Alan Donaldson shows off a nice brown he caught during a hatch on the Middle Provo

The temperatures are rising, and so are the fish! The new unofficial season is underway, and so far things are looking up. Last year’s wettest-ever winter had water running high all spring, summer and into the fall. This year is quite a contrast as water levels are well below normal. The result is some great fishing.

The blue winged olive mayflies (BWOs) have shown up in good numbers. Cloudy days are best as usual, but even on sunny days the fish are keeping an eye to the sky. We’ve done well fishing all stages of the hatches. One of the best techniques we’ve used this spring is to drop a soft-hackled fly off of a BWO dry. One of our favorites has a peacock thorax and a partridge soft hackle. We’ve had good success fishing it in sizes up the #14. The fish will often take soft-hackle wets on the drift, and if not, very often swinging it across the current while lifting the rod tip at the end of the drift draws aggressive strikes.

Of course, there are still plenty of midges around this time of year. The Middle Provo has seen a particularly heavy midge hatch over the past 4-6 weeks. These are primarily the larger “Buffalo” midges and sometimes the fish are taking these even when BWOs are present, so be sure to keep an eye to the water if you aren’t getting the strikes you think you should.

Remember too that spring can be a great time to throw streamers. Often fish are looking for a bigger meal and a big streamer may be just the thing to coax a trophy out from its lair. The ever-popular Wooley Bugger is always a good choice, but you might try something a little unorthodox like a Pass Lake Special or a Platte River Special just to mix things up.

Finally, there are plenty of places to fish beyond the Provo and the Weber.  Smaller, lesser-fished streams can be very good at this time of year, and as the ice has come off the lakes, we’ve seen some real lunkers coming out of local still waters. Here’s to the start of what is shaping up as a great year!

By Bryan Eldredge

Today Jeff Lindstrom and I fished the Salt River in Star Valley, Wyoming. It just seemed like a good weekend to get away from the usual haunts. The one downside to this, is that the low temperature last night was supposedly somewhere around 2 degrees. It was a not-so balmy 12 degrees when we left the hotel this morning, which may have contributed to our making no fewer than FIVE stops along the way to the river—licenses (“We can only take cash for licenses,” so to the ATM, then back to the store), gas station, fast food joint for breakfast and two fly shops. . . .

Those same cold temperatures bring to mind an important principle for winter fishing: “It’s better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it.”

When we finally got to the river today, we wiggled our way into numerous layers of clothing, and headed for the water. By this time the sun was warming the air a little and I was anxious to hit it. I hadn’t been in the water for more than two minutes, however, when I noticed the first touch of cold water seeking into the sock on my left heel. I made a beeline for shore. Getting wet on a day like today would have spelled disaster and might even have become life threatening. Fortunately, one of the things Jeff and I discovered the first time we ever fished together is that be both ascribe to the “bring it all” philosophy. Minimalists we are not. As a result, I was able to choose from no fewer than three spare pair of waders and a dozen pair of socks. The change over took fifteen minutes or so, but it was time well spent. The rest of the day I was dry and relatively warm.

At this time of year, in cold climes, you really should have a complete change of clothes with you. If you happen to fall into a river during the winter, head to your car immediately. Don’t wait around until you start feeling extremely cold. It’s coming and it’s serious business. If you can’t get completely dry and warmed, you should never head back out. Just go home, tie some flies, watch football, read a book or take a nap.

Having an extra pair of everything doesn’t assure that you’ll be able to get back out there, but it gives you the change. If nothing else, it will make the drive back home more bearable.

Winter fishing can be some of the very best, if you are prepared and make good decisions about when to fish and when to cut and run. Enjoy it, and be safe out there.

By Bryan Eldredge

I got an email from a friend today that made me smile. Alan Donaldson and I have been friends for almost twenty years now. I’m not sure exactly where or when

Alan with a nice Middle Provo brown

we first met, but I do know how. Alan is Deaf and so is my wife, so we share a lot of the same social circles.

Within the past year or so, Alan developed an intense interest in fly fishing. A passion really. That’s given us something else in common.

As most of us know, getting the passion for fly fishing and getting the hang of fly fishing are two different things. But Alan is nothing if not persistent. He’s visited fly shops, gone to shows, visits his local urban pond and asked questions at every possible turn.

Last fall he and I spent an afternoon together on the Middle Provo. We had a good time but fishing was tough that day. Not to be detered, Alan gathered a group of Deaf men who have a similar although generally less driving passion and arranged for a

Alan Donaldson with a nice Utah brookie.

one-day fly fishing school with UFG. We met at Falcon’s Ledge near Altamont, Utah and had a great day. Every member of the group caught some fish, but more importantly, they all increased their knowledge and skills.

Still, this fly fishing thing can be humbling. I’ve gotten a number of frustrated text messages from Alan this summer. He’s caught some fish, but not as many as he’d like. This week, however, Alan emailed me pictures of fish caught on two different rivers. Nice browns from the Middle Provo and some brookies from another small stream. The email really made my day.

I was stuck in the middle of a long stretch of days of work without a break, and just seeing that Alan was out there, plugging along and getting some rewards really gave me a minute to pause and appreciate the nature of fly fishing. It’s not always easy. In fact, it’s sometimes downright disappointing, but I do think those disappointments are what makes is so great. It occupies our minds, challenges our resolve and then,

A great little brookie

eventually, when the starts align, it rewards us with a unique sense of satisfaction. There’s some pride in the accomplishment, but in Alan’s case at least, it’s not a matter of being prideful. Rather his email and the accompanying photos display a pride in having worked so hard and having that work culminate in accomplishment of goals.

Or maybe it’s not as mystical as that. Maybe that look on his face (which people who don’t know him might interpret as almost angry) is just the embodiment of fun. Either way. . . .

Click on the Photo to read the Salt Lake Tribune article.

The Salt Lake Tribune ran a lifestyle article on two Utahns, Lance Egan and Devin Olsen, who will lead the USA Fly Fishing Team in the upcoming World Championships in Italy. It’s a great story of how Lance inspired Devin to enter the world of competitive fly fishing and how together they are now leading the charge for a World Championship.

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/lifestyle/51960605-80/fishing-fly-team-egan.html.csp

Both Lance and Devin are great guys and we wish them all of the best as they try to get over on the Europeans.

Strawberry Reservoir Finally Opens Up, Rivers Flood, More Water to Come, but Fly Fishing is Still Good

I remember 1983. For a kid obsessed with water and all that lives in it that year was full of wonder and awe. Water was everywhere and water was the topic of most conversations, at least most of those to which I paid attention. For those unaware of Utah’s hydrologic history, 1983 was an historically wet year.

State Street, a major road in Salt Lake City, was turned into a river to save local homes and businesses. Thistle Lake formed in just a few short months from a mud slide that completely blocked Spanish Fork Canyon and dammed the Spanish Fork River. The backed-up water buried the entire town of Thistle, Utah. Only a few bricks and foundations remain today. The Great Salt Lake began to rise to levels never seen. Over the next few years, salt water would flood the freshwater marshes around the lake, destroying waterfowl habitat and displacing millions of birds and other marshland creatures. It was epic.

Well, this year there is more snow in the mountains than there was at this point in 1983. The weather has stayed cool all Spring and snow has kept piling up. We haven’t even seen the start of big runoff and already the Weber, Ogden, and Blacksmith Fork Rivers have flooded. We are in for some wild water in the rivers.

Luckily, there are lakes to fish, right? Well, finally anyway. The ice off period was delayed. Strawberry Reservoir just opened up yesterday -weeks later than usual and only because another Spring storm brought with it some high winds that pushed ice off a good part of the large mountain lake. The high elevation lakes are still buried and winter mortality could become an issue in the highest lakes as snow blocks light penetration to the alpine waters. It’s nothing short of a weird year.

Ok, now the good news. Even though it looks like we’re in for some high water, several more weeks of waiting for a lot of Utah’s rivers to clear and come down to fishable levels, and probably some sandbagging, there’s a bright side. This Summer promises to be incredible! No worrying about low water, warm water, and skittish fish. The lush grass will make for more hoppers, beetles, and ants and big hefty rainbows, browns, and cutthroats. Big water will scour out the mud and silt creating habitat for more bugs for years to come. And great fishing should continue well into the Fall.

The other bright side – we have some incredible tailwaters to fish. The Provo is high but not flooding and it’s clear for the most part. The Green got a much needed flush of high water and remains fishable and a little lower for now. It will probably rise again but not to the levels we saw last week. The streamer fishing is great right now and the legendary cicadas hatch could be the best in decades with all the fish pushed up against the banks.

Nature is amazing. She sure is showing off this year. Let’s hope people are safe and be thankful that the fish have plenty of water. Now let’s get out and sling some big bugs and catch some of these fish!

Jake Ricks
Co-Owner/Guide
Utah Fly Guides

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

A High Water Brown

Our local papers and even TV news have a daily “Flood Watch” this year. Locals will remember the flooding in downtown Salt Lake City in 1983 as record snow pack melted faster than the streams and rivers could handle. There’s more water in the mountains this year than back in the infamous year, and we are certain to have some flooding. The effects of the flooding should be mitigated this year in part because of some lessons learned in ’83 as well as by the addition of some new reservoirs since 1983 should help lesson the impact.

More important than any streets and basements fill, the rivers are all full and they are going to overflow their banks. (Note the sarcasm here.) I’ve heard some people already say that the rivers are unfishable. Don’t believe it, at least not all of them. The fishing can be tough and you have to fish differently than you would with lower water, but there are still fish to be had.

The Larvae Bomb

I’ve been out twice on the Middle Provo in the last three days. I haven’t crossed the river, and in fact today, I only got in over my knees once, and that was completely out of the current. Staying out of current is especially important when water is high. You just don’t want to take chances. Going in during summer low water is dangerous, but most times it will only cost you your pride and whatever you happen to drop. In high water, the chances that it will cost your life are simply too high.

The good news is that you don’t need to take those risks. The furthest cast any of us made during these two days is probably 20 feet. The fish are pushed along the edges, with a lot of nice ones sitting in deep pools and up against grass banks that are normally exposed. They are all but ignoring the BWO duns floating all around them, but they are still eating below the surface.

High water is a great time to try new techniques like Czech nymphing. And don’t be afraid to use some big crazy bugs. I’ve been playing with crane fly larvae. Today I used one I’ve

The Larvae Bomb fooled this Middle Provo Rainbow

dubbed the Larvae Bomb. It’s on a size 4 hook which allows me to load it down with enough weight to get down fast in heavy water. (Enough here being two layers of .30 wire!)

Of course, this time of year is also a great time to access really big fish in still waters. So whether you have an itch to cast to pigs in still water or to try your hand at some new techniques on the river, give us a call and book a trip. The weather is great.

Bryan Eldredge, Co-Owner and Guide

Grizzly Saddle Hackle is no longer just for Griffith’s Gnats – you’re apparently supposed to put it in your hair!

Meow!!!…ahem, I mean cock-a-doodle-hair-do

I’m bald. An unfortunate situation that necessitates that I use ample amounts of sunblock on my melon and means that I don’t pay any attention whatsoever to trends in hair styles. I simply don’t have the option of a hair style, except a comb-over I guess, and I’m not that patient, or desperate. However, when the price of Grizzly Saddle Hackles goes up significantly, and hairstylists show up to do battle at my local fly shop, I’m forced to take notice of these things.

Feather Hair Extensions are Hot!

Yes, people are putting feathers in their hair. Luckily, I have a good stock of saddle hackle (up for sale btw) and I don’t watch trendy TV, so I had no idea that a feathered-hair comeback was even possible. Why would anyone ever think it was? However, it’s true, putting feathers in your hair is a really big deal these days. The trend is literally (actually figuratively) huge! And it’s widespread and far reaching, affecting all facets of society. Ok, it hasn’t actually gotten so bad as to become stylish for men, although Steven Tyler of American Idol does it. But he does a lot of things. I just won’t walk that way, Steven. Dream on dude, dream on.

The Battle of the Hackle Isle (actually “Aisle,” but that’s just not as heroic sounding)

Someone named Selena Gomez wearing feathers like they were meant for something other than flies!

I’ve actually read a few stories about salon owners making runs on their local fly shops and bullying fly shop owners into selling them all of the saddle hackle they can find. You know how tough salon owners can be. Not even the toughest mafia thugs dare to oppose a committed salon owner hell bent on gathering chicken feathers. Some fly shops are now fighting back by limiting the numbers of saddle hackles a customer can buy in hopes that a few actually go to fly tyers. In response to such policies, the tactics have turned dirty. Turns out most of these “fly tyers” in fly shops these days are actually dudes commissioned (bribed w medicinal marijuana) by salon owners to act like fly tyers. How do you tell who’s real and who’s a poser? Ask them what they’ve been catching them on. Number one answer amongst the fake tyers – Monster Wingzits in size Large or 17, almost always with cheese.

Dream on!

Whiting Farms, the number one producer of fine fly tying hackles, is pretty much inundated with phone calls from salons. I can just hear them: “Uh so, yeah (gum pops) like, do you have any of those featherssssssssses, like, you know that you like make into (gum pops) weaves. Like J-Love wears you know. They, are soooooo hot. Like you know, I saw that nasty old lady from American Idol even has them.”

Hoard your fly tying feathers while there’s still time!

For the normally obscenely traditional and below the radar world of fly fishing this is a pandemic of attention. It’s plain craziness! Some enterprising fly tyer with even an inkling of social skills, fashion sense, and personal hygiene (hypothetical situation of course) could really make it big on the back of this trend. They could even make it onto the Celebrity Apprentice.

Well, I’m off to hoard my grizzly saddle hackles (read: list it on E-bay) and I suggest that all fly tyers get your saddle hackles while you still can. I hear Mylie Cyrus, Taylor Swift, and Steven Tyler are possibly on tour – there won’t be any grizzly hackles (or lipstick in Steven’s case) left on local shelves once they tornado through your town.

Jake Ricks
Co-owner/Guide
Utah Fly Guides

High Water but Crazy Good Blue Wings Hatching, Fish Taking Notice

Ok, so they are forecasting flooding here in the next few weeks. We have too much snow that will turn into too much water; not something you usually hear out West. However, the blue wings are hatching like crazy – even in really high water. So we’re taking advantage before we need to start filling sandbags.

Check out our latest Provo River fly fishing video, shot by UFG owner and guide, Bryan Eldredge. Amazing footage of clusters of blue winged olives and trout slurping them.