The South Slope

February 19, 2012, I was reading a fly fishing blog yesterday written by a guy who lives back east. He fishes rivers like the Upper Delaware River; that river goes back to our first president. He casts his line in   Pennsylvania's famous Letort, Brodhead Creek, the Pocono,Virginia's Accotic Creek. These rivers and this area of the country is the birth of our nation’s tradition.

 

I have never fished back east, and honestly I have never really thought about it. Maybe I feel that way because I have always thought of the west as the best—especially concerning wild life adventures such as fly fishing. I have an easy explanation for this: I’m a native Utahan, a westerner.

 

Who knows perhaps I’m right, perhaps the rivers in the western states are better, with bigger fish, more fish, better scenery, less people, all those things that fly fishermen look for. Yet, the one thing we can’t best them on is time and tradition, tradition dating back to the 1600’s. How cool is that, to fish a river that George Washington crossed to defeat the British?

 

I wonder if fishing back east is like fishing the Chalk creeks of England, the birth place of fly fishing. Is it like teeing off at Edinburgh, watching the Tour de France. Tradition has to count for something right? I’ve never been to the Kentucky Derby, and even if you don’t care about the Triple Crown, who doesn’t want to attend the Derby?

 

In the west we too have tradition. Our traditions don’t date as far back, but we have them, go with what you have. What the west does have over tradition, that defines us, is our landmarks, the land its self. Our landmarks are our crown jewels. We have the natural grandeur of our landscape that sets us apart and propels us into competition with the east of our own nation, with the whole world.

 

Utah touts the greatest snow on earth, and the red rock desert splendor of Moab. Colorado is the heart of the Rocky Mountains with 53 peaks that are over 14,000 feet. Wyoming has Yellowstone, Idaho the Saw tooth Mountain Range. Arizona has the Grand Canyon; California has their whole coast line, the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range, and Yosemite National Forest. Nevada has… well let’s just not bring in Nevada. My point is that the West defines itself by its terrain, because the terrain is the strongest, clearest, most noble voice to be heard in the west; tradition takes a back seat to geography/geology.

 

If you look at Utah in terms of fishing, in particular, river fly fishing, the two single most famous rivers in Utah are The Provo and The Green. They are both stellar rivers, and both worthy of being considered “world famous.”  But do I think they are the best rivers to fish in Utah, and, are there other rivers that are not on the map, but are worthy of the same fame?

 

Honestly I don’t think any river in Utah can compete with the Green, if you look at its volume, its fish, its scenic red rock canyons, and the color of its water. The Green is Utah’s heavy weight champ. If rivers were boxers, Utahans would be forced to put The Green up as its fighter.

 

But fly fishing and the love of rivers is more than just looking at the heavy weights, it’s about rivers that have dimension and character; it’s about geography, it’s about variety, it’s about diversity. Middle weights and light weights alike are every bit as exciting to watch as heavyweights.

 

There is no better variety and geographic complexity in Utah than the Uintah mountain range. The tallest Peak, Kings Peak, just under 14,000 in located in the Uintahs. Flowing from the south slope of the Uintah’s are some rivers that don’t get top billing like the Green or the Provo, but have just as much charm, and combined, total what I think is the best the state has to offer.

 

If you look at the map going from Salt Lake, toward the Uintah’s you have some rivers that will please any fly fishermen:

1.  The Provo (upper, middle, and lower)

2.  Current Creek

3.  The Pinnacles

4.  The Strawberry

5.  The Duchesne

6.  The South slope (Uintah, White Rocks, Rock Creek, Lake Fork, Yellowstone)

Johnny and I both have roots in the Uintahs, going back over the years. He grew up hunting the whole Tabby Mountain area, with Joe and I, which is the gateway to the Grand-Daddy area. Both of us have fished that area a lot, and consider a few of those rivers our “home river.”

 

However, we have only fished 3 of 5 of the south slope rivers, and only a few times. When we go out there, we are drawn to the few rivers we know, because they are so amazing themselves, it’s hard not to go to them. But now it’s time to branch out, and really get to know all those rivers. It’s time for us to create new tradition, upon what the best rivers the state has to offer. In total there are about a dozen or so rivers in this collection.  

Johnny and I have been talking about this as our next adventure, really getting to know all the ins and outs of each river; and of course getting some great shots and footage. Johnny have been cranking out some really cool video footage. He has decided to post his video on "You Tube." Check out his clips at "FlytailsInc.