Just Be Nice
Last week, Spencer Higa, the Fishing Manager at Falcon's Ledge lodge and I took a quick trip to Wyoming to fish in Star Valley. We had a great time exploring new waters. The final night we were there, we returned to a spot where we had found a number of larger cutthroats and took turns catching them and filming each other doing it. It was the perfect end to a great trip.
Unfortunately, when we returned to the truck (carrying handfuls of trash we collected along the river), we found a note stuck into the driver's side window, apparently left by the guide who was unloading his clients from his boat when we headed out.
The .com reference on the note apparently was a reaction to the www.UtahFlyGuides.com on the back window of my truck. Certainly, the note didn't ruin our day, but it was something of a surprise, and it started us discussing the importance of stream etiquette, in all its forms. Here in the West, we are blessed with a great diversity of fishing opportunities. And sure it's nice when you've got a river all to yourself as we are often fortunate to do, but the political realities are such that anglers need each other to protect our rights to do what we love.
Political considerations aside, there is something to be said for common human decency and respect. On that same trip Spencer and I shared greetings with several other anglers, some fishing flies and some throwing bait. All of our other interactions were cordial and even seemed made easy by a shared passion for the outdoors, wild fish and wild rivers.
There just isn't any place for discourteous behavior on our waters. That this instance apparently came from a member of our "profession" is disheartening to say the least. But it's not unimaginable. Not anywhere.
The writer John Geirach once wrote something to the effect of, "It may be that there are only two kinds of fishermen: those in your group and the a******s." He may be right, but it needs to stop and the best way I know to make it stop is to take the initiative to just be nice to those we meet on the river. Share some information. Occasionally, being polite might require that we move on to other waters or even pack it in for the day. There are worse things.
For all of our sport's claims to being relaxing, contemplative, thought-provoking and even mystical, if we can't be civil to one another we won't deserve the rights we seek to preserve.
Utah Fly Fishing Report, August 6
Well, sorry for the gap in fly fishing reports. The fishing in July has been so good that we haven't had a chance to get off the water. The fly fishing in Utah is absolutely fantastic right now and it should stay strong through the month of August and into September. We have had some of the best hatches we've ever seen on some of the tailwaters and with all of the water the mountain streams have been very good.
Fly Fishing in Rivers
This Beast Ate a Dry Fly
The rivers are warming in the low elevations but this year has been delayed a bit by all of the Spring water so we are fishing now like it normally does in mid July. Water is still pretty high on the middle Provo and we've had mixed success. PMDs are hatching but with the high flows the fish haven't really keyed on them yet. Should happen this week and next. The Weber continues to fish well with nymphs, but the real stars right now are the high mountain streams, which are fishing amazingly well, and the exclusive private fly fishing waters that UFG has access to. We are heading out to two of the private ranches today to do some "research" which really means fishing for fun. Should be amazing. We'll post pictures, even if we don't catch anything bigger than the last fish I caught at this place (check out this 25 inch rainbow).
Fly Fishing in Lakes
The flyfishing on most of the lakes has slowed a bit, although it continues to be good on some of the private waters. Fish are starting to really feed only early and late in the day. Although, with afternoon thunderstorms being the norm, we are seeing some good fishing just after the 2-4 o'clock showers cool things off. This pattern could last through much of August but September normally really starts to pick up and get good for big fish that feed heavily before spawning and winter.
Things Change. Fast.
This afternoon my sweetheart suggested that we go up Provo Canyon so I could fish for a bit while she sat in the shade and read her new book. . . . What a woman!!
It was a beautiful day today and as some of you may know, here in Utah it's the start of a long weekend. The 24th of July is a state holiday, Pioneer Day, so the canyon was lousy with people. I figured we could avoid the river pressure by going to the lower end of the Lower Provo. We pulled off Nunn's Park, a park and campground that is pretty popular but which affords easy access to river that isn't fished too hard. It's a nice place to read a book and since the river is running high right now, I thought it a good choice because there is a stretch of river there that is flat and wide. I hoped I could fish it without getting into too much trouble wading. What I hadn't counted on was having an audience.
Fast water can do more than ruin your day.
As I sauntered across the grass to drop down into the river, I passed by a family who were sitting on a blanket just enjoying the shade and the sound of the water. By the time I eased into the water and stripped out some line, I realized the entire family had slid to the riverside and were anxiously watching me. I thought, "Okay, maybe I can entertain them." The problem was that while the water was littered with bugs, the fish were briskly ignoring them. Apparently they've seen it before.
It didn't take too long before the family grew tired of watching me cast, change flies and repeat. And I couldn't help but feel like I'd let them down. Eventually, I hooked up with a nice fat 14" brown. The take surprised me a bit, but more shocking was how quickly my audience was back. And they'd tripled.
The fish took in heavy water and it had me in a bit of trouble right off the bat. By the time I had him slowed, there was a guy with a big black camera with a long lens in the edge of the water taking my picture while a woman watched from behind him. The family was back; a boy of about 10 was clapping and his dad was filming me with his cell phone. Other folks gathered around and my little audience was soon over a dozen. I landed the fish and held it up for the kids to see. When I released the it, the crowd thinned a little but the original family seemed to have new hope. And why not? So did I.
As I started fishing again, I noticed that the little boy and a girl of about seven were now wading in the shallow water of the small eddy where I had entered the water. As I stood there on slick, loose rocks in water up over my thighs, I got the same sick feeling I get when I see a toddler unattended in a shopping cart. The kids seemed okay and their parents seemed pretty attentive but I still worried.
I fished half way back across and turned to fish the bank opposite the family. It couldn't have been thirty seconds before I heard a shout. I turned to see the little girl, still against the bank, but now downstream about fifteen feet below the eddy. I started for her but realized simultaneously that I wasn't going to get there through the current and that her mom, who was hip deep in harried had her.
The girl had flip-flops in her hands and tears in her eyes. I presume that her shoe came off and started floating away and she went after it. She was so close to never coming back that once I got my heart rate down, I packed it in and headed for shore. As the family watched me a little sheepishly and attended to the girl, I took pains to make it clear that I was being extra careful and that it was hard. I wade rivers for a living, and while I never felt like I was in trouble at all (and I have been before), I also know that wading is a skill guides often take for granted. When I climbed out of the water, the little boy's gaze met mine, I smiled just a little and gave him my best grave head shake.
It's funny how fortunes can change. I was disappointed that the fish weren't really active when I got there, but I was feeling pretty good when I caught that fish. Then, within minutes I came within inches of having this become one of the worst days of my life. So, here's a little reminder to be extra careful wading. And when you're out with the kids this summer, make sure to keep a close eye on them in tame water and just don't let them near fast water. Rivers are too great to have them be the source of so much pain.
French Nymph Fishing Techniques
The French: I Like their Fries and their Flies
So that headline may have included one of the worst jokes I've ever dared to write down, but this video is some of the most effective nymphing I've seen. I found it cruising Facebook today and liked watching this guy fish. Those familiar with international fly fishing competitions will tell you that the French team knows their stuff (unfortunately for us Americans), especially when it comes to catching fish from shallow water with nymphs. This video is a little long and the music may give you a headache too, or at least make you nervous in some form, but this is a great technique to have in the quiver for the appropriate situations. So turn the sound down low and enjoy some great French nymphing footage.
Jake Ricks
Co-Owner/Guide
Utah Fly Guides
The Best Fishing Buddies
Rachel with a nice Provo River brown.
The sad truth is that there are a few downsides to guiding. For example there are the disapproving looks from your neighbors that are clearly meant to suggest that a responsible person would actually know where the sprinkler heads in his yard were. There's getting caught a mile from the truck in a downpour with lightening closing in. There's getting up early every morning and going to bed late every night. There's having to go fishing on your off days so you know the water level, the bug hatches. . . . Oh, wait. That's a good thing!!! (I just tell my wife it's drudgery. Please don't tell.)
But one of the true drawbacks is that I don't get enough time to take my girls fishing. As far as I'm concerned, I have the best group of fishing buddies to walk the planet, great guys, great anglers, and just good people. But to spend an evening on the river with one of my girls is pure magic.
Last night, I took my youngest, Rachel (a.k.a. Bug), to the Provo for the evening caddis hatch. And while the hatch came off only moderately, a full on attack of the flies wouldn't have made the trip any more enjoyable. Rachel is a real joy to be around. She's smart and thoughtful, and she applies that to her fishing. The kid casts with a true grace, and she sees things on the water. She mends without being told, and she does it in anticipation of drag, not just to stop drag.
Where she needs some work is in containing her excitement at the take. (Some of her hook sets would have made any pro bass fisherman envious.) After the first take last night, she was so excited she couldn't hold still. She was so wiggly that I kept thinking she had to pee.
My fishing buddy.
We had a great time teasing and playing, and whistling duets of the "Andy Griffith" and Disney's "Robin Hood" theme songs as we walked to the truck through the dark turned out to be fun of the highest order.
I've always enjoyed guiding parents with a teen, especially when both of them show some interest in fishing. I wish more parents would bring their kids along for a half-day trip. (That's usually best, since it leaves the kids wanting more rather than wanting to go home.) I know it's hard. Teenagers live such busy and full lives, that it can be tough to find a time that doesn't conflict with something or other. Rachel had plans for last night, but I invited her anyway, and I was surprised at how eagerly she arranged to come.
A wise person once said, "You can take a kid fishing, or you can go fishing, but you can't do both." These days I never take a rod when I take my girls fishing. In truth, I could now. They handle themselves pretty well, but by playing guide I get to stand next to them and talk. As it turns out, that may just be better than catching a fish. . . .