Lower Provo River--August 8, 12 2011 w/Larry, Dale

Fly Fishing the West
Vol. 26, Issue 1
August 8,12, 2011
Lower Provo River, Provo Canyon, Utah

Monday, August 8, 2011—I arrived at the Lower Provo River at about 4:00 pm above the railroad ‘trestle’ about 5 miles below the Deer Creek Reservoir. I parked in at the wide, sweeping curve parking area and hiked down to the stream about 200 yards below what we call “Moose Bend”. The weather was sunny and warm. I fished the rapids behind a rock in the middle of the stream. I tried nymphing ‘Tyson method’ with several flies with no luck. I switched to a size 14 ‘silver spider’ (a fly Tyson ties—a silver body and some soft hackle) and hooked a fish immediately. I worked him all the way in and he ran right back out using the swift current. I got him in a second time but the line snagged up on a small tree clump of branches out in the bottom of the stream. I waded out as far as I could go and was able to reach and net him under the water. It turned out to be a 17” brown trout. I left at 6 pm.

Friday, August 12, 2011—I, Tyson, Dale and Larry (Dale’s brother who did not fish) arrived at the Lower Provo River at about 6:15 am at the railroad ‘trestle’ about 5 miles below the Deer Creek Reservoir. We hiked downstream of the trestle on the north side of the stream about ½ mile and fished what we call ‘Jason’s Run’. The weather was sunny but cool. Dale and I fished nymphing with a strike indicator. Tyson fished with a streamer above and below us. I caught a 15” fat, pretty rainbow on the size 14 ‘silver spider’ fly described above. I then hooked two more similarly sized fish on a size 18 flashback midge. One I got all the way to the milfoil next to the shore then lost him. The other fish jumped about 2 feet out of the water then flipped the hook. Tyson had two fish on but did not get them in as well.

(Dale is a good friend from southern California and is just learning how to fly fish. He went out earlier in the week with a guide and caught several fish. I guess that tells me how good a guide I am since he did not catch any fish with me….I knew I should have had Tyson help him…..oh well.)
We left at 8 am.
Other Miscellaneous Information/Observations:

1. On August 8 there were a lot of rafters coming down the river. Wading, I worried little about getting hit by a raft out of control so I was constantly glancing upstream to avoid getting hit. Other than this, rafters don’t bother the fishing at all.

2. Fishing August 8 I noticed now on the other side of the stream is a ZIP-LINE with people zooming across the face of the mountain.