As winter turns to spring and the weather begins to warm, I again find myself reminiscing of the days, months, and years that have gone by since I originally made the move west. I could have never done any of this without the never-ending support and comfort from my family back in Jersey and the constant love and affection from my wonderful girlfriend who allows me to pursue my dreams and passions even if they aren’t always hers.
This is what I have been up to lately.
The resorts are seeing less and less visitors.The backcountry comes to life again after some fresh snow.Jake getting waste deep.LeMatty in the white room.The end of a great runSpring is coming to the Snyderville BasinThe road less traveledThe river less fishedBottom dweller seeing the lightA nice rainbowThis rainbow put up a great fight
Thank you to all that have helped me out along the way and everyone that took part in the fishing and boarding with me. It’s been fun living this dream so far.
In the early spring, little bugs are king in the diet of trout in Utah. When you fish a river as heavily fished as the Provo it pays to be different from the crowds. Not only do you catch more fish than the masses, you also catch more fish. I’ve mainly been nymphing small midge patterns, beatis patterns, and other bugs in the 18 through 24 range even while fish are rising all around, but sometimes it’s fun to join the masses and be a dry fly enthusiast. However, I still like catching and not aimlessly waiving a stick in the air, untying knots, and looking through my fly box pretending to “match the hatch”, looking for a mother shucker even though I have no idea what that fly is supposed to represent.
The Bob
This fly is super easy to tie, you might already have the materials to make it, and fish will take this fly down when they are eating off the surface or when they are tailing and eating in the film. What you will need to mimic this fly is;
I’ve been using this thread lately, because I think it is stronger, but you can use any gray 8/0 threadSuper Hair in black and white. This is a lot easier to work with then making an actual biot bodyFoam to make the fly sit perpendicular to the waterFor the thorax. Any dubbing you have will work, I am just a fan of extra flashI just bought a uv lamp so I’m stoked on it, but you don’t have to add this to the fly. It will work just fine without this addition
Now comes the actual tying.
Wrap in a strand of black and white super hair Wrap the white strand around first, then trim Next wrap in the black You can skip these steps if you don’t have a UV lamp If you do, coat the fly with a little bit of the goo Cure it for 5 to 10 seconds Cut out a small piece of the foam Twist it onto the fly Take your dubbing Twist a little bit onto your thread Wrap it up Pull foam over thorax, whip finish, and enjoy catching those picky eaters.
The Salt Lake Valley pictured from Big Cottonwood Canyon
As I return home from my first couple of days fishing since early December, I begin to reflect on the months gone by. The Wasatch front was hit hard with some early season storms this year and a few others kept the powder pretty good in the backcountry. The following pictures document some of our journeys in search of that untouched snow.
Chris LeMatty testing to see if it really is “the greatest snow on earth”Pow turnsSam Barco with that pillow powJake taking a gander at his optionsIt was deepLooking back at our routeSunset on a great dayFeelin’ that tug against
Depending on the weather, there will be more fishing or boarding to come. Hopefully, bit it of both.
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