Utah Fly Fishing Tournament Photographs, November Results & December Tournament Registration

Year Round Fly Fishing tournaments in Utah, Dove Creek West At Hogan Ranch

A Premier Spring Creek Trout Fly Fishing Location November 2009 Tournament Results

Photo 6 Lb. Tiger Trout Caught At Tournament

Saturday November 21, 2009 was a perfect day for late fall trophy trout fly fishing in Northern Utah. We had all of the elements necessary for the perfect fly fishing contest: over cast skies, a slight wind, cold, but not too cold. We had assembled some great teams hailing from different cities throughout Utah (including Bountiful, Tooele, Tooele county, Davis County, Utah County, Summit County to mention a few) for this competition fall fly fishing tournament. All the teams were anticipating hooking up with some incredible trophy tiger trout and rainbow trout. The tiger trout and rainbow trout were ready for a fight and already putting on the winter feed bag to beef up for the coming season! Our teams would not be disappointed! This is the best fly fishing than can be found in Utah.

Photo Rainbow Trout In Spawn Colors Caught At Tournament

The Absolute Best Location In Utah For Rainbow & Tiger Trout Fly Fishing.

The location couldn’t have been better; a spring creek located on a 10,000 acre family ranch in Tooele County, Utah that bubbles up from a free flowing artesian well located about 200 yards from a large kidney shaped pond. The pond looks more like a river basin than a pond; complete with an outlet to keep the water clear and moving. This meandering water is full of t natural habitat for the abundant insect population which provides year round dining for the trout. The waters never freeze over in winter so there is never a winter kill to the fish so they grow big and fat all year long. This is anglers’ fly fishing paradise where we fly fish all year round for big trophy tiger and rainbow trout. To give you an indication of what kind of food was available for the trout; Fenwick dredged up a large handful of green “salad” from the deeper reaches of the pond. He shook out the plant on our table. We were all astounded at the hundreds of freshwater shrimp (scuds), sow bugs, damsel nymphs and other critters wriggling on the table top. No wonder the trout continue to grow bigger and bigger!

Photo Team Dave & Carmen With Trophy Rainbow Trout Caught During November Fly Fishing Tournament Dove Creek West @ Hogan Ranch In Tooele County, Utah.

The Trout Are Big Aggressive & Hungry

The rainbows and tigers are in full spawning colors this time of year and aggressive while they prepare to spawn. They are eating everything in sight; preparing for the onset of winter. All of the fish came in over 3 pounds with an overall average girth of 11 inches – that is what we have learned to expect here at Dove Creek West @ Hogan ranch and today was no exception. Teams Were Ready For the Challenge

The morning began with teams selecting their starting positions on the water. Each team would fish for 30 minutes; safely netting their catch, measuring the overall length and girth and then releasing the trophy before resuming fishing. Officials circulated around the water assisting the teams in netting, measuring, weighing, photographing and releasing these beauties. The fish were aggressive and required patience and skill to get them into the net - usually taking 10-15 minutes of fight before they were ready to be netted. “They are hitting like Tarpon” exclaimed one competitor as he hooked up with a large female tiger trout that was heading south to Mexico to try and get away. There were a few humorous moments as we watched one angler after another “chase” a running fish along the bank! Between strength and very sharp teeth, the fish were quite capable of breaking off. It seemed like there would be a short lull and then one, two or more fishermen would yell “Fish On!”

Winners Were Announced

Once the quarry became visible, the anglers were shocked by the beauty, size and strength of the fish. Their exclamations of; “Look at the size of that fish” and “What a beauty!” Contrasted with a mild cuss word if the fish was lost. Then the angler would quickly rig up again and get right back to the business at hand: hooking, landing, measuring and reviving theses exceptional examples of the trout family. “This is the best fly fishing in Park City, Heber, Ogden, Logan, Tooele, Ogden or Salt Lake City exclaimed one competitor”!

Photo Winning Team Kevin From Highland Utah With Therin From Tooele County Net A Nice Rainbow Trout During Fly Fishing Tournament Near Salt Lake City, Utah.

Regular breaks for hot cider and rest kept us all excited as we anticipated getting to the next station. Then we enjoyed a sensational lunch of smoked hot dogs and hamburgers cooked on Hals BBQ. Thanks to Hal for his exceptional cooking and hospitality.

Finally, we stopped, the catch statistics were tallied and the winners were declared. Team, Therin from Tooele County and his team mate Kevin, from Highland Utah, took the first place prize and were awarded fabulous William Joseph Fly Fishing Packs and everyone else got something to take home.

Fish Of A 1,000 Casts Were Recorded

But the real prize was the fishing. One of our experienced anglers said: “What you have here is completely different than the other private waters I have fished. These fish have abundant natural food and do not depend on fish pellet feed for food, so these fish take skill and cunning to catch and when you do hook one, they can give you the fight of your life.” Several anglers logged catching the biggest rainbow trout or tiger trout of their life so, while the fishing was exceptional, it took skill to hook and land them. Every team caught fish and while we congratulate the winners, each fisherman took home memories which will last a lifetime.

Dove Creek West At Hogan Ranch Is Proud To Announce The December 2009 Invitational Fly Fishing Tournament Open To The General Public. Registration For The December tournament is for teams or individuals who will be placed on a two person team the morning of the event.

Our December 2009 Utah Fly Fishing Team Tournament Will Be Open To The General Public.

Application information, contest photographs and tournament details for enrollment is available on our website: http://trophytroutschool.com