January 3, 2012: Middle Provo Fishing Report: Cold Weather, Sow Bugs, and The River to Myself

Middle Provo--It's as cold as it gets on the Provo right now. Yesterday's morning temperature registered in the single digits and it certainly took a toll on my gear. The metal hardware that connected to my net's magnetic-releases failed and it was a small miracle that I didn't lose my net to the river. If you fish the Provo this time of year and use a quick release set-up, spare yourself the issues I've experienced, and ditch the factory rings that connect to each of the magnets. The metal rings are prone to straightening out after repeated use in cold weather. Though it's bulky, I like to wear a medium-sized backpack and until the weather warms up, I'll be carrying my net "guide style."

I meant to take a reading of the water temperature, but managed to forget. Yesterday was my first day of filming on the Provo and I was a little preoccupied between setting up, taking down, setting up, and taking down the cameras all day. The added dimension to my outing instilled in me a healthy level of respect for outdoor videographers, especially the ones that go at it solo.

As for the fishing, it was superb. Gray sow bugs elicited action all day, which included my re-acquaintance with a very large brown from last week's trip--at least I believe it is the same fish. Also, by using sow bugs, you're likely to catch the occasional mountain whitefish, which are a highly underappreciated fish on the Provo. Going back in memory to a late summer outing on the Lower Provo, I had on my line, perhaps, the largest fish overall--in length and girth, since my move to Utah. I say "perhaps," because I was unable to land him after a considerable period that saw me at the mercy of this fish's will. I did manage to get rather close to netting him, but made the fateful mistake of missing him with my net on the first pass, and then grabbing my tippet, which resulted in him breaking loose.

While all of this was happening, several anglers that had been fishing downriver from me, observed the epic battle, made their way towards me, and offered to help land the fish. One of the anglers caught sight of the whitefish, from the opposite side of the bank, and bemoaned that it wasn't a brown. These fish are beautiful and deserve respect in their own right. Their presence is an indicator of river's overall health and I plan on writing a short piece profiling their importance to the Provo River's ecosystem...hopefully it won't be too much of a bore.