"When we're talking about fly fishing, we're talking about many different kinds of fishing. The Brown trout who pokes around the quiet waters of a Maine pond is only distantly related to the giant gravel knockers on the Provo River."
Excerpted from A.J. McClane's "The Practical Fly Fisherman"
Provo River Outfitters is proud to have been chosen to guide Trout Unlimited Television on the scenic and inspiring waters of the Provo River and Strawberry Reservoir. In return, we want to thank host Tim Linehan and the rest of the TUTV crew for their exemplary efforts in producing a show outlining the strength and positive efforts of Trout Unlimited on these, and many other trout waters of Utah. For glimpses of the fantastic footage taken on both Strawberry and the Provo River, please check out our Photo/Video gallery.
The Guides of
PROVO RIVER OUTFITTERS
Dear David,
He is hooked for life on fly-fishing and you can bet we'll be back. I hope the practiced "catch and release policy" continues to preserve the Provo River as the excellent tail water fishery it has become.
Best Regards,
Dr. Roy and Clint Maynard
David,
Just a short note to let you know how much Joe and I enjoyed fishing with you on the Provo and 'Secret Rivers' last week! When Joe did his tally we found that the two of us had hooked over 100 fish in the three days we fished the Provo and your other 'secret' waters.
As you know, when we left you we spent a day on the Green River which I had looked forward to because of the Cicada hatch that was on. We had a very disappointing day as the water flow was up and the river was full of other fishermen. Joe caught an amazing Cutthroat and I ended the day with three fish. The scenery was beautiful, but I couldn't keep my mind off the previous days wishing we had opted for the Provo another day.
What we encountered in fishing with you was just as you had described. The fish were plentiful and healthy. I would venture to say that the average fish we hooked would have been 17" or 18" and ready to put up a fight. 
Your actions and attitude as a guide were appreciated. I have no doubt that you would be an excellent choice as a guide for a novice angler. From an experienced fly fisher I can say that you were more like buddy than a guide to us. You let us do it our way first then made the suggestions that we needed to have an enjoyable trip. Anyone who wants to catch healthy, powerful and obstinate Browns should not look over the Provo River.
If you ever need an endorsement or recommendation please consider me, as I will be happy to accommodate you.
Tight lines and great hatches,
Bill Smitherman
Dalton, GA
I just wanted to take a moment and express my appreciation for the two days as my guide. The Provo was beyond my wildest dreams and delivered a rush, which most fisheries cannot offer. The 24" Brown I hooked on my third cast was unbelievable and offered a twenty-minute challenge like no other. Your insight and encouragement was "dead on" and made for a trip that I'll never forget, but hope to recreate again someday. Just a word to the wise, leave those 12" nets at home and opt. for the 24's instead.
Tight Lines!
Rich Keuss
David,
Sarah and I were elated with our guide's work! He put us on a bunch of big fish and kept the whole day very fun, making sure we were catching some awesome Browns and Rainbows. We also appreciated the effort Scott made to teach us some useful techniques for catching and landing these fish. To sum it up, we had a great day on the Provo, which is a beautiful river.
Garrett & Sarah Growney
"Believe the Brochure"
"I still can't believe it! I expected mediocre fishing in what I thought was an over-fished river. During our day and one-half day of fishing the Provo we caught only beautiful Browns between 18 - 22 inches - and a lot of them. And what fighters! The Provo is one of the finest fisheries I have experienced. Our guides, David and Jesse, know the river and worked their tails off to enable us to catch fish while others in the area 'practiced' their casting. Believe the Brochure. Went to the backing on a Brown, had a double strike (top and bottom flies) landing both Rainbows. "
Ken Roth
Dear David,
I'd like to express my feelings about my recent experience on the Provo River with your outfit. I was in the area attending an industry rendezvous, and decided to explore a new direction in my outdoor experience, fly-fishing. Provo River Outfitters was recommended so I went ahead and signed up for a day on the river. Upon arriving at the meeting area I was astounded to find my guide, Jesse, to be nothing like my idea of a fly fishing instructor. Instead of appearing as a rugged, gray haired veteran of the river, I found myself in the car with a guide who looked like he may be contemplating joining the varsity baseball team, or maybe where to go skateboarding after fishing on the river. The next 5 hours proved to me that a book should not be judged by it's cover. Jesse was a top-notch instructor, patient and very knowledgeable, with the added bonus of an energy level that was constantly high and contagious. At one point, he was showing me the type insects that local trout eat, and spotted something coming downstream (somehow!). He dipped his cupped hand into the river and came up with a dark, tiny leech-looking creature. As he was describing the emerging midge bug he was holding, he suddenly said, "Oh wait, you are going to see something cool", and right then the bug cracked it's carapace and emerged with wings and became a creature of the air. That was magical experience for me, and I have Jesse to thank for his wisdom, camaraderie and timing? not to mention he helped me release a 17 inch dark bellied Brown trout after I gingerly reeled him in after an exciting wrestling match. You are to be commended for attracting and keeping such quality people, the essence of an organization; I will not hesitate to recommend your outfit in the future.
Kenji Haroutunian
David,
I would just like to thank you again for the outstanding trip we had last week. I don't think I have caught so many 20-inchers in one day. It was definitely a spectacular trip on Strawberry Reservoir. Again, thanks for the great fly-fishing experience. I will be happy to recommend your service to everyone.
Timothy J. Metcalf
David,
WOW! That about covers it. What a fantastic time I had Labor Day weekend; an incredible fishing experience!
You, Jesse and the beautiful Provo River provided me with a lifetime memory. I am a novice fly fisherman at best but after a day with the two of you I feel much more confident in my abilities. Thanks for taking the time to teach me some of the finer points of fly-fishing. As for the Provo River, it is an amazing fishery! The trout I caught were some of the largest in my 20 years of trout fishing. The highlight of the day was catching three huge wild Browns in a row on dry flies. The largest was close to 23 inches. I'll never forget the sight of that fish sipping my presentation off the surface, what a huge head! Then I set and held on for the fight of a lifetime. The fish immediately shot out to the fast water, peeling line along the way. After what seemed like an eternity of runs up and down the river, Jesse finally netted the beauty. It's the largest trout I ever caught on a dry, what a great time!
You run a first class operation at Provo River Outfitters. I will be back. Thanks!
Rick Thomas
Dear David and Jesse -
Fishing the Provo with PRO's was, from start to finish, the unexpected highlight of a two-week Western fishing trip! My guide was a "10"? knowledgeable, pleasant, punctual, and willing to stay out till long after dark! From start to finish, I can highly recommend PRO's to all - beautiful water, beautiful fish, and excellent, professional service. Thanks! I'll be back soon!
Rhea Topping
Dear Reader, Rhea Topping was the Fly Fishing Federation 1999 Woman of the Year, is a certified Master Casting Instructor for the Fly Fishing Federation, and one of Joan Wulff's regular Instructors. She also owns and operates Mayfly, LLC - a fly-fishing Travel business, and schools. - PROS
Dear PROS,
Just wanted to let you know what a fabulous time we had fly-fishing last week. Our guide was wonderful. Please convey again our thanks to him from Pat & Stan. We had a fabulous time in Utah and are eager to return. Whenever that is, you can be sure we will contact you again for another great day out on the river.
Pat Jackson
Dear PROS,
Finally I have a chance to write you and commend you on our great trip with Provo River outfitters this last July. Mr. Shaver and I as you know have had the great fortune to have fished some of the best water our planet has to offer and have been guided by some top notch services. First the fishing.... After your reports we were a bit dubious but after our 5 days on the Provo, all proved to be true and then some. The quantity of your fish is second to nothing I have ever fished. But the quality of the fish was a knock out! These were genuine 16" to 23" hard fighting Browns and Rainbows, with 40+ fish days easy. I can't remember too may days where by 2 in the afternoon I had caught enough fish and quit! It happened with you. Your guides were always courteous and knew the habits of these fish and where they could be found which resulted in such astounding success. We look forward to fishing with you again this July and would gladly act as a reference for your great operation.
Sincerely
Mitch Bangert
David,
We would just like to thank you for our fishing trip on the Provo yesterday. We caught some of the largest trout we have ever caught in Utah. Also we wanted to thank Jesse for his outstanding guiding. He knew where the fish were and gave us some excellent pointers.
We will definately fish with you again!
Thank You
Mike and Sheila Lafferty-Dickerson
David,
Thanks again for the great day of fly-fishing over Memorial Day weekend. As I said, the first fish I caught was the biggest I had ever caught and I ended up with another 35 or so just like it by the end of the day - truly a great day on the river. And that is saying a lot because I have fished all over New Mexico and Colorado including rivers like the Rio Grande, Arkansas and San Juan. I learned quite a bit with you and had a great time. I will absolutely look you up next time I am in Utah.
Thanks again,
Mick Twomey
Dear David:
I wanted to thank you for arranging the half-day trip with Larry Tullis. He is a truly gifted guide. Within minutes of arriving at the Provo, we were landing trout. He is also a great teacher and I learned much more with him than I ever could have learned on my own.
Thanks:
Keith Watenpaugh
Syracuse NY
David,
Attached below is part of an e-mail that I sent to a friend in New York after the trips.
"Fly fishing in Utah is awesome to say the least. I caught 15 Rainbow and Brown trout today. It was a blast. The guide was most knowledgeable and was very helpful. He showed me all of the bugs and insects the trout eat. I learned more about bugs today than I did in biology. The equipment was top notch. The guide tied all of his own flies, and they were damn good. He showed me the actual bugs that the flies imitated and the imitations themselves and you couldn't tell the difference.
It was all catch and release fishing here. They are beautiful fish, both the wild Browns and Rainbows. The last big Rainbow I caught, I wanted a picture of because it had a one inch red stripe down its side. It was really pretty. But those suckers are slippery and it got away from me
I sent him another note after the second trip on Friday;
"I went again on Friday for 1/2 day and landed 13 more. Most were Brownies, in the range of 15" - 20". The day started out nasty, cold and raining, but eventually went to beautiful blue skies and no wind. Also, the stream was about 10 feet below the surrounding area so the wind would have naturally been less. This time I went with the owner of the company, David Larson. He has guided in Alaska, Patagonia and a lot of other exotic places. It was amazing just to watch him cast.
We have to do this again sometime! Again, it was a great trip and I hope to do it again."
Jim Roberson
David,
We thoroughly enjoyed our 2 days of fishing on the Provo. Your guides were very knowledgeable and put us right on the fish. It was great to be able to fish 3 different sections of the River - each requiring a different technique. Overall, we learned a lot and had a helluva good time. Sundance was amazing and the girls at the Owl Bar were every bit as pretty as the Rainbows and Browns that we reeled-in.
Jeff Githens
David,
I had a great time fishing with PRO's. Scott was a great guide and a good teacher. He could immediately see the fish we were targeting when it took me a couple of minutes even after knowing where to look. He would tell me where to drop the fly and then if the fish didn't take it after several opportunities we would try a different fly. We landed Rainbows, Browns and Cutthroats and arm tiring fights. The biggest netted fish was over 20 inches. (But of course the even bigger one got away.) I have fished (non-fly) for a long time and there is nothing more exciting than seeing a big Brown or Rainbow take the fly you just dropped above him.
Thanks for a great and memorable day.
Brian Westfall
Dear PROS,
I would just like to express my appreciation for the spectacular trip we were able to enjoy with your service. Neither my wife nor myself had ever fly-fished before, but somehow, with your great instruction we were able to learn and start catching fish within the first 15 minutes! The Provo River is truly a beautiful place and we will count the days before our return. And until then, I will never forget the thrill of seeing that monster Brown trout jump into the air at the breath his first screaming run! Thanks again and we indeed look forward to our return to the river.
Sincerely,
Dick Jones
Dear David,
In case you didn't get my voice mail, I just wanted to tell you how much we enjoyed our fishing adventure. It was incredible! I can't believe how great it was. The entire group thoroughly enjoyed themselves & we couldn't quit talking about it when we got back to the office.
Dana Oaks
My Compliments, Sir!
Dear David,
Having just returned from our trip to Utah, I wanted to dash off a quick message to you concerning your services. I cannot explain how much we enjoyed not only the education on fly fishing, but spending time on your fabulous waters. Our guide was a pleasure to meet and he paid close attention to the needs of my son, who couldn't stop talking about our first fly-fishing experience. He was courteous, friendly and a consummate professional. Please accept our best regards and heartfelt appreciation for making our trip a great experience. We'll be back! With gratitude,
Carl Danbury
