The 24th of July is Pioneer Day in Utah. In other states it would be referred to as "Founders Day" or something similar. Most Utah businesses shut down and let their employees celebrate. My wife and I took advantage of the time and went exploring.
A few years ago, I had heard about a couple of small, brushy creeks from a UDWR fisheries biologist. I'm sure when I asked him where some semi-secluded unknown small creeks with small colorful trout might be located, he wondered about me. I'm sure most people asking for secrets pose a question about where one might go to catch BIG fish. I was glad that this UDWR biologist was gracious enough to mention a few of these places. It took me a few years before I took the opportunity to locate these little gems and to cast a fly upon their waters. They are not places even I would travel to as a "destination location" yet, it was well worth the effort to find them and spend some time there. And I can see myself exploring them a little more some time in the future when in their vicinity. Both of the creeks are classic little mountain trout creeks. The rocks in the creek bottom are colorful. The trout are skittish, quick, and colorful. I'm assuming the trout are planter Rainbows, but wouldn't be surprised to find that some of them are holdover survivors from previous years. The water looked good and I fully expected to catch a native cutthroat or two but didn't. I also assumed that the creeks may have held a few "wild" reproducing brook trout but never caught one. As I mentioned, going back sometime and fishing different stretches in search of natives is in order.  |
| A beautiful little Rainbow. |
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| Very small water--especially this drought year. |
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| Hungry little Rainbow caught on a Twisted Foam Hopper. |
These types of creeks are hard to fish. It takes patience. It's easy to get frustrated when your fly ends up in a tree or bush every other cast. One has to approach this water knowing that you will get hung up a lot. With that in mind, you have to accept it and deal with it as part of the experience. This is all easier said than done, but I find that trying to keep a positive attitude helps keep the frustration down a bit. Be prepared to lose a fly or two and spend some time reaching to untangle a fly or stop to tie on a new tippet and new fly. My wife and I decided that both of these creeks would be fun places to tent camp on. Tent camping involves a few tin-foiled trout for lunch or dinner. The planted Rainbows would be perfect for dinner. Most of the time these planters are a put and take proposition. I found it rewarding that these Rainbows were starting to act like a wild trout. They were somewhat skittish and would dart out quick to take the fly. When I missed a take, they wouldn't come right back after the fly and I would have to rest them for a few minutes. I have a pioneer heritage. Some of my ancestors were homesteaders within a mountain range from where these creeks are. They had small creeks like these to fish and provide water for their needs. I always feel like I'm following in their footsteps when I fish areas like this. They fished as a means of survival. I fish as a different means of survival. I honor them and their lives.
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| Little deep holes like the one under this log held a few jewels. |
