Park City on the Fly

Park City is celebrating 50 years of being, among many things, the “Best Town Ever” as declared by Outside Magazine. Parkites have access to three world-class ski resorts, a 12,000-foot Wasatch range for hiking, biking and climbing and fly-fishing for blue-ribbon brown trout in the high mountain streams.

With only a few days to enjoy fresh-air utopia, I partitioned my time between the slopes and the pristine streams of the Provo River.

Yesterday, I was introduced to a professional husband-wife team who operate a guide service called “On the Fly.” They escorted us to their favorite part of the Provo headwaters – currently undergoing river restoration to bring back the fish habitat.

After a crash course in fly-fishing, the do’s and don’t are many, we dropped lines (actually, it’s called repetitive casting) in a swift-moving bend in the river, no more than a foot deep and 30 feet wide. The morning sun warmed our faces while our waterproof leg gaiters kept us dry.

This sport requires patience, something I sorely lack. It didn’t take long before I abandoned my hook to document the beginners luck that the rest of my friends were enjoying. Susie, the gal who boldly declared she has a fear of fish, caught not one but two brown trout. Marty nabbed a trophy size a few minutes later. And, after fishing the drift for hours, Cathie pulled in a set of numb feet.

A video of the adventure will be posted soon!