Six-Gun
Member
- Joined
- Jul 30, 2013
- Messages
- 427
...well for the time being, anyway.
My friend Pete is brand new to fly fishing and wanted to join me in Utah for my final trip out there before I move to Ohio in a few weeks. I came up with a game plan to show his as many incredible places and great fishing spots as we could feasibly cover over 4 days. We camped our way across the south central portion of the state and found some amazing waters along the way.
The trip started out at Leeds Creek, a tiny, brush-choked stream that exclusively feature wild, native Bonneville cutthroat trout. Pete hooked into a good number in this smallwater gem.
After just an hour or so here, we ran up to Panguitch Creek, a medium sized creek that features a great population of feisty browns. The late morning catch was excellent, as the browns were biting well of both dries and nymphs.
The next day, we decided to switch things up. I have become very friendly with a fly shop owner in Circleville, Utah who has always given me excellent fishing advice (Emmett from Circle Valley Anglers) for free for a good while now. I decided to pay him back the favor by paying for a trip with one of his guides. He gave us an extremely reasonable rate for a half day with a gentleman named Lenny who had access to a private ranch on one of the best stretches of the Beaver River. It was money well-spent and the experience did not disappoint! Lenny's honey holes were spot on. I hooked and lost numerous fish in the 21" - 23" range and landed several nearly that big. Pete did the same, hooking into several fat, powerful fish in extremely low-pressure water that were willing to take #18 red copper johns like crazy.
On the way to set for the next day's action, we stopped at another tiny creek called Carcass Creek. The purpose was to give Pete a chance to catch a few brookies before calling it a night. Once again, he was up to the task. Before dark, he managed to land a couple of fish.
The next morning was Stillwater time. Another very helpful guide and fly shop owner in a different area (Mike from Quiet Fly Fisher in Loa, UT) pointed us to the Lower Bowns Reservoir for some intense rainbow action. Full sinking line and black wooly buggers were the perfect poison for these fish. The action was steady - sometimes downright intense - all day long.
That afternoon, we switched up to the Fremont River, another great brown trout fishery. More hungry fish kept us entertained right up until dark.
The last day was some of the best Stillwater fishing I've ever done and Pete got to enjoy it right along with me. It took a 1.5 hour drive up into 4-wheel-drive-required territory to reach the Thousand Lakes Mountain fishing spot we were after, but it turned into a 40+ fish day. I can't tell you how many cutthroats and tiger trout we pulled out of the tiny lake we hit, but the highlight of the day was the 21.5" splake that hit my 8-weight rod like a freight train. He got his revenge by giving me a good tail smack right in the face!
If the report doesn't covey it well enough, let me say outright that the trip was amazing. The country was incredible and Pete said it was one of the best fishing experiences he's ever had. The view on the way out was beautiful and painful at the same time, but both of us know we'll make it a point to return.
My friend Pete is brand new to fly fishing and wanted to join me in Utah for my final trip out there before I move to Ohio in a few weeks. I came up with a game plan to show his as many incredible places and great fishing spots as we could feasibly cover over 4 days. We camped our way across the south central portion of the state and found some amazing waters along the way.
The trip started out at Leeds Creek, a tiny, brush-choked stream that exclusively feature wild, native Bonneville cutthroat trout. Pete hooked into a good number in this smallwater gem.
After just an hour or so here, we ran up to Panguitch Creek, a medium sized creek that features a great population of feisty browns. The late morning catch was excellent, as the browns were biting well of both dries and nymphs.
The next day, we decided to switch things up. I have become very friendly with a fly shop owner in Circleville, Utah who has always given me excellent fishing advice (Emmett from Circle Valley Anglers) for free for a good while now. I decided to pay him back the favor by paying for a trip with one of his guides. He gave us an extremely reasonable rate for a half day with a gentleman named Lenny who had access to a private ranch on one of the best stretches of the Beaver River. It was money well-spent and the experience did not disappoint! Lenny's honey holes were spot on. I hooked and lost numerous fish in the 21" - 23" range and landed several nearly that big. Pete did the same, hooking into several fat, powerful fish in extremely low-pressure water that were willing to take #18 red copper johns like crazy.
On the way to set for the next day's action, we stopped at another tiny creek called Carcass Creek. The purpose was to give Pete a chance to catch a few brookies before calling it a night. Once again, he was up to the task. Before dark, he managed to land a couple of fish.
The next morning was Stillwater time. Another very helpful guide and fly shop owner in a different area (Mike from Quiet Fly Fisher in Loa, UT) pointed us to the Lower Bowns Reservoir for some intense rainbow action. Full sinking line and black wooly buggers were the perfect poison for these fish. The action was steady - sometimes downright intense - all day long.
That afternoon, we switched up to the Fremont River, another great brown trout fishery. More hungry fish kept us entertained right up until dark.
The last day was some of the best Stillwater fishing I've ever done and Pete got to enjoy it right along with me. It took a 1.5 hour drive up into 4-wheel-drive-required territory to reach the Thousand Lakes Mountain fishing spot we were after, but it turned into a 40+ fish day. I can't tell you how many cutthroats and tiger trout we pulled out of the tiny lake we hit, but the highlight of the day was the 21.5" splake that hit my 8-weight rod like a freight train. He got his revenge by giving me a good tail smack right in the face!
If the report doesn't covey it well enough, let me say outright that the trip was amazing. The country was incredible and Pete said it was one of the best fishing experiences he's ever had. The view on the way out was beautiful and painful at the same time, but both of us know we'll make it a point to return.
