# provo?



## kochanut (Jan 10, 2010)

anyone been to the middle lately? how does it look? just looking for clarity and flows (ie is it high). im taking some newbies tomorrow to throw spinners, but ill be tossing flies. thanks in advance


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## doody (Apr 2, 2009)

I was on the middle yesterday below River Road bridge. Drakes were great starting about 11am lasting til 1 or 2. PMDs were coming off about the same time but the fish were way more interested in the Drakes....although the Drakes seemed to come in spurts lasting 20-30 minutes with a lull between spurts. I would switch to PMDs during those lulls and still kept things consistent.

Flows are down to very wadeable levels but the river still has some color to it...don't exactly know why that is??? Flyguy??? Good luck tomorrow! The fishing is great and the fish seem very healthy.


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## kochanut (Jan 10, 2010)

thanks for the reply!


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## paraAdams (Apr 1, 2008)

doody said:


> I was on the middle yesterday below River Road bridge. Drakes were great starting about 11am lasting til 1 or 2. PMDs were coming off about the same time but the fish were way more interested in the Drakes....although the Drakes seemed to come in spurts lasting 20-30 minutes with a lull between spurts. I would switch to PMDs during those lulls and still kept things consistent.
> 
> Flows are down to very wadeable levels but the river still has some color to it...don't exactly know why that is??? Flyguy??? Good luck tomorrow! The fishing is great and the fish seem very healthy.


That's great news about the drakes, that's probably my favorite hatch. I just haven't time to fish it the last 2 years (and it looks like a 3rd year in a row I won't be able to make it.)

Just out of curiosity, how far down from the River Road bridge were you fishing?


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## Tony (Dec 28, 2007)

drakes, pmd's, caddis, midges, stones, cranefly larva, ants, hoppers, beetles,... you name it. they'll eat it. its all presentation zac. I'm still fishin' the same rig I fished all winter. montana nymph rig I think is the 'technical' name' for it. been doin' well with my size sixteen zebra midge style fly, but tied in creamy white, or your other favorite caddis color, and then just a tinsel wrap, and some pea****. fourteen or sixteen. they eat 'em up. drift, swing, trail and skate behind elk hair... whatever... Pack a couple fish out... seems like fewer and fewer are thinning the herd these days


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## flyguy7 (Sep 16, 2007)

As far as i'm concerned, you guys can all have the drakes! I f-ing hate this hatch (on the middle at least). I've been on the lower just about EVERY single day for the past two weeks and it has been epic! No fisherman, tons of afternoon PMD's, and big fish. Not to mention hot fish. Clients have been put into the backing 6 times this past week by giants 'bows. 4 days ago I sat and watched a pod of fish up on PMDs in the flats. I counted 127 rising fish. Never caught a fish in that pod under 15 inches, largest was a 20.5" rainbow. 

I thought i'd mix things up a little yesterday and chase the drakes. 31 cars at river road south parking lot. 27 cars at the bunny farm. Thats 58 carloads of fishermen in roughly 2 miles of river. Hatch lasted from 10:40 to noon. Nothing but nymphing after that. Hatch was piss poor at best. It may have seemed good for those of you who have experienced only middle provo drakes in the past couple of years but compared to the glory days of the late 90's and hatches on other rivers it was schitt. Most fish were 10 - 13 inches. Largest fish was 15 inches and completely missing a mandible on one side of its face with several puncture marks from being caught several times. Lots of guys standing around waiting for a hole to open up to fish. Flows are 390 below the diversion (just up from hwy 40 bridge) and 515 cfs upstream. 

So, if you want to catch quality fish, have water to yourself, and don't mind rafters and tubers; go to the lower. I don't mind saying it because everyone will continue to fish the middle and leave the lower alone as long as there is the chance of seeing a single green drake mayfly. Think outside the box. Just because there is 9,000 cars parked in one spot doesn't mean there isn't BETTER fishing elsewhere.

My .02


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## kochanut (Jan 10, 2010)

ok thanks guys, we hit the weber qand were not disappointed, but after my upcomming boulder trip im going to start concentrating back on the provo. tony i got your message, let me get this trip out of the way and ill answer ya, thanks again


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## martymcfly73 (Sep 17, 2007)

I'll second what flyguy said. At 8am this morn the bunny farm had 18 cars there. Not worth it. I drove to the lower and didn't see anyone. Bigger fish IMO. I'll take PMD's on the lower anytime over the drakes on the MP. Like flyguy said spotty at best. I only saw a couple people all day on the lower. My clients caught more/bigger fish than the ones who went to the mp. Just my opinion.


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## FishMogul (Sep 8, 2007)

flyguy7 said:


> As far as i'm concerned, you guys can all have the drakes! I f-ing hate this hatch (on the middle at least). I've been on the lower just about EVERY single day for the past two weeks and it has been epic! No fisherman, tons of afternoon PMD's, and big fish. Not to mention hot fish. Clients have been put into the backing 6 times this past week by giants 'bows. 4 days ago I sat and watched a pod of fish up on PMDs in the flats. I counted 127 rising fish. Never caught a fish in that pod under 15 inches, largest was a 20.5" rainbow.
> 
> I thought i'd mix things up a little yesterday and chase the drakes. 31 cars at river road south parking lot. 27 cars at the bunny farm. Thats 58 carloads of fishermen in roughly 2 miles of river. Hatch lasted from 10:40 to noon. Nothing but nymphing after that. Hatch was **** poor at best. It may have seemed good for those of you who have experienced only middle provo drakes in the past couple of years but compared to the glory days of the late 90's and hatches on other rivers it was schitt. Most fish were 10 - 13 inches. Largest fish was 15 inches and completely missing a mandible on one side of its face with several puncture marks from being caught several times. Lots of guys standing around waiting for a hole to open up to fish. Flows are 390 below the diversion (just up from hwy 40 bridge) and 515 cfs upstream.
> 
> ...


That's more than just .02 that's million dollar advice right there.. If you wanna feel like you are in a Wal-Mart check stand waiting to sample an inferior product then the MP is AMAZING and worth it.. but if you really want Drakes there are other places


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## dartangion (Jul 2, 2008)

If you want to fish some sweet Green Drake hatches go to the Big Wood River in Sun Valley, Idaho. Caught the most beautiful rainbows of my life out of that river last week and they were hitting the drakes hard. Lower Provo beats the heck out of the middle any day, couldn't agree with you guys more more.


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