# River fishin down south



## Riverrat77 (Sep 7, 2007)

I'm probably heading south this weekend for some river fishing... first time fishing in several months actually so I'm stoked to go. Figure its cold enough the snakes won't be out yet but am kinda worried about warmer temps and runoff. Has it started in the south yet? Any rivers that are really blown out and unfishable at this point? I'll probably be trying to fish Clear Creek, maybe the Beaver River or some of the other rivers and creeks in I-15 or I-70 corridor areas. I don't have a set destination so if anyone knows any in particular that are fishing well right now, a heads up here or via PM would be appreciated. Its been a long time, so I'm sure the trip south will be worth it. 8)


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## Nor-tah (Dec 16, 2007)

The ones you listed wont be running high yet. I bet in about a month they will start but its been cold enough up high. The Sevier is still frozen solid. :mrgreen:


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## STEVO (Sep 13, 2007)

The beaver gets BAD when its running high. It usually starts pretty early in the year. Should still be plenty of snow up in the high country there and the rivers should still be pretty low.


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## Riverrat77 (Sep 7, 2007)

Thanks guys.... how big is Clear Creek anyway? I had a friend I played softball with who fished it with her family and they used to do quite well. Wife gave me a decent gasoline fund for the weekend so I'm stoked to go down and hit some areas I've only really thought about before. What about the Beaver? Am I going to have to kinda watch out for private property on either place? If so, there are a couple other little mountain creeks I'll go mess around on... mostly just looking to get out and get reacquainted with some stream fishing since I feel like I've almost forgotten what its like. 8)


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

You should worry more about these rivers being frozen, than running high!!

You realize that there is still snow on the ground in these places you've mentioned, right? "Southern Utah" certainly isn't "St. George".


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## Riverrat77 (Sep 7, 2007)

Yeah, I figured there might be some snow issues.... thats why I asked. I've never seen this "Clear Creek" before but have heard good things about it so I figured I'd run down and check it out. If its frozen, its one of about five different streams I wanted to take a look at so it won't ruin my trip to not be able to fish it. I fished a couple spots down there a couple years ago in February and the browns were ready and willing in pretty quick running streams so I thought I'd give the area another shot. I've seen what little bit of water runs down the Beaver past Minersville res so I figured fishing it higher up might get me a little higher flows. Does it freeze up the canyon? Is Clear Creek Provo sized but just really slow flowing or something? I figured having it run down a canyon it might have enough of a slope to be moving right along but sounds like that might not be the case. :? Oh well, it'll still probably be worth a look to me anyway so I know what I'm in for when I go back. Coming from Salt Lake there is no shortage of water if the southern end of my trip doesn't produce, I can always hit up the Provo or something in SF or DF canyons.


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

Clear Creek is small. It has a decent gradient, but it is not being fed by an upstream impoundment (like the Provo). It will be hit and miss frozen. You may still be able to fish it and catch fish. Clear Creek enters the Sevier River at the bottom end of Marysvale Canyon and Clear Creek Canyon -- expect both to have ice.

The Beaver below Minersville will also have ice issues the further you get down stream from Carter's private land. Up higher, in Beaver Canyon, I'm not sure what you could expect, other than you'll probably have snow. I don't know exactly what the water-table is like in Beaver Canyon, and if it helps keep the river free of ice or not.

If you really want an ice-free stream to fish, I'd recommend the East Fork Sevier River up in Black Canyon. It stays ice-free year round (for the most part) thanks to a high water-table.


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## Riverrat77 (Sep 7, 2007)

PBH said:


> If you really want an ice-free stream to fish, I'd recommend the East Fork Sevier River up in Black Canyon. It stays ice-free year round (for the most part) thanks to a high water-table.


Great, thanks for the info. I'll check into visiting that stream as well.


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## BRN (Sep 18, 2007)

Beaver Canyon gets major anchor ice. You'll have a better chance at finding open water on the lower Beaver below Minersville (though still not much). Like PBH said, Black Canyon is probably your best bet for stream fishing. Clear Creek ought to have some open water as well.


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## mjschijf (Oct 1, 2007)

Good luck this weekend, Riley. Let us know how you do. 

I'm still planning on hitting up some rivers pretty soon but I think I'm going to hit the hard deck at Otter Creek this Saturday. That is, as long as the weather isn't too terrible.


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## Riverrat77 (Sep 7, 2007)

mjschijf said:


> Good luck this weekend, Riley. Let us know how you do.
> 
> I'm still planning on hitting up some rivers pretty soon but I think I'm going to hit the hard deck at Otter Creek this Saturday. That is, as long as the weather isn't too terrible.


I almost asked if you wanted to meet up and fish Mike, but figured I didn't want to hear the guys on the Gutpile talking about some **** outing or something stupid like that. :lol: I've got one spot I know for sure will be open and will fish good, even though its smaller and brushy. There are good browns to be had, and I fully intend to go all LOAH on middle Utah and fish a bunch of water to get them.


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## Riverrat77 (Sep 7, 2007)

Anyone got any info on Hwy 89? Whats it like in snow storms... good, bad, impassable? Would it be easier to get to Salina and Sevier going down through the canyon by Yuba or follow 89 down through Manti? I'd like to get that far south but if I can't, I'll fish Thistle as far south as I can safely get before retreating north again. Thanks for the info in advance.


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## STEVO (Sep 13, 2007)

I always get to salina by going on i-15 to Scipio and up that canyon. It drops you out right in Salina and its only about 35 miles out of Scipio. It has always seemed faster to me that way, but not sure where the end destination is for ya.


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## Riverrat77 (Sep 7, 2007)

Thats the lower elevation route I was lookin at Stevo. Salina canyon is my end destination, at least on that leg of the trip. i want to fish Salina creek and will have to save the rest of that southern loop for another time unfortunately. The East Fork of the Sevier and a bunch of other water will have to wait for a better weekend before I go exploring. :? Don't want to get too far out of my comfort zone with snow showers forecasted for the whole weekend down there. I was planning on going down through Scipio and Gunnison,then coming home through Manti and Fairview because I'd never been there but am worried about the roads. If worst comes to worst, I'd just backtrack the way I came down and hit the SF canyon spots that way. Thanks for the info Stevo, and Chris30, thanks for the PM. You're the second person to recommend the place you mentioned so it definitely sounds like its worth visiting the next time. I've read up on a bunch of places which is kinda what got me stirred up about visiting some new spots, new to me anyway. 8)


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## LOAH (Sep 29, 2007)

Yeah, take I-15 south to Scipio and then onto HWY 50 toward Salina. It's faster than doing 35 through every town that 89 cuts through. 

89 back to the north will have a few bits of stream, but access might be hard with all of the private land. 

Six Mile Creek, near Sterling, might be good to try.


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## wyoming2utah (Sep 12, 2007)

You might as well skip Salina Creek...it will be muddy and ugly. I will be in Salina today to look again, but the water melting in the Canyon will make Salina Creek virtually not worth fishing.


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## Riverrat77 (Sep 7, 2007)

wyoming2utah said:


> You might as well skip Salina Creek...it will be muddy and ugly. I will be in Salina today to look again, but the water melting in the Canyon will make Salina Creek virtually not worth fishing.


Folks keep saying iced or muddy on a lot of the rivers yet and then some folks tell me its so cold that runoff won't have started so that would seem to take out the muddy part of that equation. Not sure what to believe so I'm going to go check for myself... hey, at least it'll give me an idea of what I'm looking at when I go back. If I don't get em this time, I'll get em the next. That and on the way home there are all sorts of fun places to stop and wet a line so it won't be a totally fruitless trip.


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## wyoming2utah (Sep 12, 2007)

In regards to Salina Creek, the best place to try it is above the diversions when the stream stops paralleling the freeway and is immediately coming off the mountain from the north. At this elevation, the stream is most likely very icy. In Salina canyon itself, the stream generally has very few trout because of acidity issues with the water...if I were you, I would look closer at Lost Creek in the Canyon above Salina.


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## Riverrat77 (Sep 7, 2007)

Thanks for the info... is lost creek the one running down Gooseberry Canyon? Does that dirt frontage road run from 3rd East all the way up to exit 61 (the Gooseberry Canyon exit)? I looked at weather.com and its supposed to be rain/snow showers all day tomorrow with accumulations around or less than an inch so hopefully it won't be too big of a mess. Its not bad here in SLC today, but we've still got to make it through tonight. :? Hopefully its not a big fat zero when I get down there but its good to have a backup plan I've learned the hard way. :lol:


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## wyoming2utah (Sep 12, 2007)

Lost Creek flows out of Rex Reservoir and is southeast of Salina. You cross the creek on 1-70 before you hit the Salina exit. It doesn't sound like you will make it as far as Clear Creek, but I would definitely check Clear creek and Marysvale Canyon out....


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## Nor-tah (Dec 16, 2007)

Highway 89 is a major roadway and will be maintained this weekend. I would come back that way. There are spots on Bennie creek, thistle, Nebo, and even the San Pitch that will be fine this weekend. I think thats a good idea, especially since you know the area. I am really surprised salina creek is so muddy??


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## Riverrat77 (Sep 7, 2007)

Hey Nortah, where was the place on Thistle that you said you got chased off? I'd thought about hitting it by Anderson Hollow because it looks like it gets away from the road any sort of buildings (less chance of human interaction). As mild as its being up here, I'm hoping that this whole weather system we're supposed to be worried about is nothing more than overcautious weathermen and that not much comes out of the sky. That'd pretty much make my weekend if all my stops were fishable. 8)


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## Nor-tah (Dec 16, 2007)

If youre coming up from the south you will start to see lots of no tresspassing all over the fence on your left. Thats the spot. There is an angler access to the north and its all that area south of there. I know that that lower stuff is good.


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## Nor-tah (Dec 16, 2007)

So how was it!!??


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## blueboy22 (Sep 30, 2007)

Yea I like to know too. Iv been waitting for the Rats fish story all weekend.


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## Riverrat77 (Sep 7, 2007)

Not much to report.... Got to Salina Creek and it was actually sunny and warm. I couldn't believe how "fishy" the water looked, but I fished for a couple hours and didn't get a bite, dind't see a trout, didn't see any spooked or anything. Flipped over a couple rocks and there was aquatic insect life, but plant growth in the stream was minimal. I called it quits after flushing a flock of mergansers off the creek. I'm hoping that they had something to do with the fishing, but I think W2U's claim of acidic water is probably along the lines of reality. I do think I'm going to go further up the canyon and try again, probably up near the Gooseberry Canyon exit where more feeder streams might help raise the PH and make the stream a little more livable. 8) I decided to head back to Salina and then drive up 89 to fish Thistle before heading back down Spanish Fork canyon and heading home. Stopping at the Maverik in Salina, I gassed up, talked with the nice lady behind the counter to make sure I headed in the right direction and left town. It was crazy how much it reminded me of where I grew up in northern California.... except our town didn't even have the one stoplight that Salina has.  Fished Thistle Creek in an area not covered with "no trespassing" signs (that was a chore to find anyway) and caught several fish but nothing big enough for me to take home. I finally got into a long stretch of riffle water and since I prefer fishing pools, I decided to head back to the truck. Got about halfway up the hill through waist high drifts and looked back at the creek. Little did I realize, I had an eagle watching over my shoulder as I fished so I snapped a couple pics before heading back to the truck. The sun was sliding down the horizon as I pulled into Diamond Fork Canyon and it seemed almost every spot to pull off had a couple vehicles so I finally just put the truck in four wheel drive and made a pullout off the side of the road. I fished for several hours and walked back to the truck in the dark. it was an excellent day out, even if the fishing wasn't lights out. It was good to go check out some new streams and some new stretches on familiar waters. I've got pics to add, but I'll put em up tomorrow. My busted up knee held up ok but I'm probably done stream fishing until the knee doc says I'm good to go. Can't wait till I can get out and do it again. I kept one fish, and will probably throw it on the grill tomorrow. My buddy had a death in the family so the pressure to provide fish for the Super Bowl party disappeared with the party being cancelled. I did tell the wife that we needed to go take a drive though southern Utah and hit up some of the little malt shops and drive-in burger joints along my route. The farmland and scenery was fantastic as well. Not hitting all the places I wanted to visit and not finding success on the first creek I hit have actually just made me more determined to go back and give the area a more thorough effort the next time I go.


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## blueboy22 (Sep 30, 2007)

If nothing else the road trip is always worth it. I love going through small those towns that are so much like the ones that use to be all over and I always stop in a cool looking old downtown Dinner for a country fried Steak and listen to all the old boys talking about anything and everything.


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## Packbasket (Oct 29, 2009)

if people made a trip to say hello and pick trash up off the streams, maybe took the time to help get the cedars to stop looking like they are in Full Bloom with Walmart bags and Sportsmans Warehouse tags and bags maybe these signs would not be up to begin with.

"throw it in 4x4 and make a new pull off" sure as hell ain't going to make them go away tho


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## Riverrat77 (Sep 7, 2007)

Packbasket said:


> if people made a trip to say hello and pick trash up off the streams, maybe took the time to help get the cedars to stop looking like they are in Full Bloom with Walmart bags and Sportsmans Warehouse tags and bags maybe these signs would not be up to begin with.
> 
> "throw it in 4x4 and make a new pull off" sure as hell ain't going to make them go away tho


This was in Diamond Fork Canyon.... on a snow bank where from years of past experience, I know there is a pull off. With six inches of snow in the turnout and no tire tracks to follow, nobody was parking their sedans there though, so thats why it took a little more oomph to get my truck out of the main road. I wouldn't do this on a muddy clay bank just to fish some posted property or somewhere I was actually tearing up the ground to park. I'm sure when the snow melts, there won't be a bit of evidence that I was even there.... FYI, when fishing Thistle Creek, I made sure I parked in a paved pullout and walked back to the access point. :wink: Glad I had my backpack with me as well.... nothing went with me that I didn't pack back out to the truck. I agree though, if you're fishing through posted areas, having a trashbag would certainly help make a positive impression and contribution to the ecosystem. 8)


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## mjschijf (Oct 1, 2007)

Thanks for the report, Riley. Glad you made it out. How about postin' up those pics? 8)


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