# Provo River



## wishafish (Oct 10, 2008)

Hit the Provo in the canyon this morning and got skunked. Does anybody know if you can fish at that campground just below Deer Creek Res.? A couple years back it used to be awesome but now there is No tresspassing signs and a large sign that says "No river runners" that describes float tubers. Can you park at the top and walk in? I haven't fished the provo for ~2 years and then it was only a couple times at the campground. I have never pulled a fish out of that river anywhere else, all advice is welcome. 

P.S. By the way I was on the old DWR forum then my computer broke. I just got a new one, on the old forum I was "can'tcatch". I can read forum's but cannot post at work so even though you might not reconize me I have been lurking reading everyones posts. Its good to be back and able to reply.


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## Jitterbug (Sep 10, 2007)

You can fish that water by the camp ground all you want thanks to the new ruling... actually I think you could before then too. Just make sure you stay in the water.


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## Ifish (Aug 22, 2008)

If you get in at a public access and stay in the water, you should have no problem. Got get 'em and let us know how it goes!


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## Pez Gallo (Dec 27, 2007)

Those campground guys are notorious for being a little nasty to fishermen in the past, but as someone posted, with the new ruling you have a legal right to fish there as long as you stay within the river. In fact, when the ruling came out, one of the first things that came to my mind was bringing a lawn chair and setting it up on the river bed and doin a little lawnchair fishing right in front of that old guy that patrols that area. :twisted:


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## LOAH (Sep 29, 2007)

Welcome back, wishafish!

I hit the LP the other day too...same results. Tough break. Get'em next time.


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## allremington (Nov 11, 2007)

Fished the campground area yesterday. It was as slow as I have ever experienced but I convinced one whitefish and two small rainbows to try a small green sowbug. Missed a good strike with an olive green streamer just below the spot in the river by the campground where the side channel comes back into the main flow.

The highlight of the day was having one eye on a cow moose munching brush on the river bank while catching the first small rainbow...she was only about 10 feet away! 

The best thing I ever did was to put down the spinning rig and pick up a fly rod. Give it a try - I've only been flyfishing for a little over a year, but I can only think of one or two trips where I got skunked.


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## wishafish (Oct 10, 2008)

Thanks for all the advice, I will definitely be hitting that section soon. I tried pink/brown scuds size 22, hares ears, copper johns, prince nymphs, even a brown San Juan and only had one small taker that flipped off seconds after I knew he was there. On the other hand tried Tibble Fork and Silver Lake last weekend before the rain and did excellent with a Griffits Nat size 20, landed three ity bitty ones and missed half a dozen or so. They were small but sure was fun.


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## carlswa2 (May 28, 2008)

I found a spot that I think is a bit below that that has worked for me a couple times this season, actually within the last few weeks. I've caught a few small browns, a small rainbow and my friend pulled out a 14.5in brown on one trip and I pulled out another 14in on my most recent which was about two weeks ago....


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## martymcfly73 (Sep 17, 2007)

allremington said:


> Fished the campground area yesterday. It was as slow as I have ever experienced but I convinced one whitefish and two small rainbows to try a small green sowbug. Missed a good strike with an olive green streamer just below the spot in the river by the campground where the side channel comes back into the main flow.
> 
> The highlight of the day was having one eye on a cow moose munching brush on the river bank while catching the first small rainbow...she was only about 10 feet away!
> 
> The best thing I ever did was to put down the spinning rig and pick up a fly rod. Give it a try - I've only been flyfishing for a little over a year, but I can only think of one or two trips where I got skunked.


That bi otch charged me and a few other guys last week. We walked around the bend and she was standing there 10' away. A little scary. Fishing sucked. And it will til the moss is gone in a few weeks.


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## ScottyP (Sep 12, 2007)

I honestly don't understand the hype with the campground stretch. I've pulled some fun rainbows out of there but it is my least favorite stretch on the LP all in all. Why do so many of you guys head straight for the campground? I had my best dry fly fishing on the lower in over 4 months the other day (miles below the camp). They are getting up on the midges again so don't be afraid to try something other than a sowbug.


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## martymcfly73 (Sep 17, 2007)

ScottyP said:


> I honestly don't understand the hype with the campground stretch. I've pulled some fun rainbows out of there but it is my least favorite stretch on the LP all in all. Why do so many of you guys head straight for the campground? I had my best dry fly fishing on the lower in over 4 months the other day (miles below the camp). They are getting up on the midges again so don't be afraid to try something other than a sowbug.


Personal preference.


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## flyguy7 (Sep 16, 2007)

Ive had some really incredible days down there lately. Nobody seems to throw streamers on the LP much these days but the streamer fishing has been great throwing them tight to the mosslines, eddies, and the bank. For nymphs with the MUCH lower water now try scaling your sizes down on the flies. I have had a lot of luck lately with size 20-22 baetis nymphs and midge pupa/larva. The trick is fine tuning your rig so it suspends just above the carpet of moss and doesn't cannonball down into it. Although the browns havent started getting gitty yet, eggs have been producing really well for the rainbows. I don't know why almost every fish that eats the huevo is a rainbow but no complaints. Ive been rigging my eggs alaska style (trout bead pegged and inch above a stout short shank hook such as a tiemco 2457) The beauty of it is you can get away with fishing heavy tippet (2X or 3X) so the bigger fish don't bulldog you down into the moss and break you off.


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## carlswa2 (May 28, 2008)

I thought most of the LP is lures and flies only? I really hate how the regs describe that area as I have no idea where the diversion dam is and if I've been fishing in a restricted zone or not. Can anyone here clue me in?


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## LOAH (Sep 29, 2007)

The Olmstead Diversion is about 1 mile upstream from Bridal Veil Falls. From the outflow of that diversion, upstream to Deer Creek Dam, is AFL and 2 under 15.

From the Olmstead to Utah Lake is general regs and 4 trout. That closes in the spring for a couple of months for spawning fish.


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## Jitterbug (Sep 10, 2007)

LOAH said:


> From the Olmstead to Utah Lake is general regs and 4 trout. That closes in the spring for a couple of months for spawning fish.


Did the regs change? I thought it was closed from center street down to Utah lake in the spring?


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## LOAH (Sep 29, 2007)

Whoops! Left that part out. Thanks, Jitterbug.

Yeah...From *I-15 to the Center Street bridge* in Provo (far western Provo, by the lake) closes for a couple of months.


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## Nueces (Jul 22, 2008)

carlswa2 said:


> I thought most of the LP is lures and flies only? I really hate how the regs describe that area as I have no idea where the diversion dam is and if I've been fishing in a restricted zone or not. Can anyone here clue me in?


Maybe a barrier from a common language. When someone that fly fishes says an "egg" (egg pattern), they are thinking of some yarn that is tied in a round ball to "look" like an egg and that is a "fly or lure". A person that likes to bait fish may actually think the term egg is a real scented egg from a fish. :?:


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## Fishing31 (Sep 25, 2007)

The guide to go by is "artificial". A egg from a jar is not artifical. Sorry.


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## flyguy7 (Sep 16, 2007)

Who said aything about an egg from a jar? These are the eggs like to fish http://www.troutbeads.com


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## .45 (Sep 21, 2007)

Ha ha.......that's funny !!


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## Nueces (Jul 22, 2008)

Fishing31 said:


> The guide to go by is "artificial". A egg from a jar is not artifical. Sorry.


You're right, an egg is an egg. :!:

An artificial fly is an artificial fly. So it should technically be called an artificial egg fly pattern.

If someone is fly fishing in an area that is flies and artificial lures only and they say eggs and San Juan worms are working, you presume they are not actually digging up San Juan worms and putting those on a hook, but using something that looks to the fish like it is edible.

I guess calling pheasant tails "PT" would not be good, or a PMD, etc.


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