Browns on the Logan
6 December 2006 By Dan Bachman • Day-Spent-Fishing • Comments (5)
November in Cache Valley, Utah can be a very cold place to experience most years. Imagine my surprise last week when, while visiting family, the weather was unseasonably balmy with temperatures in the 50’s. I grew up here and although I lived 10 minutes from what many in Utah consider their secret little “blue ribbon” trout stream I had only fished it a couples times. Preferring instead to leave the fly fishing for our visits to Idaho’s Wood River Valley. A mistake that I was determined to correct on this visit.
A short drive up the river reminded me that fall had long since gone. Trees were naked of their leaves. A month earlier I would have been treated to a beautiful scene of the fall leaves. Few western canyons match the beauty of Logan Canyon in the fall. But then maybe I am little biased.
Spawning Brown trout run from the reservoirs behind several dams along the lower river in Logan Canyon where they dig redds in the gravel of the river shallows. This particular day found the sky overcast and grey giving the trout confidence to hang out in what would otherwise be dangerous place for a fish. Watching the spawn was a little like a slow-motion car race. A couple dozen browns jockeyed for position behind several females until a large fish would drift in and bump off a couple of the smaller fish. Drifting downstream the displaced suitors would pull behind a rock or log to draft in the current break.
Along the bank I notice two browns well below a redd drifting slowly from side to side. I tie a small hare’s ear on my 5x tippet and cast across. The nymph lands only 2 feet in front of the closer brown. In water that is no more than 10 inches deep I can see the nymph sink until I lose it just in front of my prey. One brown moves towards me only slightly and my line tightens as I lift my rod tip and set the hook. Line leaves my reel in whining protest as the brown runs straight upstream through 4 or 5 redds. A small rooster tail of water leaves the line and every trout in the area streaks for cover. While I play the 13 inch brown for just a minute or two I step near a partially submerged log and scare up a 16 inch brown that was tucked underneath.
The smaller brown comes to rest in my net. Nicely colored and healthy. With each catch over the course of the afternoon I find a new section of the river and repeat. Eight or nine fish is the final tally and the fishing has been so good that I think I’ll do it again tomorrow.
7 December 2006 Scott C
Nice post. These are my home waters, living here in Cache Valley. I also enjoy fishing in your neck of the woods: Silver Creek, Big Wood, South Fork, Owyhee, etc.
Here in Logan I prefer to get higher up the canyon and focus on the native Cutts. But I did catch a 21” brown in the area known as the “Dugway” (if you remember that section) summer before last.
I’ve enjoyed your site over the last year or so – keep up the good work!
I hope everything is going well for your wife.
7 December 2006 Jim Lile
cool beans man, cool beans. I hooked an lost a steelie on the boise river last Wednesday.
10 December 2006 jeremy
Absolutely beautiful website!
I love both fishing and good webdesign, your site has both.
Sorry for going off topic!
Jer
11 December 2006 chalane c. wride
Found your site today and so very impressed with all things “Tattered-Fly.” Extremely happy to know that all is well with your wife. Have fished on Henry’s Fork, have lived in Logan, have attended the U, like you.
Will enjoy visiting again. Warm Regards.
chalane
15 December 2006 Alistair
Hey Dan,
Tom Chandler over at Trout Underground in his business disguise decided to pass me the “Blog Tag” poison chalice where I get to share five things that you probably don’t know about me. I have decided to tag yourself.
I await your post with interest!
Here is mine
http://theriverkelvin.co.uk/blog/?p=754
Yours Aye
Alistair