Ashley's First Fish on a Fly (say that fast three times!)

Mason, Ashley, and I spent an evening on the Huntington this week. Mason just finished sitting for the CPA exam and wanted a good trip in before he starts with Ernst & Young next week. Ashley had never landed a fish on a fly and that was our real objective.

We had a great time and got into a typical summer evening mayfly hatch. Ashley did great. Below are some pictures.

Ashley landing her first fish on a fly!  She was a quick learner and her technique improved rapidly during our trip

Another beautiful fish Ashley landed and released

Mason landing a fish

Mason releasing a beautiful Huntington Brown Trout

Another beautiful Huntington Brown

Ashley and Mason tying on flies.  PMD, Parachute Adams, and BWO all worked for us on this outing 

We celebrated a great night together by having dinner at a favorite spot, The Home Plate Diner in Fairview.

The (Other) Green River

I love fly fishing the Green River as it's crystal clear tailwaters flow out of Flaming Gorge Dam in the north east corner of Utah.  There is another section of the Green River that I have come to enjoy almost as much.

July 19th I joined 10 young men (the Teacher and Priest Quorums from our ward) and 4 other adult leaders on a 44-mile canoe trip down the Green River in Southern Utah.  This was my third trip canoeing this section and I joined my 16-year old son Cameron.  What a thrill to spend three days in a canoe together! I've now had this experience with each of my sons. (My daughter Allie still holds it against me that I haven't taken her. I'll get her and her husband Jeff down there yet!)

The trip began by camping overnight at Ruby Ranch (109 degrees when we arrived). That night we shuttled vehicles to the takeout at Mineral Bottom. We then spent three days canoeing, including two nights camping on the sandbars in the river.

The river flows along at a mild pace eventually winding its way through Labyrinth Canyon in Canyonlands. The views are spectacular and the flow of the water is such that jumping in to float alongside the canoe is almost as fast as paddling!

Below are some photos and videos of this awesome trip.  I highly recommend it!

Cameron was a great canoe partner.

Lunch along the river

 It rained two of the three days we were canoeing.  This is a waterfall created by the rain on the slick rock across the river from the sandbar we camped on the second night.  This is also the location of the first two-hand touch football game (in the rain) in the video below!

A spontaneous game of two-hand touch football broke out in the rain on the sandbar campsite.  In the video, Hadley Clark hits Cameron for a long diving touchdown.

Cameron, Chance Gold, and Brandon Bringhurst at the River Register, where paddlers have carved their names in the rock for decades.  Cameron inscribed "CJM," I inscribed "D24," and we also inscribed "Lori 7/21/10" as it was mine and Lori's 27th Wedding Anniversary the day we stopped at the Register.

 Our third night (second night on the river) was spent at a panoramic bend in the river.  We watched a thundercloud roll in over the cliffs in the distance and bring rain for the second night in a row.

 Cameron and me at the only site on the Green River listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  Denis Julien, a French-Canadian fur trapper, in 1836 became the first white man of record to navigate the lower Green River, including Cataract Canyon (a white water section).  The inscription says "D. Julien, 1836, 3 Mai (May)."  Julien also inscribed a boat, and what the map says is a bird.  Cameron and I had fun discussing what it might have been if not a bird (since Julien never told anyone what it was :-)).

The road out of Mineral Bottom is narrow, steep, and carved right out of the slick rock.

Jared Taylor and Dave Tobler driving out of Mineral Bottom ahead of me.  Nice Tundra, Jared!

Summer Huntington Hatch

On a recent picture-perfect evening I was lucky enough to retreat to my favorite water - Huntington Creek in Central Utah.  The Huntington regularly delivers great mayfly hatches on warm summer evenings.  That evening was no exception and fly fishing the vigorous Mayfly hatch at dusk reminded me just why it is I fish this water in the summer.

Below is a video in which you can see the Mayflies swirl in front of me (you can also see a few eager fish rise in the background).

As the hatch continued the Cutthroat began rising actively to this abundance of mayflies. It's a good sign when I can't decide between watching the fish rise and presenting dry flies to them!

The video below shows more than a dozen fish rising in one minute (I had to stop the camera and get back to fishing).

The video below is for Lori who wonders if I ever do more than admire the beautiful scenery when I fish.  I felt like a "one-armed paper hanger" trying to film and land the fish so I chose the better part and put the camera away.

I quickly found a #18 Parachute Adams and a #16 Grey Hackle Yellow were the perfect flies for the evening and had a marvelous time casting to, landing, and releasing the typically beautiful and energetic Cutthroats like the one below.

The near perfect night, and the typical beauty of sunset against the trees in this narrow canyon, got better, however.  As I was winding down I sighted a large cow moose across the canyon. As I watched her stroll along I hoped her watering hole of choice this night was not the stretch of water I was fishing.

Another great evening on some of the best water I'll ever fish.

Overreaching: Utah House Bill 141

In its session earlier this year, the Utah legislature passed House Bill 141 which restricts stream access for recreational use where public water flows across private land. This includes fly fishing.

"Restrict" is my word. The law now states that you can "float on" the surface of public water flowing over private land but you may not touch the stream bed - that's private. This means no wading in public water that crosses private land. This also applies to other recreational use, such as rafting.

The new law contradicts 75 years of Utah Supreme Court opinions that stream beds over which public waters flow are public and may be touched without risk of trespassing.

Public abuse of private land is unfortunate and I'm sympathetic to that concern. I own private recreational land on which there is a public road easement. Four-wheelers are on my private property daily and I occasionally deal with garbage or other evidence of public use on my private land.

My issue is not that private land should be unprotected. My issue is that the legislature overreached and ignored other, more balanced legislation, including HB80 sponsored by Orem's Lorie Fowlke, which had broad support of both landowners and the recreation industry.

Why the fuss? I have three primary concerns:

1. Punish the guilty, not the innocent.  HB141 effectively closes fly fishing access to a material portion of rivers and streams that have been fished without incident for decades.  The fly fishers I associate with are generally the most considerate, conservation minded of all outdoor enthusiasts.  If the concern is mistreatment of land by trespassers, give private landowners remedies with teeth in them against those who offend. 
2. Private use, private dollars.  Public tax dollars will now be going to maintain the quality of water and fish to which the public will no longer have access (effectively).  If a private landowner now owns the stream bed he or she should pay for the maintenance of the water and fish in that section.
3. Lost revenue.  Fly fishing is a billion dollar industry and many both inside and outside the state are simply choosing to take their fishing dollars to other more "fishing friendly states," such as Montana.  This impact is presented well in this editorial by Steve Smith, owner of Western Rivers Flyfisher.  Besides, the law just makes Utah look silly to fly fishers in other states.

Despite my objections to this legislation, I really didn't expect it to impact me much.  To my surprise on my first trip to the Provo River after the legislation took effect I ran into the sign below warning me I was on private land (poor quality photo with my iPhone since I was afraid to get closer as I may have been at risk of trespassing).

Finally, when I fly fish I like to leave the river or stream better than I found it and I often carry out garbage.  Before HB141 I would have exited the river where the sign is, picked up some garbage I saw on the bank near the sign, and gone on my way. 

My apologies to the landowner that HB141 prevents me from helping keep his or her riverbank property clean.

The Best Walk Ever (almost)

One day this week I needed to clear my head at work so I drove 10 minutes from my office up Provo Canyon to a favorite spot on the Provo River. As I walked on the train tracks near the river I noticed a fish rise. I went down to the river to see if there were others. Almost instantly the river came alive! Brown trout rising everywhere to a blue wing olive hatch just beginning (very small - probably #18 to #22).

I stood in awe watching the amazing display when I was interrupted by the realization that it was now pouring down rain. I found a log under a bush and watched for 20 minutes as dozens of trout continued to jump in a performance I was certain was just for me.

Here are a few pictures taken from my iPhone on this almost perfect fall day. Perfection would have been having my fly rod with me!

Fish rising right off the bank in the rain.


My hideout from the rain while watching this amazing display.


The hatch (and rising) (and rain) ended almost as quickly as it began, leaving only the beauty and stillness of the water.


Beautiful fall colors on the walk back to the truck.

Happy Halloween!

My daughter Allie created a funny video for Halloween. I've included it below. The stars are Allie, Jeff, Griffin, Lori, and yours truly as Dracula. Fun Allie!

I'm glad Allie still loves Halloween. In sixth grade she and a friend were trick or treating four doors from our house when a group of teenagers pulled up behind them in a truck, jumped out, knocked them down, and tried to steal their candy bags. Allie's friend had hers stolen but Allie wouldn't let go and ended up being dragged across the street (that's my Allie!). The bullies finally decided one 11-year old's bag was enough ill-gotten booty and off they drove.

I was so proud when the girls walked home and Allie gave half of her candy to her friend. I've gone trick or treating with our kids ever since...

Can't wait to go with Sydney and Gabbie again this year! Sadly, it's probably my last year as Sydney is all grown up now!

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Tight Lines, Mr. President

Regardless of your political views, I believe any President of the United States will make better decisions after time on the river fly fishing for trout.

Here are a couple of pictures of President Obama fly fishing during a recent visit to Montana (pictures and captions taken directly from the Official Whitehouse Photo Stream at Flickr).

Tight lines, Mr. President.

President Barack Obama casts his line while fishing for trout on the East Gallatin River near Belgrade, Mont., on Aug. 14, 2009.
(Official White House photo by Pete Souza)


Local fishing guide Dan Vermillion reacts as President Barack Obama almost hooks a trout on the East Gallatin River near Belgrade, Mont., on Aug. 14, 2009.
(Official White House photo by Pete Souza)


President Barack Obama and local fishing guide Dan Vermillion fish for trout on the East Gallatin River near Belgrade, Mont., on Aug.14, 2009.
(Official White House photo by Pete Souza)

Water is Life

To the extent pride is a virtue (and President Benson taught "there is no such thing as righteous pride"), there is nothing that gives this Mormon more pride than the efforts of the Church Humanitarian Services (see a summary of those activities here).

Within those humanitarian efforts, there is perhaps no effort having greater impact than the Clean Water Initiative. This article gives specific examples of the blessing of "living water" in the lives of people of all faiths (and no faith) worldwide. Consider this statistic:

"The Clean Water Initiative began in 2002 with a single project in Laos. The program's budget grew 5,000 percent in 2003, and the next year it doubled again. By 2009, the Church had helped bring clean water to more than 4 million people in 63 nations. This year alone, the Clean Water Initiative will work on approximately 60 water projects in 30 countries."

I am pleased to know two great neighbors who are volunteer missionaries in the Clean Water Initiative. Truly a river runs through them.

North America's Top 10 Trout-Fishing Towns

I just read a Forbes article containing the following quote: "A trout is a moment of beauty known only to those who seek it." Well said.

Forbes' top 10 trout towns are (in no particular order but I'm glad they began with West Yellowstone):

West Yellowstone, Montana
Missoula, Montana
Roscoe, New York
State College, Pennsylvania
Grayling, Michigan
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Glenwood Springs, Colorado
Mountain Home, Arkansas
Redding, California
Asheville, North Carolina

I must confess my happiness that my favorite rivers and streams - Green River (Dutch John), Provo River (Provo), and especially Huntington Creek (Fairview Canyon) were nowhere to be found :-). Shhhh.....

Top 20 Places to Fly Fish in the Rockies Before You Die

The title above caught my attention due to its similarity to a great book I was given by a friend titled "Fifty Places to Fly Fish Before You Die." Of course the book includes Utah's Green River as one of the world's 50 must-go fly fishing destinations.

My interest in the list of the top 20 places to fly fish in the Rockies grew as I realized it's from Jack Dennis. Jack is a legend of fly fishing. His fly shop on Broadway in Jackson, Wyoming, catering to the Snake River and the rivers of Yellowstone National Park, is always a stop whenever I'm in Jackson Hole. It was in Jack's shop that I first learned of the annual fund raiser Jackson Hole One Fly team event (team competition where fly fishers use literally one fly each day of the tournament).

Jack's list includes the Provo River at #10. The Green River is notably absent from the list. However, Jack proves the "Utah" Green has a spot on everyone's list with this comparison reference while describing the "Wyoming" Green River (#13):

"many venture to fish the Green River, but most head to the Utah Green River. However, the Green River near Kemmerer is equally fantastic fly fishing as the Utah Green."

Sounds like a few more locations to add to my wish list.

What a Difference a Month Makes

An earlier post reflected on the great spring Blue Wing Olive hatch on the Provo River. One of things that contributes to this is that river flows are low. When the spring runoff begins in earnest the heavy flows begin filling Jordanelle and Deer Creek reservoirs and are released down the Provo River. May is typically a very high river flow month.

The chart below graphs the amount of water flowing through the Provo River in cubic feet per second (cfs). This chart is from a CUWCD website and shows (right to left) the flows increasing substantially around the first of May and beginning to reduce again at the end of May (the river is running at approximately 600 cfs today).



My last trip to fish the BWO hatch was around April 10th. Flows on that date were only 1/3 of what is flowing today (less than than 200 cfs). That outing we were present for one of the most prolific hatches in recent memory. The fish were actively rising and we presented several versions of BWO flies. No success. We then realized there was also an active midge hatch. We changed to one of my top 10 favorite flies - the Griffith's Gnat - and that made all the difference.

Here are a couple of pictures from that trip:

A shot of "Brad's Hole"

A beautiful Provo River brown trout

A river runs through me...

A River Runs Through...Our Backyard (For Now)

The Murdock Canal (officially the Provo Reservoir Canal) flows behind our back yard. When we built our home we were initially concerned about safety issues. 22 years later we have come to consider the canal our own private river running through our backyard.

When spring runoff increases the flows in the Provo River the 22-mile canal begins to fill diverting Provo River water to farmers in northern Utah County and Salt Lake County (and in recent years municipal water in Salt Lake County).



The side benefit is we enjoy it all summer. Ducks live in the canal, people walk, run and bike along this stream, and we even hear the occasional "splash" as a dog walker unleashes a favorite pet for a dip. Sunday evenings often close with a leisurely stroll along the canal (Sydney and I especially like those).

My favorite part may be the beautiful sunsets we enjoy from our backyard and inside our home. We were working in the backyard tonight when I realized we had a beautiful sunset in the making on the "river." I raced in the house for the camera to capture the shot below.



Unfortunately for us, sunsets like the one above will be gone by the end of 2012.

The canal was built nearly 100 years ago and is currently owned by the Provo River Water Users Association. Water is the great currency of the West and the Provo River has many mouths to feed (water). Concerned about how to best utilize the limited Provo River water in a growing county, government, citizen and environmental groups recently agreed to enclose the canal in a project known as the Provo River Canal Enclosure Project. The enclosure will improve public safety, improve water quality, improve efficiencies in the operation and maintenance of the canal corridor and save seepage and evaporation losses. It was the water conservation aspect of the enclosure that won the support of Trout Unlimited and the Utah Rivers Council.

I attended the public hearings, which were well done. Though I'm disappointed about losing our backyard river, I support the conservation aspects of the enclosure.

The silver lining of the enclosure project is that once the canal is enclosed the surface will have improved walking, running, cycling, and equestrian paths. The improvements will include aesthetically pleasing landscaping that looked great from the drawings presented at the hearings.

Enjoy the sunsets while they last!

Rivers, Easter, and Living Water

One reason rivers have always appealed to me is because they are "alive." A passing glance at any river would lead you to believe that it is always the same. And yet it is never the same as new water flows through it continually. A healthy river gives life to everything it touches (especially trout, of course).

I have often thought that a river is a powerful metaphor for the ultimate Living Water - Jesus Christ. Jesus described himself as living water to the Samaritan Woman at Jacob's well.

I had this thought again this Easter as our family watched a MormonMessages Easter video. It is a testimony of Jesus Christ by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Its message has broad appeal at a time when positive messages are needed in the world. Shortly after its release it reached the top of the Viral Video Chart, which identifies the most popular “viral” videos on the internet.



While rivers bring life, another prophet, Howard W. Hunter, said most pointedly how the Living Water brings life - "whatever Jesus lays his hands upon lives."

The Return of Spring: Blue Wing Olives

It's hard to beat spring fishing on the Provo River. Perhaps it's me anticipating all winter the return of casting dry flies to rising brown trout. Perhaps it's the fish anticipating feeding on an active spring hatch. Perhaps it's me remembering the nearly forgotten sights, sounds, and feel of being in the river. Whatever the reason, the late-March to early-May Blue Wing Olive mayflies on the Provo are hard to beat.

My son Mason and I spent a couple of hours recently casting to fish on the Provo on a beautiful spring day in early April. He returns to BYU soon for his final year and we were eager to get in some good spring fishing before he does.

I heralded the return of spring, of course, with a trip to Eddie Robinson's. Barlow directed me to his favorite flies and I bought a generous helping of nymphs, emergers, and drys. (He also reminded me that they clean lines, a trip I have yet to make.)

Here is this year's selection. I wonder why I bother with the nymphs and emergers since it's really casting dry flies (far right) that brings me out in the spring.

This trip was to a stretch of the middle Provo I first fished last fall. I assured Mason we would find eager fish here. While our success was mostly on emergers and we saw no prolific hatch, it proved to be just as rewarding in the spring as in the fall.

Looking northeast to the mountains at the far end of the Heber Valley.

Mason releasing a fish he'll enjoying releasing even more next year.


It's always fun to be on the water. It's even more fun to share it with those you love.


Welcome spring! We've enjoyed winter but it's nice to have you back.

If It's Good For The trout, It's Good For Me...

I love winter. I love everything about it - watching snow fall, playing in the snow, even driving in and shoveling snow - everything. Winter snow does make fly fishing more challenging, though, as the fish are generally feeding only on nymphs and dry flies are rare. However, if it's good for the trout, it's good for me and so perhaps my favorite thing about winter is knowing that snow will transform into beautiful, clear mountain trout streams in summer.

So I'm patient, welcome winter reverently, and look for ways to enjoy the snow.

This has resulted in our family enjoying snowmobile trips into the cabin in the winter. We're not aggressive snowmobilers and use the machines mostly for transportation into the cabin and then shuttling tubes and sleds up the hills as we play in the snow. We've been renting our machines for years from Glen, Laurel, Jared, and all the great people at Big Pine Sports who consistently treat us right.

We eat, watch movies, tube, sled, snowshoe, and generally chill out. The kids enjoy bringing friends and we all enjoy the beauty of clear, warm(er), late winter days. Of course a great day on the mountain always seems to end with drive-in burgers and shakes at T-Cee's in Fairview.

Below are a few pictures from our January and February trips this winter. I have also included below our first video compilation using the awesome Flip Video.

Chilling at the end of a great day in January 2009. From left: Erianne, Griffin, Sydney, Ashley, Lori, Cameron, and Joel. We were sorry Mason, Allie, and Jeff couldn't make this trip.

Ashley, Sydney, and Lori enjoying the sun on the deck.

Cameron and his friend Joel Gassman posing after a snowmobile ride.

Me waiting patiently for Gooseberry Creek to come alive again with trout rising to summer's return.

Every year one snowmobiling trip ends with building a snowman. The snow in February was so soft we made him relaxing on his back rather than standing up. Surrounding the snowman are Ashley, Sydney, Dave, Gabby, Griffin, Cameron, and Jeff.

Sydney wondering what's up with that? (In the summer this sign is well over Sydney's head)

Lori enjoying some snowshoeing near the gate to our cabin.

Sydney and her friend Gabby Baker on the deck of the cabin.

Griffin and his friend Erianne Avery enjoying the sun.

We love the Flip Video. This is our first attempt to create a movie from our video clips. Notice the great cinematography of Ashley riding on the back of my snowmobile as she shoots Jeff zooming on the saucer and Griffin wiping out on the improvised snowboard/sled.

President Thomas S. Monson - Prophet, Fly Fisher

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe that members of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles are prophets, seers, and revelators. President Thomas S. Monson has served as 16th president of the Church since February 3, 2008. Members of the Church have long been inspired, instructed, and entertained by President Monson's sermons. His love for people and his personal ministry of visiting individuals is legendary and exemplary. I love him for all those reasons...and at least one more:

His love of fly fishing! Consider this excerpt from an article about his life:

"He also had a cabin in Vivian Park on the Provo River, where the families would intermingle during the summers. Indeed, until he was in his mid-teens, President Monson spent most of July and August each year at Vivian Park. It was there he began a lifelong hobby of fishing. In time he graduated from the common fishing pole of his boyhood to sophisticated fly fishing. It is inferred that a highlight of his fishing career came in New Zealand when he and Wendell Mendenhall fished with a fly called 'Parson’s Glory.' Brother Monson’s reputation for truthfulness constrains us to believe his report that this outing yielded full limits of rainbow trout 'five pounds and over in size.'"

The picture below is of President Monson, the fly fishing prophet.

Brown Trout Can Read

On a recent fly fishing outing I worked upstream on a beautiful stretch of the middle Provo. It was a spectacular fall day and I was eager to find trout rising. I had no interest in anything other than dry flies this day. As I turned a corner I could see a fish actively working the surface. As I got closer I realized it was rising on the other side of a barbed wire fence. On the fence hung the following sign:

"With apologies to the many, and because of the actions of the few, no trespassing" (taken at some distance using my cell phone camera).

Apparently I was watching a fish that could read because it was safely feeding on the opposite side of the fence. I reluctantly turned around and found another stretch of water (below - again with camera phone) where, I am happy to report, I found many fish who could NOT read. They were anxious to rise to my #18 Parachute Adams. It turned into a wonderful fall day of catching and releasing beautiful brown trout with golden falling leaves on the river banks all around me.















So what if the river that runs through you also runs through private land as this did? My attitude has always been "there's plenty of water out there so I'll go find another stretch" as I did on this day. While I believe most serious fly fishers are respectful of private property, it only takes a few bad apples to spoil the whole bunch, which apparently was the reason for this sign.

The Utah Supreme Court issued an opinion on July 18, 2008 which recognized that the public has a recreational right to walk the privately owned bed of state waters while participating in legal recreational activities within the waters. The opinion reaffirmed its earlier rulings that the public can utilize the surface of state waters for recreational purposes.

I found an interesting article on the topic which reported "there was some confusion about what constitutes a privately owned riverbed. According to the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, the easement allows the public to walk on the privately owned bed while engaging in recreational activities that utilize the water. However, the court did not define what a privately owned river bed was in its opinion.

Victor Nelson, co-owner of RoundRocks Fly Fishing in Logan, who was interviewed for the article (and represents another of the great independent fly shops in Utah) said “we’re interpreting it as ‘stay in the water.’ That wasn’t how it was defined, but that’s what we’re advising,” Nelson said.

Sound advice from a responsible fly fisherman. Stay in the water...and look for fish that can't read.

Fall Fishing

There is no more inspiring time to be on a river than the fall. The typical sights and sounds are accentuated by spectacular colors, fish that feed with eagerness knowing that winter is around the corner, and the solitude left by summer fishers who have long since put their rods away.

A recent trip to my favorite water, Huntington Creek, brought all of these, including:
















Fall settling on one of my favorite bends in the water

















A beautiful stand of Aspens glowing in the day's fading light

















The first snow of the season at 10,000 feet mixed with the remaining brilliant fall colors. Notice the other signs of approaching winter including the sheepherder's trailer and horse as well as the orange snow depth markers already in place

















And, of course, one of the generous cutthrout trout that made my visit complete