Dads and Sons

Coming to Utah means what?  Fishing, of course!  My son-in-law, Brad, graduates this weekend in Provo so we all came down a day early so we'd be there Thursday, when my son, Brian, doesn't have class during summer term at BYU.  Brad's dad, Jeff, came up from Gilroy for fishing too.  His wife thinks they came for Brad's graduation, but we all know the real reason he's here.

After breakfast we headed up to Logan with Franklin Basin as our destination.  As we crossed through Sardine Canyon we noted that it was exceptionally green for August.  Brian said that May and June were quite cold and wet and it finally started to heat up in July.  Interesting.  The same was evident as we climbed Logan Canyon en route to Franklin Basin.

I've never seen Franklin Basin so green.  I wondered what that might mean for fishing.  As we approached the water I was struck by the absence of active insect life.  Very still.  Water flowing considerably higher than I'd seen in previous August visits.  As I stepped in the stream and took the first few casts my feet sensed that the water was colder than normal.  Dipping the thermometer it showed the water temp was 44 degrees. I think we were fishing in spring, rather than summer conditions.

Cast, cast, cast and not a thing moving.  I was fishing with Jeff and Brian & Brad got in the stream a few hundred yards above us.  Plan was for 90 minutes, then switch partners.  Finally found a fish as Jeff and I alternated "first cast" at each pool.  He was fishing a gray bodied parachute hopper and I used, you guessed it, a Renegade.  After 90 minutes, I'd hooked one and seen two other fish, so we met the boys, found that Brian had landed two and Brad one, and decided to head down to the main Logan to see if water temps were higher and fish more active.

Franklin Basin cutthroat

We drove to the USU Forest Research station section of the river.  Water temps were 50 degrees, so that was an improvement.  We again split and had fished about 75 feet of stream when it started raining.  Clouds were appearing darker so I told Jeff, "I think it's going to rain harder.  I'm going to the van."  Moments after we entered the van, the skies opened up and it really started raining hard.  By the time Brian and Brad got back they were soaked.  No fish there.

Raining, dark skies, fish not cooperating.  What were we to do?  Head to Smithfield to see if Summit Creek looked better and stop by my dad's grave site (with a stop at the USU Creamery on the way!)  I hadn't seen the marker Mom had installed.  Marker looked great so we felt Dad would love us to take a photo there with son and grandson in waders and with fly rods.

As we headed up Summit Creek it was clear and low and it wasn't raining, but the pavement was wet.  By the time we got upstream to where we could fish, it was running higher, cloudy, and lots of foam was coming downstream.  Obviously it had rained hard up the canyon.  No fishing there.

Father-Son @ Grandpa's shrine, er marker

After a stop at Gossner's Cheese Factory for some milk, cheese, curds, and other goodies we were warmed by the welcome rays of the sun.  It looked like the sky was also clearing up Logan Canyon so we headed back up the the Forestry Station for another go of it.  Fish were awake, sun on my back was preferred over the raindrops of early afternoon, lots of insects along and over the stream, fish sipping insects on the water surface, and we were able to finish our fishing on a positive note before heading back to Provo.

Brian in mainstem Logan