Freestone · Limestone · Utah, US

Blacksmith Fork River

Blacksmith Fork River terrain map

Blacksmith Fork is the Cache Valley companion to the Logan: a smaller limestone canyon river with browns, cutthroat and rainbows, close enough to town to be useful but far enough from the Provo circus to feel local.

Prime · Cutthroat Trout
Parachute Adams · 16–20
Primelive now
About as good as it gets
River steady at a fishable height. On the feed top to bottom — start on the rises with a dry, drop a nymph if they stay down.
90% confidence
What moved it
  • Level1.03 mLast reading 34 min ago
  • Water temp8.6°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Parachute Adams
Parachute Adams16–20
Proven pattern for this period
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
1.03 m
Last reading 34 min ago
Water temp8.6°C
ClarityClear
Weather8°C
WindSW 11 km/h
Pressure1015 hPa
Rain · recent0.2 mm
Rain · ahead0.3 mm

The nearest gauge doesn't record temperatures, so we've estimated it — defer to the river keeper's advice.

Water temperature for Cutthroat Trout
Cool — slow
9°C est.ideal 9–15°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Cutthroat Trout
When
Nymphing can work through most of the day.
Where
Cover mixed depths.
Method
Start with tight-line nymphs and adjust if fish rise or drift higher.
Kit
9 ft #4 rod, floating line, 12 ft tapered leader to 4–5 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
Excellent — conditions well-balanced, with water temperature particularly in your favour.
Likely species
Mayflies
Chironomids
Damselflies & dragonflies
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 9pm

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 7 active hatches hour by hour as a supporter.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 4 guilds as a supporter.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Supporters see what else is on the menu.

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Evidence
Records-basedModerate confidence

Based on species-occurrence records, not local invertebrate surveys.

Through the year
0–3 scale · October highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Brown DunHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Western Green DrakeHatch
2
2
Flav (Small Western Green Drake)Hatch
2
3
2
Mahogany DunHatch
2
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Cutthroat Trout fly box
SD
Sex Dungeon
2–6 · Pattern
Proven pattern for this period
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Verify UDWR current rules, public access and any cutthroat-specific handling guidance before launch.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 1
Logan River
18 km
74
Brown trout · Rainbow trout · Cutthroat trout
About this water

Blacksmith Fork is the Cache Valley companion to the Logan: a smaller limestone canyon river with browns, cutthroat and rainbows, close enough to town to be useful but far enough from the Provo circus to feel local. For a Californian, this is the kind of northern Utah water that works as an add-on to a Logan / Bear Lake / Idaho border trip — dry-dropper pocket water, summer terrestrials, and a chance at native cutthroat handled carefully.

  • Limestone
Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic life: Supporting
  • Recreation: Impaired
What this classification means

Recreation: Bacteria/pathogen advisory — mind wading cuts and immersion.

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'Blacksmith Fork-1' (UT16010203-020_00), 2024 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Fully Supporting. Listed impairment causes: Pathogens. This is a Clean Water Act assessment-unit classification (the US analogue of WFD), not a live reading.

Status is for the Clean Water Act assessment unit covering this reach.

EPA ATTAINS (Clean Water Act) · UT16010203-020_00

The full read · show the working · for Cutthroat Trout · confidence 90%
How the 82 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature93 × 28%26.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity85 × 18%15.3
Feeding Time65 × 13%8.5
Pressure75 × 7%5.3
Insect activity74 × 12%8.9
Conditions total= 82
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
What would change the calculation
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 January → 31 December
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts