JUNE FLY FISHING REPORT: Provo River, Weber River and Small Streams

Fishing Summary:

Summer is here! And so are all the great insects that make fly fishing in Utah so productive. Both the Lower and Middle provo are seeing PMD’s, one of our favorite hatches of the year. These small yellow mayflies seem to time their emergence in the late morning and early afternoon. For nymphing, the mornings have been very productive up until about noon. Dry fly fishing starts to bring fish towards the surface as the bugs emerge in numbers around the 1-2PM mark.

Drakes are the talk of the town right now. As they begin their journey up multiple rivers in the Park City area and beyond, the Trout Tales guides follow close behind. Small Green Drake nymphs have been productive on the lower portions of the Middle provo near Legacy Bridge. We have seen a few flyers around the Potters area, but the fish have not seen enough bugs to start keying in and really chowing down. Golden Stoneflies are also in full effect. Our small streams on the South Slope of the Uinta’s are seeing the bigs bugs and have been for the last week or so. Fishing dry dropper with stonefly and drake nymph has been very productive.

All in all, the fishing is really starting to heat up in Utah. Our rivers are in prime flow conditions, the fish are happy and ready to take your fly for a ride. Come hit the big hatches of the year with Trout Tales Guides. We will not only get you into fish, but we will shoe you new techniques, new places and give you and your group a great overall experience. COME FLY FISH UTAH WITH US!

MIDDLE PROVO RIVER:

 The Middle Provo River is one of Utah's premiere fly fishing rivers. Located only 20 minutes from Park City the "Middle" is known for its healthy population of wild Brown Trout. The Middle Provo is characterized by deep bends, shallow riffles, structured runs and smooth glides. Our fly fishing guides use all fly fishing techniques to catch fish here, including: Nymphing, dry fly fishing, dry-dropper and streamer fishing.

Water level: 170 CFS. 

RECOMMENDED FLIES:   

NYMPHS-POINT FLIES-  San Juan Worms brown, red. Size 18, 16. Midges in Red, Brown and Black, Size 18 - 24. PMD’s patterns like the Crystal Hunchback and Mayhem in sizes 16-20 will work well. Drake Nymphs and Stonefly Nymphs sizes 12-16 beaded or non beaded.

NYMPHS- DROPPER FLIES- Midge Emergers black, brown, olive size 22, 20. Midge larva gray, black, red size 20, 18, 16.  PMD’s like pheasant tails, rainbow warriors sizes 16 -20. Yellow Sally nymphs like the Sally Bird in a 16 and 18 have been very productive in the mornings. Caddis Larva and Cased caddis patterns will be productive in the mornings and evenings as well.

DRY FLIES- PMD’s: Comparaduns, Harrop Patterns, Emergers and cripples in the 16-20 size range. Green Drakes: Furimskies Foam Drake, hair wing Drake sizes 12, 14, 16. Stoneflies: Bullethead, Yellow Stimulators in 12-16. Caddis: dark bodies and light and dark wings. Spent Partridge, Henrys Fork Caddis, Egg Laying Caddis, Blooms Caddis 16-20.

STREAMeRS- Looks for cloudy days or early mornings and late nights to fish streamers. Patterns like the Platte River Spider, Goldie, Sheila Sculpin have worked well for bigger fish. But small zonkers and leeches like wooly boohoo's will work great too!

LOWER PROVO RIVER:   

The Lower Provo River is a tailwater that originates from the bottom of Deer Creek Dam. The Lower Provo is one our closest big fish fisheries with many of the Rainbow Trout and Brown Trout exceeding 18 inches and 3 pounds. The stream boasts large populations of wild Rainbow and Brown Trout with numbers beyond 3,500 in the first few miles below the dam. The "Low-Pro" as it is sometimes called has a vegetated stream bottom with far less boulders and structure than the middle. It almost resembles an Idaho or Montana spring creek in its behavior. The Lower Provo is home to large populations of mayflies and sow bugs which allow the resident trout to grow quickly and respond well to the fly.

Water Level/Flow: 330 CFS

RECOMMENDED FLIES: 

NYMPHS-POINT FLIES- Birds Nest and Sally Birds have been our flies of choice on the Lower. They are eating them for a Sow Bug, PMD, Crane Fly and Stonefly. BN’s in 16-20 have been great on the bounce and in-line. Sow bugs are still working and will continue throughout the summer in sizes 20, 18, 16, 14 both dark and light. Caddis larva size18, 20 olive, light green. San Juan worms brown, red size 18, 16. 

NYMPHS- DROPPER FLIES- Midges have still been productive in the mornings. Black, brown, olive, cream, grey size 20, 22, 20. We really like the Bling midge style chironimids.  PMD’s are the name of the game throughout the morning and afternoon. It seems we are getting fish on a variety of patterns int he 16-20 size range. Mayhems, Crystal Hunchbacks, Barrs Emergers beaded and un beaded and our own little twists on those patterns have found their way into plenty of fishes mouths.

DRY FLIES- PMD’s in the afternoon are really the only event that have fish looking towards the surface. They’re size range is all over the place. You will see big, 14 duns flying around and small, size 20 buzzers around as well. Look for the rise form to see what size fly to use. Fish will be in the back eddy’s, structure and glides. Be patient and scope out a rising fish before casting. They might be right off the bank, only 5 feet in front of you.

STREAMERS- Look for cloudy days or early mornings and late nights to fish streamers. Patterns like the Platte River Spider, Goldie, Sheila Sculpin have worked well for bigger fish. But small zonkers and leeches like wooly boohoo's will work great too!

WEBER RIVER:  

The Weber River has three sections - The Upper Weber, Middle Weber and Lower Weber. Park City Trout Tales focuses primarily on the Middle Weber River section in between the towns of Warship and Coalville. The Middle Weber River is a tailwater fishery originating from Rockport Reservoir near Wanship, Utah. The characteristics of the Weber are a blend of the both the Middle and Lower Provo. The Weber has super deep pools and bends, undercut banks, long shallow riffles, overhanging trees and bulbous structure. All of these structural characteristics make the Weber River a haven for large Brown Trout. The average fish size on the Weber tends to be bigger than the on the Provo River and the Brown Trout are sandy colored and generally have less spots. Historically a very productive Cutthroat Trout fishery, a few "Cutties" still lurk between the Browns, Rainbows and Whitefish.

Water Level: @Wanship 170 CFS, @Coalville 229 CFS

RECOMMENDED FLIES:

* The Weber has been fishing tough! We think that low water over the last few years have really stressed out the trout populations. The insects aren't around nearly as much as in previous years and the fish seem lethargic and un-responsive. That being said, we have had a few great days on the Weber this spring with Caddis. We hope to start fishing it more as the main hatches emerge and the trout get more hop in their step.

NYMPHS-POINT FLIES- Caddis Larva and Cased Caddis patters in sizes 16-20. PMD’s in the 16-20 range have been productive in the mornings and early afternoons. Stoneflies should be going any minute as well. Try a golden stone nymph in the 12-16 size range. San Juans and Sow Bugs will continue to produce.                         

NYMPHS-DROPPER FLIES- Midge Larva in red, purple, black, cream and grey will all work well in the mornings. PMD’s again will produce as a dropper. Caddis Larva like the “Booger Fly” will entice fish to come out of their slumber.

DRY FLIES- PMD’s and Stoneflies in the afternoon! They’re size range is all over the place. You will see big, 14 duns flying around and small, size 20 buzzers around as well. Look for the rise form to see what size fly to use. Stonefliers during the peak hours of the day will also work. Caddis will begin to congregate back on the water as the sun begins to set. Fish will be in the back eddy’s, structure and glides. Be patient and scope out a rising fish before casting. They might be right off the bank, only 5 feet in front of you.

STREAMERS- If you’re really not seeing anything happening and nymphing isn't producing. Throw a streamer! Look for cloudy days or early mornings and late nights to fish streamers. Patterns like the Platte River Spider, Goldie, Sheila Sculpin have worked well for bigger fish. But small zonkers and leeches like wooly boohoo's will work great too!