Tuesday, November 27, 2012

November 26, 2012: Middle Provo Fishing Report: Water levels, water temperature, and Huge Browns, oh my!




Middle Provo River Fishing Report: Fishing continues to be excellent on the Middle Provo. Water temperatures on the Middle Provo are hovering around 43 F. Nymphing with small baetis nymph patterns and dark-bodied midges (a hint of flash) has produced quality fish from late morning, as soon as the sunlight hits the water, to early evening, or as soon as the sunlight is off the water.  


Compared to outings earlier this month and last, the Middle Provo's water levels were noticeably higher, though water visibility and the quality of fishing did not seem affected, as would normally be the case. For dry fly guys, there's plenty of surface action towards the latter half of the day, until there's a slight change in the temperature. As noted in previous reports, you'll want to go small and then some. I am still meaning to take a few quality pictures to share and intend to do so tomorrow, when I'll get a chance to fish for a few hours.



With the basic fishing conditions out of the way, this is the hottest fishing I have experienced so far. The overall quality of the fish caught was amazing! The colder water dramatically increased my ability to land very large browns, whereas in September, many of these browns would have taken nearly 20 minutes or longer to land. Within 10-15 minutes, I was able to net large fish, take pictures, and release them. If you get a chance to fish the Middle Provo and you decide to nymph, it's critical that you constantly free your flies of any algae. It may be a slight inconvenience, but it's an important detail that makes all the difference.



One of the unfortunate observations that seems to have worsened some lately, is all of the trash that's being left along the riverbank. There's only so much one man can haul back with him! Who knows, you might find some hidden treasures that have been left amongst the litter. So far, I have found two boxes of flies, two  high-quality nets, several leaders, and a package of strike indicators. This is not to say that the anglers who dropped these are the same ones littering, but rather, keeping an eye out for trash on the way home occasionally leads to stumbling across some goodies.


For those of you who have emailed me questions regarding the blog, fishing tips, etc., I plan on addressing these in an upcoming blog post. I appreciate the comments and I especially appreciate the advice! I want to thank Jim H. from Provo for giving me some pointers on streamer fishing and I plan on giving it a go next week. Would be great to add some variation to my arsenal. Also, I am planning on purchasing some better gear to take pictures and record videos. I am thinking about picking up the GoPro Hero 3 black edition and if anyone has some experience, I would appreciate your review/ opinion. Feel free to email me at info@provoriverflyguy.com








Wednesday, November 14, 2012

November 13, 2012: Middle Provo Fishing Report: Mountain Whitefish and Brown Trout Redemption




Middle Provo Fishing Report--Many anglers make the mistake of turning in their gear for the winter once the snow hits and we experience a significant drop in temperature. Sure, the ice build-up on your floating line and guides are minor hindrances, but the tradeoff is well worth it. Yesterday's (November 13) fishing excursion proves it. I arrived on the Middle Provo a little after 8 a.m. and the fishing was hot as soon as sunlight hit the water (nymphing). The same can be said for later on in the day. As soon as sunlight left the water, the action dropped off noticeably.


There are still intermittent hatches of BWOs and some of other, extremely small flying insects once the air warms up a bit (After 1 p.m.; Depending on the temperature). Many of the small insects collect on snow and I recommend inspecting patches of snow to better identify the small, black bodied and light, wing--colored insects that I am speaking of. These hatches occur during the late afternoon, causing a lot of great surface action. I can't tell you the exact colors as the smaller, dark bodied insects (colorblind), but you'll want to come prepared with the smallest dry flies possible. Since September's caddis hatch, I have not observed any sizable flying insects.

One of the more remarkable experiences of nymphing on the Middle Provo has been the occasional hooking into the actual nymph my fly is imitating. That, or if you hook into a submerged stick and happen to free your set-up and closely inspect it, you're sure to spot a green bodied baetis nymph. Their presence on the river bottom continues to support the use of split-shot weight, which means you'll want to ditch the bead-head nymphs, unless you are particularly fond of river wading.


Fish Summary.

I caught many good-sized browns with the largest being 17 inches. Easily double-digits on the total quantity caught.  

While I was not able to land him, I hooked into the largest fish I have seen on the Provo (lower and middle). It was a whitefish and while these are commonly considered to be less desirable than browns, these fish play an important ecological role in the Provo and the many other Rocky Mountain rivers they inhabit. This particular fish took me down a section of runs and then back up into the original hole, before taking me back down two runs. Ultimately, the smaller tippet material connecting my trailer nymph to the lead nymph likely frayed during the battle and he ultimately broke free, but not before we duked it our for over 20 minutes. Our epic fight also resulted in meeting a nice angler, named Mike, who asked if I was using a 7 wt rod. I replied that I had a 5 wt rod and that I had been at the mercy of this fish, traveling up and down the river, from the time he parked his SUV, until now. We managed to disrupt the run Mike was fishing, but he said it had been fairly slow--wrong set-up, and that my "running up and down the river," was cheap entertainment. Later, I'd talk to Mike for a good bit and it turns out he's a recent transplant from New York, who mostly salt water fly-fished before moving to Utah. I wish I could have shot some footage of the fight. On more than one occasion, I thought the fish was starting to give in and I was able to start moving in on the fish, while it was holding in shallower water. As soon as neared, the whitefish would make another run. God only knows how much longer it would have taken to land him. To be honest, my ankles took a beating from my river travels and I'm not sure how many more up and down runs I could have withstood. 



Monday, November 5, 2012

November 5, 2012: Middle Provo River Fishing Report


Middle Provo Fishing Report--Fishing is still excellent and with the warmer weather, fish are holding in a variety of water. Nymphing has still been effective and fishing overall seems to pick up quite a bit after 11 am. BWOs start to hatch as soon as the air warms up a bit, around 11:30 and onward. There's quite a bit of action on the surface until about 2 pm -3pm, when a cooler breeze picked up.

I caught plenty of small and medium sized browns. My sob stories with larger size browns continue and I managed to go 0 for 5!!!! We are talking very big browns that require quite a bit of play in order to wear them down enough to have a chance to use the net. I warred with one for over 15 minutes and it still wasn't close to giving in. A little depressing and I don't feel like posting any photos until I manage to land one of these hogs. Hoping to fish next Monday or Tuesday. Revenge, I need it. 

Friday, November 2, 2012

Quick Rant: My Search for an American Made Fishing Net

Recently, I have decided to purchase one of the newer model nets that feature a rubber netting. With one of my mesh nets, all too often one of my nymphs hooks during the process of landing and releasing a fish. In fact, there are three nymphs embedded in the mesh netting of my smaller net and they are nearly impossible to free without having to cut them out or severely fraying the materials.

Since starting my own business 4 years ago, I have made a conscientious  effort to support American businesses, preferably ones in the same or surrounding states. This can be quite challenging and often I am forced to go to the next best alternative, which is finding a product produced by one of our close allies. 

So, I have done some searching to find an American made net and have stumbled across some very shady marketing tactics. Apparently, many fishing suppliers in the U.S. are savvy to the fact that many anglers would prefer to support and purchase products that are made in the USA. While searching for a net at Scheels, I discarded the many nets stamped with "Made in China," and managed to come across a nice wooden handled net, whose workmanship and price stood out above its peers. However, I couldn't find any stamp revealing the net's origins, other than a bi-fold cardboard information piece that stated that the net came from a company based in Nevada. To many, this would appear to indicate that the net is made in Nevada. I decided that given the price, it'd be worth calling just to make sure. I should also mention that one of the sales representatives at Scheels stated that he believed the net had been made in the USA because of the price, the "quality" of the wood, and the little information piece that was attached to the handle. 

After inquiring about the origins of the net from one of the reps, from the Nevada-based dealer, I soon found out that the net is Chinese tried and true. I mentioned that the lack of a stamp and the company's informative piece are a little deceiving to the would be buyer, who wanted to buy an American product. These words were likely wasted. 

Right now, I am in the process of waiting to hear back from Ranger Products, which is a company based out of Michigan. The site mentioned that the founder was a Ranger and also states that most of the products are made in the USA. Because this company doesn't provide a phone number, I had to fill out an e-comment card/ contact card and am hoping that they get back to me before a week's up, which is only a few days away. 

If you are able to support American companies, please buy made in the USA.

*****November 3, 2012 Update*****
A Ranger Products representative responded to my message and explained that all of the rubber netting is produced in Taiwan or China. No rubber netting is produced in the U.S. I left a message for Mike, from Blue Ribbon Nets, and I am interested to here if he says the same thing. According to Blue Ribbon Nets' "About" page, they state:

The pride that goes into every net gives it the lasting touch that makes it unique to you. Blue Ribbon makes it a point to use only North American woods and offers a product made in the USA. We have developed and manufacture our own net bags from a fine soft mesh. These bags feature a double taped flat center seam, resulting in a bag that is long lasting and gentle on fish. This design and method of construction is unequaled in the industry.

I guess this doesn't mention wooden nets with rubber netting. All the same, it would be interesting to hear from Mike.

*****November 12, 2012 Update*****
Well, since my last post on this topic, there's some good and bad.

First, the bad. The Ranger Rep and I corresponded some more and he seemed to hint that even the mesh netting used in most Ranger products is not produced in the U.S. I came to this conclusion when I inquired whether the current Ranger net I own features all major components produced in the U.S. His response was let me recommend you to someone who might be making the kind of nets that you're looking for. He also mentioned the competitive costs associated with making nets. So, he didn't come outright and tell me that the mesh was produced in China or Taiwan, but he mine's well have the way he deflected my inquiry with a recommendation to do business elsewhere.

The real shame from my correspondence with Ranger Products is that the website and what's what don't seem to be on the same page. Again, many companies don't mind prospective customers assuming that their products are made in the U.S.A., when they really aren't.

The good. This morning, I received a callback from Mike with Blue Ribbon Nets. No, the turnaround time leaves a lot to be desired, but the news is good. He assured me and even provided information for follow-up checking that all of the major components, including the rubberized rings, are manufactured in the state of Montana. I plan on checking up with the manufacturer just to verify before making a purchase. These nets are not cheap, but in my estimation, well worth it.