Hopefully the same Kings of Leon song is going through your head as mine while I departed on this journey last Friday after work. Last summer and this spring I had spent some time fishing in Southern Utah and the opportunity came knocking for another trip so therefore it happened.
We arrived at camp after dark the first night so it was nice to have previously been in the area to have an idea of where to set up camp. The following morning after a couple mile hike this was the scene.
10,000 feetThese were the fishClean release with a midge in the back
After catching more fish then we could count and discovering both of our waders were leaking which is a little chilly this time of year we decided to warm the blood and hike to another lake.
Still cold here
The original plan was to spend another night at 10,000 feet, but we kinda didn’t want to freeze through another night so we took off to a lower elevation. After taking some real good beer drinking roads we arrived at night two’s camp well after dark again. This place however was new to me so we had to spend some time on figuring out a spot to camp.
We awoke to thisWe fished for theseLots of wild trout on hoppersThe definition of pocket water
After catching more fish then you could shake a stick at we thought the only topper to this trip would be catching a hog.
So we went hereWe caught thisand another one of these!?!And a couple of hogs on streamers
Then we went home, but it was a three day weekend for me so I grabbed the dogs and went out for another day.
Tala fell off this rock ledge in the background, but was obviously unscathed.I was fishing this hole until these guys showed upThe kids let me catch some fish, but I'd have to shoo Bandit out of the water when I was trying to land the fish because he kept on chasing them down in the riverAfter a while they become good fishin' dogsUntil next trip...
It’s been a warm and dry winter out here in Utah this year to say the least. Last year, I was hunting powder day in and out in March. This year, I’ve been waiting for the opportunity to get a change of scenery. For the past couple of weeks I’d been dabbling on the Weber and Provo and getting the itch to get out to the more remote streams that make fishing in Utah so great. Daylight savings time hit, the days instantly got longer, and it was time to pack the car and get away with the lady and the dogs.
Bandito was pretty excited to be on the road
Ever since Eagle Point opened up last year, I’ve been wanting to go. Being only three hours from Salt Lake City, it makes it the perfect distance for a weekend getaway.
Wide open highways and 80mph speed limits make for a quick drive
To get up to the mountains, you have to drive through Beaver and with a billboard like that you have to find a local restaurant to give the water a try. Right off the main road we found a diner that had been in existence since the mid 1900’s and I understood why as soon as I drank the best damn water I’d ever had.
The food was pretty delicious as wellAfter breakfast it was time to get up into the mountainsBoardin' the pointSnowcat instead of chairlifts? Fuck YeaUnhappy puppies
I’ll keep my banter on the riding to a minimum since this is a fishing blog; but the resort was empty, the weather was perfect for untouched spring-time groomers, the service was awesome, pets are allowed, the condo was really nice, and the Outpost Grill needs a special shout out. The brand new lodge had a great mountain atmosphere with excellent food and drinks.
Day two, was fishing day. I’m never one to give up my locations, but if you know the area or looked at a map you probably could figure out the stream we fished. A lot of the river was still iced over, but the lower sections of the canyon opened up nicely for some great pocket water.
One of many zones throughout the canyon
I think we hit up the zone in the canyon a little bit too early in the day because the fishing was a little slow. I almost had to forgo this entry because of a skunking, but after we went into town to refuel the vehicle we found a section on the stream about one or two thousand feet lower where the fish were quite active and more that willing to take the fly.
Walk of shameZone 2
As soon as we saw the stream we saw fish rising to a BWO hatch that was going off. The only problem with fishing tiny flies in the wind is when you’re blind you can’t see the fly. I tried my luck with some size twenties to start, but every hook set was a little late. After this I tied on a size 16 Renegade with a size 18 Zebra Midge below. The fish weren’t going for the top fly, but they sure were excited about the dropper. No trophies were pulled out of the water on this journey, but it sure was nice to get out there.
Tala examining the catch
The itch to get back to Southern Utah to fish has been reignited as I am finishing up this post. To everyone out there, keep on hunting for that tug.
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