Fishing Reports

Weber River Fishing Report

Water releases from Rockport Reservoir are still at 25.1 CFS. By Coalville the flows are around 65 CFS. Below Echo the Weber is flowing at 1.75 CFS. Throughout the I 84 canyon the Weber picks up more water and is flowing at about 125 CFS once it gets to Ogden. Eventually these flows will ramp up since the Weber drainage is sitting at 133 percent of normal snowpack.

I like to give the fish a rest when the flows are this low, but that’s just me. If you are fishing trying to fish the Weber this time of the year, you will find the fish heavily concentrated in the deeper runs. They love sow bugs, especially the tailwater sow in a size 16 or 18. You will see some baetis activity, but not nearly as much as you will find on the Provo. Usually a purple or natural juju baetis in a size 18 will do the trick. There is also some spring midge activity on the Weber. Again not nearly as much as on the Provo, but fish will hone in on smaller gray midges earlier in the day. I would cover that activity with a size 22 gray WD40. I have heard of a few people throwing streamers on the Weber. The white or natural zonker as been the streamer of choice for those anglers.

Any day now the flows will begin to ramp up. Spring is in the air. Look for caddis activity to start heating up in the coming weeks.

Small Stream Fishing Report

If you are trying to get after it on some of Utah’s smaller streams, definitely focus on tailwater fisheries with paved roads leading to them because most mountain streams are frozen over and the access roads are covered with several feet of snow. With most of the state sitting between 117 and 181 percent of normal snowpack, we should have a good amount of water this summer. This is great news because last year was the driest water year on record in Utah.

Warmer weather and longer days are here. Look for baetis hatches midday into the afternoon and midge hatches to come off throughout the day. When the hatch is on and the fish are feeding I like to fish a single midge or baetis dry fly on 5x or 6x tippet or fish a dry dropper midge with a small beetle or cluster midge with a zebra midge tied about 2 feet behind it. Other Winter small stream flies that I like are scuds, prince nymphs, midges, especially the blood midge, and smaller streamers, especially sculpin or leech patterns that are slowly dredged through deeper holes.

Small Stream Fishing Report

If you are trying to get after it on some of Utah’s smaller streams, definitely focus on tailwater fisheries with paved roads leading to them because most mountain streams are frozen over and the access roads are covered with several feet of snow. With most of the state sitting between 102 and 166 percent of normal snowpack, we should have a good amount of water this summer. This is great news because last year was the driest water year on record in Utah.

Winter small stream flies that I like are scuds, prince nymphs, midges, especially the blood midge, this time of the year, and smaller streamers, especially sculpin or leech patterns that are slowly dredged through deeper holes. As the days warm up look for baetis to start coming off mid day.