# LP Afternoon



## LOAH (Sep 29, 2007)

I decided to stay close to home today and spend some time with the river at the mouth of the canyon. From the highway bridge at the mouth, to the iron bridge with the bike trail crossing it, I spent about 2.5 hrs tossing worms and spinners.

The fishing was really slow, but I barely lip-hooked a small brown in one of my "usual" spots.










It was pretty small, so I let it go.

I waded upstream and ended up switching to a spinner. I got a decent strike after a little while, but couldn't set the hook in time.

I left once it got dark wishing I'd gone up the canyon instead.

Oh well. I'll have to make up for it next week on the ice.


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## orvis1 (Sep 7, 2007)

Hey Loah that is one more fish than I caught today and you spent 1/10 the gas money!


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## cane2477 (Oct 24, 2007)

We all have those slow days, at least you were able to pull one out of the frigid Provo!


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## ScottyP (Sep 12, 2007)

LOAH, have you tried the provo bounce rig with a spinning setup before? I hear the method was originally invented with a flyrod and spinning reel. It would probably serve you better than spinners and worms this time of year. That stretch has a bunch of whiteys that are fun during the winter with small nymphs.


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## LOAH (Sep 29, 2007)

Okay, I'll bite. What's the setup? I've never caught a whitefish and wouldn't mind.


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## Mallardpin (Sep 8, 2007)

I was fishing the MP in my younger days and was catching quite a few fish.(spin fishing) Then these two guys started fishing the other side of the river and were catching a ton of fish. They were using the provo bounce, and they were using fly rods with closed face spinning/casting reel. I looked like they had 10 ft of fly line also. I have tried this method a little with my fly rod and have had good luck.

LOAH I will let Scottyp tell you how to rig it because I am sure me has more experience with it then me.


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## blackdog (Sep 11, 2007)

Back in the good ole days of the Provo river (15+ years ago) I met a couple brothers from Star Valley that only fished that way (fly rod, spinning reel and dropper rig). I stated using it with great results. I still use it today to get my flies down to the bottom of those really deep runs. It works well on the Green, South Fork, Henrys Fork or any other big, deep river.


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## LOAH (Sep 29, 2007)

Okay, I Googled it. Found a little diagram and lots of explanation. I'll have to check into it next time I hit the river.


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## BrookTroutKid (Oct 10, 2007)

Hey sounds like a good trip, and you caught a fish. Not bad in my book.


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## Guest (Jan 6, 2008)

I grew up in the Provo River bottoms off 3700 North and fished the river a lot as a kid and this was one of my favorite techniques. I used worms and salmon eggs mostly but the technique is the same. You can use a fly rod with a spinning reel or get a long ultralight spin rod. I used to have a 7'6" ultralight that was perfect for it. Sensitivity is key and by keeping the line taut and taking in the slack just enough to keep pace with the current you can feel the shot bouncing on the bottom (hence the name) and you can also feel the very subtle strikes and allows you to actually ditch the strike indicator. This is a big advantage in heavily fished waters like the Provo where the fish are educated and can be spooked by indicators. The other benefit is that the fish sees the nymphs before the shot, which can also spook super sensitive fish. I stopped using the method when I switched to fly-fishing but I can remember an occasion when I was nymphing a hole above the trestle and a gentleman showed up and began fishing the other side with a long spin rod using the bounce without a strike indicator and he out fished me 10 to 1. I have also seen a gentleman using the setup with a fly rod and he did quite well also. He could not cast with the setup, he would kind of lob it up into the top of the hole, no more than 15 feet. I watched him catch several really nice browns out of one hole that way. This technique is very popular in Europe and the UK. They use it for still water fishing using a row boat and a drift sock.


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## ScottyP (Sep 12, 2007)

I use the bounce rig with a fly rod and it can actually be casted without much trouble if you keep the dropper tags 4" or less and keep your loop opened up. On a spinning rod you could probably do fine with a clear bubble to give enough casting weight to the setup rather than a foam indicator.


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## LOAH (Sep 29, 2007)

I was wondering how a bubble would do on top, but I worry that the current would pull the bubble (and droppers) too fast. I guess I could add more weight to the end to compensate.

Ah well. Time will tell.


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## Fishing31 (Sep 25, 2007)

It works fantastic with a fly rod. I switch over to this rigging and improved my sucess. Sometimes I don't use a strike indicator. Fishing partners are using it now and like it better than the old traditional rigging. I have used it in the same area you are talking about. Last trip two weeks ago, I really did well.


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## Guest (Jan 7, 2008)

LOAH said:


> I was wondering how a bubble would do on top, but I worry that the current would pull the bubble (and droppers) too fast. I guess I could add more weight to the end to compensate.


Exactly. The reason the bounce is so effective is that it has a more natural drift (from the trout's perspective). I think adding a big bubble would mess that up. The current does not move at the same rate throughout the water column. It can be faster or slower at the surface then it is at the bottom and the presentation will not be natural. I'm a big believer that strike indicators spook fish too. I use them most of the time but on waters that have highly educated fish like the Provo, Green and Henry's Fork, I leave them off and have been able to catch more fish. A good alternative is to use a large dry like a hopper or stimulator as an indicator. It looks a lot more natural and it has the added benefit of hooking an occasional fish! The downside is that you can only (legally) drop one nymph below it.


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