NORTHERN UTAH REPORTS
Updated: April 20th, 2025
By: Nick Teynor
*FLOW UPDATE: The Lower Provo jumped from 122 CFS to 260 CFS over the weekend according to the CUWCD gauge. This may put the fishing off for a moment, but once the fish and bugs adjust, it will be a better fishing flow. It's getting to that time where flows will start to bump, so checking the river gauges before heading out can save you time and gas money!*
*FYI: Rainbows and Cutthroat will be starting to get the spawning itch here soon, so it's still important to be aware of where we are fishing and stepping so we don't crush their eggs. If you're not sure what a spawning redd is, and why it's important to leave them be, we've written articles on why it's important to leave any spawning trout alone, which you can read here. The folks over at Redington also made a little video on the why leaving spawning trout alone is so important to the long-term health of any fishery. You can view that here.*
Hello All,
Happy Easter! The local Blue Wing Olive mayflies are hatching with consistency, but the midge fishing on the local tailwaters has still been good too. Jordanelle and Deer Creek reservoirs are wide open, Strawberry Reservoir is starting to ice-off, and prospecting with streamers, balanced leeches, and chironomids can move some fish. 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. The folks over at Redington Fly Gear have a nice little video on the subject.
If you're heading out to fish Ice Off on the local reservoirs, check out our new:
[WR]F.A.Q - Western Rivers Frequent Angling Questions feature on Ice Off.
This new blog post seeks to break down and de-mystify some of our favorite local angling opportunites throughout the season.
Check these gauges for updates on water levels!
1) Central Utah Water Conservancy District
Fishing Conditions Summary
Middle Provo:
As of today the Middle Provo is currently 313 CFS at River Road. The increase in flows should help make the fishing better as long as flows stay stable, and the water temperature gets back to where it was before the flow bump. At these flows and especially on sunny days the fish will still want to be in the slower, deeper water, and river structure such as rocks, drop-offs and shelfs, and foam and bubble lines is what I'd focus fishing around. As we get farther into April you'll want to make sure you have your Midge nymphs and dries (#18-#28), Midge Soft Hackles (#18-#22), and Baetis (B.W.O.) nymphs, soft hackles, cripples, and dry flies (#18-#22). If there is nothing obvious hatching nor fish rising consistently, nymphing with worm patterns (#14-#18), a variety of midge larva and pupa patterns, small sow bugs, Baetis (B.W.O.) nymphs, and small attractor nymphs have been proven to motivate a fish or two to eat. Swinging a Soft Hackle on a slow, controlled, down-and across swing has been effective prior to and after the daily hatches, and fishing streamers during the low-light periods of the day can potentially move a fish or two.
Lower Provo:
The Lower's flow is around 327 CFS out of Deer Creek. At these flows the fish will seek out structure along the rivers edge, deeper water, and structure such as drop-offs, pools, rocks, and foam / bubble lines are still what I'd focus on fishing. Midges (#18-#26) are still very important to both anglers and fish for the rest of the Spring season, but the Baetis (Blue Winged Olive) mayflies are hatching with more consistency, and the fish are definitely taking notice. Nymphing in the deeper holes with a variety of midge larva and pupa patterns, small sow bugs, B.W.O. nymphs, and small attractor nymphs can be effective. Dry fly-fishing with Blue Winged Olive mayflies (#18-#22) has been most productive during the warmer parts of the day, and the hatch should only get stronger as we get farther into April. If you don't want to look at a bobber, swinging a Soft Hackle on a slow, controlled, down-and across swing has been effective at times when there is no obvious signs of bugs hatching, and fishing streamers can move fish too.
Weber River:
The Weber River between Rockport and Echo reservoirs is now flowing at 24 CFS at Wanship, and 48 CFS at Coalville. This is a barely fishable flow for the Middle Weber, so we'd recommend anglers move on from hole to hole after catching a couple of fish so as to not stress them out. We'd also recommend you come prepared with small midge nymphs and dries (#18-#24), Blue Winged Olive nymphs and dries (#18-#22), and other nymphs such as san juan worms, sow bugs, Hare's Ears, Copper Johns, Caddis Larva, etc. Fishing a streamer low and slow through the deeper holes can also potentially move a fish or two, and isn't a bad option to try-especially if nothing else is working. Flows out of Echo Reservoir to Henefer are now currently at 1 CFS, which is a not fishable flow. Heading down towards Morgan and Ogden the flows are more fishable (160 CFS @ Morgan and 315 CFS @ Uintah), and the flies to use will be identical to what we are fishing on the Weber between Rockport and Echo Reservoirs.
Green River Below Flaming Gorge:
As of right now, the flows on the Green below Flaming Gorge are flowing at/around 900 CFS from 12 AM - 6 PM, then bumping to 1,450 CFS during the night. Flows can change on a dime, so make sure to check the flows before you go. If you're heading to the Green I'd make sure to bring midge nymphs and dries (#18-#26), Blue Winged Olive mayfly nymphs and dries (#18-#22), attractor dry fly patterns like a Para. Cricket (#16), Parachute Adams (#14-#22), and Purple Rooster/Purple Hazes (#14-#18). Dry-Dropper fishing with attractor nymphs like "Frenchies", Perdigons, olive or tan sow bugs/scuds, Blue Wing Olive nymphs (i.e. Juju Baetis, Barr's BWO Emergers, etc.) and a variety of sizes and colors of Zebra Midges can work well if there are no signs of fish feeding off of the surface. If it is super windy, cloudy, not much surface activity, etc.-fishing a streamer can be effective.
Other Waters:
Many of the local community ponds/lakes and reservoirs are ice free, and the fishing can be good at times with a variety of streamers, chironomids, and balanced leeches as long as there is open water to fish. If you're stumped about what size and colors to fish, remember to keep it simple. Bright day, bright fly. Dark day, dark fly. Sunny and calm, sparser and/or smaller flies. Cloudy, stormy, or windy days-fish darker and/or larger flies. If you fancy a road trip, heading down to check out some of the streams and reservoirs down in Southern Utah can potentially lead to good fishing opportunities, and less people.
Fishing Tip(s):
Spring season hatches are significantly impacted by the weather conditions on the day you go fishing. Blue Winged Olive mayflies usually hatch thickest on cloudier days, and the colder the weather is usually means the better the fishing conditions will be during the warmest and/or most comfortable parts of the day. Also, keep in mind that the warmer the weather conditions are, the earlier the midge hatch will begin, and that melting snow can negatively impact fishing by making water temperatures drop during the warmer parts of the day, which will negatively impact fishing the farther you are downstream of the source reservoir. Leader and tippets will need to be fine, and I'm typically fishing 9' 5X or 6X leaders then tapering down to 6X-7X tippets depending on how sunny or cloudy the day is. Sunnier the day, the more delicate leader and tippet. Cloudier the day, you can usually get away with fishing 6X tippets.
FLY RECOMMENDATIONS:
Mole Midge / Mole Fly (#18-#24)
Hi-Vis Griffiths Gnat (#18, #22)
Mother Shuckers (#20-#24)
No Mercy Midge (#24-#26)
Black Parachute Midge (#22, #26)
Morgan's Midge (#22, #24)
Befus BWO Emerger (#18, #22)
Mickey Mouse BWO Cripple (#18-#20)
Purple Rooster / Purple Haze (#14-#18)
Para. Adams (#12-#20, #22-#26)
Baetis Swinger (#18)
BWO Soft Hackle (#18)
Snipe and Purple (#16)
Syl's Midge (#18)
Red Ass Soft Hackle (#18)
Black Magic Soft Hackle (#18)
Red Hot Spot Spider Soft Hackle (#14)
Bling Midges (#22, #24)
Buckskin Nymph (#20-#22)
Zebra Midges (#16-#22)
Juju Baetis (#20-#22)
Barr's BWO Emerger (#18-#22)
Pheasant Tail Nymphs (#18-#22)
Hare's Ear Nymphs (#18)
Cased / Un-Cased Caddis Larva (#16-#18)
Copper John Midge (#22)
Leeches (#8#-#12)
Olive and Rusty Sculpin Patterns (#6-#12)
Platte River Spider (#4)
Sow Bugs (#16-#20)
Soft Hackle Sow Bugs (#16, #20)
San Juan Worms (#12-#16)