Provo River Return

Provo River brown trout

In my most recent post, I looked back on a cross-country fishing/blogging trek I did with one of my boys 11 years ago. That post reminded me of one of our favorite stops — the Provo River in Utah — and of a brief return to the Provo with my daughter Autumn a couple of years ago.

Autumn and I also made it all the way to the Pacific Coast by car, but our trip was mostly vacation, and the primary objective was to see the world’s largest trees (sequoias), tallest trees (redwoods) and oldest trees (bristlecone pines). We had time for a couple of fishing stops, and the Provo was close enough to a possible route home that I couldn’t resist a return visit.

Good that we stopped. The river was substantially more crowded than it had been nine years earlier, and we struggled a little initially to find decent looking spots where we weren’t stepping in too close to where someone else was fishing. We ended up finding a nice section down a trail, though, and thick-bodied brown trout were plentiful and willing to play I didn’t count, but we caught a lot of trout, and most were good ones!

Trout in the Provo mostly see flies, and our Rebel Tracdown Minnows and Crawfish prompted a lot of action from feeding brown trout.

My experience with Asher on the Trout Trek had been similar. I’m pretty sure we caught more fish and better fish from the Provo than anywhere else on the trip — and in both cases, most fish were brown trout. We also caught most of our trout on Tracdown Minnows. The biggest difference was that he and I had far less competition from other anglers.

I’d first learned about the Provo River from a friend who had gone to school at Brigham Young, which is located in Provo, Utah. The best waters were only a half hour from campus (and some areas even closer), so it was an easy escape for him. At the time, the Provo’s trout-filled waters were largely undiscovered, and the few other anglers who used the he river mostly fly-fished. Like what Asher, Autumn and I found (except to an even greater extent, I’d guess) the trout would readily attack his lures.

The Provo is no longer a hidden gem, but it remains a gem. I’d head that way tomorrow if it wasn’t 1,896 miles from my house!

Utah's Provo River

 

 

A Little Trout Flair

Painting a pair of coasters was part of an evening event my wife and I recently attended. When I pick up a paintbrush, markers or other art supplies, a fish — or at least something fish related — usually forms.

In this case it was a square of the side of a brown trout. Mostly anyway. I went a little off script with some of the spot coloration. I was mostly content with the result and ready to try something else. 

My wife suggested another kind of trout, and that would have been best. Instead I went for a what was supposed to be a Bob Rossish “happy little scene” with mountains, a little stream and some flowers. Not too far into it I knew it would be dreadfully lame and that I’d paint over it at home. That became the rainbow.

We ended up with a couple of extras, so I decided to add a brook trout to the set. I’ll probably stop there, but it’s not impossible that a cutthroat will eventually join the set.

The coasters are now part of my little basement studio area. I can’t say it makes perfect sense to have only one chair and three coasters on a chest that serves as an end table. However, I like having a few of my own fishy scruples as part of my video set.

Better than No Fish

I knew pickings might be slim. While some trout can be found year-round in the river section I chose to hit, it’s pretty stocking dependent, and this year’s first spring stocking hasn’t happened yet — although it should be very soon!

I wasn’t too worried about catching prospects. Days are finally long enough to allow for quick after-work outings, the weather was good, and no one needed an afternoon ride anywhere. I was glad to be going fishing, and a near-home spot with quick and easy bank access seemed like the best plan.

Of course the afternoon’s start falsely elevated my hopes. I made my first cast to the far bank, beneath a bridge, and a fish bit almost immediately. Not long after I was admiring and then releasing a beautiful brown trout. 

I fired back to the same spot to no avail and then proceeded to work that spot and another nearby thoroughly before moving to another access area.

To shorten the story, I ended up hooking one more brown trout at the other spot and get it almost to the rod tip before it got off. That was it, though. Zero other fish caught, strikes detected or followers seen. 

Oh well. One fish beats no fish, and even no fish beats staying home and only wondering what the fishing would have been like!

First Fish of 2026

 

Something just doesn’t seem right when we get well into January and I realize that I have not yet caught a fish in the new year. Not wanting to risk that and having no other plans on New Year’s morning, I decided to make a river run.

Temps were in the 20s, and the river was extremely low and clear — not ideal catching conditions — but it’s a heavily stocked section with a catch and release requirement this time of year, so I knew there would be plenty of fish available.

Interestingly, despite ice forming on my line guides every few casts, I found a few fish rising on something too small to see in one of the first pools I fished. Trout were swiping at my lures but wouldn’t quite commit, despite me changing my offering a couple of times. 

I decided to move along to see what else I could find. A couple hours later, having found nothing else, I began wondering if I’d moved from that spot too quickly. And with more anglers arriving, I was even questioning whether I would end up getting my first fish of the year.

Thankfully, my concerns were overplayed. I eventually found the right cast and presentation and caught a couple of brown trout with essentially the same cast. Landing - Lindy Quiver Spoon in a current line across the river, letting tumble in the current, and the snapping it upward, near the bottom was the ticket.

A little farther upstream, I found a rainbow that took a Bobby Garland Mayfly. Then, on the way out, I stopped back by the pool where I saw morning activity and was able to coax one of those fish — a pretty rainbow— into grabbing my Mayfly. 

I only fished the morning, and can’t claim I just tore ‘em up. However, it was a fun New Year’s morning, and I was happy to tally my first two species of 2025: brown trout and rainbow trout.

Autumn Farewell

My phone tells me it's 21 degrees outside my house, and yesterday's rain knocked off many of our late-clinging leaves. Seemingly, autumn has fled North Georgia, and days that have that wonderful autumn-like feel and appearance won't return for another 11 months or so. 

I'm glad to say that on Monday (the day before the rain arrived) it fit well with work needs for me to slip out to one of my favorite Georgia streams to do a bit of fishing and lure photography. I didn't venture far from the care or hit the fishing super hard. Various lure pics were my main priority. Even so, the trout were cooperative enough that I was able to catch and release several pretty little brown trout. Rebel Teeny Wee-Craws and Tracdown Ghost Minnows earned all the day's catch credits.

The stream was low and clear, and the steep slopes that bound it sported the rusty colors that define late autumn. Making a good thing even better, I had the stream to myself, despite fishing very close to an easy access point.

Time to start thinking about winter fishing!

Favorite Fishing Destinations Countdown: No. 7 - Lake Jocassee, South Carolina

I'll just warn you up front that if someone who has visited Lake Jocassee tries to tell you about the lake, it's going to sound like hyperbole. You'll surely hear a few terms like "gem" or "crown jewel," and adjectives will likely include "beautiful" and "spectacular." It's tough to not sound trite with words that often get tossed around so freely, but in Jocassee's case, they all fit, and in all honesty, no words do the scenery justice.

Straddling the Blue Ridge Escarpment and fed by mountain rivers, 7,500-acre Lake Jocassee is steep sided and crazily clear. Maximum depth is 350 feet, and it's nothing on this lake to be within easy casting distance for the bank and sitting over triple-digit depths. Jocassee's rocky shores are mostly forested, with minimal development, and virtually all major tributaries enter the lake over waterfalls or big, crashing rapids.

Lake Jocassee isn't just a pretty face, though. Despite its relatively small size, this lake holds claim to more state record fish than any other South Carolina waterway. South Carolina's state record smallmouth bass, spotted bass, redeye bass, brown trout and rainbow trout all came from Lake Jocassee. Beyond the cool-water species it's most famous for, Jocassee holds a small number of big
largemouths.

I won't claim Lake Jocassee is easy. Because of its extreme depth and clarity, it can be a tough nut to crack, and some of the best fishing calls for specialized approaches like deep-water trolling and night-fishing. I've been fortunate to have gotten to spend time on this lake with some very good anglers, and I'd definitely suggest hiring a guide if you're able to do so.

That said, Lake Jocassee is one of those places that warrants a visit whether or not you can get the fish to cooperate. Of course, once you've seen it for yourself, you'll be stuck with the dilemma of trying to describe Lake Jocassee to friends without sounding cliché, and my guess is that you wont' find words to it justice!

Devil's Fork State Park offers good boating and shoreline access, lodging, camping and supplies. For guided fishing, check out Jocassee Charters. For area information, visit Upcountry South Carolina.

Little Red Trout Stop

Remnants from overnight rains and an approaching bigger system caused me to question my idea of a travel detour to the Little Red River on the way home from Fort Smith last week. However, a window of only sprinkles appeared that it would last through the morning, and the swing wasn't that far off my travel path.

Upon arriving, I found completely low water. That makes for easy wading it but can make the fishing tougher, especially with artificial lures. A bit more flow definitely makes tailwater trout more aggressive and causes them to hold in predictable positions. The low flows eliminated ideas I'd had about throwing large minnow bait for the Little Red's famous big browns, but I remained hopeful that stocker rainbows (and maybe a brown or two) would show interest in smaller hard-bait offerings.

Story shortened, they did. It took a bit of looking to find the best spot, and I experimented a bit with lures and colors before finding what they wanted most on that morning, but once I figured it out, the action was good. I lost count, but I'd guess I ended up catching between 15 and 20 trout in a few hours before beginning my travel toward home. All except one were rainbows. Most were fresh stocker size. A few were a bit longer and stouter and looked like they'd been in the river longer. I also caught one brown trout and had one slightly bigger brown (maybe 16 inches) roll on top and throw the hook.

My best lure, by far, was a Rebel TD47 Tracdown Ghost Minnow in a Brown Trout color pattern, worked steadily with just an occasional twitch to trigger strikes. That's not surprising. The Ghost Minnow has a slender profile creates a subtlety that's good for fussy fish and it can be swam close to the bottom. The Brown Trout color and tends to produce well on dark days.

It was a fun few hours in the stream, and the 2018 fish list is officially underway, with rainbow trout and brown trout being the first two listings. I'd actually done a bit fishing in bass waters the day before I visited the Little Red, but I didn't catch anything that day. My next stop is also to a trout stream, so maybe I can add brook trout!

'Gill Needed

Two species on the catch list two days from the end of January is just plain pitiful and means that I haven't been fishing nearly enough. I enjoyed great trout fishing at the White River a couple of weeks back and caught a bunch of rainbows and browns, and I'm thank for that trip. That's it, though. No ice adventures or trips to the coast, both of which are types of outings that commonly get the fishing year off to a quick start.

Beyond the bigger trips, though, I haven't even done any afternoon pond fishing this month and therefore don't even have a largemouth bass or a bluegill on my list. That's the part that must be fixed soon. I need to grab one or more of the little people who live in this house and head for a local pond so we can at least catch a few bluegills.

Big Brown Kind of Day

We couldn't have scripted it better for what we wanted to do. Late winter is prime time for big browns on Arkansas' White River, and we had heavy cloud cover and plenty of current, with four of eight turbines in Bull Shoals Dam turning. We wanted to throw Rogues and had an excellent jerkbait flow. We also were fishing with Cranor's Guide Service, which specializes in targeting big trout on the White and Norfork rivers.

Jumping straight to the outcome, nothing about the day disappointed. Throwing nothing but Smithwick Rogues, we caught at least a dozen browns in the 16- to 24-inch range, plus two that would have stretched past the 25-inch mark on a measuring tape. The two biggest fish, which both came late in the day, probably weighed 5 and 6 pounds, and both were males with beautiful color and big crazy-looking hookjaws. We also caught a couple dozen stocker rainbows and smaller browns.

The top-producing color, without question, was Avocado Shad, which, as the name suggests, is sort of an avocado green on the back with opaque white sides. It looks an awful lot like a stocker rainbow in the rainbow, which certainly might help explain the appeal to the big brown trout.

Whole Lot of Packing Going On

Asher and I are in full packing mode because tomorrow we leave on this summer's biggest adventure. We're pointing the car north this year, instead of west, and headed for New England. I suppose the primary targets would have to be the beautiful brook trout that live in the ponds of northern New England, but we'll be hitting a variety of waters in New York, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine for brook, rainbow and brown trout, along with smallmouth bass, pike and whatever else wants to cooperate, and we'll even spend a day or two saltwater fishing on the Connecticut coast. If you followed last year's Rebel Trout Trek, this one won't be quite that grand. We were gone nearly a month and traveled all the way to Olympic National Park just outside of Seattle on that trip. I think we'll end up being on the road a little less than two weeks on this summer's trip.

At one point I thought we'd fly and get a rental car, but the more I thought about all the junk I wanted to tote and the scheduling freedom that comes with driving, the more I became convinced that the hours behind the wheel would be well invested. Now I just have to decide which wheel. My Ford Fiesta has been a mighty fine "trout car" and handled last year's cross-country trek, and it is the most likely choice. I need to check logging road conditions in one area of Maine, though, to make sure ground clearance won't present a problem. If that's too iffy we'll spread out more in the Expedition, and I'll just have to spend a little more time squeezing gas pump triggers.

I'll be sharing stories and photos from the trip on the Rebel Lures website and Facebook page beginning Aug. 1, which is around the time we'll likely be returning home. In the meantime, I'm sure I'll post a few travel updates here, on my Facebook fishing page and on Instagram and Twitter (@jeffsamsel on either).

Arkansas Trout Awaiting!

Long drive today, but that's OK. Arkansas' White & Norfork rivers are at the other end, and three days on these fabulous trout river easily warrant a 24-hour roundtrip drive. Last I heard the White was running hard and the big browns were biting.

Big browns are the primary targets, in my mind anyway, but last year about this time I fished the Norfork with Donald Cranor (the guide who is leading the charge), and we managed a Norfork slam, catching browns, rainbows, brook trout and cutthroats in a single day. The catch included several browns like the one Donald is holding in the photo above, and we caught them all on Rebel Tracdown Ghost Minnows.

Watch the Rebel Lures Facebook page and rebellures.com for reports, photos and more.

#WinterTroutSlam

Minimalist Trout Slam

You could say that Asher and I were very efficient yesterday. We managed a "slam" of the trout species that are normally found in Southern Appalachian waters (brook, brown, rainbow) with our first three fish of the day. Unfortunately, my snake-like rainbow trout that completed the slam was also our final fish of the day. Yep. Three fish total. One brown trout. One brook trout. One rainbow trout.

My favorite of yesterday's catches was the first fish of the day, because with it, Asher continued an interesting streak. He and I have fished the lower national park portion of Deep Creek yesterday for the third time. Each time, we've taken the short spur trail to Indian Creek Falls, and each time Asher has caught a fish from the big pool at the base of the waterfall. The first time it was a beautifully marked rainbow. The most other times (yesterday and last week), he caught a nicely marked brown trout. All the fish in that area are wild.

2 Favorite Catches from 2015

I tried to pick a single favorite fish from 2015, but the best I could do was to narrow it to two. Each had unique appeals, and I can't  quite decide. Both were big trout that I caught and released, but that's pretty much where the similarities end.

The first, a brown trout that grabbed a Rebel Tracdown Ghost Minnow, came early this summer from North Carolina's Linville River. I was on my way to a writer trip farther north in the North Carolina mountains and had time for a quick detour. I actually wanted to explore Linville Gorge, but the river was high from recent rain, and I decided that hiking down into the gorge alone would neither be prudent nor productive. Instead I settled to fish around a single river bend in a section of easily accessible hatchery supported waters on Blue Ridge Parkway land. I expected there might be a few stocker-sized rainbows around (which there were). What I didn't expect was to feel a crushing strike and then see a thick band of yellow at the end of my line. I was alone, with no net, so you can guess that I was a bit tense until I managed to land the fish. Next trick, of course, was trying to get a photo. I took a few quick close-ups to make sure I got something and then set up a single self-timer photo with the camera on a rock before I let the fish go, hung my lure back on my rod and continued on my journey.

The other, which is pictured at the top, occurred later in the summer, while Asher and I were on our Rebel Trout Trek out West. I think it was a Snake River cutthroat, although it might have been a rainbow. I wish I could say for sure. Whatever it was, it was a good one, and it hit a Rebel Wee Crawfish while Asher and I were wade fishing in the Delaney Butte Lakes in Colorado. Big trout are no surprise in those waters, but summer doldrums had hit when we were there, and it was the only bite we had in probably six hours of fishing. That catch had some landing drama of it's own. We had a net, but the first time Asher tried to net it, he realized it didn't fit very well. "The net isn't big enough!" he yelled as the fish flopped out and surged again. When I got it close again, he had to carefully scoop it tail-first so it went into the hoop tail-to-nose instead of being across it. He did a fine job getting it in the net and getting photos before we let it go.

Firing Up Autumn Fishing

I haven't fished an enormous amount over the past few weeks, but that's about to change in a large way. Plans for the next month or so include quite a bit of time on the water in various places and fishing for a nice mix of species. The leaves are also changing, and that change usually correlates with cooler temperatures and hotter fishing action.

First in line is the Tennessee River, where I'll spend a couple of days at Lake Guntersville and a few at Pickwick. Autumn is when the grass mats typically come alive and the best frog bite of the year often develops, so I'm hopeful for some explosive fun. Stop one may actually involve more interviewing, filming and photographing than fishing because TH-Marine has a great group of pros assembled, and it will be a fabulous time to learn and gather videos and story material. Pickwick will likely involve a lot more fishing.

Soon after the Tennessee River run, I'll be going back in the same direction, but farther, on an Ozarks adventure with two of my boys and another friend. We'll focus on rivers and target smallmouth bass and trout, including big tailwater brown trout. Other autumn plans include visits to Oklahoma's Fort Gibson and Tenkiller lakes for bass, crappie and white bass and South Carolina's Santee Cooper lakes for big cats, crappie and more. Much to look forward to, for sure!

My hope is that I'll post regular reports, tips and product information from the travels ahead. I won't promise, though, because I've learned too many times how days can disappear and how a lack of wifi or decent phone service can make such things nearly impossible. I'll only say that I'll try and that I'll try and that I hope you'll check in to see how the fall fishing is going!

Sun Shining this Morning

The rain began a little after 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 24. I remember because Asher and I were at the Little League fields, anticipating his 7:15 game and hoping he'd get to play. It started as a drizzle about the time the early game started and got gradually heavier as that one progressed. By 7:00, it was apparent that there would be no 7:15 game (first of five consecutive rainouts).

The rain ended with a drizzle this morning, and the sun is shining beautifully now. It didn't rain constantly all 10 days, but it fell the better part of most of them, with some seriously heavy rain in the mix. It began with the edge of a low-pressure system over the Atlantic and another that dragged moisture out of the Gulf of Mexico. A cold front crashed into that low just before the outer edge of the hurricane hit. Finally, high pressure has taken charge.

I like rain. I like rain a lot, in fact. I can't deny, though, that a week and a half of rain got a little wearisome, and it kept us from getting out and playing as much as we prefer. Early rain and plentiful dark skies made me excited about prospects of good brown trout fishing. Time didn't line up during that window, though, and next thing I knew it, streams were blown out. The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Division even delayed stocking Delayed Harvest streams so that the newly stocked trout wouldn't all get washed downstream.

All that rain to kick off autumn is actually really good for our waterways, and I'm glad for it now that it is gone. It provides a nice charge for trout streams, which can run mighty low this time of year, and for the reservoirs they eventually feed.

Now I just need to find a fresh window to get out there and go fishing!

Rebel Trout Trek Update

For starters, I should remind all that the BEST place to follow the Rebel Trout Trek is at rebellures.com. I'm filing a blog post there every evening that tells what I believe to have been the day's main story line. I'll do my best to share posts here, and I've put some photos on facebook and Instagram. However, between driving and fishing, we've been going dark to dark, and the Rebel posts and pictures get first priority at night. I have had more I have wanted to share, so maybe I'll slip in some backtrack posts at some point!

That said, I did want to share a few things. Most significantly, with 2,000 miles logged, I finally got to go fishing today. Actually Asher and I fished most of the day, hitting three different areas (and catching fish from all three), and the brown trout were quite cooperative, despite high flows. The water was too push for the Crickhopper bite that I'd hoped to enjoy, but I still expect to find that on down the road.

The only diversion we took from fishing today was at mid-day, when we had lunch at the No. 10 Saloon in Historic Deadwood and watched Wild Bill Hickok get shot. The hardest thing for Asher and me so far has been wishing we had more time to do everything. I'm a big fan of Deadwood and fishing in the Black Hills, but tomorrow, we'll it'll already be time to leave the Black Hills behind and continuing along our loop.

Something About a Hook

If you target trout in a place where the fish sometimes gain some measure of maturity, I'm guessing you can relate. There's just something about a hooked jaw that makes a trout more of a trophy, and the more accentuated the hook, the more special a fish becomes. In fact, while extremes certainly can change things, I'd say that a noteworthy hook and striking colors tend to trump size in making a particular fish memorable. You might mention a fish's size first, but you continue to refer back to and think about a trout's crazy maw and brilliant colors.

I suppose it's a lot like a banded duck, which is no more difficult to call and shoot than one that isn't adorned with leg jewelry. Those distinguishing features just tend to make certain fish and game animals extra special.

I caught a bunch of big trout fly fishing the Refuge section of Boone Fork in the NC High Country region last week, but the brown pictured above was certainly among my favorites, and I don't think I need to state the reason why!

Surprise Brown

I'll admit it. I mostly stopped at the Linville River to look at the falls, with thought that I might hike down into the gorge to fish a bit just below the falls. The river was pushy from recent afternoon storms, so I wasn't convinced I could get around enough or that it would be worth hiking down into the gorge.

 

So I checked out the falls from a couple of vantages and was on my way toward the next stop when I noticed a little spot with easy access to hatchery supported waters and thought I might be able to fool a stocker rainbow or two. Sure enough in the second spot I cast to from the bank I had one on for a moment. That convinced me to grab my waders and hit it a little harder.

 

I basically fished through one big bend for a half hour or so and had missed three rainbows and was coming up on a spot where I planned to get out when something hit my Rebel Tracdown Minnow hard. After a couple of minutes I got a glimpse, and several tense minutes later I managed to land a beautiful brown trout. It was just me there so pictures are limited to a few bad close ups and a self-timer shot, but I'm thankful to have gotten those.

 

After taking a few photos, I measured the trout against my rod, let it go in good condition and stepped out of the stream to continue in my travels.

 

My kind if side trip!

New York State of Mind

Not represented in this photo are about 50 big smallmouths
caught and released on the same day!

As of a yesterday, a little past lunchtime, I thought I'd be home for the next few weeks, writing fish stories and doing only local fishing. Then opportunity arose, and it was one I just couldn't resist. Some time this weekend I'll point the Fiesta north and drive till I get to Lewiston, New York, on the banks of the Niagara River.

Lewiston ranks among my favorite fishing towns, and the annual media gathering I'll be joining is always fun and productive. Last year, it produced one of my favorite fishing days of the entire year in Capt. Frank Campbell's boat on the lower Niagara River. The 10-pound brown pictured above slammed a tube while we were smallmouth fishing, and was among about 50 smallmouths between about 3 pounds and 5-15. To cap the spectacular smallmouth action, which occurred in about four hours at the mouth of the Niagara River, we ran upriver to swifter water and managed to land a steelhead and a laker. Some kind of day, I'd have to say!


Potential opportunities from the same trip also include fishing Erie for big first-season smallmouths, fishing for trout and salmon and Lake Ontario and much more. I fished three days on last year's trip, and each was completely different from the other two. Erie was slower than normal, but one fish I caught weighed 5-11, which is the biggest smallmouth I've ever weighed. The variety of high-quality opportunities is in the Niagara River Region is really pretty astounding.

For now, I suppose I need to scramble to finish some writing, charge some batteries, clear some come cards, pack some junk...

Double Slam Finisher

The brown trout I'd just landed was neither strikingly colorful nor large. It was a definite stocker, and had no noteworthy traits like a hooked jaw. Still, I had to get a quick picture before I let it go. It was my first brown trout of the day and completed my species slam. Asher had already caught all three species, so with that fish he and I had managed a double slam of the trout species available in that section of river.

Some fish are noteworthy because of their size or something distinctive about their markings. In other cases it's a an especially hard strike, a challenging fight in current (had a couple of those on the same day!) or something else about the catch. At times, a fish is noteworthy because it's the only one caught in a day. Occasionally, as was the case with this fish, a fish stands out based on little more than the species it happens to be.

They're all fun to catch, from my perspective anyway. Some just stand out for one reason or another. I wonder which fish will stand out the most this summer when Asher I head west on the Rebel Trout Trek!