Your reading comprehension is lacking. It was a tangential remembrance unrelated to fishing in any way and the lock cutters were the illegal trespassers. I suggested nothing, implied nothing, and in ALL other posts pertinent to the subject have been nothing but civil and accommodating to one and all.
I won’t reply to any further comments of yours, but will make a final observation that the screen name you chose for yourself may be apropos.
Please don’t reply.
Don’t read them either.
Newbie.
What you guys need to realize is that the tubers, rafters, and the rest of the flotilla are doing the anglers a considerable favor. In the stream access battle, it may be necessary to prove navigability for individual rivers and with that, liberalized access is gained and HB141 does not apply. A flotilla of rafters like what we see on the Provo, Weber, and others make proving navigability there a slam dunk. They also serve to gain from improved access the same as us. I can’t believe that dork Ault would even be doing deals with rafting companies. It is all good for us. It is a small price to pay to share the river with them, and the eye candy is sometimes nice too.
If you want privacy, then do as Riverdog suggests, but otherwise what do you expect? They have as much right to be there as an angler.
It appears that I drop kicked a hornets nest. Sorry.
I’ll steer clear of the lower Provo for a few more weeks, and all will be fine in my world.
Besides, there’s too much good bass fishing out there right now to mess with slimers, and I’m gonna get my fly fishing fix taken care of soon enough with rippin silvers in south east alaska. Good fishing and rafting to you wherever you want!
Not your fault, Rapala.
I agree completely that every coin has an obverse and a reverse. “Floaters” may be an annoyance but there may well come a time when their legal right to float buoys up our right to fish. Most things have hidden rewards if you wait long enough to discover them.
Maybe if I buy just one thing from Orvis…
Rock meet Troll [;)].
Don’t worry he is a jerk to everyone, I don’t think he can help it.
Good friend, I spent 15 years as a media spokesman. I had to deal with the likes of Mike Wallace and Dan Rather. Trust me, forum jerks pale in comparison.
Yeah, that’s pretty much the opinion of most of the forum Sallies.
**I have pretty much stayed away from all parts of the Provo River since my return to Utah in 2004. All it took was a look at the new regs, a couple of runins with the Orvis dorks and having to dodge the Coppertone crowd and you could stick a fork in me…I was done. **
Used to spend a lot of quality fishing time on the lower…above and below the railroad trestle. An average evening produced multiple fish over 20 inches and few under 15. My last two (final) trips resulted in only a few lightweights…unless you count the ODs. And I was literally crowded out of my formerly favorite spot by a group of three ODs who insisted that this was THEIR spot. Since they were decked out in the most expensive gear they won the toss.
Sh! You and I might know the glory days of the Provo are long gone but we shouldn’t try to convince others. You don’t want all of them figuring it out and showing up at your fishing holes[:|]. So TD repeat after me “The tubers are just a minor inconvenience and uppity fishermen are very polite folks. Best trout stream in the whole state. You’d be crazy to fish anywhere else.” 
I can’t even type it with out laughing so I suggest you practice it with a straight face a few times to be convincing in person.
Some things are worth practicing. Some not so much. Straight-faced fabrication ain’t one of my strong suits…unless I am “embellishing” a fish story.
**Y’know, I came close to shedding real tears when I first fished the Provo again…after living in Arizona for over 20 years. Can’t tell you how many dreams I had over those years of fishing my favorite pockets and deep runs on that river. I relived many a cherished battle with big ol’ browns, hefty bows and even the once abundant alligator whitefish. **
I moved back here in July of 2004 and couldn’t get my gear together soon enough to drive up Provo Canyon and wade out to renew old acquaintances. I was surprised at the changes to the highway…with the divisions in the old two lane road…and all of the barriers to formerly easy access. My once hidden turnout spot had been converted to a parking area the size of a Walmart lot…with about as many cars and trucks already parked there. And even in midweek there were way too many dressed up folks waving fairy wands in unison over the beseiged waters.
**Crestfallen, I floundered upstream and downstream to try to find entry to the river where I would not have to fight my way in or worry about banging my rod against a surly neighbor’s rod. The only place I could comfortably fish was poor holding water and the only action I observed was the steady procession of tubes and rafts coming through. I walked a significant length of the stream and only fished a couple of uncrowded holes. **
My “reward” was a couple of skinny 13 inch browns. I laughed when a fellow tangler pronounced them “nice fish”. I still fondly remembered taking a 13 POUND brown just upstream from that spot. It was almost 3 times the length of those stunted products of the “New and Improved” Provo.
My second and last attempt to fish the Provo was made at daybreak on a Thursday morning. I arrived to an empty parking area, strung my rod and hurried down to the water. My first two casts produced fish…small fish. Several minutes later I hooked a nicer 15 incher. Much better. That’s when the aforementioned ODs “joined” me…two upstream and one close enough to bang my right elbow downstream. They said nothing until I discreetly asked if they had ever heard anything about angler etiquette. Then I got an earful. How dare I take “their spot”. I should know better. They fished there every day and they were not about to go elsewhere. If I didn’t like it I could leave. I did leave…and I ain’t been back. At least there were no tubers or rafters on the water that morning.
**Naw. I don’t think I’ll get involved in promoting that place…even for those who deserve it. Misery loves company and I am sure they will find it by themselves. **
I applaud your penchant for hiking in to the remote and more pristine flows and showing off only for your furry friend. You get the dual benefit of catching better fish and of enjoying better scenery. That’s how I learned to fish, as a kid in Idaho. My aging body doesn’t seem to enjoy that kind of stuff as much as I used to. Pity.
I gave up the lower Porvo for those same reasons