Fishing Forum

It's been a fun couple of weeks, enjoying the beautiful weather we're having lately. Starting with a couple of fish on my lunch break, last Friday, the next day at Deer Creek Reservoir also provided some fun.

I finally got a brown from a tunnel I've been trying from time to time, near work. That same day, another one bit from the under "le grille". Glamorous, no?





Deer Creek was pretty fun, although I was disappointed to see "No Parking" signs along one of my favorite places to park. Tragic! Parking about a quarter mile up the road, I hiked down a really steep hillside to get to a spot that looked inviting. Mountain goat access only.







Yeah, I got my feet wet today.

Just a few feet underwater, a nice shelf stuck out a few yards before dropping off into the deep. Hopping a brown marabou jig with a black head along the ledge got some follows and eventually some bites. There were several that came off before I could get them in, but a few hung on.





The big one of the day was definitely over 20", but it got off at my feet. These two and a couple of smaller ones were still fun to catch.

On the way home, I stopped along the lower section of the North Fork of the Provo River (en route to Sundance) to try one of my old spots. Just upstream, however, "No Trespassing" signs started to appear and I had to quit. The fish in there are super spooky and it was difficult to get the one that I did.









Another stop along the Lower Provo yielded a small brown on the fly rod and it was time to go.

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This week:

The family needed to spend a sunny Saturday together and we took a long drive to a place where the tiger trout are big and . It's a windy place that can really put the brakes on fishing and I've left without a bite several times.





As expected, we missed the calm of the day (usually for about an hour or two after sunrise) and a stiff breeze greeted us in the face as we crested the dam. Sonia and I rigged up our minnows and tossed out. My usual spot on the cliffs was less than easy access, so I got as close as I could.

My first cast didn't land where I wanted it, so I slowly brought it in, tugging it every few seconds. Once it was within sight, I let it drift down a little deeper and a bronzy flash zipped around a couple of times before streaking off with it.

It fought bigger than it looked, but it was still a pretty good fish. It taped out to 20"



Sonia was getting worked by the wind and pretty much gave up, taking cover with my daughter behind an umbrella. I grabbed her rod and took a walk down the dam to try to get that minnow some attention. About halfway across, next to a patch of submerged brush (I've never seen the lake so full), a nice tiger shot in to investigate.

It swam around it a few times before quickly darting off to the deep with it. I set the hook and the fight was on...and on. It was very aggressive and took a couple of minutes to get close to shore. Once there, it still required a few more runs to deeper water, peeling drag at will.

Finally in hand, I brought it back to camp and taped it at 24". It weighed 4lbs, 6oz.





After several hours of casting lures and minnows in all directions, nothing else could justify any further battle with the wind and we stopped along a small tailwater stream on our way to the next reservoir.

Wild browns and cutthroat were eager to bite if I could remain undetected on my approach. Many tiny treasures were brought to hand and it was nice to trick them for a few minutes. What a great little stream.







The reservoir above the creek was a different story though. I've never, in 5 years, caught a single fish from this lake. I've seen some and know that the better area is near the inlet, but that requires either a boat or a long hike. Add the typical wind to the mix and it just never comes to fruition for me.



One day I'll just ignore the tiger spot so I can dedicate a full day to the other lake, where wild Bonneville cutthroat proliferate naturally.

Ready to go home, we hit the road, vowing to stop at our favorite rest area, the I-80 Echo rest stop. The view is spectacular and the prairie dogs are very friendly. The kids have a blast playing with them and giving them morsels of granola bars. Okay, we all do.















Overlooking the canyon, the tiny Echo Creek slowly meanders before eventually connecting to the Weber River, below Echo Reservoir. After our fun with the critters, we decided to take the cliff side road and I stopped to catch a fish in the creek really quickly.

I'd caught some very small cutthroat in there, my only other time fishing it. This time, I missed two and got one, but it was just what I needed to finish off the day. I just love fishing in places that others usually drive past.









With that, the day was complete, all of us pleased with our time spent together on another wonderful day outside.



Happy Fishing, Humans.
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Great post and pictures, as always.
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Damn boy. You and the gang sure do get around. And I envy you the # lines you pitch. No ditch walleye this time?

You have inspired me to explore my local waterways - with the fun of mapquest and googlemaps - it's neat to track the canals and rivers. Get the funniest looks from folks driving by as I peer or pitch into a ditchway, but they don't see the swirls I do! []

Especially love that last squirrel shot. Too cool man! How much did you have to pay them to pose like that?

do you target fish other than trout much, ever? just curious. You sure do find some nice ones. Still haven't cracked the 20" mark on a slimer yet (one of this year's goals)

Cheers

EXCELLENT REPORT!!!!!

Now these are the kind of posts and reports I love to see!


Great job!!


LT
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Nice report. Thank you for sharing. Nice tiger
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Awesome post as usual loah! That "little stream" has produced some decent sized cuts in the past. There are a couple "small streams" below there that are packed full of big browns if you dont spook them. It seems like you have plenty of ninja fishing skills that you could tear them up
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I'll target anything with fins, but find myself traveling for trout, mostly.

Catching bass is a lot of fun and I think I might need to go check out Utah Lake this week in the evenings. I see a lot of rolling in the shallows today, LMB and carp.

And the p. dogs didn't charge much. Just a crumble of granola bar here and there.[sly]
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Great Report Loah. Some of those browns are just packed with amazing color.

TRH
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