Fly Fishing Northern Utah, Sep-Oct 2024

[bigal_ut]

Hello! This is a sincere request for recommendations. If you'd be willing to share, please read on...

I'm brand new here. I can't seem to find any really active fly fishing forums that focus on Utah, but stumbled on this today and am hopeful!

I was raised near Salt Lake City and learned to fly fish in the late eighties, primarily on the Weber and Provo Rivers. For many years, I lived in another state, and life and job responsibilities took me away from enjoying this hobby, which at one time was a weekly or multiple times a week activity for me.

Fast forward a lot of years and I'm back in Utah (living in Utah County) for the last 3. I have 4 boys, and the two youngest (aged 12 and 14) have pulled me back in to Fly Fishing. We've had some great fun the last two years, and plenty of disappointing days too. I've come to believe it's really hard to know where to fly fish anymore in northern Utah, within say a 1 hour drive of Salt Lake or Utah Counties.

Our overall best days have been in the Uinta Mountains, where we backpack every year - and now fly fish (and spinner fish) too. In addition to those trips, we've had a few decent days at the lower Provo... but frankly it's become too much of a burden due to the unbelievable amount of "rubber hatch" going on now even until dark on weekdays (to say nothing of Saturdays), and there is a crackdown on private land access going on. Not only those two huge negatives, but the the fishing honestly is NOTHING like it was when I was a teenager and in my early twenties. Ditto for the Weber river between Rockport and Echo. My boys and I have had two outings there, with literally almost no bites at all this summer. When I was younger I never was skunked there, and I mean never - I at least would catch two or three whitefish and hour. What happened to these fisheries?

I'd love to know if there are any nice rivers left, within a reasonable distance of the Wasatch Front, where one can enjoy a day, or a few hours, of fly fishing without a huge amount of hassle, having to know the right people, and so forth.

We like fishing lakes too, and by next spring I hope to have a few float tubes to make that easier and funner for the three of us. I'm attaching a couple photos of nice fish from the Uinta's this year (the beautiful Brook Trout was at a lake called Governor Dern, and the Tiger Trout near Star Lake - both relatively close to Mirror Lake). I would love to share what I've learned this year as well, should anyone be interested. Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer a Dad and his desire to give his two serious fisher-boys some good experiences!

[wiperhunter2]

Welcome to the site Bigal, there have been lots of changes in the state over the years, a lot of them, not so good but the fishing can be good if you have time to get away from the crowds. Your idea about fishing lakes is likely your best one for trout because most of the good trout streams are farther away from the cities, not that the Provo and Weber can't produce good fish but you have to be selective on where you fish. Hopefully a few of the fishing folks on BFT and give you some ideas. When you say, Rubber Hatch, are you referring to those people that float down the weber river and likely other rivers in the area on rubber rafts or tubes?

[joshomaru]

I used to fish Hobble Creek a bit, but have not for a long time. It can be tough to cast due to the overgrowth, but, there were always nice little browns there! You also have Diamond Fork, which was rotenoned a few years ago to rid the creek of the superior browns for cutts (Diamond Fork is more of a brown habitat than cutty habitat, but, it is what it is kind of thing). I have not fished it since the rotenone treatment, but have heard recently that the fishing is picking up. I have also heard that American Fork has recovered from the dam repair situation a few years back. These are some close-to-home suggestions for your location!

[Cowboypirate]

Welcome. I am one of the moderators of the site. There are some exceptional fly fishing lovers on this site who I am sure will offer some great thoughts. I fly fish a lot and what I lack in skill I make up for efforts Here are some thoughts in no specific order to help you...

1- The lower Provo gets less tube traffic as it gets cold and the fishing can still be excellent but it gets hit hard by very good fly guys. I rarely fish it.

2- the Middle Weber between Rockport and Echo is hit hard by locals and guide services out of Park City. Thus the fish see some very talented presentations and flies. It can still be very good and I still catch browns and whitties, but I have been skunked here often too. I just recently fished it with tiny jigs and caught some big browns. It is within a few miles of home so I test it out frequently. The lower Weber can also be excellent later in Fall after the rafts leave. there are a number of public access points and some DWR walkin access. Here is a link to a youtube video from a couple weeks ago

https://youtu.be/4yAN8nS2w9o?si=dj1Z-kvs2ak5FoVp

3- Frankly I spend most of my time flyfishing smaller creeks and rivers in the Uinta's. About any creek you point to on the map will have good fishing if you simply walk a little ways away from the road. The closest for you would probably be the upper Provo between the Girls camp and Soapstone. Or even higher between Soapstone and Trial Lake. I have fished it a few times this year with excellent success using simple flies like an elkhair caddis, renegade, coachman, ant or hopper patter. Also the bear river going down the other side has some exceptional fishing off the road a bit.

Here are two videos from locations that are like that

https://youtu.be/GOUBDk49bJo?si=K7CkuDF109Q8YoZd

https://youtu.be/5f2tBAO0hi8?si=aAXS1ajqcgIK5BzB

I just fished the Upper Weber and will be posting about it on this site today.

If you want to discuss locations /methods a bit more you can PM me or ask specifics. Happy to help you get back into some fish

cheers

[richyd4u]

Welcome to the site...there are a few of us on here that post on this fly fishing thread, good peeps willing to help each other out. I grew up fly fishing in Northern UT, much like you. The 80's-90's were great times up there on the Provo, Weber and Ogden rivers. I agree though, they have been severely damaged by the commercialization and rubber hatching going on. I have since moved to Southern UT and have found some amazing fisheries down here over the last 12 yrs. It's primarily still water fishing down here, but there a few decent streams/rivers. I find the numbers and size are much better in the lakes in general, especially with the introduction of tiger trout in most of our waters. We hit the 30"+ range a few times a year down here, with most fish in the 20"+ range. Also, many great bow, cutt and brookie waters. If I was to live back up North, I'd primarily focus on the lakes up there. Strawberry would be my main focus. Deer Creek, Jordanelle, Unitas for numbers and not so much size, Lost Creek, etc. For rivers, I'd focus primarily on the upper Provo to escape the rubber hatch. That's great your getting your Sons into the sport! I have all girls, and my oldest is 21 yrs old and she can out fish anyone, as you'll see on here when I make my posts. Such great memories. Good luck and welcome again! (Pic to introduce you to my daughter)

[Cowboypirate]

Welcome to the site...there are a few of us on here that post on this fly fishing thread, good peeps willing to help each other out. I grew up fly fishing in Northern UT, much like you. The 80's-90's were great times up there on the Provo, Weber and Ogden rivers. I agree though, they have been severely damaged by the commercialization and rubber hatching going on. I have since moved to Southern UT and have found some amazing fisheries down here over the last 12 yrs. It's primarily still water fishing down here, but there a few decent streams/rivers. I find the numbers and size are much better in the lakes in general, especially with the introduction of tiger trout in most of our waters. We hit the 30"+ range a few times a year down here, with most fish in the 20"+ range. Also, many great bow, cutt and brookie waters. If I was to live back up North, I'd primarily focus on the lakes up there. Strawberry would be my main focus. Deer Creek, Jordanelle, Unitas for numbers and not so much size, Lost Creek, etc. For rivers, I'd focus primarily on the upper Provo to escape the rubber hatch. That's great your getting your Sons into the sport! I have all girls, and my oldest is 21 yrs old and she can out fish anyone, as you'll see on here when I make my posts. Such great memories. Good luck and welcome again! (Pic to introduce you to my daughter)

I hate eating humble pie or I might challenge her to a fishing contest. She sure does catch some dandy fish. I really enjoy your posts and photos

[richyd4u]

Welcome to the site...there are a few of us on here that post on this fly fishing thread, good peeps willing to help each other out. I grew up fly fishing in Northern UT, much like you. The 80's-90's were great times up there on the Provo, Weber and Ogden rivers. I agree though, they have been severely damaged by the commercialization and rubber hatching going on. I have since moved to Southern UT and have found some amazing fisheries down here over the last 12 yrs. It's primarily still water fishing down here, but there a few decent streams/rivers. I find the numbers and size are much better in the lakes in general, especially with the introduction of tiger trout in most of our waters. We hit the 30"+ range a few times a year down here, with most fish in the 20"+ range. Also, many great bow, cutt and brookie waters. If I was to live back up North, I'd primarily focus on the lakes up there. Strawberry would be my main focus. Deer Creek, Jordanelle, Unitas for numbers and not so much size, Lost Creek, etc. For rivers, I'd focus primarily on the upper Provo to escape the rubber hatch. That's great your getting your Sons into the sport! I have all girls, and my oldest is 21 yrs old and she can out fish anyone, as you'll see on here when I make my posts. Such great memories. Good luck and welcome again! (Pic to introduce you to my daughter)

I hate eating humble pie or I might challenge her to a fishing contest. She sure does catch some dandy fish. I really enjoy your posts and photos

Haha, yeah...she's getting close to serving me humble pie almost every trip now! And the feelings mutual on your posts and awesome Youtube vids...I need to start posting more vids on my channel.

[bigal_ut]

wiperhunter2, joshomaru, Cowboypirate, richyd4u: wow! thank you very much for these awesome responses! I'm looking forward to helping out my new peeps!

My son's and I have already read through all this excellent information. We plan to very soon try the upper Provo, diamond fork, hobble creek, and I'm sure we'll try some lake fishing again soon at Strawberry and maybe some other places. Cowboypirate, I'll find your video on the upper Weber if I can (I fished up there - near Peoa and Oakley a fair bit in from about 1988 through summer 1991 with awesome memories!).

richyd4u: wow, that is one amazing fish your daughter has there. I'm curious, is that another family member putting in the fish behind and left of your daughter (back right of photo)? Must have been an amazing outing for all! Please let me know which lakes/streams you think worth a trip to Southern Utah. We love to try to spend time in the region of St. George at least once a year (we love visiting Snow Canyon and just running all over the petrified dunes for example). My 14 year old son found a place called Boulder Mountain in his searching, and has been trying to convince me to find time for a trip there.

wiperhunter2: yup my reference to rubber hatch is the CRAZY number of rafts, tubes, and flotation devices of all kinds. I cannot stress enough how difficult it is to fish there most afternoons and evening now - from just below the dam at Deer Creek down at least to Vivian Park. As a teenager and in my early twenties, I could spend 2 hours on that stretch of river and land a dozen browns and bows easily. Not anymore, not at all.

joshomaru: my boys and I have had some fun and success on the American Fork river, but wow it's hard to fish it with all the tree/shrub/brush growth and difficulty of access. Now that they're getting better at fly fishing, I don't spend the whole time untangling and re-doing their lines due to hooking everything except fish, haha! It's also hard to find decent holes that hold the better and larger fish. That said, we've found a few (literally as in 3) that we like and now avoid the rest. We've caught rainbows and browns there, with a couple reaching to the 14 inch range, but with most very small around 8-10 inches but lots of fun. The swarms of humanity all over the place up there nowadays on evenings and weekends doesn't help - but no human floaters on that small creek thank goodness.

Cowboypirate: many thanks for your response and videos... impressive all around. So you know, a former work associate of mine fishes with jigs like you used on the Weber of on the south fork of the Snake River in Idaho. He has his secret spots, and literally kills its just about every weekend. He uses jigs with fly rods and spinner setups, and that's almost the only way he fishes.

I'll be posting more. If there's anything I can do to return the favors let me know. I'll be sure to begin offering my experiences on where we fish. Finally, thankfully I kept all my old equipment boxed up... and now my boys and I have a long table with three fly tying vises, and my old rod building equipment and turner. My 14 year old built his own fly rod with my guidance (I guess it's like riding a bike, haha) and now my 12 year old and I have kits and will be making our own fly rods as well over the next month or so. I look forward to sharing anything I can. Thanks again y'all.

[Joe_Hill]

Since you live in Utah County, I'm going to give you my 4 favorite streams to fish there in order of my preference.
1 Sixth Water-  tough to access most but the first mile above 3 Forks and the section below and above Ray's Valley road isn't too bad. Can also drive off that toward Strawberry Ridge but be warned the clay makes it impassable if wet. The middle 4 miles  without road access is the best fishing but it takes a lot of effort to get there and a few dozen trips to learn how to get out efficiently.
2 Diamond Fork: only the section upstream from 3 Forks and above the fish barrier was treated. It's a hit or miss stream. Nymphs generally work ten times better than dries except during the Salmonfly hatch when both work equally. Fishing can really turn on during cloudy afternoons
3 Thistle Creek: only problem is there's less good access than in the past
4 American Fork , don't expect any 20 + inch fish ever but still can be a lot of fun.

[richyd4u]

richyd4u: wow, that is one amazing fish your daughter has there. I'm curious, is that another family member putting in the fish behind and left of your daughter (back right of photo)? Must have been an amazing outing for all! Please let me know which lakes/streams you think worth a trip to Southern Utah. We love to try to spend time in the region of St. George at least once a year (we love visiting Snow Canyon and just running all over the petrified dunes for example). My 14 year old son found a place called Boulder Mountain in his searching, and has been trying to convince me to find time for a trip there.

The guy in the background was just another random fly fisherman that day. That spot is no secret down here, so it can get crowded once the big tigers move in. There's a LOT of fisheries down here worth the trip, including all the lakes in the Boulder Mtn range. Only issue with the Boulders is you need to know which lakes are worth it, because many aren't...and those that have knowledge up there keep a tight lip. An off-road vehicle is also pretty mandatory to get to most of the good lakes up there. Hit me up the next time you are heading down and I can point you in some good directions! (pics just for fun, lol)

[bigal_ut]

Thanks richyd4u! Sorry for my delayed response, I need to get this into another inbox, so I'm faster. I WILL hit you up as we make plans this winter, for spring/summer of 2025!

---

Since you live in Utah County, I'm going to give you my 4 favorite streams to fish there in order of my preference.
1 Sixth Water-  tough to access most but the first mile above 3 Forks and the section below and above Ray's Valley road isn't too bad. Can also drive off that toward Strawberry Ridge but be warned the clay makes it impassable if wet. The middle 4 miles  without road access is the best fishing but it takes a lot of effort to get there and a few dozen trips to learn how to get out efficiently.
2 Diamond Fork: only the section upstream from 3 Forks and above the fish barrier was treated. It's a hit or miss stream. Nymphs generally work ten times better than dries except during the Salmonfly hatch when both work equally. Fishing can really turn on during cloudy afternoons
3 Thistle Creek: only problem is there's less good access than in the past
4 American Fork , don't expect any 20 + inch fish ever but still can be a lot of fun.

Hey Joe_Hill, my boys and I did try Diamond Creek a few weeks ago - it was a beautiful little creek, and beautiful day. We got ourselves into some great pockets, where we were nymphing and certain we'd get some good hits. We caught several cutthroat trout, all very small (say 5-9 inches) but fishing in general was much slower than I'd have guessed, simply because of how good the water looked; and inspecting rocks there is plenty of food in that little river. I didn't see any surface activity the entire time I was there (several hours). We didn't venture up all the way to 3 forks - but I assume you're saying that it's better fishing downstream from three forks (campground) than upstream? We didn't research much on Diamond Fork, just caught a Saturday afternoon more or less on a whim.

I look forward to giving Sixth Water and Thistle Creek a shot in 2025 ;-).

American Fork River in the Canyon of the same name is our standby, given I live very close to it. We have picked out a few holes we hit if nobody else is in them, and it's quite reliable for small but fun browns and rainbows - and we catch them on both nymphs (zebra midge is the most reliable) and dry flies too (we've been successful with multiple types - especially the old standbys like BWO, renegade and caddis). Attached photo was taken on Friday (27 Sep) and is a little Brown my son caught. I wish more of that river was fish-able in the canyon. Are you saying you fish more of the American fork River downstream from the canyon entrance? If so, where?