Ogden River - Just as good as... well...any river in Utah.

Hey guys,
After fishing the Ogden this last weekend I have been wondering why there has not been a flood of fly fishermen to hit the river. After my experience I am glad that I do not have to compete for space on the water like I do on some waters in Utah. But I came across an interesting article written a couple years ago. Enjoy..

Fly Fishing the Ogden River

By Jim Brearton

The Wasatch Front is blessed with several wild brown trout streams and rivers. Hobble Creek, the Provo River, and the American Fork River have wild, self sustaining brown trout populations just a stone's throw from major metropolitan areas. The Weber and Ogden River up north can be added to this list.

A little further out, UM Creek, Sevenmile Creek, Huntington Creek and Com Creek all offer good fishing for wild trout. But, I'll talk about them another time.

The Ogden, like the Provo, flows right through town and boasts fishable water in residential areas, right out the back doors of the local citizenry. The Ogden is planted quite heavily from Washington Blvd. to the canyon mouth. The river flow is quite substantial this time of year and is much larger than I expected. The Ogden flows about the same size as the Weber, smaller than the Provo but much larger than most of the other Wasatch streams such as Big and Little Cottonwood Creeks.

I fished the Ogden in late afternoon on the first of May, right at the mouth of the canyon between the Timbermine restaurant and Rainbow Lanes. Successful patterns included pheasant tail nymphs, and several dry flies, including parachute adams; and baetis sparkle duns, size 16 and 18. 1 caught several small browns in the eight to eleven inch range. The Flyline shop in Ogden recommends this area and also reports that larger fish are found further up the canyon, although fishing isn't as fast. The browns were real fat, strong fish, and I was surprised not to find any rainbows. I would imagine that the rainbows are easier to catch with bait or lures and are probably fished out quickly here due to the proximity to the city. I noticed several other fishermen that day on this stretch, mostly spin or bait fishermen. There were more flyfishermen on up the canyon even though the stretch I fished is very productive and offers sufficient solitude for the midweek angler.

Stream samples revealed large populations of worms, mayfly nymphs and a small, tan/grey scud. There was a sporadic baetis and caddis hatch with the baetis intensifying toward evening. By late afternoon the surface activity had increased enough that when a nice fish came up to inspect my strike indicator I figured it was time to switch to dries.

Large rock dams, created to restore trout habitat, cause large flat slicks that provide for excellent spring creek-type fishing. I caught my largest fish by drifting the fly downstream, flipping out line. The fish took the fly just seconds before it washed over the dam.

The South Fork of the Ogden flows into Pineview Reservoir near Huntsville. I fished this river on the 2nd of May and fished just below the first campground. The river here is even stronger in flow and depth than the Ogden below Pineview. Insect sampling produced some remarkable stone fly nymphs, the most I've ever seen out of any river! They were large in both numbers and size. Each rock produced scores of cased caddis. The screen net also turned up lots of free swimming caddis and mayfly nymphs.

Fishing was much tougher here, however. I picked up a real small wild rainbow on a stonefly nymph and a little larger brown on a chamois caddis.

There was a baetis hatch in the early afternoon but no noticeable surface activity. I tired of nymphing so I tried a parachute Adams and immediately had a nice fish shoot half way out of the water after the fly. I missed this fish and failed to get another rise that afternoon. Plans for the evening required me to leave for home but I'll bet the evening dry fly fishing would be exciting here.

Take the 12th Street exit off 1-15 and proceed east to the canyon. Several access points are available between Washington Blvd. and the canyon. The River crosses Washington Blvd. about 17th Street. To fish the canyon mouth take the animal shelter turnout near Rainbow Lanes and drive down to the small park and fish up or downstream from there.

Broken In

Hmmm, lets see, the last time I posted something it was back in March and here it is the middle of April. I better get on the ball. I would like to discuss what I purchased with my birthday money. A facebook buddy of mine suggested that I look into a Loop rod. I had heard of the company before because Loop sponsored the AEG Troutbum Dairies Fly Fishing Crew. As I began my research I polled some people and I was surprised at the positive response people gave when it came to the name Loop. I was seriously considering a different rod from a popular manufacturer and when I asked about that rod, well lets just say I was quickly turned away from that company. Not to say that this company doesn't make fine fly rods, but after hearing some of the things I did I decided to look elsewhere. I ended up dealing with my friends up a Castaway Fly Shop up in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. They happen to be one of the only Loop dealers in the states. I found a fantastic deal on a great rod that I had read a lot of reviews on. The rod that I chose was the Loop AEG Edition 9' 3-piece 5wt rod. I got it for $199 normally $370 and after my first experience I couldn't be more happy about my selection. It is a very responsive rod and I can cast effortlessly for a country mile with the darn thing. St. Croix I am sorry, but I will reserve you now as my back up.




Well with every new rod there must come a new reel right? Well of course. I searched and searched trying to find a reel that would match the performance of the rod. I went to all the fly shops toying around with the reels and actually I would now consider myself somewhat of an expert on the subject, ok not really but I did learn quite a bit. Of course with a reel just like a rod you can spend a little or a lot on them. I started to learn things like sealed bearings and feathering (has something to do with when the fish takes off with the line) but again I started to ask my fellow fishermen about what they liked and what they didn't. Again to my surprise I noticed that the one that I thought I was dead set on was not that great. Now this is top of the line people and I thought for sure it was a good reel, but the more I learned about it, the more I was turned off from it.
Well if Loop makes a good rod, what about their reels?



Inquiring of Loop Reels I found that they have some of the best looking reels out there, however, I wasn't about to spend $700 on a reel. One of my buddies sent me an article on the new Loop Multi-Reel that blew my mind. It is made with the same technology as the really expensive ones with the 'Power Matrix' drag system and from what I read it received the 'best reel for the money award'. Now we are talking, a good reel for a good deal. Ok it was a little more than I intended to pay but let me tell you, you get what you pay for. Its a large arbor reel with a patented V spool and the Power Matrix is smooth. It is honestly the smoothest reel that I have ever had the pleasure of fishing with.



Fishing oh yah, the best part. I took my new prized possession to the Provo river and broke it in. I have never been more excited to get on the water especially when the BWO's were out in full swing. My first fish came about a half hour on the water (trying to find the right size fly-darn picky eaters) and what a rush. The rod and reel performed beautifully and man what a weekend I had on that river.

Birthday Money

Hmmmmm.. What to do with a couple hundred bucks? That is what I have been thinking since February 17th (my birthday). Of course there is a good old game for the xbox, maybe a google phone, or I could get some up to date clothes. Nah, I just bought a fly rod, my fifth to be exact. Now some of you may question..."Why get another?" Isn't a fly rod, just another fly rod? Well, take for instance, purses. My wife has like thirteen of them, or maybe shoes...how many pairs of shoes does the average person have? Or i-pods..now that maybe pushing it, but I know a guy that owns five of them. So if you are going to ask me why buy another fly rod, be prepared to ask yourself this question, "What is it in life that I have more than one thing of that other people may not?" Maybe your the person that has a closet full of shoes that could easily provide for a third world country, or maybe your collection of salt shakers from different states is what you value most and maybe I am being a little too dramatic.
In any case, fly fishing is all about graduating to the next level. Typically a fly fishermen start out with the heavy stiffer rods (beginner) because they are learning to control their casts. As the fishermen becomes more experienced he/she then graduates to a less stiff rod, which more skill is needed for the accuracy of the placement of the fly. The faster (less stiff) rods are usually more expensive. I think rods become more expensive because somewhere down the line, some one had to justify to his wife why they were fishing so much. I think it still holds true today. Whatever the rod, there is a rod out there that is right for whatever level a fisherman is at. There is a good reason for having five rods and its not to show off either.

LIVING IN A VAN DOWN BY THE RIVER

Ever wonder who lives in the van down by the river? Unlike Matt Foley, it is not a Troutbum. A Troutbum would only be found in a truck or suv down by the river. A Troutbums vehicle is something of a showcase of his or her love for fish. It is usually decorated with vinyl decals of their favorite sayings like; FEAR NO FISH, Set'em & Net'em, Catch and Release, and my personal favorite, LIVE and DIE by the FLY. Troutbums are not hard to find while driving down the road, they are often seen tipping hats to each other or flagging one another down to find out the lastest news on their favorite river. Sometimes Troutbums can be seen pulling drift boats or their pontoons for days just in case their day to day activities bring them to the one place they can actually use it.
Troutbums are some of the most interesting people on this earth. Imagine if you will a family gathered around a table filled with a glistening turkey, steamy stuffing, the sweetest candied yams, and the most savory mashed potatoes and gravy you have ever tasted; and there is a family ready to partake of this wonderful meal and someone leans over and asks, "Where is your husband" to which the wife sighes and responds, "He went fishing". Now do not get me wrong, Troutbums do have priorities, just not in the order the rest of society has. Spouses who are married to Troutbums, there is help. Not for your spouse, but for you. You cannot change this person we call a Troutbum, but you can cope.
So the next time you see a van down by the river, you will know it is not a Troutbum.

Stimulating the Economy - Troutbumz Style

President Elect Obama has just made known some of his plans to stimulate the economy. In case you haven't heard, President Elect Obama is bringing before congress a $850 billion stimulus package, which is bigger than the bank bailout program. Now rest assured, that $850 billion in large will be going to programs such as medicaid and other welfare programs, but to the middle class, expect about $500 per person. For those of us in the middle class, here is your chance to help stimulate the economy.

I am sure we all have that one rod or reel that we have been eyeing for sometime now and with a possible tax return and this supposed stimulus package, this could be the year for that prized possession. Just about every fly rod and fly reel company have the "last years" models that are now discounted and of course the newest model that will be the envy for the next few years. Why not use this year as an opportunity to treat yourself Troutbumz style and get that rod and or reel that has been on the back of your mind for the last year or so.

For those of us with a spouse, well...be creative. Compromise is a good thing, but keep in mind if this stimulus passes, then your spouse will be entitled to $500 as well, so this maybe one of the easiest sells of 2009. Wherever you buy your new stimulus prize, be sure to make sure of a couple things like look for a good warranty and also see if the shop offers any free service (like free backing or loading the backing and fly line to the reel). You may be surprised what service you may find just to keep you coming back. In any case take this year as an opportunity to reflect on the important things; I call them the four F's; Faith, Family, Fishing w/ Friends.

Winter Fishing Workout

If most of you are like me, winter can be a time when those holiday pounds start to add up. I have recently discovered some interesting findings on fitness magazine.com. Fly-fishing in a stream (including walking in the water wearing waders) burns as much as 420 calories an hour. Okay that is not much but if you fish an average of 4 hours per session you will be burning as much as 1680 calories. (this is not including fishing in the winter time which burns more calories as your body is trying to stay warm) Now I am not expecting this to be the next big exercise craze, but for those of us that are stuck behind a desk all day long, a good fishing trip maybe just what the doctor ordered.
http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/weight-loss/expert-advice/diet-detective/alternative-calorie-burning-activities/?page=2