Kidder Fishing: Destination Unknown

The streams seem to be under attack here in Central Utah. Fish kills seem to be the attack of choice, though the tactics vary; some come by fire, others by dewatering, some by a clever combination. So it shouldn't have been such a shock when my friend Danny let me know that my plans to Lower Fish Creek might be flawed. The Bureau of Reclamation decided last week to work on the Scofield Reservoir Dam, and turned off the water to the stream to do so. Without a draw-down, or any prior notice, this sudden dewatering of the stream didn't allow the fish to find the deeper pools where they would've had a better chance at survival. The Division of Wildlife Resources estimates that at least 1,000 trout died from the sudden change in flows. The water didn't flow between 5pm on Oct. 14 and noon on Oct. 17. While the D.W.R. claims that this fish kill mainly effected the first mile below Scofield Dam, anglers are claiming the first three miles have been drastically effected with some of the dead trout weighing in at over 5lbs. Salt Lake Tribune Article here: http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/55151320-78/fish-dam-scofield-wildlife.html.csp So much for heading to one of my favorite stretches of river...

So I figured that I'd head to one of the many other streams in the area, and would just decide in the morning. I really need to find some time to tie flies! Looking into my boxes I knew that it would be tough to make it through the day, especially since both Ross and Brady would be joining me on this trek to who-knows-where, and both of these guys are just starting out and a little light on tackle of their own. So I made a point to get some flies tied, but with limited time I had to just stock up on what worked last time: Zebra Midges. Managed to tie up (what turned out to be) plenty. Also, tied up some quick adjusting indicators figuring that nymphing would be the most productive method. Planned on trying out an idea that heard about for streamer fishing as well. The idea is simple enough, take a length of sinking line and make a sink tip that would attach to your flyline, and seeing as how I did have a full sinking line sitting on my desk... [Yeah, I made one. No, I didn't try it. I'm smart like that.]

"Paul was in Wolf Creek early next morning, just as he said he would be. Although he and I had aquired freedoms as we grew up, we never violated our early religious training of always being on time for church, work, and fishing." A River Runs Through It - Norman Maclean

Brady was supposed to be at my house between 7 and 8 am. At about 8:00a, I get the call of shame, "uh...I kinda slept in" - or something like that. Change of plans came quickly to me, time to 'meet in the middle' (almost literally) and fish Diamond Fork River.

Fishing was a bit slow, but one hole was particularly kind to me around mid-morning and I managed to catch several (although somewhat small) fish. Fishing was slow from there on till we were about to leave, then I got a couple more and Ross managed to get into a couple. (Notice the guy that slept in didn't catch any...) Caught all fish today on Haresear and Pheasant tail nymphs.