# Weber River



## beaufred (Nov 7, 2008)

Fished the weber on Friday. Water is low and fish seem to be pooled in the deeper holes. Seems to have plenty of whitefish but didnt see many trout. Saw a dead largemouth bass that was around the two pound range. COLD day but lots of fun

Beaufred :shock:


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## Dorpster (May 28, 2008)

Thanks for the report, I was fishing all Fall, results varied. Generally slow action until dusk and then some selective feeding on midge emergers, I'm sure the colder weather has decreased the ACTION of trout. They will likely keep feeeding on midges in winter. Where on the W were you fishing?


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## flyguy7 (Sep 16, 2007)

It really has nothing at all to do with water temperatures. There are two factors involved. The first and major factor being the fish are beat up and tired from having sex the past six weeks. They have lost a substantial amount of fat reserves, worn their bellies and fins raw, and have many battle wounds from fighting each other on the spawning beds. The sescond factor is that there is very few insects available to the fish. Occasionally you may see a few sporatic baetis coming off and a few midge hatches, but insect activity is very low this time of year. There isn't a significant amount of food available to the fish to have them line up in feeding lies and start chowing down. Your best bet is to go look for Rainbows making their run out of some of the reservoirs right now. For whatever reason, rainbows start to run up the rivers to spawn in late fall. This only happens in a few reservoirs. The Weber above Echo and the Provo above Deer Creek both have excellent runs of 'bows in mid winter. Rainbows are traditionally a spring spawner so this doesn't happen everywhere and I don't now why it happens in these two places. The Provo above Jordanelle and the Weber have great runs of rainbows that cruise up to spawn in the spring, but not in the late fall/early winter like the other two places. Target the fish my fishing the first mile immediately above echo or deer creek with egg patterns or San Juan worms and you should be able to have a banner day above deer creek (charleston bridge) or above Echo (coalville RV park downstream to reservoir.) Water temperatures are much colder in march but march has some excellent fishing so it doesn't really have anything to do with the water temp. If you insist on targeting browns now, beufred, you are on the right track. The browns after completing spawning usually drop into the slow deep holes to conserve energy throughought most of the winter. Fish tiny flies on a deep nymph rig and make numerous cast into each likely spot as the fish right now have very narrow feeding lanes and you pretty much have to hit them on the head with a tiny midge patters or scud/sow pattern to get results. How you rig your nymph setup and drift will be the biggest factors in determining success right now.


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## Nor-tah (Dec 16, 2007)

Thats some great info Flyguy. I knew about the DC run of bows but didnt think they got as high as the bridge. I guess this year, the water is much higher than last so its not too far.


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## cowboyfan (Sep 19, 2007)

Thats some great info flyguy. Anyone fish any of these areas lately?


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## Greenguy88 (Sep 7, 2007)

Great info flyguy. I think my bro and I are going to run up and try above Echo tomorrow... we'll see how it goes. Ill be sure to use some glo bugs and other egg patterns along with san juans.


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## flyguy7 (Sep 16, 2007)

Sorry I can't give you guys an up to date report. I got in a nasty head on collision the day before thanksgiving and now my truck is totalled. No way to get to the river and fish for a while. Plus still a little sore to be stumbling around on slick cobblestone rocks all day. Good luck out there Greenguy, sounds like you have the recipe for success.


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## HighNDry (Dec 26, 2007)

"Water temperature also controls the trout's metabolism. While very cold water can hold the maximum of dO2 it also slows the trout's metabolism to the point of suspended animation ( a cryogenic effect ). This is the way it works: from 32 f to 44 f the trout is slowed to the point of needing very little food and he has a over abundance of dO2, up to 30ppm. At 50 f to 55 f the trout's activity increases and they actively feed for long periods of time and they still have an over abundance of dO2. When the water temperature reaches the 55 f to 65 f range you have the ideal fishing conditions. The trout's metabolism is in high gear and they feed constantly, dO2 is in the 18 to 12ppm range and there is plenty of food. The food; aquatic insects and their larvae, minnows of all types and crustaceans are prolific and abundant. The fisherman only has to give a proper presentation and he will hook a trout. The great decline starts when the water temperature climbs to 68 f. Brown, Brook and Cutthroat trout start to feel what I call the frying pan effect. Unless there is a lot of turbulence to oxygenate the water, the dO2 falls rapidly to perilously low levels. The trout's metabolism is racing furiously along and he is burning oxygen as fast as he can adsorb it from the water. As the sun heats the water, he uses the dO2 faster and faster. With out some type of escape valve he will suffocate."

Found this on another site about trout metabolism, feeding and water temperature. Looks like water temperature does have something to do with it, or is the above wrong?


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## HighNDry (Dec 26, 2007)

http://ezinearticles.com/?Cold-Weather- ... &id=858709

Are these guys up in the night? Why are they claiming it has to do with water temperature?


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## flyguy7 (Sep 16, 2007)

Water temperature do affect fish, but water temperatures aren't particularly frigid right now. The reason the Weber and the Provo are good late and early season fisheries is because they are tailwaters. A tailwater is a river that is dam controlled. Because the water is pulled out of the depths of the reservoir, the temperatures are much more stable. Water temperatures deeper in the reservoirs are not affected as much as surface water temperatures or freestone streams. For an example lets compare the middle provo below Jordanelle dam and the Upper Provo in Rock Cliff state park (no dam, freestone), only a couple miles away. During the heat of the summer water temperatures in rock cliff sometimes soar to a scalding 70-72 degrees. In the heart of winter temperatures are around 32 degrees and a good bit of the river actually freezes over. The middle, on the other hand rarely sees temperatures at the dam that reach above 56 degrees in the middle of the summer. In the middle of winter (january-february) the river is still ice free and water temperatures average around 37-41 degrees. Hope this makes sense.


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## cowboyfan (Sep 19, 2007)

Never did winter fishing, do you fish the egg patterns just like a regular nymph? Are the rainbows laying eggs or what eggs are you simulating?


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## HighNDry (Dec 26, 2007)

The Ogden in the canyon is a tailwater from a low elevation reservoir and it even has warm springs feeding it, yet in the winter the canyon sees very little sun and remains frigid. It is very difficult to catch trout in there during the winter. Part of the reason is the flows are so low, it is extremely difficult to not spook the trout. Once you spook one and it races around for cover, it spooks most of the others. The trout are just not as active in the winter months, at least in streams and rivers. They can be caught, but their activity level is just slown down. I'm not sure why it is different with whitefish, but it seems the whities still bite well in the winter. Anyone know why?


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## flyguy7 (Sep 16, 2007)

whitefish spawn in the winter and this of course makes them ultra aggressive. Whitefish are also a schooling fish that form huge schools in the deepest holes in the river so where you find one, you are likely going to find over a hundred. With that many whitefish in a school, you are likely going to hook a few. 

Fish your eggs patterns just like you would fish a nymph- under an indicator with split shot to get it down. A glo bug makes a great point fly and you will do well if you fish a small midge, crustacean, or san juan worm as a dropper 12-16 inches below it. Many times a glo bug will spark the fishes interest and bring them over for a look. They may see the egg but often times take the small nymph hanging below it.


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## Pez Gallo (Dec 27, 2007)

"mama says alligators are so ornery because they gots all them teeth and no toothbrush" the waterboy....

I wonder what mama would say about the winter feeding habits of brown trout?


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## murr (Dec 13, 2008)

My little bro was up at Wanship last monday and caught 12 browns on orange eggs. They are out there.


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