I was in Utah this weekend for Jessica's wedding on January 31. So of course, I drove down a couple days early to support Carlynn, who flew down earlier in the week, and to let Sarah and Melinda have some time to shop City Creek...and for me to have some time for a little winter fishing!
Thursday I met up with my brother-in-law named Merrill (first name) and fished the Provo just below Deer Creek. Three other cars when we arrived about 8:30 am, 9 cars by the time we left. We started in a run just below the RV park, fishing size 20 to 22 midges (mainly black, zebra midge beadhead). Weather was pleasant. I showed Merrill a few ins and outs of mending and dead drifting, then promptly caught a smallish brown. I led Merrill to the meat of a little slot, helped him with a cast and mend, let him go, and he promptly hooked about an 18" football of a rainbow. He fought it for some time, but then trying to turn its head into the net the tiny fly pulled out and the fish disappeared. Sadly, it was the only one he hooked all day. That should haunt him. I managed to land 8 on the day, the largest a 19" rainbow and some nice browns in the 14" to 15" range. Not a bad day for mid-winter. Too many people, though, which kept us from some of the prime water a friend had lined out for me.
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| Merrill and my first brown |
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| Another pretty brown from a little slow water at the side of a tail-out |
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| A nicer brown from the same little tail-out; small enough that it had probably been overlooked by the crowds |
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| Healthy, 19" Rainbow to end the day Thursday; a challenge on size 22 and 6x |
Friday morning I picked up William Carlson (Bethany's husband) at Scott and Marianne's house and we decided to try the Middle Provo just below their house. I knew I had a newbie when he put on his stocking foot waders and was ready to take off along the trail to the river. I asked if he had any wading boots, to which he replied he didn't. I suggested it might be a good idea to wear his tennis shoes over the stocking feet. LOL! He did pretty well casting and mending, and though I saw lots of fish in the tailouts and a few risers, I only had one tug on the fly that came loose in about 2 hours of fishing. Ran into an old-timer who said they were feeding on size 30 midges, and he had fished all day yesterday with none to hand. That was enough to get me to grab William, and people or no, head back to below Deer Creek.
Another nine cars in the lot - doesn't anyone work in Utah! - but we found a little riffle open where I had caught some fish yesterday. I promptly hooked a 14" brown showing William where to cast, and while I was bonking it for William and Bethany to eat, he starts screaming as he hooked one on his own. A little smaller, but the first fish on a fly is good whatever the size. It was the only fish he had on all day, and I found a couple more in some other runs, certainly fished multiple times that day already. Then just before we ended, I broke the fly off on a hefty fish, judging by the solidity on the gentle (but not gentle enough) set. That was the end of the day, then back to SLC to start the wedding festivities. All in all a great weekend!
Another nine cars in the lot - doesn't anyone work in Utah! - but we found a little riffle open where I had caught some fish yesterday. I promptly hooked a 14" brown showing William where to cast, and while I was bonking it for William and Bethany to eat, he starts screaming as he hooked one on his own. A little smaller, but the first fish on a fly is good whatever the size. It was the only fish he had on all day, and I found a couple more in some other runs, certainly fished multiple times that day already. Then just before we ended, I broke the fly off on a hefty fish, judging by the solidity on the gentle (but not gentle enough) set. That was the end of the day, then back to SLC to start the wedding festivities. All in all a great weekend!
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| William's first fish on a fly |
