Middle Provo

Last day in Utah gave me (Rick) a little time to join the daily crowd on the Middle Provo. This is a beautiful section of river, reconstructed a number of years ago from a diked channel to a natural meandering river channel. Fish populations responded favorably, and the river now has a population in the range of 3000 fish per mile. Lots of fish, but not necessarily easy to catch.

I found ten cars in the access parking lot, but since this provides access to a couple miles of stream, there would be plenty of room to find open water. I hiked downstream for 15 minutes before starting to find my way to the water. Fished a riffle with a few rising fish, but no takers on the dry or dropper. Then a nice bit of slow water next to the bank and willows. Nothing but a small one on the dropper. Then I moved down to a larger hole, and a short time after arriving, fish begin to rise, first here and there, then everywhere. All sizes, from 8" or so to 15" or more. I watched them come up and splash the surface, sometimes porpoising, to grab whatever they were eating. The ignored the dry for the most part, a couple clearly looking at it, but turning away. With no flies visible on the water, I switched to a small, cripple fly that floats in the film. I got a number of takers, or near takers at least. Not sure if I was just slow or if they never really took it in. I finally hooked a small one that got off, but after that, nothing but looks, not even splashes. I had mistakenly left one of my boxes at the condo, the one with most of my small dries and cripples. I did have another box with some, and tried most of the flies in the box to no avail, along with a number of droppers from midges to sow bugs to prince to pheasant tail. Nothing. They only wanted one thing, and I didn't have it. A bit of frustration, but also amazement watching how many fish were in this one run. After an hour or so, things slowed down to only an occasional rise.

Sitting down and taking a break, I called Sarah to ask about her first day of work, called Carlynn, and then noticed some caddis were out and about. I switched to double EHC in two different sizes, and over the next hour or so found several willing fish. They weren't keyed in on it, and there was not a crazy hatch that came on in the late evening hours, but I was able to bring a few more to hand. As dusk approached, I stopped at the first riffle I had fished early, and had numerous strikes, but the glare was bad and it was nearly impossible to follow the fly. At last, stopping at another small pocket I broke off the fly in a fish, and decided it was time to call it a day and meet the family for dinner. Another good day - the girls spent it shopping, I spent it fishing, a rather good arrangement if you ask me.

 

First brown to hand

Nice Middle Provo Brown