# Utah Trip Advice



## ifsteve (Jul 1, 2010)

Southern Utah is not the best place for fishing. There are some streams around but its pretty dry country. If you have time you'd be better off saving effort and drive a bit north to have a much better chance at actually getting into some fish. Several fly shops in the SLC area that can get you headed in the right direction. But there is the Provo River as a start.

And driving up to Southern Idaho would be even better. When are you going to be there? Let me know if you think you might have a chance to get up to southern Idaho and I can give you some specific things to try. I should be up there around the 22 of June.


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## Megalops (Oct 23, 2011)

My in laws are in Zion right now. We have been dog sitting Chloe for 9 days. My advice, if you drink adult beverages bring some. Secondly, when you start tying don't leave your buck tail on the table or Chloe will eat it. She ate my chartreuse buck tail and puked and shit...chartreuse. Here's the offender, that's her:


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## SomaliPirate (Feb 5, 2016)

ifsteve said:


> Southern Utah is not the best place for fishing. There are some streams around but its pretty dry country. If you have time you'd be better off saving effort and drive a bit north to have a much better chance at actually getting into some fish. Several fly shops in the SLC area that can get you headed in the right direction. But there is the Provo River as a start.
> 
> And driving up to Southern Idaho would be even better. When are you going to be there? Let me know if you think you might have a chance to get up to southern Idaho and I can give you some specific things to try. I should be up there around the 22 of June.


Thanks for the advice! I'm flying in and out of Salt Lake but it looks like I'll only be up that way for about 24 hours. I'll be in Utah from 14-23 June. It's a trip out to see some old friends primarily, but I may be able to sneak away to get north. I'll have to see!
I should also add I have never caught a freshwater trout, with the exception of a pellet head brown in north GA several years ago.


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## ifsteve (Jul 1, 2010)

https://www.fishheadsflyshop.com/

https://www.westernriversflyfishing.com/

http://www.troutbum2.com/utah-fly-fishing-guide-service/

If you are flying into SLC then I suggest you hire a guide for a day (or even just a half day). They will put you on some real trout. If you can squeeze the time a trip on the Green River would be the highlight of your trip!


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## coconutgroves (Sep 23, 2013)

Hit the Green if you can, even if it's marginal it's a great day.


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## Caleb.Esparza (Jan 31, 2016)

As a Utah resident for almost 10 years now.. boulder mountain is the thing you seek. You won't find a ton of info, but what you find should be enough to get you started


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## Caleb.Esparza (Jan 31, 2016)

Oh.. ^^ if you're up for a drive, the green through flaming gorge is epic too.


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## jamie (Jan 22, 2016)

leave the 8 wt at home... 4 will be fine.


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## salt_fly (Apr 23, 2012)

Megalops said:


> My in laws are in Zion right now. We have been dog sitting Chloe for 9 days. My advice, if you drink adult beverages bring some. Secondly, when you start tying don't leave your buck tail on the table or Chloe will eat it. She ate my chartreuse buck tail and puked and shit...chartreuse. Here's the offender, that's her:
> 
> View attachment 11099


Not her fault, it smelled like a deer!! Your fault for leaving pieces of wild animal lying around the house.


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## SomaliPirate (Feb 5, 2016)

Thanks for all the advice y'all. I'm checking the dates and looking to hire a guide for a half day on the Provo either coming or going out of Salt Lake. I will update with how well (or poorly) I did.


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## FSUDrew99 (Feb 3, 2015)

Good luck out there. I'll be flying through SLC tomorrow otw to Jackson Hole. Gonna drive over to Driggs Idaho to fish Henry's Fork Friday with a guide. Looking forward to it.


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## SomaliPirate (Feb 5, 2016)

So now I'm being told that the Provo may be too high to fish. I'll have to wait and see.


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## Caleb.Esparza (Jan 31, 2016)

Water is crazy high right now with all the snow finally melting


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## FSUDrew99 (Feb 3, 2015)

That's exactly why I will be on Henry's Fork and not the snake Friday.


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## ifsteve (Jul 1, 2010)

I have lived less than an hour from both of those rivers for 40 years. I have fished the SF five times. You can have that dump of a river. Go Henrys Fork all day!


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## Cliff (Oct 13, 2016)

I also live in the area in the summer and I fish the HF far more than the SF, but the slow rise of a snake river cutthroat is something to experience.


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## Roger Douglas (Nov 11, 2015)

I will fly to SLC Monday then drive to Zion NP. Must be in Jerome, ID Friday AM for a meeting,, then back to Jerome for a week a couple of weeks later. I will have evenings free around Jerome and Twin Falls, so I will be asking for tips for the return visit. Clueless today.


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## SomaliPirate (Feb 5, 2016)

End of trip update: The Provo was apparently too high last week so for my one day in Salt Lake we found a reservoir about 30 minutes from town in Uintas and caught some grayling. A few days later we fished Navajo Lake in the south of the state. Caught a ton of small stocked rainbows and a splake. I managed to trick a couple of brookies in one of the creeks feeding the lake. So for a non-fishing trip, I had fun.


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## Padre (Jul 29, 2016)

FSUDrew99 said:


> That's exactly why I will be on Henry's Fork and not the snake Friday.


I'll be up at Henry's Fork in early September. Possibly the 1st through the 4th. And go 'Noles.


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## ifsteve (Jul 1, 2010)

Padre said:


> I'll be up at Henry's Fork in early September. Possibly the 1st through the 4th. And go 'Noles.


If possible I would try to avoid the holiday weekend. IP will be pretty busy. Come Tuesday the 5th it will seem like a ghost town compared to the weekend. Still plenty of room to fish but if your flexible a few days later will make a nice difference.


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## Padre (Jul 29, 2016)

ifsteve said:


> If possible I would try to avoid the holiday weekend. IP will be pretty busy. Come Tuesday the 5th it will seem like a ghost town compared to the weekend. Still plenty of room to fish but if your flexible a few days later will make a nice difference.


Yes I am flexible...and I can move my dates around. Thanks for the input. Maybe I will do just that. Come in on that Tuesday.


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## Guest (Jun 27, 2017)

If the Green River wasn't out of the way taking a scenic tour of Utah being in the southeast corner from SLC enroute to Zion in southwest Utah, even getting a drift boat guide for a day would be well worth it being probably the best tailwater fishery. Crane fly hatch may still be going on along with BWO's.


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## Cliff (Oct 13, 2016)

If you decide on the Henry's Fork and want to float, send me a note and I will take you on the Warm River to Ashton stretch. Not a pro, but 25 years of experience on the river.


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## Roger Douglas (Nov 11, 2015)

I have been searching for places to fish in the evenings around Twin Falls, ID. Now I find out I may be in MT the end of the week before and will stay over the weekend. Henry's Fork River and all are on the way down. Mind boggling the number of places to fish. I am thinking of Warm River and/or Bitch Creek to get away from the crowds (what I read anyway). Mid July trip so fishing should be good? Never have fly fished for trout and looking forward to giving it a shot. Just ordered some materials and plan to tie some Bitch Creek Nymphs and others.


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## Cliff (Oct 13, 2016)

In mid July the stone flies are gone. Tie some PMD's and caddis. Ants may work. If you get a cool, cloudy day the fishing will be good, but mid July is hot. The warm river will hold lots of brook and rainbow trout and you will catch fish. Walking in from Bear Gulch is fun. In the evenings you can see some real nice caddis on the lower part of the warm river. The Teton should be good by this time. Can't comment too much on Bitch Creek.


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## Blue Zone (Oct 22, 2011)

Cliff,

I'll be in Ketchum at some point over the summer fishing the upper Salmon, Big Wood, Silver Creek, a couple of streams above Ketchum and on up in the Pioneers. 

The water is still way too high. How's Henry's Fork doing?


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## Cliff (Oct 13, 2016)

The flows on the Henry's Fork should be fine this year. The quality of the fishing really depends on the weather. Hot, sunny, dry days are the enemy. You can spend a lot of time walking the bank searching for fish. If you are in the area when the weather is right the fishing will be great. The ranch (like Silver Creek) is always tough. Just like the salt water flats, a good day can be casting to a few fish and hooking one or two. Yes, people catch 3 fish a day, but not often in mid July through August.


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## ifsteve (Jul 1, 2010)

Right now the Henry's Fork is getting pounded. Since the South Fork is running 20K CFS every guide, wanna be guide, and DIY are on the Henry's Fork. The drake hatch was really good and there was some great fishing the last several weeks in the evenings, according to my buddy who lives near there. Unfortunately the action has died off just in time for me to get home......figures. But there will be fishing to be had there all summer and the pressure will die down once the South Fork stops looking like the Mississippi. Evening caddis hatch can be really good. The upper section ('the Ranch") is like Cliff said. Tough as it gets. Its more hunting than fishing. But the reward is in finding and fooling a 20" rainbow. If number is your thing then look elsewhere.

Silver Creek is Silver Creek. Be prepared to fish long light leaders with small flies.....and to get snubbed a lot. But it is a must fish place for us fly rodders.


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## Roger Douglas (Nov 11, 2015)

What about wet wading vs waders. Places like Warm River, Bitch Creek, and the Teton look to have some long and steep access. I guess its best to pack waders and boots down. I mid July could you get by without waders? I do not see wading too deep or at all if possible. I have never been in area and can only rely on videos of what the banks are like. Traveling by plane I would like to take as little as possible, but I will take what I need.

I hope to fish a couple of evenings near Twin Falls and Hagerman the following week. Nice to work in places like this.


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## texasag07 (Nov 11, 2014)

Roger Douglas said:


> What about wet wading vs waders. Places like Warm River, Bitch Creek, and the Teton look to have some long and steep access. I guess its best to pack waders and boots down. I mid July could you get by without waders? I do not see wading too deep or at all if possible. I have never been in area and can only rely on videos of what the banks are like. Traveling by plane I would like to take as little as possible, but I will take what I need.
> 
> I hope to fish a couple of evenings near Twin Falls and Hagerman the following week. Nice to work in places like this.


It all depends on your comfort level in cool water. Most of the time I lived in MT and fished Colorado, Utah, and Idaho as soon as I could ditch the waders in late to mid may through September I was wet wading.

My opinion.


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## ifsteve (Jul 1, 2010)

I never wet wade....


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## Blue Zone (Oct 22, 2011)

texasag07 said:


> It all depends on your comfort level in cool water. Most of the time I lived in MT and fished Colorado, Utah, and Idaho as soon as I could ditch the waders in late to mid may through September I was wet wading.
> 
> My opinion.


Agree.

Depends a bit about the water you're fishing; i don't the water you mention. The upper Salmon stays pretty cool and it's a little unpleasant if you're in over your junk for a long period.

On most water wet wading is fine in July. It's best to pick up a pair of convertible pants where you can unzip the legs. You may have to walk through high weeds, sagebrush or rockfall so covered legs are useful to get where you're going.


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## Roger Douglas (Nov 11, 2015)

Looks like most of the rivers and creeks coming from the WY border may all be too high still. My main two days to fish are 7/14 & 15. Maybe the upper sections of the Henry's Fork will not be so crowded. I just want to catch some trout on the fly rod or have fun trying. I do not need to be fishing for trout with PHD's in how not to get caught.


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## Cliff (Oct 13, 2016)

I fished the lower river on july 2 and 4 and the ranch on July 3. If you want to fish the lower river (it is getting hot and the action will drop off) fish above Vernon bridge (just wade) for two hours before dark. You should still see some fish rising and they are not the most difficult. You can also drive on the dirt road from Ashton to Warm river and you will come down to the river after a few miles. In the evenings you should find fish and you can nymph this section in the day-find the deep choppy water. The fish on the ranch have PhD's.


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