Midge Hatch on the Provo River

Fishing Time: 7:30 am to 1:30 pm

Weather: Partly cloudy, Cold, T-20s

Moon Phase: 82% Moon

Best Bait: midge pattern

Who Went: Roger Parks, Hyrum, Dunc

Roger and I made plans to hit the river and I was excited to dust off the old fly rod, but when he called to say his buddy, who is a fly-fishing guide, was coming as well, I wasn’t thrilled.  I envisioned a snooty fly guide that may not see eye to eye with my style of fishing.  I was wrong.

Hyrum was a stud and he taught me a lot about fishing the Provo.  He fishes the river weekly and knew every bend like his backyard. The morning was extremely cold and to be honest it was all I could do to keep casting and stripping that freezing cold water through my hands.  At one point I put my hands in my pockets and sat and enjoyed the amazing views in Provo Canyon and turkeys walking through the campground.

It turned into a beautiful day when the sun came out and Hyrum and I found ourselves on a deep bend with a midge hatch just beginning.  It was incredible to see how many fish were surfacing and some of them looked like really nice fish!

Hyrum hooked me up with a midge pattern dry fly and totally went into guide mode teaching me the ways of the fly.  Sounds annoying, but it felt like I was fishing with my buddy not a guide.  We caught some nice fish and had a blast.  The only annoying part of the day was me having to be home that afternoon for a commitment.  I didn’t want to leave!