Middle Provo River Fishing Report: May 23: Rust, Wind, Water Levels, and Water Temp.

It is hard to believe that the last time I fished the Middle was in early to mid February. Given the increased traffic on the Middle as the weather warms, I tend to prefer cold weather fishing. There are some positives that I can get use to though, such as not having to break free the ice from guides every 6 or so casts, having to thaw my net in the river to make it usable, or snow shoveling a path to free my vehicle.

Yesterday's outing featured a mix of good and bad conditions. The wind was tenacious and casting was difficult--very difficult to fish the surface and challenging to dead drift. Water levels, despite last week's abrupt temperature increases, were only slightly higher than the levels I prefer. I placed my water thermometer in a shallower section of some riffles and after nearly forgetting and then struggling to find it nearly 30 minutes later, it read 48 F. Because of the wind, I did not observe much insect activity. I did observe some surface activity--looked to be smaller sized fish taking insects off the surface in a pool that was sheltered some from the wind. True the Middle Provo's form, there was an impressive amount of insect activity on the river bottom. I turned over a few rocks and spotted several baetis nymph, their overall size being the largest that I can recall. There were plenty of midges in their larvae stage, which I observed when freeing my fly some submerged sticks throughout the day.

As for the fishing, I managed to catch three under aged browns. My wife's uncle, an all-around good guy from Montana, was in town and I spent a portion of the day semi-guiding--his first time fly-fishing. His two dogs, Dudh and Lukla also added a dimension of difficulty to the trip, but it's all about having fun and the lot of us certainly achieved that. I ran into a gentleman named Walther and we chatted some. We swapped some flies, shared some stories--some true, and went about our ways. He was also nymphing and confirmed that it had been slow. I also recognized a familiar face from last summer. I can't recall his name, but I believe he attempted to net a fish for me--fish ended up breaking free. Anyhow, he showed up late and left early.

Possible outing next week. Nothing boils my blood and gets me more motivated than a slow outing. The vulnerabilities are already starting to creep in and I consider them an important aspect of fishing, as they stir the battle within. Good luck on your outings!