October Utah Brook Trout

Here are a few pics from the Circle Valley Angler crew. Slaying some Brookies at Yankee Meadow Res. With all the warm weather lately it has been good for fishing. Larger streamers are working well this time of year as the brook trout are spawning. Great pictures guys, some really beautiful color.

Southern Utah Brookies

We headed to Hendrickson Lake Friday afternoon trying to go after some brookies in the spawn. It took us about and hour and 15 to get to the trail head from St. George and then a 30 min hike up to the lake. When we got there the lake was for the most part frozen except for a little bit around the edges of the north shore. We ended up breaking some of the ice up around the edges so that we had some open water to fish in. We caught a few and had fun but would not go up there after 10/15/2012. Also we could see a lot of fish under the ice so that was kind of cool. I took a picture of one by a log below that you can see. I could see some bright orange red brookies but we never caught one with a lot of color. We are still trying to learn what this little lake is all about as far as what to use when to go and when they start to spawn.

Nates first one on his 3rd cast

Brookie by the log

Razor Ridge Fishing Pond

Took the scouts to the Razor Ridge Fishing Pond on Tuesday night. Needless to say there was a lot of fishing and not much catching. I guess I should have checked the stocking report before we chose that place they haven't stocked it since the middle of the summer and there was not many fish in there. So check the report before you run over there and make sure they have stocked it recently. 

The Flies of Winter

The Flies of Winter

October 22, 2012 | Author dgtying

Tomorrow night there is snow in the forecast. This is the first time I’ve seen the small snowflake symbol apear in the forecast this fall. There is no escaping what comes next. Cold, colder, and ever colder than that. To look on a much brighter side of things we must remember that cold means winter fly fishing.

I have a handful of favorite flies that are worth mentioning in a post about winter fly fishing.
Dry Flies: I’ll be honest, I have little use for dries during the colder months. There are midges and an occasional tiny black winter stonefly that hatch this time of year, and for that reason I reserve a small spot in my box for the Hi-Vis Grifith’s Gnat. This fly tied in small sizes (18-22) can double as just about any adult insect you may find in the winter. On days that reach even slightly into the 30′s this fly may come in very handy.
Tailwater Nymphs: Lets be honest Zebra Midges work on tailwaters all year long. Winter time is no exception. If there do happen to be noses dimpling the water’s surface I prefer to fish a Hi-Vis Griffith’s with a Zebra Midge trailing 12-18 inches behind. This is a deadly combination and has produced some of my best results .
Everything Else: There has been one fly that has consistently out fished all my other flies during the colder months. The Black Jack which is a prince nymph variation (pictured below) arouses even the most lethargic trout on most rivers. It is one of my finer creations and you should start seeing in fly shops soon. This is one of my patterns that is being commercially tied and distributed by Rainy’s.

 

(Video instructions coming soon…)

Another great all-purpose winter nymph is the Frenchie. Pink will produce fish regularly, but lavender fishes very well when there’s snow on the ground. This and the Black Jack are the two flies I most commonly find on my line during the winter.
Last but not least, don’t be afraid to fish medium to large flies. Large stonefly nymphs are often my key to success in the winter. The Rowley Stone is a great year round fly pattern, and I will confidently fish it and larger flies during the winter. A size 12 Surveyor for deeper water is also a go-to fly pattern this time of year.
What it all comes down to is just getting out. I’m always being asked how I can stand to fish a freezing river with two feet of snow all around me. My response is if you can stand to sled, ski, or even build a snowman outside you can fish in the cold. Layer up, wear a decent pair of gloves and try not to fall in. Just don’t everyone get at the same time, I really like having the rivers all to myself this time of year.

Lees Ferry Fishing Report 10/19/2012

 

By: Terry Gunn
October 19, 2012
Recent Fish Rating
Upriver: 4 to 6.5
Walk-In: 4 to 6
Spin-Fishing: 5 to 7.5
Key: 1 = Go fish somewhere else 10 = Rent a helicopter and get here now!
Today’s Weather: Sunny, Low 58  High 82.
Crowd Rating: Upriver: 1-2 No Crowds during the week & 4 on the weekends
Walk In: 2-3 during the week and 5 on the weekends
Key: 1 = Sleep late and fish where you want. 10 = Very crowded, get up early

Check out Terrys full report here: http://www.leesferry.com/main/river-reports-2

Weber River Utah

I had a small window of an opportunity to run up to the Weber River last week with Randy Browning after work. I love this time of year with the leaves changing, cooler temps, etc... but the only thing i don't like about it is that the daylight fades faster and faster as the days go on.   We were only able to fish for an hour and half or so.  We caught around 10 or so and the biggest was around 17 inches that ended up tail walking a few times on the end of Randy's line.  We caught about 6 browns and about 4 whitefish.  The whitefish were looking pretty plump!  We caught them on sow bugs.  The flow was running at about 46 CFS the day we went.  They are not letting a lot of water pass through for some reason, might be due to the repair work they are doing on the Echo Res Dam.  This time of year is a good time to target the Browns as they are starting to spawn. Let us know if you have any recent reports from the Weber?

- Jimmy Sorenson

Kolob Reservoir 10-12-12

 

Ken and I hadn't gone fishing since alaska and were really hurtin for even just a short fishing opportunity. The weather was looking pretty ugly in St. George and even up north in the mountains but we had both got permission from the wives and figured if we have permission then we're going! We left town about noon and made our trip up to Kolob Reservior. The weather was still stormy and as we kept climbing started to turn snowy and slushy, Ken said it would start to clear up though. Haha. We unloaded the boat put all our rain gear on and were excited to get in the lake. fortunately the wind wasn't blowing too bad. We started with our new fly rods we got when we went to Alaska. I tried a black bead head bugger and Ken put on a green bugger. we both had a bite in about the first 15 min so we were pretty excited. Even though the wind wasn't blowing it was cold. The temp gauge said about 38 degrees and it started snowing. We were dry and warm, the only thing that was uncomfortable as the  day went on was our hands just about froze off. We fished from about 1:30 till 5. so about 3 and a half hours. I got 4 fish, 1 bow and 3 cutthroat. Ken caught a nice cutthroat about 16 and a half inches. We switched after a while to a purple bugger that they seamed to like. They were really pretty fish and about the same size we caught up on the Russian river in Alaska. we weren't slaying it, but the fish we did catch were really pretty and a lot of fun. All and all it was a great trip to take a break from life, get out in God's beautiful country with the fall leaves changing and do a little fishing.

My Fatty Rainbow

Kens nice Cut

pretty cut