Though some anglers frown at the thought of hooking these spawners, if handled delicately, they do just fine.

MIDDLE PROVO
The middle Provo is a tailwater that stands in stark contrast to its brother to the north. As it flows south between Jordanelle Reservoir and Deer Creek Lake, it offers more than 10 miles of excellent public access, and this is where you’ll find some of the best public angling.

If you haven’t been there in a few years, and you’re looking to fish a completely new stretch of river, then the middle is for you.

In 1999, the Utah Reclamation Mitigation and Conservation Commission embarked on a huge project. Its goal was to put the river back in its original channel. It took eight years of backbreaking work and more than $30 million, but the end result is a much better trout river. Side channels, braids, ponds and streamside vegetation are just some of the many aquatic features that were added to foster a healthier fishery.

Add this to the many riffles, runs and pools, and you have a fishery worthy of its Blue Ribbon status.

“From bend to bend, the middle Provo is an angler’s playground,” said Ryan Bunnell, general manager of Four Season Fly Fishers. “There isn’t a boulder, riffle or pool that doesn’t hold a good trout.”

Bunnell’s shop books about 500 trips a year on the Provo. After talking with him at length, it becomes obvious that he’s passionate about this stretch of river. He said the middle Provo is an incredible, diverse fishery -- and that every flyfisher should fish it at least once.

One of the fruits of the restoration project is the renewed dry-fly fishing.

According to Bunnell of Four Seasons Fly Fishers, anglers are seeing better hatches of BWO, PMD, green drakes, stoneflies and more. The trout, as well as the anglers, are taking advantage of it.

“There are days when they seem to be looking up all day,” he said.

Bunnell said the trout that swim here average between 12 to 14 inches, and it’s not uncommon for his clients to hook a couple of 18-plus-inchers. But what makes the middle Provo so unique is that it provides inexperienced flyfishers an opportunity to catch good numbers of trout -- and head-hunters with an opportunity to hook a trout that will let them see its backing before they can see the fish.

Trout are netted throughout this entire stretch, but some of the more noteworthy areas are Lunker Lane, The Bunny Farm, Charleston and the Cottonwood. For the angler looking to lose some of the crowds, the Interior is another area that offers more than three miles of fishing, with access only at either end -- purposely created so that anglers looking for a little solitude might be able to hike a bit and find some.

Seven vehicle access points are located here, making it very user-friendly.

LOWER PROVO
The most productive water in the lower Provo -- or Provo Canyon, as some refer to it -- starts at Deer Creek Reservoir and continues down to the Olmstead Diversion Dam.

Similar to the middle Provo, the lower is also a tailwater. But it’s different because on average, the lower has more trout per river mile, and they tend to be bigger.