubt you need to here this but I'm going to add it hoping it helps educate someone else. When you are in a jet boat make sure you give drift boats and wade fishermen plenty of room. It only takes one or two idiots in jet boats to give everyone who runs a jet boat a bad name.
Make sure you check the rules on any river you put your boat in because there are many places along the Henry's Fork and other rivers that have motor restrictions.
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There are plently of places you could use your jet boat on the Swan Valley stretch. As you get to know the river better I doubt you will spend much time fishing the lower sections of the South Fork when you have some of the best water in your own back yard.
Unless you have a lot of experience on big rivers with your jet boat I would also recomend going with someone who knows the river the first few times. Unless you have confidence you will not have any motor problems a good rule to follow is to fish upstream of where you launch. That way if you have any motor problems you can always float back to the boat ramp. If you launch at Conant and head down river to fish "the canyon" and have motor problems you will be in for a long day and possibly long night. Cottonwood and Wolf's Eddy are easy to float past if you don't know where they are and they are also a long drive on a dirt road to reach. Floating from Conant to Byington is a full day event
I doubt you need to here this but I'm going to add it hoping it helps educate someone else. When you are in a jet boat make sure you give drift boats and wade fishermen plenty of room. It only takes one or two idiots in jet boats to give everyone who runs a jet boat a bad name.
Make sure you check the rules on any river you put your boat in because there are many places along the Henry's Fork and other rivers that have motor restrictions.
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