March 10th – 6th Fly Fishing Day in 2034 – Lower Provo River
Eleven years ago I fished the Lower Provo on March 9th, 2013. I had only been in Utah for six months, but the Lower Provo was particularly easy to access and even closer to where I worked. So as the memory came up in my Facebook feed, I decide to head there the day after the 11th anniversary of that day.
From the photos I had from that day 11 years ago, I knew where the spot was, so decided to go back to the same spot. Staring with the Recon, I waded out midstream in order to take away possibility of backcast trouble. I was casting up and out on about a 45-60 degree angle, just the length of the leader and then leading the fly downstream. The first fly I chose was a size 18 beatis nymph with a tungsten bead. The bead was not oversized for the fly and after awhile, I suspected that it wasn’t sinking fast enough. So I changed to a size 14 Frenchie. If you have read other posts of mine, the Frenchie in a size 14 is one of my confidence flies. It had a much larger tungsten bead and it sank quickly. Anyway, I moved around quite a lot and tried a number of different spots. Water speed and depth varied quite a bit. Fishing both runs and some riffles. After fishing for about 2 hours, I was getting concerned that I had not had a bite. The something miraculous happened, a baetis hatch got underway… Without hesitiation, I headed back to the car to change rigs.
I broke down the Recon and set it on the back seat and then rigged my Scott G2 3wt. I grabbed dry fly boxes and headed back to the water. More anglers had arrived and I wanted to get back to my spot before another angler claimed it. It turns out the spot I was after was the same spot I fished 11 years ago, fancy that. And even more co-incidental, there was a baetis hatch that day as well! The bugs on the water were looking like a size 16, but to be safe, I tied on a size 18 CDC wing BWO. It turned out to be a pretty good match to the hatch, but still, Provo trout are so darned picky, I knew I was getting refusals right off the bat. It turns out the wind was also a factor. Every time, it came up and blew ripples on the water the rises would stop, so productive fishing was sketchy.
The net result was three fish to hand, all browns in the 13″ range, and two obvious misses in about an hour and a half. A friend and guide once told me that anytime you are doing better than two fish an hour, you are doing OK. So that was precisely how things worked out for me that day. The post from 11 years ago indicated that I landed 13 fish, including two whitefish, which I barely see anymore. That day started as a nymphing day and also evolved into a dry fly day with a baetis hatch. The hatch was longer and more intense, which would acount for the larger numbers. With the fishing pressure continuing to mount, the fish are becoming much more selective as well.
One note: The Provo continues get crazy crowded and it is becoming less enjoyable as a result. When I arrived around 11am, I had the place to myself and I was rather shocked about that. However, by 3pm dudes were stacked in every 100 feet and you didn’t dare try moving as someone was surely going to take your spot. It is one of the downsides to fishing the Provo. It will only get worse as the hatches get more predictable and the weather continues to improve.
Orvis Recon – On the Water Review
This was the first time rigging and fishing the Recon. To recap, I purchased a 10′ 2wt Orvis Recon to explore tight line (also Euro) nymphing. Prior to this one, all my rods have been the higher end of the Scott line, and very high quality. Since the Recon is a step down from the high end Helios, I knew I needed to temper my expectations and not have a quality expectation that was beyond what I should expect at that price point. I purchased the rod directly from Orvis at a fairly steep discount and overall I’m happy with the purchase, but not sure if I would be if I paid full price. See my reasoning below.
My first negative impression of the Recon was handling the cloth rod bag. The material was rather cheap and stiff to the touch. Scott and G Loomis were my only other experiences with rod bags and both were far superior in quality and feel. I may decide to wash and tumble dry the bag and see if that softens it up some. The tube was cordura and I’m not a fan, but this was expected at this price point. As I assembled the sections, I really did like the fit of the ferrules utilizing the alignment dots, thank God! The rod’s finish is a matte finish which is also an aspect I like about Scott fly rods, and appreciated about the Recon. I also felt that the cork was very high quality! And the guides as well. At this point I’m feeling pretty good about my purchase! Then, I put the reel on using the down-locking seat. I did like that aspect until I realized it puts the weight of the reel at the very back of the rod. The quality of the reel seat components was just OK. I had paired the rod with a 3/4 Galvan reel that is not a large arbor reel and is not only small but also fairly light, so putting this reel at the back puts the rod out of balance. Having followed Euro nymphing, I know the practice is to use oversized reels, typically a 5/6 and a large arbor one at that. So at this stage, I’m not ready to make the investment in a new reel, although at some point, should I decide to stick with Euro nymphing, I probably will.
Now to the on-the-water part. Getting used to tight line nymphing is tricky, feeling a bit like a fish out of water. When it comes to casting a dry fly, I feel quite proficient. Even swinging soft hackles, although I have not done it as long, I feel fairly confident. And historically catching fish with an indicator rig is another technique I have competency at. This on the other hand feels crazy awkward. Making it even more difficult was the upstream wind that kept a bow in my line no matter how hard I tried. I was casting a leader that was a Lance Egan formula from Fly Fish Food, which is about 18′ long from the nail knot to the point fly. Therefore, because of the length, you really are not casting line, you are casting leader. What really surprised me about the Recon was how effortless it was to cast the leader. My previous experiment with a Euro leader was on a conventional 9′ 4wt rod and I found that casting the leader was extremely awkward. Now to be fair, I should be comparing the Recon to the way other Euro rods cast. What I dd not get the experience of that day was landing a fish and I am really looking forward to that!
As I begin to feel more confident with my Euro nymphing, will revisit the Recon review and also whether or not I plan to stick with it. My plan is to give it a year and somewhere between 10-20 outings, where I am able to make a solid assessment. Nothing will supplant dry fly fishing as my favorite form. The story above is an excellent example. As soon as the hatch came off, I was back at the truck switching out rods. For me, it just needs to be more satisfying than indicator nymphing and I feel fairly confident that it will. Also, on the fly tying side, I now have an empty box that I am going to dedicate to the Euro style nymphs as well. All in all, if Euro nymphing adds a new and fun dimension to my fly fishing repertoire, then it will become a lasting form that I strive to perfect.
