Fishing Reports

*PSA: Spawning season for the local brown trout has been done for a moment, but our local Cutthroat and Rainbow trout will start to spawn over the next couple of months, and we as anglers and good stewards of the resource will need to watch where

we are fishing and stepping to aviod their redds. A majority of our Cutthroat fisheries are closed to fishing until the second Saturday of July to protect the spawners and their redds, so make sure you check the Utah fishing regs for closures before you venture out. It could save you an expensive ticket! We have posted multiple social media posts, and written multiple blog posts about why it is important to leave ANY and ALL spawning fish alone, but if you haven't seen them or understand why leaving spawning fish alone matters, you can read about why we need to respect spawning fish by clicking on the link I've provided for you Here.*

Happy St. Patty's Day! Let's continue to hope for as much snow and rain as possible. At this point, we need anything and everything we can get. Most if not all of the local tailwater fisheries are still releasaing "winter" flows, and due to some sections of the Weber having the flow virtually shut off, it's too low to fish in our eyes. So make sure you check the river gauges before heading out!

The best information for river flows on the Middle and Lower Provo are through the CUWCD Wesbite. You can find that info Here.

For flow information on a majority of the smaller streams in the state, we use the USGS Website. You can find that info Here.

For flow information on other tailwater fisheries in the state, and surrounding states, we use the USBR website. You can find that info Here.

Midges are still the primary hatch driving the dry fly fishig on the local tailwaters, but with this super mild weather we've had this year, more and more Blue Wing Olive mayflies are popoping off as we continue to progress through March. So, make sure you have your Blue Wing patterns with you when you head out! Fishing lakes, ponds, and reservoirs that haven't iced over from the shore or by boat is a great option at lower elevations. If the midge hatches are a little lackluster, fishing streamers during periods of low-light or storms, or swinging soft hackles pre-hatch and post-hatch through the deep holes and pools on the local tailwater fisheries can move fish when nothing else seems to work. The baby brown trout fry are starting to pop out of their nests, so fishing some smaller, sparser streamers that mimic baby browns wouldn't be a bad idea for the next couple of months either.

Due to the lack of snow, it's still been busy out there with other anglers, and based on my personal experiences in the last couple of weeks, some of you REALLY need to read up on river etiquette! Be self-aware while on the water, spread out, ask people if they're ok with sharing the water with you before just jumping in, give each other space, and treat others as you'd like to be treated; there is plenty of room for everyone. If you are intent of fishing a specific piece of water; get there early! If you're having a hard time finding space; fish the pockets, edges and banks that are often overlooked. As always, in order to avoid bad river etiquette, it's important to know the basic ins an outs of how to interact with each other on the water. Check out this video from Redington on basic fishing etiquette Here.