Wilderness Flyfishing
Utah's High Uinta's

By Steve Cook
Photos by Monique Beeley

Flyfishing is a quiet sport, best when shared with a few close companions, and the Uinta Mountains offer an ideal setting to cast a fly in peace and seclusion. Located in northeastern Utah, this immense Alpine paradise comprises more than 300,000 acres of forestland and mountain peaks. The heart of this vast area is the High Uintas Wilderness where mankind is only a visitor and the few roads lead mainly to trailheads. These mountains rise to 13,000 feet and rapidly changing weather can be dramatic or even dangerous for the unprepared. The high country is dotted with hundreds of lakes connected by rushing streams, home to sleek, spotted trout. The opportunity to fish in such solitude is a lure many anglers can’t ignore.

The growing season is short for fish at these high elevations so they are often on the prowl for a meal. They live primarily on insects and other aquatic invertebrates making flyfishing the method of choice for many Uinta Mountain anglers.

Brightly colored brook trout are the predominant species in the lakes and streams of the high Uintas, closely followed by cutthroat. There are rainbows and even a few albino trout in the lakes near roads. Perhaps the most interesting fish species available in the Uintas is the arctic grayling. This elegant relative to the trout has a slender silvery body topped with a large flag-like dorsal fin, edged in iridescent blue. These fish taste as good as they look and are usually quite willing to eat whatever you offer them as long as it will fit in their mouths. They have a special affinity for dry flies, thus endearing themselves to flyfishers.

In most of this high country, the snow doesn’t melt until late June, so plan trips for July and August. September in the Uintas can be a special time, as the golden sunlight of autumn still warms your face, while cool nights will have brought an end to biting insects.

Fishing conditions can vary widely from one body of water to the next, and some of the shallow lakes are quite cyclic, producing good fishing for a few years before winterkill causes a drastic reduction of the trout population. Keeping this variability in mind, it is best to plan trips to areas where you can fish several different lakes or streams in close proximity. Many basins hold half dozen good lakes in a small area.

Visitors can drive to several lakes in the Uintas, and day hikes will lead you to many more. Backpacking in and camping next to the lake you plan to fish is the best option if you can make the time. Many lakes come alive with feeding fish as the sun sets, providing fresh material for those campfire stories.

The Mirror Lake Highway twists and turns its way right over the top of the Uinta Mountains and passes close to one lake after another in its course. Trial, Lost, Moosehorn, Mirror, and Butterfly lakes all have camping facilities and are regularly stocked with rainbows and the occasional bright orange albino trout. If you are willing to navigate some rougher roads, a drive into Murdock Basin will bring you to Echo and Pyramid lakes, which hold brook trout, or to Hoover Lake, which also has cutthroat and grayling.

For day hiking, the Crystal Lake Trailhead is a good place to begin, just off the Mirror Lake Highway by Trial Lake.   Hiking west along a well-maintained trail will bring you to the headwaters of the North Fork of the Provo. There are many good lakes within two to four miles of the trailhead. Weir Lake often has fast fishing for hungry brookies and Marjorie Lake has long been my personal favorite, with lots of aggressive grayling and a few good-sized brook trout. If you are ambitious for more exercise, try scenic Island and Fire lakes. You have a chance at some larger cutthroats in these waters.

Grandaddy Basin is popular for overnight trips. The road to the Grandview Trailhead rises sharply to 9,700 feet, leaving hikers less than 1,000 feet of elevation to climb up and over Hades Pass. Once you cross into the basin, it is easy rolling country with more than a dozen lakes to explore. Grandaddy is the largest lake in the Uintas and many people make it their destination, drawn by both scenery and quality fishing. Pine Island Lake has relinquished some big brook trout in recent years and is popular with Scout groups. Alan Lake is farther north and away from any marked trails. It has some large grayling and an ample measure of solitude.

Nine-foot fly rods in 5 or 6 weight are ideal and multi-piece rods are easier to pack. Floating fly lines and some small split shot will effectively address most situations one found in the Uintas. General fly patterns are all you need on most days. Parachute Adams and Hare’s Ears in sizes 10 to 18 will cover most mayfly hatches. Scud patterns in olive and orange are the ticket in lakes where freshwater shrimp are the primary food source. Bring them in sizes 12 to 16. Caddis are also present. Include elk hair caddis size 12 to 18. Damsel fly nymphs are important in many of the shallower lakes and no Uinta fly selection would be complete without wooly buggers in olive and black. A few terrestrials such as ants and beetles and some Royal Wulffs for stream fishing will round out your fly box.

Whether you spend an hour fishing one of the Uinta’s roadside ponds, or a lifetime exploring remote waters in the backcountry, you will be left with fond memories of the lonesome high lakes and the trout that call them home. Good luck!