Caddis and PMD Nymphs on the Weber River

Nick and I were able to fish a different section of the Weber River every morning and afternoon during my daughter’s visit.  Each stretch produced well and kept us anticipating what would be around the next bend.  

This is the perfect trout river for fly fishing; plenty of pools, runs and riffles along with winding turns and structure.  

There are even stretches that have a rusted out car or two and old mink cages thrown in to add variety.

Wildlife is plentiful as well as domesticated animals, including llamas. This week we saw a family of sand hill cranes.

The typical setup Nick and I used was a 9 foot, 4 or 5 weight rod with a 9 foot tapered leader.  We used the new Air-Lock strike indicators.  We used fluorocarbon tippets at 4X or 5X depending on the size of fly.  

Mostly we used size 18 or 20 PMD nymphs or size 16 green caddis imitations, usually with a bead head. 

I like the black, tungsten beads.  One or two BB size split shot were needed to keep the flies near the bottom.  

Nick used the typical setup of split shot, fly, leader tied to bend of hook and then a second fly at the end.  I used the downrigger method with a split shot at the end with two droppers up the leader from that.  

Strike indicators were set at 1.5 to 2 times the depth of the water which ended up being about 5 or 6 feet.  The trout seemed to like the riffles that were near deeper water.  

They also seemed eager to eat whether it was morning or afternoon.  On some rivers the fishing slows down in the afternoon during the summer.  The Weber browns were just as active mid-day.  We caught mostly 13 to 18 inch brown trout all week long with maybe one or two rainbows and a white fish.  Once in a while we would see fish rising, but mostly not.

Fly Fishing With The Air-Lock Strike Indicator

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I am always on the lookout for a better strike indicator.  While at the Wasatch Fly Tying and Fly Fishing Expo this year I stumbled across a booth with new style of indicator, the Air-Lock strike indicator.  

It is very similar to the Thingamabobber but with a different method of attachment.  Rather than doubling over your leader to put it through a hole and then around the plastic bubble, the leader goes straight through a tightening mechanism so the line doesn’t kink.  This can be done by threading your leader through the hole in the tightening device if you don’t already have your flies tied on.  

It can also be done by removing the top of the tightening device by unscrewing it, placing the leader in the device, replacing the top and screwing it down tight.  

There is a gasket that the leader sits against that places pressure on the leader as the top is screwed on.  To adjust the indicator, unscrew the top a little so the leader easily slides up or down and then re-tighten it when it is in the desired location.  You will notice this leaves no kink upon making the adjustment. I’ve used the Air-Lock indicator on a couple of different fishing excursions and find they work flawlessly.  

I am no longer hesitant to make an adjustment because I worry about creating yet another kink in the line.  I find the Air-Lock floats well, is easy to adjust and stays secure where placed on the leader.  I wish I had these to use for the past couple of decades.  Way to go www.fishairlock.com! 

Fly Fishing With Kids

The last day the grandkids were in town Nick and I took them fishing to the Weber River to enjoy a day of either having fun catching trout or watching their dad catch trout.  When taking kids fishing you need to keep them entertained.  Standing on the bank and not catching anything won’t keep their interest for long and may give them the feeling that fishing is boring, the opposite of what you want to impress on their young minds.  Starting out, climbing over the fence to join the sheep kept them entertained. Next we managed to catch two large garter snakes.  Good thing we had our nets.  I know, you want to know what fly we were using. 

Nick caught a trout before we even got past the sheep.  This started us out on the right note with the kids.  The youngest grandchild, Max, got the honors of netting the fish. Hurry before it gets off!

Crossing the river was the next source of entertainment.  On our backs, Nick carried Max and I carried Andrew. The big, deep hole we had crossed the river to reach looked promising and gave the kids enough room to cast their spinners.  This river is really more of a fly fishing river and the fish were not interested in the offered hardware.  

After the kids got bored from not catching anything, we crossed back over the river.  By this time the kids were used to climbing on our backs.  Little Nick however, had to cross each way by himself.  Back on the near side of the river Nick and I each caught more trout.  

The grand finale was a large brown trout that took Nick back across the river into the swift water with the three grandkids following along.  Don’t let their mom (or grandmother) find out about this catch.

After lunch we headed to a spot further downstream that we knew also had a deep hole that would work for spinners.  

Rather than sheep, this spot had old rusty car bodies; still a little intrigue for the kids. 

We let the kids try fishing first but still the fish didn’t seem interested.  Nick and I kept letting Max net the fish we caught on flies. 

Even though Andrew didn’t catch anything, he was still happy singing, helping the others and having an enjoyable time. 

He has the personality of someone who is fun to take along and is a true sportsman.

Back to the Weber River

It has been a couple of years since I’ve fished the Weber River.  The last time, in fact, was when I was kicked off the river by a land owner.  I had just landed a 20 inch white fish and I saw the land owner jump over his fence to come down to the river to tell me this was private property and to leave.  

This was just after the Utah law was passed that said the landowner owned the riverbed.  This means that you cannot walk on the land beneath the water without the landowner's permission. That battle is still being fought in court (Utah Stream Access Coalition).

I was pleasantly surprised a couple of years later, that most the river between Echo Reservoir and Rockport is still accessible.  I did notice however, that there are "No Trespassing" signs; in much better view, on the stretch in which I was asked to leave.  

There are still ladders going over the fences clearly indicating where land and river can be accessed.  One thing that is new is that for certain sections you need to get a Walk-in Access Permit.  This is provided free of charge but you do need to apply by phone or e-mail to get one.  

This Walk-in Access number is then needed when filling out the Walk-in Access logs when you cross the fence on certain sections of private property.  Since this can be done over the phone it can be done at the access point.  The Walk-in Access number is given to you to record in the log and then the official permit sent to you by mail.

OK, on with the fishing.  Another thing for which I was pleasantly surprised was how good the fishing was, even in the middle of summer.  Nick and I each caught a dozen brown trout between 10:30 and lunch time, about 12:30.  Several of these were 17 and 18 inchers. 

 While enjoying our lunch a gentleman came off the river and stated “that was a lot of work for one fish”.  We showed him what was working and he got in his Jeep and took off.

After lunch we hiked and waded back to where we had stopped previously.  The afternoon provided just as good fishing with a Pale Morning Dun (PMD) hatch coming off.  Either small (size 18-20) nymphs imitating PMD’s or green colored caddis pupae (size 14-16) imitations worked well.  

Those large 18 inch Browns were sure hard to land in the fast current. This made the fishing more exciting yet hard to leave each day.  Walking back on the dirt road it is amazing how far you can fish in an afternoon without even noticing until the long walk back.

Protective Peacock Bass Parents and The Florida Fishing License

Right in the middle of the Palmetto Bay township are some nice stretches of canal.  The backyards of the houses along most of the canals usually butt right up against the canal, although there are a few stretches that have enough bank to allow a fisherman to walk along and fish.  

I have never had much luck in these easily accessible stretches but I did have great luck when I went with the guide in a boat and fished the stretches that are not accessible by foot. 

I tried one of these easily accessible stretches with Brooke.  We fished it hard; but again, didn’t have much luck.  I had a couple of strikes including a largemouth bass that jumped and threw the hook.  Brooke however, caught a thick, good sized Tilapia on a bright colored jig.  One of the fish that hit my jig was a butterfly peacock bass that was guarding the nest.  At first I tried again to coax it to bite but then noticed it was guarding its young with its partner.  

You could see the couple dart out towards any intruder.  Also, looking close you could see the brood staying near the diligent, protective parents.

Check out the way Florida provides their fishing license.  It’s like a credit card that easily fits in your pocket or wallet.  

It’s waterproof, easy to carry and looks cool.  I wonder why other states haven’t caught on yet.  Every year I get these paper licenses for Utah, Wyoming, Montana or Idaho and I have to fold them up and make them fit in my wallet.  Then it rains while I’m out fishing or I slip in the water and the license gets wet.  For my Florida license, one card contains my Freshwater and Saltwater license information.

Peacock Bass On A Red Streamer

I was out in Miami again in May; of course, visiting the grandkids.  The weather was good, not too humid yet.  

The fishing, however, seemed a little tougher.  

One day while fishing a stretch of canal along the Black Creek Trail behind a set of apartments where I had fished on previous trips I switched flies every twenty minutes without any luck.  I tried large streamers, small streamers, green, brown, white and black.  

Finally I tried a fly with a lot of red in it.  I quickly caught 3 peacock bass.  Two of which were good size.  

I will continue to experiment with the color red, but who knows.  

It could have also been due to the particular location or the time of day.  You never know, but hopefully figure out something that seems to tip the odds in your favor. 

Another day Brooke and I were fishing behind the city works building.  I had never fished this section of canal before.  It is a wide section with a steep bank.  

I hooked a big butterfly peacock right off the bat but it quickly went deep and hooked me up on a rock and got away.  Downstream a ways I hooked another.  Brooke grabbed the net off the back of my vest and went down the bank to net it.  By this time several of the workers from the city building had come out to watch and even give Brooke a hand getting back up the bank.  

This was a nice size fish worthy of showing off to an audience.  The last thing I hooked however was a duck.  The ducks must be used to humans throwing them food because even after taking the hook out of its beak, it didn’t fly away but rather just swam there keeping an eye on me seemingly still expecting me to throw it a better piece of food.