So I’ll be in Salt Lake City, Utah the first week of June for work and I’ve added a day at the end for some fishing. I will have all day Thursday and the morning of Friday to fish. I was thinking of hitting the upper Provo the first morning to catch some wild cutthroat, never caught one of those before, then check out mirror lake for lunch and finish up on the middle Provo in the afternoon and evening looking for bigger brown trout. Then maybe hitting Mill Creek Friday morning. Would you guys recommend something else instead and also what can I expect? Crowded, water levels that time of year, what types of flys do you all use out there? This will be my first time in Utah.
Thanks for any suggestions.
Upper Provo is a freestone river subject to snowmelt/runoff from the western Uintas Mountains. Typically the upper Provo (sections open to the public) start to calm down and get "fishable" around the 3rd week in June.
Likewise with Mirror Lake... sits at 10,000 feet ASL and most years the access road to the lake is snowed shut until mid June (at least). In fact my first summer living in Utah we took a ride to Mirror Lake on June 1st and there were people still ice fishing on it!
Mill Creek is nice for hiking, but recently the recipient of a cutthroat reintroduction program.. phase 1 for this program includes poisoning the entire stream by the way, so I'm not sure what you will find there these days.
Over the past few years I have transformed from a stream/river angler to a stillwater version. For a number of reasons I prefer lakes to flowing waters for chasing trout. What I typically do is focus on the lakes between 6000-7500 feet until mid/late June as this is prime time for those bodies of water. As these lakes start to really warm up in July I then turn my focus to the alpine lakes in the backcountry. This is a just a general guideline and there is an area of overlap (some alpine lakes will be accessible by mid June... but many trails will still have snow to negotiate).
The middle and lower sections of both the Provo and Weber Rivers may be your best bet as all four segments are tailwaters regulated by large reservoirs. Must keep an eye on the flows however, as demands for agricultural purposes dictate the releases. All four sections have strong brown trout populations... lower Provo has about 60/40 browns to rainbows, with some large specimens in the latter. The lower Weber has a decent Cutthroat population and also receives stocked rainbows. Access is tricky and you should check with local fly shops before venturing off. Early June is prime caddis season and maybe even the start of PMDs. Being tailwaters though midges, scuds/sows, and
Baetis (nymphs) are always available.
If looking strictly to check Cutthroat Trout off your list... Little Dell Reservoir (15-20 minutes from SLC) has a thriving population of native Bonneville Cuttroat Trout. It fishes well from shore/wading in the upper 1/3 of the lake.
Chironomids will still be hatching, but the
Callibaetis will be coming into focus at that time. Denny Richards A.P. Emerger or Callibaetis Nymph will keep you busy mid morning to noon.
Early June is good at Strawberry as well and you'll have a genuine shot at large Cutt's and Rainbows there. That one could be a little tougher from shore, but it depends on where you go. Check with local fly shops and have them recommend something. It is a massive lake about 1:30 to 2:00 hours from SLC, depending on what part you end up fishing.
Middle sections of Provo and/or Weber Rivers will be easiest to access from an out-of-towner as both have a lot of public water; however, keep an eye on the flows. Once running at seasonal high, they stay that way until September and a lot of weight is needed to reach the fish for nymphing. Google "provo river bounce technique" for an interesting solution to this problem.
If looking further afield... the Green River below Flaming Gorge Reservoir is about a 4-hr drive from SLC.
Fish Tech Outfitters is my fly shop of choice in the area. Ask for Sam or Mickey to steer you in a good direction.
