The Provo

THE PROVO RIVER

Living close to Provo Canyon for the past 24 years, I've put in thousands of hours within its walls. From my childhood years to the present, the canyon has always offered an escape from the valley below.

The Provo River has carved its way through the limestone giants we know today as Mt. Timpanogos on the north side and Cascade Mountain to the south.

The Timp side:





The Cascade side:





And let's not forget the famous Bridal Veil Falls:



The Bridal Veil area can have some pretty productive fishing. One of my go-to spots is just upstream from the falls and under the foot bridge. There's a large boulder that creates a nice hole on the downstream side and I almost always find a fish or two hanging out right there. This fungus was growing out of a stump right next to the bridge:



At the mouth of the canyon, there's a large parking area behind the gas station. There's an offshoot of the main body of the Provo River that curves around the power plant and a small group of older buildings, tucked away in some trees. This leg of the river receives very little pressure and can usually hold a good number of nice fish.





As usual, a brass Blue Fox (#2) can work wonders here when used properly.

The Provo is divided into 3 main sections; the Lower, the Middle, and the Upper. Each section has a special regulations section and a general regulations section. Those are outlined in the fishing proclamation and on the DWR's website.

Most of my fishing is in the general regulations areas since the AFL (Artificial Flies and Lures only) sections are usually crowded with other fishermen and larger fish cannot legally be kept there.

Another personal favorite stretch is on the Middle Provo, just upstream from the Charleston Bridge, by Deer Creek Reservoir. This area has some very nice pockets and gentle backwaters as well. In fact, the smaller backwaters hold some real thugs.


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Tell me this doesn't look tempting:





And it's fishy:





Sometimes the less desirable fish move in from the lake like this 29 inch carp:



Luckily though, the trout outnumber the rough fish by far. My 2 best browns came from this stretch the last time I visited. It was my first attempt at fly fishing this section and I must say that it was a satisfying experience.





Both of those bad boys came from the same bushy structure that hung down into the water on a good bend. As I stripped my bugger in slowly, a whole mess of fish darted out after it. I was lucky to grab to two biggest and a smaller one before the fish in that hole stopped biting.

I've outlined the Upper Prove section in my highlight section, "The Uintas".