A Day Well Spent

A couple of weeks ago, I took my family up to the high country to breathe the clean air, see Nature's beauty, and catch little fish. After an obligatory stop at the falls, we went to a couple of roadside lakes and did that very thing. That was a lot of fun, but something has been tugging at me ever since...

...The river.

This week, I planned to put some serious effort into the river with my buddy Holdsworth and then maybe do some pond hopping later. He'd never fished the upper reaches and had only spent a little bit of time in the Uintas, in general. Having the opportunity to reintroduce him to the area had me pretty excited.

Getting started on the day was a beast! The snooze button was hit several times as the result of a late night. After the lag train had left me at the station, I finally made my way to pick up the man and hit the road.

On the way up the Mirror Lake Highway, we decided to try a spot on Beaver Creek, but couldn't catch anything but thick brush. Eventually we made it to Provo River Falls, where we began our river walk.

We started by heading upstream for a short while then worked our way down for the next couple of hours, catching fish all along the way. Holdsworth got ahead of me (sometimes I get stubborn at a fishy hole with no bites) and raked them in while I cleaned up what was left about 150 yards behind him.

Most of the fish were tiny, but there were a couple that had some meat to them. At least for this stretch of river. The real perk was the eye candy of everything around us.

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The river, like always, was amazing. I found it difficult to keep my camera out of my hand long enough to fish. As soon as I would put it away, the gorgeous brookies would give me another reason to pull it right back out.

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This next guy would be considered a hog in this stretch. It took some craft to get him to bite. I'm surprised I didn't snag on his log.

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Still a small fish, he was a pleasant break from his 5 inch buddies. When fishing a river like this though, it really doesn't matter what you're catching.

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Eventually, I caught up to Holdsworth and we took a breather on the bank for awhile. For such a popular area, it really doesn't take long to get away from the crowds and enjoy some solitude and the buzzing of Nature all around us.

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We got moving again when we noticed some other people working their way up. The fishing on the way back wasn't as hot, but we still nabbed a few here and there. The river was still as charming as ever though.

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Satisfied with our river quest, it was time to move on and try some little ponds I've been curious about for a couple of years. Again, not after size, just new spots and good fishing in scenic country.

While we were on our way up to the pass, a group of bullet bikes screamed past us (and anyone else on the road) going quite fast and my gut dropped as I rounded a turn to see one of them down. The dust hadn't even settled yet and only one other rider had pulled over at that point. Hoping for the best, I pulled over to make sure the rider was okay.

Let's just say that this guy is VERY lucky he wore his helmet and racing jacket.

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He only suffered a few scratches and a touch of road rash. Too bad he couldn't say the same for the nice bike he dumped.

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Grateful that the outcome was without tragedy, we wished the riders good luck and bid them farewell. Afterall, there was water that needed some attention.

Our intended spot wasn't far from the road at all and actually sat between two very popular lakes, but I had been informed that it was usually overlooked by the masses. My information was good and it didn't take long to capitalize on whatever had washed into the ponds from the upstream lake during the runoff months.

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The ponds ranged in size from minuscule to the size of a small lake, but every one of them held good numbers of fish. These fish were eager to chase and bite a spinner, jig, or worm and the fishing was fantastic. Topping off the great fishing, our venue couldn't have been more inviting.

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The lily pads were a gold mine for reclusive brookies. I found that casting out a weightless nightcrawler and very slowly cranking the reel to keep the line taught would provide very fast action and the result would usually be a hook in the lip. These two weren't so lucky, but they looked about right for a frying pan anyway.

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Beautiful country. Once we had gotten away from the popular lake on the downstream side, we were all alone. We didn't see another soul the whole time.

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And then there were the little ponds. Believe it or not, these tiny treasures held a ton of fish! Catching them was only possible by sneaking up on them and it only worked for the first couple of strikes. After that, they'd get wise and stay away from the lure.

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Such great fun it was to work this chain of ponds, but alas, our time was running out. Shadows were long, Hayden was pink, and our day trip was coming to an end.

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"Come on, Holdsworth! We need to get out of here."

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Can't blame the guy for wanting to stay though.

We'd set out to fish an incredible river, explore a network of backwater ponds, and bully some fish around and we'd accomplished just that. Days like this are what it's all about!

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Happy Fishing, Humans.

Great TR. I think I know where that pond is. I would have never thought to fish it though. We were at the lake in the last few pics and caught a couple a few weeks ago. I love that area. Your secret is safe with me.

Oh, it's no secret. I post these reports on other sites with a bigger fishing demographic and didn't want to blow up someone else's spot, really.

The ponds were between Pass Lake and Mirror Lake. Good way to get away from the mob though.

Nice TR! Looks like you were up in my old stomping grounds! Ahh- the memories!

I'm amazed at how lazy people are. They drive up there, set up camp, and never get further than 100 yards from a road or trail. They sure miss out on a lot of good fishing!

Yes indeed very well spent!