After winter blasted one last dump a few weeks ago, I’ve kinda given up on snowboarding for 2012. Better luck next year Old Man Winter. I truly am rooting for you, since I do work in a ski shop and all.
The weather has been a little wild this March though with record high temperatures and winds that make it difficult to toss the fly out there. On one of those windy days, I was feeling like getting out and doing some fishing, but not like driving out to the Provo so I decided to try one of Salt Lake City’s local canyons. I had fished Big Cottonwood last year, but wanted to go somewhere dog friendly to give the girlfriend some rest and relaxation while I was out. Therefore, I decided to check out good old Millcreek Canyon.
A stealth approach is necessary in such a small, shallow streamNot a trophy, but I'll take it after the dogs blew out 90% of the holes
Although I found some success on a size 16 parachute adams and a size 18 zebra midge and it was fun to catch fish close to home the following day I decided to venture out into the wild.
Somewhere near the Provo RiverI thought I might have seen the Angel Nephi in the sky
I’m not used to nymphing such small streams, but after fishing a couple of hours with minimal success using a stimulator with a dropper, I decided to test my luck with some nymphs. The pheasant tail is my go to, so I tied that one on with a zebra midge in tail.
A fine German Brown Trout taken on a pheasant tail
Although the fishing was pretty decent that day, the highlight of this trip was Bandito getting into a scuffle with a river otter. Without going into details, Bandito lost and the otter ran to the river biting my pooch and slapping him with his tail.
Harmless little guy
Round 3
There still is some snow pack out thereFish were stacked in hereTall Boy landing another wild GermanAs the day drew on the snow melting turned the water murky, but the fish were still fooled by larger nymphs and woolly buggers
Taking advantage of the near 70-degree highs that we experienced on Saturday, the Moose Knuckle crew headed out to a legendary lake in Sussex County. We were expecting to catch a few Sunfish, maybe a Crappie and at best a juvenile Bass. What came to pass was a Panfish Slay Ride not witnessed since early in the fall of last year.
Panfish Slay Ride
The neighbors graciously allowed us to borrow one of the 12-foot Aluminum hull rowboats dry-docked along the shore. We brought our own electric trolling motor, a necessity if you want to fish and not row yourself to exhaustion.
Mark was spin fishing primarily with a two inch Rapala Floater; I of course, commenced throwing my Mohair Leech. We put in around 1:00 PM with blue skies and the bright sun overhead. As one would expect, our shadows spread far and wide, disclosing our approach early to the sluggish fish.
Crappie ferociously swam up from deep below
Besides a few Crappies nailed right at the put in, we messed around for a while attempting to comprehend the underwater ecosystem. Whilst conducting our exploration of the lake, Mark and I landed around ten Sunfish each. Then it dawned on us, fish are cold blooded, the water is chilly and the sun is hot. We motored straight back to the shallow, swampy, and most importantly warm flat-water section of the lake.
Head to the Flats
Here as we navigated the partially submerged stumps and the militant Swan, Mark landed his largest Bass of the year; that is until he caught the next three after that. Myself refusing to admit defeat to the Rapala Floater, switched to a Muddler Minnow. This quick fly change was rewarded with a few more Sunfish. At this point, I was intent on catching one of these Bass I pulled out of my arsenal an old standby, the Black Hale-Bopp Leech.
Chunky Bass landed on a Rapala Floater
Just as I switched flies again, Mark landed another Bass! Consumed, with a feeling of pressure, an intense biological demand to get my fly in the water; I cast out to the shallows as far as my Sage VXP 4 weight rod could go and hooked right into a log.
I attempted to free my hook from the “log” but it started moving back and forth like a tractor through the algae. There was a Bass at the other end of the line! At this point, it should be noted that when a Bass swallows a leech dangled on a 4-weight rod quite a contest arises. After a few minutes, out popped the most haggard Bass I have ever seen. He had a cataract in one eye; the scars of herring attacks on his back and sandpaper like skin. Needless to say a fish is a fish.
Haggard Bass and the Sage VXP
Lessons Learned
Fishing is turning on much earlier than last year. The mild winter, in the majority of the lower 48 states, was lenient on fish. This being said, waters are still not at their optimal range for active feeding activity. Bass and Panfish will be caught in the warmer, shallow and flat areas of a lake or pond. Attempt a retrieve at varied speed, on the fly I found that two six inch strips followed by a short waiting period was triggering a strike. Bass seemed to strike during the active retrieve while the Sunfish attacked when the fly stopped. Do not be afraid to experiment and vary the speed of retrieve.
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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