Middle Provo Small-Fly Guide

On the Middle Provo, begin with Rainbow Sow Bug #18 and Zebra Midge - Black, Silver Bead, #20 or #22 when fish are not repeatedly rising. Adjust drift and depth first. When feeding moves toward the surface, consider a small emerger, Mother Shucker #22 or Griffith Gnat #22, guided by what you observe.

Quick answer from Floating Feather: Start below the surface with a sowbug and small midge. Fish one reachable lane carefully, then adjust depth before changing patterns. Repeated rises, visible insects and drifting shucks can justify an emerger or dry. Small flies matter here, but the smallest fly is not always the answer.

Know which Provo you are fishing

This guide concerns the Middle Provo between Jordanelle Dam and Deer Creek Reservoir. The Provo River Restoration Project identifies that reach and provides an official corridor-access map. Use designated access and respect posted boundaries; a river photograph or fishing report is not permission to cross an adjacent property.

Middle and Lower Provo advice is often discussed together, but a hatch observation below Deer Creek is not automatically an observation on the Middle. Read the section name and date before using a report. Check the current Utah fishing guidebook and updates for your exact destination.

For trip planning, use the Middle Provo hatch calendar, access and dated conditions.

The practical question is not simply which tiny fly to buy. It is which food profile to present, where in the water to present it, and whether your drift reaches the fish without unwanted tension.

Use local reports as clues, not appointments

Trout Bum 2's September 12, 2026 report lists #18–22 sowbugs and #22–26 subsurface midges while also describing PMD activity. A small-fly approach was one option among overlapping foods, not the whole autumn menu. Read the September report.

A different seasonal example comes from guide Jeremy Allan. His March 16, 2025 entry describes morning fishing with #24–26 midges followed by rising fish and Mother Shucker fishing. The useful lesson is the change in feeding level; the clock time and fly size should not become permanent rules. Jeremy Allan's winter report.

Trout Bum 2's March 9, 2026 report calls buffalo-midge timing inconsistent and lists #18–20 midge dries. Those are larger surface options than this selection's #22 dries; its #22–26 subsurface recommendation serves a different role. Read the March report.

A selection ending at #24 does not contain #26, and a #22 surface fly may not match a larger natural. Observe before deciding that a refusal requires an even smaller fly.

Learn the jobs of these eight combinations

These are exact flies and sizes to compare for the small-food roles in this guide. The two Zebra rows use the Silver Bead option on Zebra Midge - Black. Other rows without a listed color do not have a separate color choice in this selection.

Keep the stages distinct

Sowbugs are aquatic crustaceans, not another stage of a midge or mayfly. Utah State University's identification key places them among the isopods.

Top Secret Midge is a pupa pattern. Fly Fish Food's tutorial describes fishing it nearer the surface or dead-drifting it on a nymph rig; its name does not require you to fish it only in the film. Top Secret Midge tutorial.

RS2 Emerger has a broader role. Umpqua emphasizes its emerging-baetis origin, while Orvis discusses both midge and mayfly uses at several levels. Those descriptions support testing a sparse emerger profile, not calling Black #22 a perfect match for every BWO or midge. Umpqua RS2, Orvis RS2 explanation.

Mother Shucker belongs among the surface options here. Fly Fish Food teaches it as a midge dry, while Orvis describes the Griffith's Gnat pattern as useful for midges and clusters. Choose between the two by the profile and presentation you want to test. Mother Shucker tutorial, Griffith's Gnat explanation.

Start below the surface when rises are absent

Choose a short lane you can reach without wading through it. Look for a manageable seam or run where you can follow an indicator without dragging it across several competing currents. Watch first for fish shifting position, flashes or repeated surface disturbances.

For a three-foot-deep run, the following is a concrete starting rig. The measurements are along the assembled leader, not guaranteed underwater depths.

1. Connect floating line to a 9-foot tapered 5X leader using the factory loops.
2. Add 24 finished inches of 5X with a double surgeon's knot. Tie Rainbow Sow Bug #18 to its end with a five-turn improved clinch.
3. From the sowbug's bare hook bend, attach 18 finished inches of 6X with a five-turn improved clinch. Tie Zebra Midge - Black, Silver Bead, #22 to the lower end with a six-turn improved clinch. #20 is the alternate starting midge.
4. Place an adjustable indicator 54 inches above the lower fly along the rig: 36 inches above the sowbug and 12 inches above the leader-extension junction.

Use nominal 0.006-inch 5X and 0.005-inch 6X, checking your spools. Diameter labels are not a universal breaking-strength promise. Orvis tippet chart.

Leave extra raw tippet for tying, wet and seat knots, and pull-test the bend connection. If it can slide off that particular hook, use a suitable alternate attachment rather than trusting it. Keep the hook point and gap clear.

Let the drift determine the next adjustment

Give the flies time to settle upstream of the target. Make a small, early mend if needed and follow the indicator without towing it. An unexplained pause or sideways movement deserves a smooth lift to come tight. Repeated stops in the same spot can be bottom contact.

An indicator distance is a starting setting. Current angles the rig, so 54 inches of separation does not put the lower fly 54 inches down. Orvis's indicator-rig lesson explains that relationship.

Start without shot where the flies reach the intended layer. If additional weight is needed after improving the drift, one optional adjustment is one 0.10 g non-lead removable shot, 12 inches above the sowbug on the 5X extension. Keep it off the knot and inspect the tippet after moving it. This is an adjustment example, not a measured requirement for the river. The indicator must support the actual rig.

Change levels when the fish give you a reason

A bulge without an obvious nose break can suggest feeding close below the surface. Repeated nose breaks, visible tiny adults or clusters, and drifting empty shucks add evidence for a surface presentation. None of those signs identifies a species or stage with certainty on its own.

If the fish are still taking below the surface, compare Top Secret Midge #22 or #24 at that level instead of simply exchanging one deeply fished fly for another. Black RS2 Emerger #22 is another candidate when the observed profile fits. Remove unnecessary weight as the intended feeding layer rises.

When the evidence favors a small surface offering, switch to a single Griffith Gnat #22 or Mother Shucker #22. Leave the indicator and shot off this presentation. The small surface fly is not being asked to suspend the two-nymph rig.

A simple surface rig

Connect floating line to a 9-foot tapered 5X leader. Add 24 finished inches of 6X nylon with a double surgeon's knot and tie on Griffith Gnat #22 with a six-turn improved clinch. The nominal finished leader is 11 feet. Mother Shucker #22 replaces the Gnat on the same connection; they are alternatives, not a tandem.

Present upstream of the observed feeding lane with enough slack to delay drag, while retaining useful contact. Follow the fly's expected path rather than making a long cast you cannot read. Use treatment appropriate to the actual fly materials, dry a wet fly before applying more floatant, and replace a specimen that will not fish properly.

If the fish rises elsewhere while your fly drifts past, first question the lane and timing. If it tracks your fly then turns away, check for drag and inspect the natural before changing size or profile.

Troubleshoot in a useful order

1. Inspect. Clear weed, untangle the dropper and check knots and hook points. Tiny flies are easy to foul without noticing.
2. Improve the path. Shorten the cast or change position to remove a cross-current pull. A different fly cannot correct a poor lane.
3. Adjust the level. Move the indicator in six- to twelve-inch steps, or change sink time. Move it closer to the flies when repeated snagging indicates excessive depth.
4. Reconsider weight. Add only what the presentation needs; remove excess. If the rig will not cast or drift controllably, choose a gentler lane or a different setup.
5. Compare size or profile. Test Zebra #20 against #22, or change to a pupa/emerger for an observed reason. Smaller is not automatically better.
6. Reassess the water. After several usable drifts and a deliberate adjustment, try another reachable lane instead of repeatedly covering an unresponsive fish.

Keep 6X in perspective. It is part of these small-fly constructions, not a command to use the thinnest tippet available. Inspect damaged sections and correct drag before assuming a finer diameter is the solution.

Keep the selection's limits clear

Choose the exact patterns and sizes in the table above for the roles you need. Start with Zebra Midge - Black, Silver Bead #20 when that profile fits the situation, then compare a smaller midge, an emerger or a sowbug on purpose. Keep the small surface flies separate from the subsurface rig. Check each listing for the selected size and current availability.

These examples are not a complete PMD, caddis, terrestrial or streamer selection, or every winter midge size. Use them when those small-food roles fit the observations. If another hatch is clearly driving the fishing, match that situation rather than forcing one of these small-food examples to do a different job.

Frequently asked questions

What should I start with on the Middle Provo when nothing is rising?

Try Rainbow Sow Bug #18 with Zebra Midge - Black, Silver Bead, #20 or #22 in a reachable subsurface lane. Give the flies time to settle and correct drag and depth before cycling through patterns. This is a starting choice, not a guarantee for every season or reach.

Do I always need the smallest midge?

No. Compare the natural's size and profile with your fly, and check presentation first. Top Secret Midge #24 provides a smaller option, but this selection does not contain #26 or every larger midge. A smaller hook cannot correct the wrong feeding level or a dragging drift.

When should I switch to Mother Shucker or Griffith Gnat?

Consider Mother Shucker #22 or Griffith Gnat #22 when repeated rises and visible small midges or clusters support a surface presentation. Fish one as a single fly on the surface rig. A rise form alone does not prove which insect or stage a trout is taking.

Do these small-fly examples cover all Provo hatches?

No. These examples focus on Middle Provo midges, sowbugs and small emerger or surface opportunities. Other seasons, larger insects, caddis activity or streamer fishing may require additional patterns. The Middle and Lower Provo also deserve separate observations.

Keep learning

• What Should I Fish When Nothing Is Hatching?
• Trout Are Rising but Refusing My Fly
• Identify the Flies in Your Box

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