Utaaah

[frogge]

Hey Just got back from my Utah vacation. This trip was to celebrate my 60th birthday. It was not a dedicated fishing trip, although I've never had such good fishing. My wife came along and thus I had to divide most days up into hiking and fishing segments. I did fish one full day with a guide, which was key to being able to fish parts of subsequent days. I'm allergic to crouds and wanted to fish pristine water that was uncrouded. The first part of this trip was dedicated to Mountain biking(my other passion), and thankfully I survived two days in Moab with only a minor loss of skin.

I fished near Loa, Utah. It is very near Capitol Reef national park in the south central area of Utah. This area of the state is not overcrouded and one of the challenges was getting something to eat before the deadline of eight eiach night. I fished with Mike James, Quiet Fly Fisher, Southern Utah Guide Service & Fly Shop, Fly Fishing Southern Utah . Sorry I don't know how to put links in. Mike was the perfect guide for me. He sensed my anxiety at not appearing to know what I was doing and put me at ease. We fished a small spring creek in the morning(Pine Creek). I had read about the pursuit of small trout on tiny streams and didn't see the attraction. I do now. I learned stealth and accuracy. Not that I could master either in one morning, but Mike taught me the fundamentals that I can use on small streams everywhere. On our way to the second fisining location, we saw a herd of mule deer(had to wait for them to cross the road), two antelope, and an eagle. Pine Creek had many small cutthroats in spawning colors.

We briefly fished a resevoir from shore. I learned to let a crystal bugger sink and then slowly strip it back. I didn't catch anything, but the technique would prove valuable later in the week.

We then hike down into UM creek. It is a tailwater and twice as large as Pine, but still small. We used zebra midges as point fly and a woven weevil as a dropper. I either caught on quickly or the splake and browns were particularly hungry. By the end of the afternoon Several flys were destroyed and I threatened to give up fishing since I can't imagine improving on the experience. Midges and bwo's were hatching as we left,but there were no rises.

Mike went the extra mile literally(in spite of the cost of gas) and showed me several spots I could fish on my own later in the week.

He took photos and vidio and burned them to a CD as a momento of this wonderfull trip. Hopefully I can down load a few images.

I hiked 6hrs every day and still got to fish every evening. My wife was pleased at the great trails and challenging hikes in Capitol reef. We only scratched the surface.

We stayed at the Road Creek Lodge. Their season hasn't really started and it was the perfect place for us. Quiet, comfortable and cheap($57/night). My wife is very personable and our last night the fellow that ran the Road Creek Rod and Gun club was staying at the lodge with some hunters. He told me about their stocked ponds and that fishing ther usually cost $50 for four hours. Now I'm not big on fishing for stocked fish in ponds, but I 'm not a snob either. This fellow said I could fish there for free since I was staying at the lodge. I used the wooly bugger technique Mike taught me days before and caught several rainbows. One of them was the largest rainbow I've ever caught. Have to admit it was fun. Hopefully I can get the pics posted. Toodels,Frogge.

 

[onemorecast]

Great report, Frogge! Sounds like you had a fantastic time and an equally fantastic guide. Thanks for sharing that with us. Makes me regret not doing a guiding fishing trip when we went to Montana 4 years ago.

 

[frogge]

Hey,
As I noted in my report, I've never hired a guide. This trip taught me the value of a good guide when you are in unfamiliar territory. I also think I have a tendency to spend money on equipment instead of information. Information is in some ways far more valuable. I hope to attain enough skill and experience to scout out new water and be able to explore on my own. Presently my free time is at a premium and I may have to save the more time intensive activity for retirement. Toodles,Frogge.

 

[standards]

Hey,
As I noted in my report, I've never hired a guide. This trip taught me the value of a good guide when you are in unfamiliar territory. I also think I have a tendency to spend money on equipment instead of information. Information is in some ways far more valuable. I hope to attain enough skill and experience to scout out new water and be able to explore on my own. Presently my free time is at a premium and I may have to save the more time intensive activity for retirement. Toodles,Frogge.

I've used Mike James several times. He's everything Frogge said he was. He's significantly cheaper than most guides, too, having kept his rates to $200/day, lunch, flies, gear, and transportation (this last is NOT trivial) included for years.

Between my experiences with Mike and other experiences in Utah, I'd have to rate the state no worse that 3rd in the lower 48-states of the US. It's a solid 4-1/2 hour drive for me to get there, but I do so eagerly. Mike is a rare gift.

Thom K.