Bear River Uintas Report: three species

[Cowboypirate]

So if you have not seen this weeks results on this forum: we got skunked at Lost Creek and East Canyon 2x (actually I caught one smallmouth but cookie wont let me count it cause she did not see it and we did catch a lot of crawdads). Wana get Cookie fired up - take her fishing a couple times with a skunkout - it messes with her mojo

so Saturday we went up to the Uintas and fished the Bear River. Caught all three species known to this stretch (Rainbow, brooks, and cuts)

Location: Bear River between Christmas Meadows cut off and Hellhole Trail head - I dont think that really mattered as anywhere on the river that you have to walk a bit gets less pressure

Lures: size 14 elk hair caddis in grey and cream; renegade size 12 and 14; royal wulf size 14 and pheasant tail size 14 and 16

Time of day: after 4PM (spent the morning gold planning and exploring)

Special note: watch out for momma and baby moose. They were there first and will remind you of that

Tips: the beaver ponds were very good, but fish were spooky - go Rambo on them and have hip boots or your gona get wet. And, the takes were all most 100% after the fly went wet. Very few surface takes.


As noted we spent a lot of time early panning for gold up Mill City Creek. Had good luck. Great activity for families and kids to beat the heat - just dont expect to get rich. Its really fine flakes when you find them. Also explored the tie hack camps up that way. The video link below has a lot of the gold panning and exploring (some pretty good stuff) along with the fishing, so if you just want the fishing best just look to the photos below


https://youtu.be/mwCYi1rkT9M
[signature]

[catchinon]

Thanks for another great report. It sure makes me want to get up to the really high country. I am still trying to add smallmouth a brook trout to my species-caught list. Are you still looking to add golden trout? We caught some last year, but my pard doesn't want to go again this year. If you do, let me know.

Can you share some details about fishing the upper Bear? Where do you park and how far do you have to hike?
[signature]

[Cowboypirate]

I attached a photo of where I was fishing and marked the pullout with the distance. Its a small turnout in between the Whitney Rd and the Gold Hill Road on 150. It really is not far to walk to the water, but I find that most people pass the streams up on the way to the lakes and if it looks like beaver ponds they really avoid it.

Technically its the Hayden fork of the Bear River. I stopped here just because I know the beaver ponds out that way are fishy if the creek is off, but I have fished a number of spots up and down this and other forks of the bear and black with similar results this year (not all reported on this forum as I think people get a bit bored with to many - I caught a 6 inch brookie reports). The middle fork of the blacks and the smiths fork near suicide park are a favorites of mine, mostly for fond family memories, but the fish seem cooperative for a wand whipper like me.

I normally start dry with a squirt on floatant and then switch to wet and nymphs if I dont get results. In this case I did not have my floatant, just a handful of flies in my pocket, so I fished them dry until they water logged and then just kept on fishing them wet. Almost all the takes were after they went wet this time.

As for Goldens, I fully plan a trip to Echo Lake in the Uintas, but I may wait to Sept just cause I like to go there when its less crowded. Love to have ya along, if you are game.

Not sure where our adventures will take us this week, but Smallies are on my mind so I might hit Echo or Rockport Reservoir one evening and I will be back in the Uintas Saturday. Hope we cross paths
[signature]