People who tread rocky riverbanks and chilly, fast-running waters to test their skills with the fly rod are after more than fish. The sport heightens their senses.

"Most people enjoy [fly-fishing] because it takes them away from everything," says Jonathan "Harley" Jackson, a guide with the Trout Bum 2 fly-fishing store in Park City, Utah. "It's meditation, in a sense. You're fully involved with the water. You're concentrating on bugs and fish, which is what makes fly-fishing work. You have to be in tune with the environment. And you have to understand the gear, which can be fairly intense."

Park City, home to IMI's Glenwild community, is located in one of the nation's best fly-fishing regions. The world-famous Green River is just three hours away, but some outstanding stretches of water are within a 20-minute drive of downtown.

Building Skills

While proximity to great rivers helps, Jackson says it's the dynamics of fly- fishing that gets people hooked, so to speak. "Every day is different, and that's why it never gets old. You can never master the sport. The variables are endless."

Good fly-fishing involves using the right bait-in this case, dry flies made to replicate insects in the feeding cycles of mountain trout-in conjunction with the right technique. You can have the best technique in the world, but if the fly isn't what the fish are eating, chances are you won't be successful.

Conversely, you can have the right fly, but if you don't know how to make it appealing to the fish- called "presentation"- then there's also a good chance of going home unsuccessful. Plus, you have to battle the fish tactically, Jackson adds.

It's a sport that appeals to those who like a challenge and don't mind failure. It's difficult and demanding, but when a fly-fisherman lands a fish there's a deeper, more meaningful sense of accomplishment. "Landing a fish is a helluva feat," Jackson says.

 

Where the Fish Are

Park City residents have easy access to high-quality, world-renowned fly-fishing. Here's the rundown of the area's five best spots to find brown, rainbow and cutthroat trout.

 

RIVER: Middle Provo River

DISTANCE: 20 minutes

HIGHLIGHTS: Known for its brown trout, the Middle Provo offers blue-ribbon fishing. All fish are wild- not farmed- and accessible year-round, a rarity in the region.

 

RIVER: Lower Provo River

DISTANCE: 45 minutes

HIGHLIGHTS: Offers great brown and rainbow fishing, but its proximity to Provo means the river could get crowded with other anglers.

 

RIVER: Weber River

DISTANCE: 20 minutes

HIGHLIGHTS: If has an excellent caddis hatch, a type of sly that brown and rainbow fish go wild for at certain times of year.

 

RIVER: Current Creek

DISTANCE: 90 minutes

HIGHLIGHTS: Located southeast in the Uinta peaks, where high-elevation cutthroat and brown trout average 13 inches. You can drive right to the river, but it's best to take a 4WD vehicle.

 

RIVER: Green River

DISTANCE: 3 hours

HIGHLIGHTS: This world-famous spot has an estimated 13,000 fish per river mile. Average fish size: 15 inches.