We Oughta’ Fish Otter…a Utah flyfishing Outing
By
Chris Taylor
June 3, Stan Houlberg and I met in Panguitch, Utah for our yearly hunt for big Rainbows, Tigers and Cutthroats. We were joined by Stan’s friend, Helmuth, a resident of Arizona.
Tuesday, June 4, we headed to Panguitch Lake, but found the wind blowing 17-22mph across the lake. We decided to launch from the North Boat ramp, which was somewhat protected from the wind. Despite hugging the adjacent bluffs and rocks, Helmuth and I found the wind and waves too much to handle and went in. Stan stubbornly stayed out and landed a 19” Rainbow, on a scud pattern, along with a few smaller Rainbows.
That evening, Stan and I spoke to two fly guys from Phoenix, Arizona, who were interested in fishing at Otter Creek Reservoir. I gave them directions to the best launch area, while Stan, Helmuth and I decided to fish Secret Lake.
The fish were active at Secret Lake. The best fly patterns were Rickard’s Callibaetis and Flashback Hairs Ears. Stan and I both brought 8 Rainbows to the net while Helmuth was able to land 1 Bow.
Thursday, Helmuth had to leave back home. Stan and I were left to our own devices, so hearing rave reviews from the Arizona guys about their fishing success and the Callibaetis hatch that was occurring, we decided to give Otter Creek a shot.
I started with a double Rickard’s Callibaetis set up, while Stan tried a Sparkle Bugger with a Rickard’s trailer. We landed 20+ Rainbows in the 18”-23” range, along with numerous breakoffs or long line releases, due to their screaming runs and aerobatics.
On Friday, we went back to Otter, and again were greeted with hard grabs and wildly leaping fish. Stan managed a 20+ fish day, while I landed 11+ and lost as many. Stan’s largest fish of the day was a 24” Rainbow that took him into his backing!
Saturday, we again attended the Otter Creek Rainbow Rodeo. Both Stan and I had another 20+ fish day! I changed from a Rickard’s to my own bead head
flashback Callibaetis patterns (Michael Peratis demonstrated my 2 versions at the SPFF fly tying class). Stan again used a Rickard’s Callibaetis, along with a Rainbow Warrior and other patterns. Taking a second rod with a floating line, he cast an Adams Parachutes to rising fish, which saw immediate grabs. Anything that simulated a Callibaetis nymph, emerger or adult had aggressive takes.
Sunday, we decided we hadn’t had enough of Otter. We got on the water about 8:30 am, prior to the expected 10 am Mayfly hatch as in previous days. The day ended with 12 landed for Stan, while I managed 8, with both of us experiencing too many losses to count.
It was one of the most remarkable weeks fishing Otter Creek. The fish were bigger and stronger than years past! Stan looked up the weight of an average 18”-23” Rainbow – it was shown to be 5 - 6lbs! We figured that if we landed every fish we hooked, we probably would have netted 30+ fish each!
Our normal focus of Panguitch Lake was pretty much ignored this year. This incredible discovery of “Rainbow Paradise” at Otter Creek was ours alone.