# Middle Provo



## BootWarmer (Apr 20, 2008)

Tried the Middle Provo around Hwy 32. The only thing that was caught was a tiny 5" golden trout on a #20 elk hair. Water was swift. Tried some scuds, sow bugs and about anything but no luck. At least it wasn't a skunk! :roll:


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## HopperLover (Jul 7, 2008)

I am sure you mean brown trout?


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## tap (Jun 27, 2008)

Very interesting.


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## BootWarmer (Apr 20, 2008)

HopperLover said:


> I am sure you mean brown trout?


*NO!* I mean a GOLDEN TROUT!!! Didn't measure it but it was tiny, about 5" long. I would guess it came from some bigger spawning adults that stay in the lake?


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## cheech (Sep 25, 2007)

I'm calling BS. Brown trout are very golden in color, but goldens are VERY few and far between here.

Maybe is was a carp


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## BootWarmer (Apr 20, 2008)

Sounds good. We should meet in Vegas were we can place odds and I'll pay your trip over there also. :mrgreen: 

I thought it was a brown at first myself until I looked up more information on the pics wondering why it was marked that way with bigger circles on the lateral line.


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## rapalahunter (Oct 13, 2007)

BootWarmer said:


> Sounds good. We should meet in Vegas were we can place odds and I'll pay your trip over there also. :mrgreen:
> 
> I thought it was a brown at first myself until I looked up more information on the pics wondering why it was marked that way with bigger circles on the lateral line.


Let's see the pics!


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## Riverrat77 (Sep 7, 2007)

BootWarmer said:


> Tried the Middle Provo around Hwy 32. The only thing that was caught was a tiny 5" golden trout on a #20 elk hair. Water was swift. Tried some scuds, sow bugs and about anything but no luck. At least it wasn't a skunk! :roll:


Cool. Wish you had pics too, just so I could see. I've never caught one that I know of so thats awesome you got one. They do sound awful rare but perhaps you've found a honey hole. Sweetness!!


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## Nor-tah (Dec 16, 2007)

Small brown trout have parr marks and look like goldens when they are that small. The thing is that you will never find a lake with goldens and smallies, sorry wont happen. Goldens live in HIGH mountain lakes that even Brook Trout dont inhabit.
http://www.ohwy.com/us/g/goldentr.htm


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## .45 (Sep 21, 2007)

Congrats Bootwarmer !!

Stranger things have happened !!! In fact, one strange thing, I got skunked in my #1 Secret Spot to-day......that's never happened !!! :shock:


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## flyguy7 (Sep 16, 2007)

Golden trout in the middle! NOW I have heard it all! :rotfl:


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## HopperLover (Jul 7, 2008)

BootWarmer said:


> HopperLover said:
> 
> 
> > I am sure you mean brown trout?
> ...


If indeed you really caught a golden trout, then this would be considered one of the best fishing days you could possibly have, as rare as that fish is.


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## Nor-tah (Dec 16, 2007)

So you caught a Golden, we want to see the pics!! COme on, you have pics of the Lower, Upper and the Green. You MUST have had your camera or at least a phone!!


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## fish4me (Jun 19, 2008)

I've never heard of a golden trout. I would love to see a pic.


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## Nor-tah (Dec 16, 2007)

Here is a link, kind of hard to read but here it is.
http://www.utahfishinginfo.com/utahfish/goldentrout.php


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## BootWarmer (Apr 20, 2008)

cheech said:


> I'm calling BS. Brown trout are very golden in color, but goldens are VERY few and far between here.
> 
> Maybe is was a carp


Is "BS" Boy Scouts? So for "Boy Scouts" if you call a "Boy Scouts" on someone, put your money where your comments are - what about 2 dozen flies? Willing to go higher on the bids also! :lol:

The sky is the limit on this one. o-||


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## BootWarmer (Apr 20, 2008)

rapalahunter said:


> BootWarmer said:
> 
> 
> > Sounds good. We should meet in Vegas were we can place odds and I'll pay your trip over there also. :mrgreen:
> ...


Waiting ... o-|| o-|| o-||


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## BootWarmer (Apr 20, 2008)

flyguy7 said:


> Golden trout in the middle! NOW I have heard it all! :rotfl:


I guess I'll have the :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: and -/O\- when I get several dozen flies out of this one! Willing to go higher, any other takers?


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## rapalahunter (Oct 13, 2007)

BootWarmer said:


> rapalahunter said:
> 
> 
> > BootWarmer said:
> ...


huh? We're waiting for you. You said in the second paragraph that you had pictures.


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## BootWarmer (Apr 20, 2008)

Yeah, as I mentioned looking closer at the fish in the pics I realized what it was, thus calling it a Golden Trout. But then :rotfl: and BS calls were made! I'm waiting to see if they want to put up some flies or something since the confidence level is so high that I don't have a Golden Trout, of course a 2 way offer on a fly swap!


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## flyguy7 (Sep 16, 2007)

A golden, in the middle Provo.... Ill take that bet in a heartbeat.


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## bushrat311 (Sep 11, 2007)

I beginning to question your fish identification skills...
http://utahwildlife.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=8149


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## Nor-tah (Dec 16, 2007)

I'll put ten bucks on it. Lets see it.


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## deadicated1 (Mar 17, 2008)

hey man i dont know too much about the provo, but you should just remember each and every bet people have made and hold em to it. if you did get a golden, congrats. put all them new flies and money to good use!! by the way, i put my money on you cuz i have seen em, and i bet i know exactly where you caught it


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## .45 (Sep 21, 2007)

This is going to get interesting !!!  

I thought, year's ago, I had seen a Golden just below the dam at Deer Creek, during one of those high water years....

Of course, at the same time I saw one of these...........true story !!


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## Nor-tah (Dec 16, 2007)

deadicated1 said:


> hey man i dont know too much about the provo, but you should just remember each and every bet people have made and hold em to it. if you did get a golden, congrats. put all them new flies and money to good use!! by the way, *i put my money on you* cuz *i have seen em*, and i bet i know exactly where you caught it


How much you puttin?

On the Middle? Like below Jordanelle?


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## deadicated1 (Mar 17, 2008)

you should know how much money i am good for. and no, not below jordanelle. exactly where he said originally. me and orgill watched em one day when we were measuring a cabin in that area


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## Nor-tah (Dec 16, 2007)

So on the upper? Anything below the nelle is middle to DC. I'm confused...


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## deadicated1 (Mar 17, 2008)

it just depends. to me, i dont even know the "upper" at all, somewhere in the uintahs and runs to jordanel, the middle is all through heber valley and down the canyon, and the lower is through the city. thats just my reference points. in the report he said near highway 32 so whatever upper, or middle, thats where he was


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## Nor-tah (Dec 16, 2007)

That sounds right. Highway 32 runs from Heber up through Fransis to Kamas. I could MAYBE see a golden coming out of the Upper above Kamas but not the Middle below Jordanelle and through Heber. Anyway I just figured you were going to place a bet since you were calling me out and saying you had your money on him but I guess you were speaking figuratively... I'm the only one who has taken him up on the bet and I am willing to pay up if he can produce a pic and a location from somewhere on the middle.

Oh and here is a link to educate those who dont know the river too well. Scroll down a bit to the bullet points for an explanation. http://www.mitigationcommission.gov/wat ... provo.html

Bootwarmer knows the difference, he posted four reports that day three of which where from the three different sections of the Provo.


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## flyguy7 (Sep 16, 2007)

If you can't identify the middle provo from the upper provo, or the the difference between a chub and a carp, how can you distinguish a Golden trout from a spawning Cutthroat? Again, im game on this bet. Where do I sign up and what do you want to bet? I have caught Cutthroat, Browns, Rainbows, Brookies, Whitefish, and even a few Arctic Grayling (mostly on the south fork of the Provo) through that stretch, but no goldens. Because they don't exist. You would have to go much deeper in the Uintas to find them (like Atwood), and still have to fish your face off for days and days and days before you caught one.


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## FROGGER (Oct 1, 2007)

o-|| 

I am running out of popcorn...


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## .45 (Sep 21, 2007)

FROGGER said:


> o-||
> 
> I am running out of popcorn...


 :rotfl:

No kidding !! I gonna start eat'en the seat's in this theater !! _(O)_


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## lehi (Sep 13, 2007)

It was probably an Albino. No way would a golden trout be found in the PROVO RIVER of all places.


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## dank80 (Oct 31, 2007)

They're in there alright. I seen em myself. Caught one outta there last summer but I didn't want to post it because nobody would believe me anyways. This was the same trip I saw bigfoot come down to the water for a drink. lol :lol: 

I'm just teasing. I probably couldn't identify one if it bit me.


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## deadicated1 (Mar 17, 2008)

does anyone know how the smallies got into strawberry?? i would have bet against that til people caught them out of there. why does this seem so outrageous to all of you?? maybe they arent there naturally but did it never cross your minds that someone could have put them there? a little tranportation of live game never hurt anything, right?


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## Nor-tah (Dec 16, 2007)

Your missing the point, everyone would love to see Goldens in the Provo, the fact is that they cant live there... 
Smallies are found from Mexico to Northern Canada all over this country and in some lakes in other parts of the world. They area VERY hardy fish and do not cross breed with trout.
Goldens are on the threatened species list in California where they were originally found because they hybridize with rainbows too easily. I think the Smallies got into strawberry by prople bringing them to the res from surrounding reservoirs. You couldnt even do that with a golden because it would die too fast. Maybe on the upper but not the middle. If they did get a population of trout going there, the first fry to make it would be gobbled up by the big browns in the middle or blown out by too swift of water up there. THink of a small winding creek at 12,000 feet and there you will find Goldens, not a blue ribbon trout water it 5500.


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## threshershark (Sep 7, 2007)

Goldens can be easy to mistake for juvenile trout of other species because of the well-known and predominant oval-shaped lateral markings. A number of trout display similar markings when they are young.

Look at Campfire's photo here:
download/file.php?id=3848&mode=view

Compare that to this likeness of a Golden.


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## Werbs (Jun 30, 2008)

Im confused...So is the one in campfire's photo not supposed to be a golden? cause it looks just like the picture. If not a goldie what is it? its not a brown (no red spots or lack of spots on tail). Not a cut (spots are to small). Not a b.l. cut (not silver). not a bow (its fins are red). And not a char (dark spots). i just thought i would throw something in so my posts would tell me when this thread got added too, its a suspenseful thread.


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## Guns and Flies (Nov 7, 2007)

I'm curious to see how this one turns out as well. Pass the popcorn FROGGER.



o-||


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## threshershark (Sep 7, 2007)

Werbs said:


> Im confused...So is the one in campfire's photo not supposed to be a golden?


Ahh, the suspense! Good stuff no? Hint: One of the characteristics of a golden trout that is almost universal is that the lateral (pelvic) and anal fins have white leading edges.

Meanwhile the "parr marks" or oval markings are not unique to Goldens, and manifest themselves in several species, especially juveniles.

Campfire???? :mrgreen:


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## cat_man (Sep 19, 2007)

*There are no Golden Trout in any part of the Provo River!* You'd be hard pressed to find one in the entire state they are so rare.

People often confuse Goldens with certain strains of Rainbow Trout (like albinos), as well as the young of Rainbows and other trout species. This is due to the "par markings" (those dark vertical bars or circles on young trout). Par markings fade as trout mature.

This is a Golden Trout









This is a young Rainbow with par markings


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## threshershark (Sep 7, 2007)

Werbs said:


> Not a cut (spots are to small).


Juvenile Colorado River Cutt.
http://dwrcdc.nr.utah.gov/rsgis2/Search ... m=oncoclar


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## Nor-tah (Dec 16, 2007)

Yep here is one I got in the boulders this year. 
[attachment=0:3vs7rxkg]P1000770.JPG[/attachment:3vs7rxkg]
It was in spawning colors and the photo doesnt show but it has the parr marks. I think what bootwarmer caught was a rainbow though.


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## threshershark (Sep 7, 2007)

Nor-tah said:


> I think what bootwarmer caught was a rainbow though.


It's amazing how much certain juveniles can look like goldens. A few years ago some juvie rainbows were planted in Millcreek Canyon that looked so similar to goldens that a photo of the front half of the fish would probably have fooled most people. Some anglers up by Log Haven were commenting how they were pulling out golden trout right & left.

The white pelvic and anal fins are one of the most telling markings.


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## mjschijf (Oct 1, 2007)

So uhhh, BootWarmer...how about that picture, huh?


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## DocEsox (May 12, 2008)

Campfire's picture isn't definitely isn't a golden trout. In my younger years (3 plus decades ago) I use to fish the high Sierras in California every summer and have caught a few hundred or so golden trout. Heres a couple of pics from a few years ago of some goldens from the high Sierras.....I wish I had caught them:



















Generally you only find goldens at elevations approaching 10,000 feet and up...and they quickly hybridize out with rainbows or cutthroats.

Brian


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## Nor-tah (Dec 16, 2007)

Holy freaking cow I would give my right.... uh sorry But WOW those are amazing!! I thouhgt they only got big like that in the wind rivers! :shock: :shock: Thanks for sharing Doc, you really have been everywhere. Glad you settled in the fishing capital of the U.S. Any more pics?


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## orvis1.2 (Apr 15, 2008)

I got a great shot of a golden trout for ya. Caught it on the middle provo.


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## Werbs (Jun 30, 2008)

threshershark said:


> Werbs said:
> 
> 
> > Not a cut (spots are to small).
> ...


thank you for the picture thresher. notice the prominantly larger spots on that cut.


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## threshershark (Sep 7, 2007)

Werbs said:


> Thank you for the picture thresher. notice the prominantly larger spots on that cut.


The spots tend to grow a bit as the fish gets older, but they also vary in size from fish to fish and strain to strain. It does illustrate how a mistaken identity can be easy to come by, especially for those who have mainly seen photos or illustrations of golden trout.


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## lehi (Sep 13, 2007)

Saying theres goldens in the provo is even more crazy than finding brookies in the bear river by corinne. :lol:


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## bushrat311 (Sep 11, 2007)

lehi said:


> Saying theres goldens in the provo is even more crazy than finding brookies in the bear river by corinne. :lol:


LMAO!! Definitely the post of the day.


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## bushrat311 (Sep 11, 2007)

BootWarmer said:


> HopperLover said:
> 
> 
> > I am sure you mean brown trout?
> ...


BootWarmer, could you do us all a big favor and clarify a few things for us:

1-Your post says "Middle Provo" where exactly were you fishing (the middle provo is the stretch between Deer Creek and the Jordanelle dam)
2- Which lake are you guessing the spawning adult Golden's came from DC or the Nelle?
3- I know you think you deserve some free flies or something like that, but just post the **** photo if you are so confident.

Thank you for your cooperation!


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## metal_fish (Mar 19, 2008)

Lets see a photo.....
Catching a golden trout anywhere in utah is amazing they are in very high lakes and streams but not middle provo i guess its not impossible but still.


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## Nor-tah (Dec 16, 2007)

His profile says he hasnt logged on since July 12th. If that really is the case, he will die when he finally does and sees all this.


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## Pez Gallo (Dec 27, 2007)

this story could have merit... stranger things have happened

Yesterday I hooked up with a 70 lb tarpon in wallsburg bay


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## bushrat311 (Sep 11, 2007)

Pez Gallo said:


> Yesterday I hooked up with a 70 lb TARP in wallsburg bay


Snagging litter off the bottom hardly seems ethical...you should target the spawning adult golden trout population


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## Nor-tah (Dec 16, 2007)

Pez Gallo said:


> this story could have merit... stranger things have happened
> 
> Yesterday I hooked up with a 70 lb tarpon in wallsburg bay


Dude, that is great!!


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## BrookTroutKid (Oct 10, 2007)

He's probably been running all over the unitas looking trying to catch one and to take a picture of for us to fool us all into believing in golden trout in the middle provo.


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## .45 (Sep 21, 2007)

BrookTroutKid said:


> He's probably been running all over the unitas looking trying to catch one and to take a picture of for us to fool us all into believing in golden trout in the middle provo.


That's what I'd be doing !!


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## Nor-tah (Dec 16, 2007)

I think we may have scared him off. :shock: Sorry bootwarmer, but I still want my 10 dollars. 8)


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