Beaver River

First day in Utah on my trip with Carlynn. She enjoys a couple hours extra rest in the morning on vacation, I don't, a perfect combination when there are streams nearby. We spent the first night in Beaver, Utah, where a short drive of about 10 minutes brings you to national forest land and the Beaver River (really more of a creek). I stopped first a mile or two inside the national forest land, and disappointingly found a rather murky stream (visibility six inches or so?). I didn't see anything at this first stop, and not a lot of really good water, so I hopped in the car and drove upstream a few miles farther, above the water plant and the takeout for a pipeline to the plant (these might dewater the river further down in summer?). Anyway, pulled off where the stream was right next to the road with a lot of big rocks and holes. I ended up catching five browns in this stretch, all about this size, all on a brown, beadhead stonefly with rubber legs. All the fish I caught were in shallow riffles, nothing in the holes, so they are either fished out (lots of trashy fisherman sign) or the water was too murky for them to see the fly in the deeper runs. Either way, fish to the hand is a good start for the trip. I was back in time to eat breakfast with Carlynn, and then on with the rest of the day. I'd give this one a two-fly rating, but with clearer water and a few more fish it could jump up to three flies.