Wind, Waders, and Wrong Turns on the Boulder Mountain

Location: Boulder Mountain

Fishing Time: August 27-30, 2026

Weather: Stormy, high winds, off and on rain

Moon Phase: Full Moon

Best Baits: Hares Ear, Copper John, Chironomids (red)

Who Went: Casey Davies, Dunc

A few weeks ago, my buddy Casey and I loaded up for a few days of camping and fishing on Boulder Mountain. The weather forecast looked questionable from the start, and it didn't disappoint. Storm clouds seemed to circle us for most of the trip, but somehow we managed to avoid the worst of the heavy rain. What we couldn't escape, however, was the wind. It seemed to blow nonstop, changing directions whenever it felt like it and making fishing a challenge every day.

We set up camp near the Fish Creek turnoff. Casey brought his camper along with his side-by-side, which ended up being one of the best parts of the trip. Instead of packing gear around on foot, we could load everything up and comfortably explore different lakes across the mountain.

Our first day was spent fishing Fish Creek and Beaver Dam. Casey is still new to fly fishing, but he was determined to learn and stick with it. 

We spent the day nymph fishing with chironomids and Hare's Ears and experimented with a few streamers whenever the conditions allowed. Unfortunately, the constantly swirling wind made casting streamers and dry flies downright miserable. We eventually settled on indicator fishing and the fish started to cooperate.

At Fish Creek, I landed several nice trout throughout the day. Beaver Dam wasn't nearly as productive, but it did give up what was probably my best brook trout of the entire trip. Casey, on the other hand, had a tougher time. Still, he kept at it with a good attitude.

The next morning, we decided to explore the other side of the mountain and headed for Donkey Reservoir and Left-Hand Reservoir. After arriving at Donkey and unloading our gear, I discovered my waders were still back at camp. Not ideal after an hour ride to get there in the side by side.

While Casey launched his float tube and headed out onto the reservoir, I was stuck fishing from shore. The shallow water and thick weeds surrounding the lake made it nearly impossible to fish effectively. After a couple of hours, neither of us had managed a single bite. We packed up and drove over to Left-Hand Reservoir, hoping for better luck. Unfortunately, the reservoir was so low it barely looked fishable, so we drove back to camp.

That evening we returned to the familiar waters of Fish Creek near camp. Massive storm clouds surrounded the mountain, and rain could be seen falling all around us, but once again we escaped with only a few scattered showers. The wind, however, seemed stronger than ever.

As I worked through different fly patterns, I started noticing a trend. Red seemed to be the color. I tied on a Copper John and immediately started finding success. Several feisty tiger trout came to hand, along with a couple of quality brook trout and one splake. 

Casey continued to battle through the learning process. Despite the slow fishing, he never got discouraged and kept casting.

On our final morning, we broke camp with plans to fish the East Fork of the Sevier River. Overnight storms had other ideas. Heavy rain had turned the river into a muddy mess, and as we drove through the area, it became clear just how much water had fallen. The towns of Circleville, Junction, and Marysvale had experienced significant flooding. Debris lined the roadsides, flooded buildings could be seen from the highway, and the aftermath of the storms was everywhere.

With our final fishing plans washed away, we pointed the truck toward home. Although the wind never stopped blowing, the weather never fully chased us off the mountain either. We caught fish, explored new water, spent time around camp, and enjoyed a few days away in the high country. In the end, that's all the excuse we needed for a successful trip.