Stay & Play on the Famous Provo River
Downstream, near the bottom of a pool, I can see trout sipping insects from the water's surface. The fish aren't jumping, they are not making a big splash, just small ripples as they come to the surface and inhale a bug from the film.
"They're dining on midges," I say to myself as I tie a small dry fly to my leader. I plan a careful approach, staying back away from the bank so I won't scare the feeding fish as I work my way into position.
I cast. My fly lands softly above the pod, where I hope natural drift will take it to the fish. An eddy moves it sideways and it floats several feet away, never close enough for the fish to give it a look.
I cast again, my fly landing in a new spot, and this time Lady Luck smiles on me. I watch, muscles taut, as the puff of dark feathers drifts into the feeding lane. A mouth emerges and the fly disappears. I raise my rod and hoot: "Fish on."
Fly fishing is good on the Provo River right now. Good and getting better. Midges and blue wing olives are hatching. As the weather continues to warm, more insects will become active. There will be bigger bugs that are easier to fish. April, May and June bring excellent dry fly fishing on this Blue Ribbon stream.
The Provo and the Green are Utah's premier trout streams. Both are famous for the size and quantity of fish they produce. The Green is bigger - you can fish it from a drift boat - but it is 230 miles from Salt Lake City. The Provo is just 40 miles away.
With some 3,500 fish per mile, the Provo River ranks as the best stream in America close to a major airport. It offers brown trout, cutthroats and rainbows. The browns are the big draw and it produces 18-25 inch fish on a regular basis.
Runoff is now raising the level of some Utah streams, and making the water cloudy. The Provo is protected by two reservoirs (Jordanelle and Deer Creek). These reservoirs contain the runoff and so the water level in the river is controlled. It is fishable right through the runoff period.
The Provo meanders through beautiful Heber Valley - known as Utah's little Switzerland because it is ringed by towering mountains. Heber area businesses have teamed up to offer special deals to fly fishermen this spring. Check out their promotion - it may save you a substantial amount on lodging, fishing supplies, guide service and meals.
The Heber area also offers excellent reservoir fishing. Deer Creek, Jordanelle and then Strawberry will lose their ice caps and become fishable during the next few weeks. Strawberry has been incredible during recent years, consistently producing large cutthroats.
The bugs are out. The fish are hungry. Come join the fun.
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- Dave Webb
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