Success on the Lower Provo

On Saturday I took James (above) and Steven (below) fishing on the Lower Provo. They are both new to fly fishing, but after just a few minutes both of them had the hang of casting and mending. The river was fishing a little slower than I had expected, but after just a little while both of them started hooking into fish.

I am very excited for James and Steven since they both have intentions of continuing their fly fishing experience. They have all their own gear and, in my opinion, they were wise to book a guided trip as they are learning how to fly fish. This can shave off months and months of trying to figure things out for themselves. I was able to pass along some basic tips and techniques, and at Utah Pro Fly Fishing, who I guide for, we guarantee that people will catch fish or they don't pay a dime. Wise decision by James and Steven, and I'm sure they are now ready to catch fish on their own, no problem.

Fishing with Andrew

My son Andrew turned two in March, I can't believe how fast he grows! He loves to go to the river with me to throw rocks and look at bugs. Yesterday we decided to venture out and try to catch a fish or two in between the rock chucking and bugs. We took along the fly rod, net, and four flies (my boxes were left at my in-laws house up the road, so thats all we had). After breaking off the first three flies in the first ten minutes we resorted to our last hope, a simple wet fly/streamer made from duck and thread. Neither Andrew or I had ever really fished it much, but we decided to gave it a try. Low and behold, FISH ON! It was actually a nice 16'' brown that scared Andrew to death every time it wiggled in my hands. We had a blast, and neither Andrew nor I can wait to hit the river again and try our luck again with that simple streamer that we now know catches fish.

First Fish Felicidades

Justin and I took his roommate Oswaldo and his father and brother-in-law out fishing on the Logan last friday. We had a great time, and help them get into some fish. They are from Venezuela so there was a solid language barrier between us (Justin and I) and them, excluding Oswaldo Jr. who speaks very good english. My Portuguese helped me a little, and when it was all said and done it was a very fun and successful trip for all of us. I can even prove it was successful, just check out the pic below of Oswaldo Sr. with his first fish ever. That picture speaks a thousand joyful words for sure!Justin is the owner of Utah Pro Fly Fishing guide service. Him and I are going to be working together this summer guiding on the Weber, Provo, and other local streams. We guarantee you will catch fish, or your trip is on us. Contact Justin for a guided trip and we'll see you one the water!

Monster Rainbows: End of Finals Celebration

Today was a great day. I have been going to college since the fall of 2001, with a few breaks here and there, and I today I took my very last final. That feels good! I also caught an eight pound rainbow today, and oddly enough, that felt even better! I'm sure it is just a stage of euphoria that goes along with catching huge fish, but it has definitely got ahold of me right now.
My buddy Clarence (pictured below) has been telling me about some private ponds here in Cache County that harbor monster trout. Well, it's true, there are HUGE trout in these ponds!
Clarence, Phil (pictured below), Paul, James, and myself all went out to celebrate the end of the semester. We all caught fish, most on nymphs, some on streamers, and all fish were over 20".
Phil actually caught a bow that was pounds bigger than the one he is holding here. Pictures were taken with a different camera, but I'm sure he will post it on his blog The River Warrior so make sure you check it out.

Mayflies of April

Just a few pics from the past few weeks.

March Brown Dun

March Brown Spinner

Provo River BWO Dun

BWO Spinner

While Andrew and I were playing outside in our yard, this BWO decided to pay Andrew a visit. For the past few weeks the blue wings have been abundant here in Logan.

Aaron's First Fish

Saturday was my friend Aaron's first time fly fishing. I decided to take him to the Weber in search of hungry trout. Fishing our first hole, about ten minutes into his fly fishing career he landed his first fish ever- a 15" white fish.

Needless to say, the day followed suit and Aaron continued to catch fish. He ended the day having landed 7 fish including the last fish of the day, a feisty 15" brown.

All of us know exactly what it is like spending time mingling with streamside trees. Aaron actually spent a lot less time tangled and hung up than most beginners.

It was a beautiful day on the river, many nice fish were caught, one more fortunate soul is now hooked on fly fishing, and one more wife will soon be complaining about money and time spent on an addiction. Sorry Brooke, but Aaron is a goner!

Weber River, BWOs, and Snow!

There is nothing like inviting your dad and brother to drive six hours to fish the Weber in spring. Everyone who fishes it this time of year knows how good it really can be. What they weren't expecting was that I was really inviting them to brave the elements and test their true love for fishing. I didn't plan it that way, but as it often turns out, mother nature decided to dump on us and soak us for all we were worth. As the pictures show, none of us wussed out and we all caught some nice fish.

Luckily Matt and I didn't have to travel too far to experience the wonderful March whether. As you can tell, Matt had a blast!

There were a few brief moments of sunshine when the heavens shone down on us and the blue-winged olives came out to say hello. Turns out the trout did too, and we caught some nice fish on dries.

John broke the top eight inches off his Sage about five minutes into the day. I had him a spare rod, but superstitions got the best of him and he thought his luck was with his rod; I thought he was crazy. Turns out he was right, and the goofball landed a dozen or more fish on his broken rod throughout the day. Like with everything he does, he knows how to make due with what he's got.