Middle Midges

 If you haven't been out on the water this winter and your within driving distance of the Provo River...you should. Especially if you've never been much of a winter fly fisher. The midges have been littering the currents of the Middle Section of the Provo River lately. This small fly hatch has been producing some of the most consistent rises seen all year. But be prepared.

Having the right gear can help you to avoid one of the most miserable experiences on the water, especially for first time winter fly fishers. Tippet size is important. Most, if not all, waters in the winter are running gin clear. This makes it ever so important to keep your fly looking as natural as possible to those sipping trout, and tippet that is too large will tip them off to your presence every time. Run 6X tippet and if that doesn't work, throw on some 7X. You may lose some great fish, but at least you'll have a shot at 'em.

Midge patterns seem simple, but pack a variety on your next trip. Sometimes having just the right pattern can make the difference to weary trout. Look for emerger patterns as trout will almost always prefer an emerging fly over and adult. Contact your local fly shop for a chance at some good tips on what patterns have been working for the midges as of late. Western Rivers Fly Fisher in Salt Lake City will provide just what you need if your planning on fishing the Midges found on the Middle Provo.

The main difference maker during the winter midge hatches is the presentation of your fly to feeding trout. With the waters as clear as they are this time of year, any unnecessary movement on the water's surface can have trout back down near the bottom in a heartbeat. you'll know if you've spooked the fish if you cast to a pod of trout rising consistently only to seize upon the arrival of your first attempt.

Good trout can be found with their heads up during the winter. Take a chance and get out on the water. You may be surprised what you find. This last week we stumbled upon a good sized brown feeding on midges above the waters surface. After seeing him leave the water twice but only being able to scare him off with our dry fly attempts we decided to switch to a streamer set up. After putting in above the fish and zeroing in on his location, thanks to his abrupt rises, we swung our fly right across his nose. Like Swiss clock work he gobbled it up.


Winter Streamer - Middle Provo from Trout Undertones on Vimeo.


Be prepared and change things things up to your liking and you'll have a great day on the water this winter.

Always Up For An Adventure

 

Winter fly fishing is tricky. As the temperatures cool down so does the aquatic life of most rivers. When the trout are sparse and flighty you can drive yourself crazy trying to figure them out. But that's the beauty of it, playing cat and mouse with the trout at hand and not knowing what your gonna get. This week we saw Bryce Nichols of Western Rivers Fly Fisher try and tame a pod of good sized trout to no avail. He threw nymph after nymph at these fish with stellar accuracy only to realize that they wanted nothing to do with him. We laughed a bit and then carried on up river.

It's not always about the fish. Being surrounded by nothing is often the goal of winter fly fishing. Not another living soul in sight and plenty of water to hike through. Sounds like a pretty good day. One of the best times to go fly fishing is when you have no idea where you'll end up as you put the car in gear and pull out of your driveway. An adventure always lurking in the distance. Given the time of year, you can usually figure out what to stock your fly boxes with, however, you'll never be guaranteed to find heads up on the water. The stillness of places like the hole below are why we get out on such cold winter days.

Our Utah Waters

Do you use Utah waters for recreation? If so, take the time to get involved in the current battle for public access to Utah's vast river systems. There are so many wonderful places throughout the state of Utah to fly fish. However, many of these waters are not accessible without the help of our state legislator, Rep. Laurie Fowlke. Take the time to voice your opinion by calling or writing our local representative. Visit Utah Water Guardians for more info on how you can get involved.

Green Bust

The suicide day trip to the Green River that took place this past week was a bust...as far as the fishing goes. Not one fish brought to net the entire day. Receiving a tip that the midges and BWOs should bring  some trout to surface myself and photographer Adam Barker hit the road.

The anticipation of getting back down to the Green was far more exiting than stepping out of the car and feeling the 35+ mph wind gusts. A look down to the water assured us that indeed, the bugs were there. Battling the wind we watched as fly after fly was knocked into the surface film. No trout however. The fish were flighty of the winds and wanted nothing to do with any streamer that I threw their way. Hopefully we'll be able to time our next trip with some decent conditions.