Middle Provo Sept. 24th- Oct 4th

Impressive number of adult caddis flies awkwardly swarming around. Observed some mayflies and am kicking myself for not taking photos, or samples of both. 

Still struggling to present dry fly imitations of both to the many trout who are active in the mornings and evenings. I am not sure if they are skittish because of micro tension or if the selected dry-flies that I have used are tripping up their radars. In deeper, slower sections of water, I observed browns rising towards my fly only to dive back down after a closer inspection. 

I managed to catch a smaller-sized brown with a darker, size 16--can't be sure, caddis fly in a section of riffles. 

Dead nymphing has been a huge success. Instead of using a traditional leader, I have been using 9 ft worth of tippet material, which seems to sink much faster, though it raises the casting difficulty. The first and longest section of material is 2x (roughly 2/3). The second main section is 5x (1/3). At the end of the 5x section, I tie my first nymph. From the fly, I tie on a 8 to 10 inches of 6x and add another, smaller nymph. Trickiest part of the set up has been selecting the appropriate amount of weight to add. I have an assortment of reusable and non-reusable split-shot sizes to choose from. I have had more success adding 3 to 6 smaller non-reusable split-shots than one or two larger sizes. Still looking for a reusable product that cinches down on the tippet without sliding so much, or creating more surface to catch on rocks and debris--would be nice to adjust easier. I fasten the split-shots so that they are about 8 inches above the first nymph. Positioning the indicator has varied based upon water depth and I have read from many sources that 1.5x the water depth is appropriate. I have noticed that flow of water also changes things and I have had to adjust higher than 1.5x to get down to the bottom. 

I have caught all of my fish, except for one, using this method, which is probably more of a reflection of my dry-fly skills. I am amazed at the size of fish that I have hooked with the set-up, which includes the huge brown caught on the lower provo. 

Water levels and weather have prevented me from giving streamers a serious look, though I will try streamers when the weather changes and if the water clarity changes some. 

Why the Blog?

In the last two weeks (September 24th - October 4th), I have spent more time fishing the provo river (lower and middle) than I have since relocating from Washington to Utah--about 4 years ago. I have also caught 20 times more the total number of fish in the last two weeks, including an 18 inch brown, a 15 in cutt, and a number of very healthy browns. I have also hooked into a number of very healthy fish, causing me to quikcly realize that I need to improve my ability to play fish and net them--purchased my first net within the last two weeks because of preventable losses.This is not to say that fly-fishing is a recent hobby that I picked up since my moving to Utah, but rather, fly-fishing on the Provo is heaps and bounds different from my past fly-fishing adventures on Washington and Oregon's more remote streams. Whereas selecting a size 16, general dry fly from the box and blindly casting it to the middle of a mountain stream yields tremendous success, Provo River cutts and browns are considerably less forgiving for obvious reasons.

I'll be the first to admit that the Provo River knocked me down to size quicker than a college grad after his or her first day working in the real world. Shamefully, it wouldn't be until year 2.5 of my being here that I managed to catch my first brown. It happened on a tepid--ha! afternoon in February on the lower provo. After applying anti-line freeze solution to the eyes of my fly-rod, I managed to take a humble-size brown--the only fish of that day, who must have had a hankering for a more exotic meal--another shameful detail that I will spare the reader.

Though my first fish on the Provo is a lot like more hunters' first buck (yearling), it created the spark on my journey to improving myself as an all-round fly-fisherman, and not one who only enjoys success on Washington and Oregon's mountainesque streams.

The purpose of this blog is threefold: 

First, instead of logging my fishing reports into my blue legal notebook, which I have lost on more than several occasions, I will post my reports on the blog. This is not to say that my reports are indicative of what will and won't work on the Provo, but what worked for me. I am still a work in progress and have improved faster in several areas and am struggling mightily on others (dry-flies).

Secondly, I am hopeful that a more experienced fly-fisherman may be kind enough to share some wisdom with me and others.

Finally, I plan on using the blog to share some of my personal outdoor stories based upon the adventures my brothers, friends, and I have shared.

Enjoy and feel free to share your thoughts.