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Park City Fly Fishing Report

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Location | Weber River

Flows | 205 cfs release from Rockport

Fishing | Good  

Hatches | Sow Bugs, Midges, Caddis, Worms and Leeches

Time of Day | 9-3pm 

Flies | Midge patterns, mayhems and blings | Rainbow, dark and tan sows in appropriate sizes | Hi-vis worms and Leeches | Caddis pupae and emergers

Tippet | 3-5x depending on fly selection and size

Techniques | Nymphing and opportunistic dry fly fishing with caddis patterns if you can skillfully entice a late afternoon riser.

There has been a significant bump from the extended winter time flows. Curious how the flows will be managed moving forward into the summer? Hoping they will be managed in a manner to allow for a full season of fishing on this section of the river. Much will depend on how dry or wet of a summer we experience. Please, be respectful of the resource and practice responsible angling. Barbless hooks and catch and release mantras are recommended. The fishery has been stressed over the past year by drought conditions, irresponsible release practices and low flows. Treat each other with respect and courtesy and please don’t leave your trash on the river.

Park City Fly Fishing Report

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Location | Lower Provo River

Flows | 97.3 cfs release from Deer Creek

Fishing | Good to Excellent 

Hatches | Midges and Increasing BWO’s

Time of Day | 9-3pm 

Flies | #20-#26 Midge and Blue Wing patterns. RS2’s, Rainbow Warriors, Mayhems and Blings.

Tippet | 5-6x depending on your knot tying abilities

Techniques | Nymphing and late morning and early afternoon dry fly fishing

Snow, wind and cool temps made an appearance this week. Very grateful for the extra precipitation and snow pack we received. Forecast looks similar, moving forward into next week. Those cooler and overcast days should provoke those baetis to move around. Be prepared with a variety of patterns and remember to be nice and respectful to your fellow anglers.

Current flows forecast 2022 | Bureau of Reclamation

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Location | Green River, below Fontanelle Reservoir

Current Status

As of March 6, 2022, the Fontenelle Reservoir pool elevation is 6478.84 feet, which amounts to 46 percent of live storage capacity. Inflows for the month of February totaled 23,000 acre-feet (af) or 80 percent of average. 

Fontenelle’s releases will be maintained at 825 cfs through the winter base flow period. These releases will be maintained until March or April when the ice along the Green River begins to melt.   

The March final forecast for unregulated inflows into Fontenelle for the next three months projects below average conditions. March, April, and May inflow volumes amount to 40,000 af (70 percent of average), 55,000 af (65 percent of average), and 95,000 af (54 percent of average), respectively. For Water Year 2022, the unregulated inflow is forecasted to be 726,000 af or 68% of average.

Please refer to the following link for Green River flow projections, through Green River, WY, provided by the Colorado River Basin Forecast Center: CBRFC Green River, WY Projection

To view the most current reservoir elevation, content, inflow and release, click on: Fontenelle Reservoir Data.

Working Group Meetings

The next Fontenelle Working Group meeting is scheduled for April 28, 2022 at 10:00 am. Details on the meeting will be provided as we get closer to the meeting date. The Fontenelle Working Group is an open public forum for information exchange between Reclamation and other parties associated with the operation of Fontenelle Reservoir. Meeting Minutes from the August 26, 2021 meeting are posted on the Working Group webpage.

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park city fly fishing report| upper green river

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Location | Upper Green River section zero

Just returned home form the Upper Green. It was our first time on the system this spring. The report is favorable. Flows were consistent, but below average. Clarity was excellent and water temps were in the high 30’s still.

Rainbows and Cutthroats are still spawning. Be aware and careful around their beds.

Streamers | Stripping it slow. Medium speed water has seen some Rainbow Trout action in knee to waist deep water. The Brown Trout are in deeper and slower water. With the high and bright sun, look for them near structures and buckets.

Nymphs | All good too. Sow, pink, dark water, bobber, sometimes split shot. Don’t fish that sexy water for another couple months. BWO’s in the water column. Midges too. Water temps 37.5F. Warmer air temps will find the fish gaining energy. Find the boring, non-descript, and watch the bobber.

Midges | As good a midge event as we have witnessed in some time. Look for soft waters, calf deep to waist deep, and fish cruising. Simple zebras, size 18 with silver or red wire and a silver bead will get it done.

LaFontaine’s Buzzball

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A creative use of hackle, originally designed and tied to emulate the schucks of dead midges.

       

The Buzzball was created by legendary fly tier Gary Lafontaine to imitate midge clusters on the Missouri River. We have found it to be just as effective fly fishing here in the Park City area. It’s clearly a variation on the classic Griffith’s Gnat, but adds a second color and a different profile. Featuring just a hook, thread, and two hackle feathers, it’s a simple and proven pattern.

In this great video from Tim Flagler of Tightline Productions, he shows you his method for tying a size 20 version of the Buzzball. Tying these in smaller sizes is a productive choice, especially when fishing the Middle Provo River, early season. As usual, Tim focuses on the preparation of materials, so when you tie them in, everything is in it’s right place. After a little trimming, the Buzzball is ready to fish.

  Buzzball
          Hook: Straight-eye, wide-gap dry-fly hook, sizes 14-20.
          Thread: Black Veevus, 16/0.
          Hackle #1: Grizzly hackle.
          Hackle #2: Orange grizzly hackle.
          Tools: Sharp scissors, hackle pliers, whip-finisher

Park City Fly Fishing Report

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Location | Middle Section of the Provo River

Flows | 148.36 cfs release at Jordanelle Dam

Fishing | Good 

Hatches | Midges

Time of Day | 9-3pm 

Flies | #20-#26 gray, black, red and brown

Tippet | 6x

Techniques | Nymphing and late morning and early afternoon dry fly fishing

Weather has been sporadic this week. Very grateful for the extra precipitation and snow pack we received. River flows on the middle are right at the mean/average for this date. Jordanelle Reservoir is at 49% capacity and Deer Creek Reservoir is at 82% capacity.

Some dry fly action on the Middle Provo River from earlier this week. Park City, Utah one of the very few places, in the world, where you can ski and dry fly fish on the same day!

Rising Trout on the Middle Section of the Provo River – March 2022

Utah Ice Fishing | Ice Fishing Report

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Location | Rockport State Park

Reservoir Level | 51%

Ice Thickness | 14 inches, plus or minus in spots.

Ice Stability | Very slick but stable. Glare ice with a skiff of snow. Traction aids are advised.

Edges| The reservoir is rising and and the edges are buckling. Beware! the first linear 4-6 feet off the shore are melting and in our view inconsistent at best. Warm afternoons will make for open edges. Any vehicles or track sleds should be using a ramp or plank to access the ice.

Species | Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Yellow Perch

Fishing | Good, but not as easy as it was – Trout and Yellow Perch bite has been sporadic and has demanded some patience. The Perch have modified their behavior and are very transitory. They are moving around. We see large groups of fish swim through a zone and then they disappear. Trout fishing has been all about location and depth. Shallow water presentations have been effective as well as suspended jig patterns in the top 15 feet of the water column.

Time of Day | All Hours

Lures/Bait | Small tungsten jigs and assorted baits (Yellow Perch) | Soft plastics and jig heads with spikes and crawlers (Trout)

We are hopeful that the season can last through the end of the month. It will all depend on the weather conditions. If we continue in a warming direction, the reservoir will continue to rise at a rate that will make it very difficult to access the ice sheet. It’s a bummer because the ice sheet is as thick as we have ever seen it. Get out there and enjoy it while we have it. Be careful on the edges!