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Sherron Catches Record Tiger Trout

 Fly fishing provides great enjoyment for us as anglers – big fish, small fish, many fish or no fish, something keeps us coming back for more and I often wonder if Mother Nature is playing a big magic trick on us. Some days, some seasons, some hatches, and some moments are more magical than others. Read More

Utah fly fishing tends to get overlooked quite frequently as a fly fishing destination. I think this is mainly due to its proximity to other stellar fishing states (ID, MT, CO, WY) who hold epic reputations for big water and big fish.  In addition, aside from the Green River, the state lacks any really big well known water.  However, what the state lacks in large popular waters it makes up for in its abundance of small streams that hold some big fish.  I’ve found more skinny water in this state that holds impressive fish than really anywhere else in the west, and on a cool spring day in 2010  Spencer Higa and myself set out to test our luck on just such a river. The draw of fishing small streams is all about the challenge.  The often times tiny casting windows and impossible structural hazards that must be avoided create an atmosphere in which you celebrate an accurately placed cast weather or not you land the fish.  But of course convincing a fish to take the fly makes it all the more sweet.

It was about the time of year when just about any bugs may be hatching on the river, and from previous experience on this particular stretch we knew that it was likely that most everything would be hatching.  We were most excited about the prospect of a drake hatch.  After a  15 minute or so hike to the river we began turning over rocks and quickly saw that the green drake nymphs, while large and motile, were not looking like they would pop that day.  Despite this, as is virtually always the case on these rivers, we soon found more bugs in the air then I could possibly imagine, and plenty of trout seemed to be interested in these flying critters as well.  If you simply touched a bush or tree within 100 ft of the river it would explode in s cloud of insect life, the likes of which would make an excellent scene from a crappy horror film for some.  For me and Spencer it elicited much different feelings.

We quickly pinpointed the large golden stones that were hatching as the most likely targets of the fish’s systematic feeding.  In some rivers you would anticipate these numbers of bugs to stimulate a sort of uncontrolled feeding frenzy, like a salmonfly or cicada hatch, however on these rivers the fish act as if these insect sightings are common place and feed on them in a much more confident fashion as if they were sipping midges.  They don’t overreact to these bugs because they know that if they miss one, something else will becoming along soon thereafter.  The calm sip of these large dry flies that we were presenting fell in stark contrast to the explosive reaction that followed the hook set.  These are athletic fish.  They leap out of the water in many cases literally jumping from one shore to the other, and in other cases just putting their nose down and moving for cover.  Once you have hooked the fish you have to very gently direct it’s fight away from the strong fast boulder filled currents and the log jams and move it into water here they can be landed.  This may be one of the most challenging ways to land big fish.
On this day we landed many nice fish, and we spooked or lost just as many.

Take a look at the video we took on this great day of fishing skinny water.

Written by: Tim Jenkins

 Fly fishermen have different expectations when they set out to the river. Some like to catch lots of fish, others just want to catch big fish. Here on the South Slope of the Uinta Mountains, a lot of anglers set out aiming to get a “grand slam,” which is to catch four different species of trout- brown, rainbow, cutthroat and brook- in a single day. Even better if they all come from a single river.  I had the rare experience this summer of witnessing a unique double grand slam while guiding Travis and Todd from San Diego, California.

 When booking their trip they expressed interest in fishing streams and that they would like to do a little hiking to get to these streams. I told them that we could do that, no problem. I decided long before they arrived that we would fish the YellowstoneRiver (no, not that Yellowstone River) which flows from high in the Uinta Mountains toward the Green River and then into the Colorado. The upper stretch of the Yellowstone is a beautiful freestone stream with good numbers of trout. Although not big in size these fish are feisty and at times will explode on any dry fly you drift to them.

 When they arrived late in August the river was in great condition and the flows were perfect. I had told them the game plan the night before that we would hike to an area that I liked and that there would be a possibility of catching a grand slam. Their eyes got big as I explained that few people catch a grand slam because it’s hard to find all species at such high elevations, particularly the elusive brown trout.  It was clear they were excited at the challenge of doing what so few had done this summer.

 As morning came we sat and had a nice warm breakfast but I could see that Travis and Todd were not interested in the spread of hot food. They wanted to get out the door as soon as possible. We got the rods ready, lunches and waders packed and headed out the door. All we talked about during the thirty-minute drive was the grand slam. I told them that the brown trout would be our biggest challenge. I also told them that they would be rewarded with a grand slam pin if they caught all four species of trout.  I knew of a few places that we were able to catch them, but it was going to be tough. They were up for the challenge.

 As we pulled down to the river their eyes lit up and I could hear the excitement in their voices when they asked if we were going upstream or downstream.  We wadered up and got the rods rigged with yellow stimulators, a great fly for these small streams. We began our little hike downstream to an area that I like to fish with more than one client because it’s a big enough stretch of water where I could have both of them fish together. We finally made it down to my favorite stretch when Travis, out of breath from the altitude asked if we could hike down further. I said, “Sure, no problem”. We waited a minute for them to catch their breathe before we resumed our hike downstream. After around 10 minutes of hiking I rounded a bend and waited for Travis and Todd to catch up, I asked, “How’s this?”, They looked at each other and said, “No, let’s keep going”, I nodded and kept going. We got to a bend in the river that had a downed Christmas tree from the fierce winds we had in the spring which formed a nice pool below it.  They looked at me and out of breathe said: “This is it”.

 Todd was the first to get his fly off of his hook keeper. He began to cast just below the tree anticipating something to happen. It did. A nice trout came up and devoured his stimulator. Todd set the hook like a pro and the fish immediately headed for the downed tree. I told him to keep pressure on the fish to keep him from tangling us in the tree. He dipped his rod to the side and began applying side pressure and got this fish to come back downstream and right into my net. I looked and couldn’t believe it. It was a brown trout, the most difficult fish to catch on this stream. We celebrated with a high five, got a picture and released it back to the tree. It all happened so fast that Travis hadn’t even made his first cast. I now felt the pressure to put Travis in a position to catch a brown.

 Travis saw a nice cut bank that he wanted to try. I rigged him up with a dropper because I knew we needed to show the fish something yummy if they weren’t interested in the dry fly. On his second cast his stimulator disappeared which meant he was hung up on the bottom or it was a fish. I yelled, “Set” and as he lifted the rod it began to bounce with life. I walked over to net the fish and I realized that it was brown. I couldn’t believe it. I suddenly felt scared because I didn’t want to lose this fish. After two stabs at the brown I finally got him to the net. We cheered and bumped knuckles knowing the hardest part of the day was over. Already this day was like no other I had ever had.

 Todd’s next fish to the net was a 12” rainbow, the next an 8” brook trout and the fourth was a beautiful 14” cutthroat. Yes, Todd caught his grand slam on his first four fish. Something that after 17years of guiding I’ve never witnessed.  We both sat and took it all in as Todd released the cutthroat.

 Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, I looked over and Travis had a fish on. I ran over netted it and it was a little brook trout. His next fish was a cutthroat and the next a nice 14” rainbow. Travis had also caught his grand slam on his first four fish. I looked around thinking someone was playing a joke on me, but there was not a soul around, just pine trees and a gorgeous trout stream.

 The rest of the day was amazing; they each landed 20+ fish as we worked our way back to the car. Out of those fish we landed not one of them was a brown. I was convinced that the fish gods were looking down on us that day and they made sure Travis and Todd had a memorable day trout fishing on Utah’s Yellowstone River.

Winter Fly Fishing

Many fisherman hang up their gear once the temperature drops and the snow flies. Some just flat out don’t like the cold weather and having to break the ice from the guides.

Fly fishing in the winter can be very rewarding not only to the nymph fisherman but also to the dry fly enthusiast. Most rivers, especially tailwaters have great hatches of midges throughout the winter and provide some of the best dry fly fishing of the year. Most midge hatches will occur during the warmest time of the day which is usually from 11am-3pm on most rivers. During this time of day you will find fish sipping these little bugs from the surface without a worry in the world. Midges range in sizes but more often than not you will be using a size 20-24 to fool the pickiest trout.
Here are some tips to remember when venturing out in the cold this winter:

- Dress warm. Fleece fingerless gloves, fleece under your waders and jacket and a fleece or wool hat are very important to staying warm. When you are comfortable in the river you’re focusing on fishing.

- Only fish during the warmest time of day.

- Avoid breaking the ice from your guides too hard or you will break your rod. Take your time and you’ll save yourself a lot of frustration. Stanley’s Ice Off Paste works very well.

- Have a variety of Midges in your box in sizes 16-24.

- Rig two rods. One with a dry fly and the other with a nymph rig.

These are just a few things you can do to make your time on the water as productive as possible. Probably the most appealing thing about fishing in the winter is that you can fish dry flies to feeding fish without the crowds. See you on the water.

Visit us at shows accross the country.

Stop by and talk about fly fishing on rivers, streams and stillwaters in secluded Eastern Utah, see you at the shows.
Like us on Facebook to follow our travels.

ISE Denver – January 5th – 8th
Find us in the Orvis Booth
Colorado Convention Center
700 14th Street
Denver, CO 80202

ISE Sacramento – January 19th -22nd
Find us in the Orvis Booth
Cal Expo, State Fairgrounds
1600 Exposition Blvd.
Sacramento, CA 95815

The Fly Fishing Show – Somerset, New Jersey – January 27th thru 29th
Garden State Convention Center

ISE Phoenix – February 23rd -26th
Find us in the Orvis Booth
University of Phoenix Stadium
1 Cardinals Drive
Glendale, AZ 85305

The Fly Fishing Show – Pasadena, CA – Feb 3rd & 4th
Pasadena Convention Center

ISE Salt Lake City – March 15th thru 18th
Booth # 663
South Towne Exposition Center
9575 So. State Street
Sandy, UT 84070

FALCON’S LEDGE LODGE
Altamont , Utah
By John Bellasalma

How lucky can you be. My buddy won a two for the price of one fly fishing trip to the Falcon’s Ledge Lodge in Utah, an Orvis award winner. He asked me to join him and the adventure started. A great stay at a fishing lodge can be defined by several factors. The most important to me are quality guides,a variety of fishing opportunities, comfortable lodge, beautiful location and abundant trout. At the Falcon’s Ledge all these and more were plentiful.

We fished three days, September 15,16, 17. We spent the first day on the Yellowstone River. No, not in Montana,but a beautiful freestone river in southeast Utah. The second day was spent on Rock Creek and the third day on the Duchesne. There were many other choices such as the Strawberry, Unitas,Provo, Green, but water runoff was still high and the guides offered us the most fishable spots. We fished for three days and never ran into any other anglers. The fish were undisturbed and waiting for us.Sweet!

Our guide for the first and third day was Jeff Lindstrom. Jeff was very knowledgeable about local streams and what flies were working. He always asked what we wanted to do, how and where we would like to fish. A laid back yet polished professional looking to make our day great. He put us on rainbows that could not resist the parachute hoppers he had rigged us up with. We caught dozens of beautiful wild fish on the dry. My buddy earned a grand slam pin for catching rainbows, brooks,browns and cutthroats. I earned mine for rainbows, browns, cutthroats and a Tiger trout. A Tiger is a cross between a brook and a brown. Check out the photo. Also take a look at a very nice cut my buddy got on the Duchesne.

Our second day was spent with guide Scott Pizza. Scott took us to Rock Creek.The outflow from the dam was high. Helooked a bit concerned but he took us to a bend in the river where large riffles worked their way into a large deep pool.He said we had a good shot at some browns but we’d have to use nymphs and go deep.He rigged us up with Prince nymphs and some split shot. He gave us some advice on how to present to such a deep fast moving pool. It didn’t take long be-fore I hooked into a large brown. It was the biggest brown I’d ever caught. I’ve been chasing browns for years now, primarily in Bishop and have mostly caught 10 inch fish. Thirty minutes after the first big brown, we netted, photographed and safely released his twin brother. So much for lightning not striking twice! Life was good. I can’t thank Scott enough for putting me on those fish. The net job he did was supreme. The browns were heavy for their length. I didn’t want to break off the fish, ( Scott had usrigged up with 6X tippet and the current was pretty strong ), so I let them take line and work their way down stream slowly. Scott did some amazing rock hopping and netted both fish. The second brown, the one in the photo, broke off just as Scott dipped the net.

The evenings were special also. A great dinner prepared and served by the ever friendly lodge staff. More than a few fingers of fine scotch, a hot tub to wash away the stiffness and prepare our old bones for the next’s days fishing. It was a great three days. I highly recommend club members go to www.Falconsledge.com and check them out.

For full newsletter with photos visit Sierra Pacific Flyfishers

The past July, Orvis Fly Fishing Managers from around the country gathered at Orvis Endorsed Lodge Falcon’s Ledge in Utah, to enjoy 3 days of non-stop fishing adventure, great food, and friendship.  Because of the diversity of waters that Falcon’s Ledge guests fish, managers were able to split up into pairs and traveled with eight guides to variety of rivers and streams in the area, never fishing the same river twice.  Each day, two guide boats drifted the famed Green River, while other Managers fished the Duchesne, Strawberry, Rock Creek, Lake Fork, and Yellowstone rivers.   Each evening, dinner was served early at 6pm, and the managers enjoyed the evening hatch on the stillwaters surrounding the lodge and the near-by Strawberry River.

Kris Maurer, fly fishing manager from the Nashville, Tennessee Store summed up the fishing like this “The Green was epic to say the least, I’m not going to bore you with numbers and sizes. Imagine what your best day on the water would be like with consistently good sized fish on dries with great company, food, and an excellent oarsman.  That was our day times 2.  It definitely ranks as one of the top ten days, I’ve ever had on the water.”  Check out this video Kris shared of a nice brown taken on the Strawberry river during the trip:  http://www.falconsledge.com/category/videos/2011-videos/

Dan Duvala, Arlington, Virginia Store Fly Fishing Manager, summed things up this way: “Also, a huge thanks to Spencer and all of his guides that took us out each night in the relentless pursuit of rising fish.  I know you all were working very hard, but it truly felt like we were all just a bunch of fish bum friends chasing fish together.  Perhaps that’s just what it was. I will never forget our time together and I look forward to seeing you all again soon, one way or another.  I was blown away by your fishery and your team.  Thanks again for everything.”

It is hard to describe how much fun was had when you have 12 great fly-fisherman, from all over the country, fishing literally from first light to after dark with eight great guides, and sharing experiences and stories every evening while enjoying a soak in the hot tub – truly three days to remember.

Snow-capped Uintah Range in the distance and waist-high barley

Nearly perfect October weather produced unforgettable wingshooting excursions at Orvis-

Endorsed Falcon’s Ledge Wingshooting Grounds in Utah last month.

Head Guide, Spencer Higa, captured these photos during a hunt with a group of guests who had traveled from across the country to enjoy over 3,000 acres of hunting grounds, cultivated and managed to provide the highest quality bird habitat in the West.

Click “Read More” to see four more images from the hunt.

Phil Rowley at Falcon's Ledge

Falcon’s Ledge was pleased to welcome master fly-fisherman and fly tier, Phil Rowley to the Lodge on Oct. 20th for a three day seminar.  All participants were enjoyed a course of on-the-water and class room instruction that included seminars on stillwater fly-fishing techniques, hatch and aquatic insect lifecycles, fish behavior patterns, casting instruction, line and rigging instruction, fly tying instruction, water temperature and depth evaluations, and much, much more.

In fall weather that could not have been more perfect, all participants spend many hours fishing alongside Phil.  The highlight of the even for many was landing a large trout and then “throat pumping” to see what the fish had been foraging on.  Samples were collected and all participants were able to compare the “naturals” to the flies they were using to imitate what the fish were eating the.  The variety of food source was amazing, ranging from beetles and lady bugs to damsel fly nymphs and chronomids.

The lodge and surrounding stillwaters provided the perfecting setting for the seminar, with close access to meeting rooms, fishing, great food, and plenty of area to rest and relax each evening.   Phil is expected to announce another seminar at Falcon’s Ledge next year, so dates will be coming very soon.  Whether you are a seasoned fly-fisherman or a novice, the seminar is perfect for everyone that desires to catch more and larger fish. If you missed this one, don’t miss the next one.  Announcement of dates coming soon.

Phil Rowley Stillwater School – May 18th -20th. The school with focus on calebaetis and damsel fly, along with other stillwater fishing techniques. May is one of the best months for these great hatches and some of the best stillwater fishing of the entire year. Only twelve openings available, call 877.879.3737 for more information today.

We want to see how you did this summer, post your favorite fishing photo from this summer on the Photo Contest page on our FaceBook site between now and September 30th and our Guide Staff will pick their three favorites. If you win, Falcon’s will send you a free FL hat and sticker for your rod tube or car window.

This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook. You are providing your information to Falcon’s Ledge and not to Facebook. The information you provide will only be used by Falcon’s Ledge.