Provo River Fishing Report for Mid June

Jim and I fished five different streams since the last fishing report.

We guided folks too “secret” places and on the Middle Provo River.

On Wednesday Jim and I fished a small side creek up Diamond Fork and found a full blown Giant Stonefly hatch.

What flies and techniques caught fish on the Lower and Middle Provo River – Mid June?

This report was prepared on June 13, so the dates include 29 total days from May 29 – June 26 (14 days before and after).

We have records for 27 fishing trips this time of year (2014 – 2018) with a total of 175 fish. We’ve fished the Lower Provo once this time of year and we fished the Middle Provo 4 times and caught a total of 34 fish.

We also made 22 additional fly fishing trips to Strawberry Res., Mantua Res., the Strawberry River and other places in surrounding areas.

Catch Chart Middle Provo River –
May 29 – June 26

Technique	Fly	Fish	Pcent
nymphing (bounce rig, inline or swing)	PMD nymph	12	46.2%
	P.R. Worm	8	30.8%
	Sow Bug	6	23.1%
	Total Under	26	100%

We caught everything (34 fish) during this time frame on the Middle and Lower Provo by nymphing (mostly bounce rig and light in-line rigs).

All 8 fish caught on the Lower Provo were caught on sow bugs.

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Notice the change from last report to this report. Ten days ago, we had a fair number of fish on top and also caught fish on a variety of nymphs (midge and PMDs) using the bounce rig. Now, all fish the last four years during this time period were caught on worms, sow bugs and PMD nymphs.

What to expect in Late May to Mid June on the Lower and Middle Provo Rivers

The water is usually running fairly fast on the Lower Provo this time of year. Today (June 13), it is s running at over 510, up from last week, but down from a few days ago).

So fishing the Lower Provo will still be tough except for those deep runs next to the banks. If I were fishing the Lower Provo, I would bounce sow bugs and small nymphs along the banks where the water is not too fast.

The Middle Provo is still running about 630 cfs, so some of our favorite holes are not fishing like they do with lower flows. Look for deeper holes that are not too fast and try fishing inside bends where the water is a little slower.

Things are warming up this time of year, but the water coming off the bottom of Jordanelle is still very cold. That messes with the hatches and keeps trout metabolism low. They will feed, but don’t have the energy to fight the strongest water at the same time.

On Saturday, I guided a guy that had fished the bounce rig technique before, but wanted to learn how to tie and adjust it for himself. Flows were high, so we stayed on one side of the river. That meant we only fished about half of our favorite holes. He hooked about 10 fish and landed 7 or 8 (all brown trout). And every fish took a Provo River worm. No fish were caught on midge nymphs or sow bugs.

Not bad for a bright day and high water (we only fished one side of the river). He caught fish quickly because he already knew how to cast and mend, so all he had to concentrate on was recognizing strikes and setting the hook. He also never hung up or broke off.

Scott if you are reading this, I forgot to mention this while we were fishing, but you are only the 2nd person to fish at least half a day and not lose a single fly. I haven’t ever done that myself.

And another thing. Everyone keeps telling me the Provo River is crowded. We fished from about 1:30 pm to about 7:00 pm on Saturday and only saw a couple of other people and only two guys fished less than 200 yards from us.

So if fishing is tough, keep at it. Check your rig often for moss and junk and change flies if they “ain’t buying what you’re trying to sell”.

Don’t know where to fish? Want to improve your fly fishing skills? Want to do something special for your Dad? Book a guided trip with Jim and Dan. Click Here to Learn More.

Flies to Use in Early June on the Provo River

What flies should be in your fly box the next few weeks on the Lower or Middle Provo River?

Our Catch Charts for this time frame had only three flies for the Middle Provo and only sow bugs for the Lower Provo.

These were the most important flies for the Middle Provo Rivers:

P.R. worm
Sow bug
PMD nymph

As I mentioned before, we normally fish the Middle Provo more than the Lower Provo River when the water is high, but this year, flows are lower in the Lower Provo right now. But this is also an excellent time to get out to fish some other places as well.

June Provo River Flows

Today (June 13), the flow out of Jordanelle has been steady since the first of the month at about 630- 640 cfs in the upper part of the Middle Provo River. The flow in the Lower Provo has been up and down, but is back down to 510 cfs today..

Some of your favorite spots may not fish the same with the water running faster. Look for inside bends and in the deepest holes where the water is not running as fast. Also look for places where warmer water is entering from side canals.

Stone Fly Hatch at Diamond Fork

Giant stone flies were still hatching in Three Forks area of Diamond Fork last week.

We concentrated on getting video in a narrow little canyon, so we didn’t try to catch fish with big dry flies on top.

We quickly found fish that wanted to eat Jim’s big orange stone fly nymph (size 6 or 8) fished with an in-line rig.

Watch Video of Stone Fly Hatch at Diamond Fork

We look forward to seeing you on the river.

This Provo River Fishing Outlook Report is provided by Jim O’Neal & BackcountryChronicles.com

Winner of Free Guided Fly Fishing Trip With Backcountry Adventures Fly Fishing

Jeremy Cunningham from Orem Utah won the trip. He brought his Dad (Mike) on their trip….

“I want to take my dad with me on the guided trip. We’ve fished together our whole lives but have recently gotten into fly fishing.

We’re both at the beginner stage but learning quickly. I would love to learn how to match the hatch as well as work on fly presentation.”

***We had a great day on the Middle Provo River yesterday (July 19) with Jeremy and Mike. Fishing was tough, but after they got the hang of casting, mending and recognizing strikes, they both caught some very nice fish.

See all of our fly fishing videos here at Jim’s YouTube site.

Our last video is appropriate because all our fish this week on the Provo River were caught on worms; after a rain or during high water.