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Brown Trout Of The Boulder Mountain

Are there any brown trout on Boulder Mountain? The answer to that question is YES! There are no brown trout in the lakes of Boulder Mountain, but the streams that flow from this mountain hold plenty of browns in the lower reaches. The rocky bottoms and undercut banks of these cold clear streams provide outstanding habitat for Brown trout [Salmo trutta]. Sandstone cliffs line either side of the winding boulder strewn canyons that run from the base of the Aquarius Plateau for many miles, down through the slickrock country of the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, finally reaching their confluence with the Escalante River. Brown trout were first introduced to this area in the 1940's by wildlife officers and sportsmen attempting to bring some diversity to the local fisheries. The first stocking of brown trout fingerlings was in Calf Creek located midway between the towns of Boulder and Escalante on Scenic Byway 12. The brown trout thrived in the little spring fed stream that was a series of small but deep beaver ponds. It was just a matter of time before the trout migrated downstream and into the Escalante River. From there they spread like wildfire, upstream and down, entering all of the cold water tributaries flowing from nearby Boulder Mountain and the Aquarius Plateau.

The streams that flow from the Boulder Mountain and into the Escalante River are very remote in their lower reaches. Hiking to these remote areas with the intent to fly fish for the brown trout there can be a difficult process. Some streams can be reached by hiking over rough boulder and slickrock terrain for 1 - 2 miles one way. The hike to the stream at this relatively short distance, under these conditions can still take as much as 2 hours. This allows for several hours of fly fishing and then it is time to go, as the trip back to your vehicle is usually uphill and an arduous trek on tired legs. Other streams are even more difficult to access, requiring a hike of 3 - 7 miles one way, over very rough country. It is best to plan on camping at least one night or even two to visit these areas. When you plan a trip to these remote streams, it is always wise to consider the possibility of inclement weather and pack the appropriate gear. Waterproof tents are a must have. Sleeping bags, warm clothing, rain jackets and pants, extra food, strong insect repellant, first aid etc.. Don't be caught unprepared without the necessary gear in this rugged country. Once you have made it to your destination, a remote stream in a secluded sandstone canyon far from the highway and any sign of civilization....it's time to fly fish! After hiking through much of the morning, and the time that it takes to setup your camp, there is usually going to be an appropriate amount of time for upstream exploration and casting during the afternoon and evening. After a good night of rest and relaxation you will be ready to go early in the morning and able to fish the entire day without the added weight of your camp on your back.

The trout that you can expect to cast to in these lower elevation streams that empty into the Escalante River will almost certainly be brown trout. Rainbows and occasionally even cutthroats have made their way downstream into these lower canyons. And so these other species of trout are sometimes caught in the deeper holes, but not very often. The water temperature at this elevation is just not suitable for rainbows and cutthroats in the warmer months. Brown trout will tolerate the warmer water a little more....up to a point.

The Escalante River for all intents and purposes looks like the ideal trout stream. There are beautiful flat riffles that run into deep pools on every bend. Undercut banks with overhanging trees, log jams, boulders and sandstone cliffs are everywhere. Hiking in this river corridor is very strenuous if you try to navigate along the banks. Since cattle grazing has been virtually eliminated in the river bottoms, the riparian is so thick you have to walk in the river whenever possible! The insect hatches are fantastic, with March Brown mayflies and clouds of Little Yellow stoneflies starting off the season in late March and early April. Various caddis and mayfly hatches occur daily throughout the Summer and Fall. However, all of this cannot help the trout to flourish in this seemingly perfect stream. During July and August the water temperature averages 70 degrees or more.

Water this warm won't support wild trout, even browns. The tributaries that flow from the Boulder Mountain are much cooler and will hold healthy populations of wild trout year round. As you progress upstream into these smaller streams, you will begin seeing more trout in the riffles and pools.

Brown trout are really quite versatile in their feeding habits. Once they mature, they will eat, or attempt to eat anything that they see in the water column. Big browns have big teeth!

This includes invertebrates, terrestrial insects of all types and sizes, salamanders, frogs, snakes, lizards, minnows of all species, even mice or young birds that happen to fall into the stream. Not much drifts unnoticed past a big brown laying up under the bank, including your well placed fly! Large terrestrial patterns such as ants, hoppers and cicadas get noticed.

Cicadas are one big bug that most stream anglers overlook. The image above shows the annual cicada as a nymph, which you will rarely encounter as they spend most of their time in burrows, and the leftover case or shell in the center, and the emerged adult on the right. You may not see them along a western stream as much as you will hear them. Whenever you hear that constant buzzing around the riparian of the stream, consider what is making that persistant annoying buzz. Cicadas! These very large bugs are definately getting into the stream as long as you hear them in the trees near the stream. You don't necessarily need to see them to know they are present and that the trout will feed on them readily at any opportunity. So the next time you are fly fishing a stream out west and you hear that unmistakable noise, tie on a cicada pattern and float it along the banks. Big browns love big bugs!

Brown trout in general and especially big brown trout are by nature highly predatory. Browns are more inclined to become piscivorous as they mature than most other trout. When it comes to fly fishing on streams that hold brown trout and possibly other trout that are naturally reproducing, one must consider that the brown trout in this stream are constantly eating each other and any other fish of any species considerably smaller than themselves that they can get their jaws around. In most western streams there is one small indigenous fish that most fly fishers completely overlook. The Mottled Sculpin [Cottus bairdii] is a small benthic fish that rarely exceeds four or five inches in length. This fish can be seen along the shallow edges of most rocky streams in the western U.S. The sculpin eats everything that the trout eats and is in turn readily consumed by all mature trout in the stream at any opportunity.

 
The classic Muddler Minnow streamer shown in the image above opposite the sculpin that it was originally tied to imitate is the perfect choice for the savvy stream angler who wishes to hook a big brown.  On small rocky streams with deeply undercut banks the technique is to shorten your leader considerably ending in a rather stout tippet such as 4X flourocarbon. Cast the fly upstream and across towards the opposite bank and accelerate the drift by whatever means available so that the fly races downstream much faster than the prevailing current past where you suspect the big brown to be holding, which is most likely in the shade and shelter of the undercut bank. The accelerated drift is best accomplished by a downward and downstream sweep of the rod immediately after the fly lands on the water. Another technique for this where a narrow stream does not allow for this sideways sweeping motion is to move the rod upwards just as if you were setting up for a roll cast right after the fly hit’s the water. Both of these movements of the rod will leave you in a sketchy situation where hook setting is concerned. Be sure to keep your hook razor sharp at all times with a diamond hook file and by so doing the trout will usually hook itself by virtue of the violent strike on the muddler. There are innumerable variations of this classic pattern. Keep a good selection in several sizes…think big!  Sizes should include #2, #4, and #6. The biggest muddlers in the fly shop are not too big for a large brown trout!

The structure of the streambeds change considerably as you progress upstream. The gradient is a bit steeper here, with a rocky streambed and less sand. This creates more riffles between pools. The high sandstone cliffs that loom over the stream on both sides in the lower country give way to wide open areas. The riparian also changes, providing more trees along the banks, and less willows. There are still sandstone cliffs and the long slow pools and runs associated with these cliffs along the way, but not as many. Brown trout are everywhere as you wade up the stream.

The mid elevation areas of some of these streams will flow mostly through private property. Under current Utah stream access laws, this restricts access to most anglers. The brown trout continue to be the majority of fish caught here, but are beginning to give way to the rainbow as you move further upstream closer to the Boulder Mountain. The stream is very secluded at this point and as close to pristine as you can get. Very few fly fishers ever get the opportunity to walk and wade in a fine trout stream like this with no other anglers. Boulder provides that special setting for this unusual phenomenon to occur. Rarely do you ever encounter another angler while fly fishing a secluded stream on Boulder Mountain.

These waters are managed as wild trout only. This means that no fish are stocked. The wild browns are totally self-sustaining and receive no food other than their natural diet of insects etc.. They are not pressured by anglers very often in these streams. Consequently, they will readily take your fly. They will often aggressively chase a fly downstream as it drifts, finally grabbing it right at your feet! The wild brown trout that inhabit some of the private ponds around the town of Boulder are not as easy to hook, however. The water is crystal clear and these fish are wary. However, they will always rise to a dry fly or take a nymph with a decent presentation.

Your guide will help you with your cast so that you can learn to accomplish this. If you have never fly fished, there is no better place to get started, than a still water setting where you can learn to cast and quite possibly hook and land a trophy wild brown trout on your first fly fishing trip. The 2012 fly fishing season for trophy quality browns begins in April, and there are still many quality brown trout fisheries in the area, for those who know where to look! If you would like to book a guided trip to fly fish for beautiful wild brown trout this season, keep in mind that space is definitely limited and plan on booking early.

Contact Us soon to make your reservation for the 2012 season.

Call Steve Stoner at 1- 435-335-7306 Your call will always be returned 

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