08-11-2010, 07:37 PM
I was on the Lower last Friday night. It's running high, which makes it a little tougher to fish, so be patient. I fished for about an hour and caught about 10. I didn't leave the water until 9:30. When it's dark the fish are very active. They hit caddis dries. Size 18 works best for me. It gets to the point where you can't see your fly. You just have to know about where your fly is and watch for swirls.
I was also catching fish before it got dark, fishing the edges with a caddis dry, You have to cast in tight, because the fish are sitting under the brush, waiting for caddis to drop. Sometimes it's easiest to work downstream. You can often get a longer drift. One way to get longer drift when fishing upstream is to wiggle the end of your fly rod just before the fly hits the water. It will help lay down a little more slack that will need to straighten out before the fly starts to drag. You can also cast short and don't let your fly line hit the water. Keep your tip high. Less chance for drag. As for flies, I tie mine with deer hair and not elk hair. That color seems to work better.
As for nymphing, there are times of the year that it's the best way to go. I'm probably an old school nympher. I use a 71/2 foot leader with about 18 inches of tippet tied to the end. I put split shot above the knot connecting the leader to the tippet. I put on a lead fly that is usually about a size 18. It's usually a hares ear, often a red fox squirrel nymph, sometimes a pheasant tail. I don't use beadheads. Below the lead fly I tie on another 18 inches of tippet and tie a midge pupae onto that. Almost always a grey fly in sizes 20 to 24. I use greased-up yarn as an indicator, typically tied onto the butt section above the tapered leader. This set-up works well for me. Others use a different method that works well for them. It's a matter of picking a method and practicing it.
It takes awhile to become a good fly fisherman. The Provo can be tough sometimes. Practice, practice, practice and be patient. Once you get it down you will consistently catch a lot of fish.
[signature]
I was also catching fish before it got dark, fishing the edges with a caddis dry, You have to cast in tight, because the fish are sitting under the brush, waiting for caddis to drop. Sometimes it's easiest to work downstream. You can often get a longer drift. One way to get longer drift when fishing upstream is to wiggle the end of your fly rod just before the fly hits the water. It will help lay down a little more slack that will need to straighten out before the fly starts to drag. You can also cast short and don't let your fly line hit the water. Keep your tip high. Less chance for drag. As for flies, I tie mine with deer hair and not elk hair. That color seems to work better.
As for nymphing, there are times of the year that it's the best way to go. I'm probably an old school nympher. I use a 71/2 foot leader with about 18 inches of tippet tied to the end. I put split shot above the knot connecting the leader to the tippet. I put on a lead fly that is usually about a size 18. It's usually a hares ear, often a red fox squirrel nymph, sometimes a pheasant tail. I don't use beadheads. Below the lead fly I tie on another 18 inches of tippet and tie a midge pupae onto that. Almost always a grey fly in sizes 20 to 24. I use greased-up yarn as an indicator, typically tied onto the butt section above the tapered leader. This set-up works well for me. Others use a different method that works well for them. It's a matter of picking a method and practicing it.
It takes awhile to become a good fly fisherman. The Provo can be tough sometimes. Practice, practice, practice and be patient. Once you get it down you will consistently catch a lot of fish.
[signature]