Provo River Fishing Report

Releases from Jordanelle Reservoir are at 148 CFS. At Charleston the river is flowing at 174 CFS. Below Deer Creek Reservoir the flows are at 292 CFS. River temperatures are around 38 degrees Fahrenheit. Snowpack in the Provo River drainage is currently sitting at 98 percent of average.

Due to warming temperatures the Upper Provo and parts of the Middle and Lower Provo can turn cloudy with runoff throughout the late morning and into the afternoon hours. Even though it is March and we are seeing daytime temperatures in the 60’s, Winter conditions still remain so look for fish in the deeper pockets, pools, and riffles. However, with the Baetis hatch beginning to come into play, fish will quickly hone in on the hatch and transition to shallower water any day now.

Look for midge activity during the middle of the day. Depending on the conditions and hatch that day, the dry fly fishing can be great between 9 AM and 3 PM. High pressure days or storm days have produced the best fishing. Days with a dropping barometric pressure have produced the most difficult fishing conditions. The nymphing has started to heat up considerably. When the midge hatch goes off the fish will be very active. If there is no hatch, the streamer fishing can be decent this time of the year.

When fishing the Provo, have small sow bugs (18-20), bling midge (22-26), cardinal midge (22-26), zebra midge (18-22), buckskin caddis (18), prince nymph (18), Baetis nymphs (18-22), and pheasant tail (18-22). For dries, have a few small midges like the Mother Shucker in gray or black (20-24) and some Baetis dry flies (18-22).

Weber River Fishing Report

Spring is almost here and the days are much warmer than they have been. This has been making the fish a whole lot happier. Above Rockport Reservoir, the Weber is beginning to open up and flow around 75 CFS, but the daytime heat is causing snow to melt and the river to become cloudy with runoff as the day progresses. Water releases from Rockport Reservoir are at 175 CFS. By Coalville the river is flowing at 251 CFS. Below Echo Reservoir the Weber is flowing at 275 CFS. The river is flowing at 348 CFS along I 84 near Mountain Green and at 497 CFS once it gets to Ogden. Current snowpack in the Weber River Drainage is sitting at 91 percent of normal.

Flows along the Weber River are great for fishing right now, making it a viable option to sneak away from the crowds on the Provo River. You might not see a midge hatch or Baetis hatch as thick as you can find elsewhere, but you will find a lot more solitude.

If you are fishing the Weber, bring sow bugs (16-18), zebra midges (18-22), other assorted midges (18-24), Baetis nymphs (18-20), caddis larva (16-18), and some small streamers like a Zonker or Sculpzilla in white, olive, or black.

Small Stream Fishing Report

With Spring making its way into Utah, it is time to test out some of our smaller fisheries. With the warming temperatures, expect runoff to make freestone streams cloudy and unfishable as the day progresses. If you are headed to a freestone, plan to go early or on a colder day. Access to a lot our smaller tailwater and freestone rivers will also be limited because of snow. With that being said, there are some areas in Northern, Central, and Southern Utah that are accessible to fish. Look for fisheries with paved access if you are planning on venturing out and let someone know where you are planning on going incase you are headed somewhere without cell service

We’ve kind of come across a snow drought over the past couple of weeks, but snowpacks are still sitting around 100 percent of normal across the state.

When venturing out on Utah’s small streams in the early season, it is good to have a variety of flies in your arsenal. Depending on where you are at you might find midges, blue wings, Skwalla Stones, or even an early caddis hatch. Being runoff season, fish will also be willing to eat a San Juan Worm. If you aren’t productive with any of those flies, try to swing a streamer through some of the deeper runs.

Green River Fishing Report

Signs of Spring are starting to show up on the Green River. We are starting to see some day time highs in the 50’s! Snowpack is currently sitting at 104 percent of average in the Upper Green River drainage and 115 percent of average in the Lower Green River drainage. The daily average release out of Flaming Gorge Reservoir is currently at 2,150 CFS. The current flow pattern is a double peak in flows. At 6 AM the flows are increased to 2,700 CFS and then they drop around 1 PM to around 1,300 CFS. The flow increases again to around 2,700 CFS around 5 PM then drops back to 1,300 CFS at midnight. It is expected to remain there until the end of February. The water currently being released from the dam is around 37 degrees Fahrenheit.

The streamer fishing continues to be good, but there has been a bit more pressure on the river than a few weeks ago. My best colors have been ginger, white and gold, olive and copper, gray, and black. A decent midge hatch is happening during the warmest part of the day. Look for fish to be rising in the slower seams and eddies. We have also seen a few blue wings starting to show up, but don’t expect the Beatis hatch to be good for a few more weeks. For nymphs this time of the year, you will want to have small gray scuds (18-20), small gray and brown WD 40’s (20-24), gray soft hackle (18-20), zebra midge (18-20), Frenchie (16), Prince Nymph (16) and a variety of San Juan Worms from Secret Riffle down.