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Park City Fly Fishing Report

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Location | Weber River

Flows | 388 cfs out of Rockport Reservoir

Fishing | Good

Hatches | Midges, Baetis, Sowbugs and various subsurface junk food.

Time of Day | 11am – 2pm

Flies | Thread Midges, Tailwater Sowbugs, Mayhems and Leeches.

Tippet | As small as you can go with the increasing flows.

Techniques | Nymphing

Get out there while you can. We have a historical snowpack that will start melting sometime soon. They have bumped the flows out of echo to approximately 1400 cfs for the last week in preparation, This corresponding early bump out of Rockport won’t be the last in the immediate and intermediate future. The size and frequency of these outflow increases is unknown at this point. We are anticipating some amount of time where the river will be too big to fish for a period of time this spring. Currently, the fish are healthy and on the feed if you can get out to the river through the melting snowpack.

Park City Fly Fishing Report

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Location | Middle Section of the Provo River | Buffalo Midge 2023

The buffalo midge is one of the most unique early season hatches our local tailwaters offer.  The buffalo midge is very large in comparison to other midge flies.  When the pupa emerges, it has a hump on its back resembling the silhouette of a buffalo. The abundance of these flies in and on the water drive the trout into a frenzy, bringing them out of their winter slumber.  Buffalo midges come in a variety of colors with the most common being black. 

Flows | 149.7 cfs release from Jordanelle

Fishing | Good

Hatches | Buffalo Midge

Time of Day | 11am-2pm

Flies | Mother Schuckers, Black, Gray and Brown.

Tippet | 6-7x depending on fly selection and size

Techniques | Dry Fly Fishing

The trout will key into bugs that are emerging and are stuck in the film. Make sure to present them with a fly that has an attached schuck. Be patient and pay attention to the quality of your drift. This hatch will continue through late March early April. Don’t miss out, book your trip today for some of the best dry fly fishing of the year!

Park City Fly Fishing Guides | #Guideadvice

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#guideadvice | Positivity, Patience and Engagement

As a guide, no matter how much you prepare, we all know there are going to be days where the trout are just a little bit harder to get. It’s a challenge, and a situation that is not always comfortable or easy to convey to our guests.

As a guest, when the fishing get’s tough, it’s easy to blame the guide. “He isn’t experienced enough and he doesn’t know what he’s doing. What am I paying for? I expected to land 20 fish today!”

It’s a nightmare scenario for both parties.

Today’s #guideadvice is two fold. First, don’t let this situation divide you and create tension. Secondly, don’t give up. Belief is a powerful thing and sometimes the challenge is very much worth it.

The mantra is the same for guide and guest. At all costs, you must remain Positive, Patient and Engaged with each other and the task at hand.

By maintaining these three principles you will, undoubtedly, share a great day on the water.

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