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

First Fish

We spent a Saturday at our cabin recently to enjoy the beautiful fall colors, ride the four-wheelers, and just relax. Lori and Sydney (beautiful girl on the left below) and I were accompanied by my brother Gary and three of his children - Maisie, Gannon, and Sadie. We enjoyed their company and had a wonderful day.















Sadie wanted to catch a fish so she and I went to Gooseberry Creek in search of one of the beautiful cutthroat trout that call it home. The creek is small but the fish are eager - and so was Sadie. The excitement in her face is evidence that it's the little things in life that bring happiness. Her thrill was surpassed only by my happiness in seeing her have this experience.

Supporting Passionate Fly Fishers

From time to time I find small fly shops with owners who share a passion for fly fishing. Rare people for whom fly fishing is less a product to sell and more a passion to pass along to those who share it. Such was one shop I found in 1998 in Provo - Great Basin Outfitters.

I loved to wander through that store looking at flies, chatting with the owner, and hearing about great days on the water. I took my first fly tying class there. Shortly thereafter I made my first trip to the Green River where I caught my first Brown on a Griffith's Gnat I tied myself. I enjoyed the class and the trip with my good friend Paul Miller (after whom I've dubbed a certain stretch of the Provo River "Miller's Hole" - Paul, you know the spot).

Unfortunately, when Sportsman's Warehouse came to Provo it was the beginning of the end for Great Basin Outfitters. My days of sharing my passion with a like minded boutique owner were over.

Until I stopped at Eddie Robinson's Fly Fishing in Orem and met Eddie. It's a small shop with all the passion. I try to frequent Eddie's place whenever I can, wanting to do my part to support a small business owner with a passion he's willing to share. I recently stumbled across Eddie's website. His personal statement, titled "Passion for Fly Fishing," will introduce you to Eddie - another fly fisher with a river running through him.

Good luck, Eddie, and thanks for the hot chocolate on my last trip in.

Provo River - Dam Repair

Those of us who love to fish the Provo River in Utah during the fall have noted higher than normal flows during recent visits in October and November. Curious about the cause of the high water I noted an article in the Provo Daily Herald today, part of which is included below (http://www.harktheherald.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=68207):

"This fall, it seems considerably more water has been rushing beneath the technicolor trees along the Provo River than in recent years. But it's not because the drought is over, as Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. recently declared. Rather it has to do with repairing a leak in the Deer Creek Dam, says Daryl Devey, 49, an engineer with the Central Utah Water Conservancy District and one of three men who together determine how much water flows in the river. The high flows are the result of lowering the level of the Deer Creek Reservoir to repair a small leak discovered during highway construction across the face of the dam. "All dams leak," Devey said. This one is no cause for concern, he said. But officials want to catch the seep and pipe it out of the dam. To do that they have to dig into the face of the dam, and they didn't want to do that with the reservoir full, he said. Once repairs are completed, the reservoir will fill and river levels will drop again."

The article gave no indication of how long the repairs will take.

Few and Far Between

Life is so full of great things to enjoy that I'll never fly fish as much as I'd like. This summer has been no exception. The difference is that, though few, the fishing opportunities have been far between. I fished in Utah, Montana, and Alaska. Great experiences all and very different.

One of the things I learned this summer is that when it comes to fly fishing, I feel a lot like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz: "there's no place like home." (The heels I tap together, however, are wading boots - and they're not red). Each time I fish somewhere else I come back to the rivers and streams of Utah with a new appreciation for their beauty, their great fishing, and their proximity to the things I love most - my family and friends.