Within moments of William Manhart beginning to demonstrate the basics of fly fishing early Sunday morning, he hooked a trout.
He’d barely begun to explain the terminology used for the different components of the rod and how to properly cast and recast the line when a relatively small brown fish saw his hand-tied fly and decided it would make a decent breakfast.
The unforeseen catch fit seamlessly into the explanation Manhart was giving as he switched from discussing casting to bringing the fish in.
Manhart, a co-owner of Heber Valley’s Local Waters Guide Service, is no stranger to catching fish or helping others do it. He and his Sunday morning group — consisting of his friends Taylor Matkins and Abby Laukka — allowed a reporter to tag along and document their voyage on the Provo River to learn more about Wasatch County fishing.
After hooking the fish, he handed the pole off to Laukka, and began talking her through how to reel it.
“If we want to fight a fish, this is what we’re going to do,” he said. “You’re going to keep that rod tip up high and bent, and then you can go ahead and reel, so start reeling in.”
As the fish was reeled in closer, he explained that had the catch been bigger, the process could involve releasing more line for the fish to play with before eventually capturing the creature in his net.
“Brown trout make up about 95% of what we catch in here,” he said after congratulating Laukka. “There are also some white fish and then there’s also rainbow trout.”
Brown trout, he further explained, can be identified by their “little red spotting, and that dark spotting on top.”
He knew to set the hook — give the pole a slight move to the right — when he saw the indicator sink beneath the surface of the river. Left to its own devices, he said, the fish could likely get away from the hook before being caught.
Though the trout was only about 8 inches long, he explained that it was only slightly shorter than the size of what he typically sees getting caught in The Provo River — fish about 10-14 inches long.
His explanation-turned-demonstration lasted less than 10 minutes before he pointed out good locations in the river bend to Laukka and Matkins and said he would be happy to answer any more questions as they arose.
Manhart has a resume that sounds like The Beach Boys and Bob Dylan collaborated on it. Originally from a small town in New Jersey, he’s worked as a raft guide in Colorado, been employed at a resort in the Florida Keys, lived in the Virgin Islands for what he said was a “season” and in Virginia for a short period he described as “a cup of coffee.”
“Out here, it’s like this is the full-time have-the-mortgage, have-the-child, pay-the-taxes, raise-the-kid kind of home style,” he said.
This is Manhart’s ninth year working as a fishing guide in Heber City. In the local industry, he explained, “everybody works for everybody at some point.”
“It’s just kind of, fill up your dance card, stay busy,” he said. “After a while, you’re like, aw, shoot, we might go off and do our own thing, and when you do your own thing you’re able to hopefully carve out a little bit of a living.”
While interest is considerably seasonal, he said he can take clients fishing throughout most of the year.
Still, he is busiest in the summer, and has had occasions when he’s gone out over 30 days in a row while trying to meet the demands of the season, though he averages six consecutive days before getting a break. Some days he takes two trips, and some days his sole trip will last the whole day. It’s hard balancing such a massive workload and spending time with his three kids, he said, but it’s a balance he works to pursue.
Though neither Matkins nor Laukka were very experienced fly fishers, it wasn’t long after Manhart handed them their poles that they were catching several trout, many larger than the initial catch. From their success grew competitiveness and from that a score was kept, the engaged couple trying to outdo each other and catch fish in any area where their partner had failed to do so.
Matkins and Laukka opted to return their catches to the river, as most groups do according to Manhart. On occasion though, he’ll meet a client who prefers to eat what they catch.
“I just don’t like the way trout tastes,” he said. “I don’t want to keep fish. I’ll throw them all back, catch them tomorrow.”
Though the fish in the Provo River are relatively small compared to those caught in some other fishing locations, Manhart explained that it’s still OK to keep and eat some of them, and the practice likely cultivates larger fish.
This is because each portion of river can only support a certain amount of fish, he said, but that amount is more accurately measured in weight than the number of creatures. Thus, Manhart explained, the Provo River has many smaller fish compared to locations like the Weber River, which he said has fewer, larger fish.
Manhart led the group to a handful of different runs, each time explaining the merits of the location.
He knew each bend of the river — which locations were more likely to yield catches, which sections were likely to be occupied by other fishers and which areas of the river were best to cross. Several times, he guided the group through water that reached to their chests, relying on the waders he provided to keep the frigid river from permeating through clothes and ruining a morning.
Each time he takes a group out, he said, he tailors the experience to them.
“Before trips, I’m able to reach out to people and be like, ‘Hey, so what do you want to get out of the day?'” he said. “Some people are like ‘we just got this rod for Christmas, or I just want to get into it.'”
In such cases, he explained he’ll take additional time to help people set up their gear and ensure they understand the steps and processes.
Still, if people are curious and not ready to foot the bill for a guide, Manhart said there are plenty of good online resources that teach the basics, and plenty of fly shops — such as Fish Heads Fly Shop, in Heber City — that are willing to help people understand what they need.
He recommended that those looking to get into the sport purchase the cheapest rod they can find with a warranty. When purchasing a fly line, he said, he would recommend looking for something of better quality.
Manhart frequents several locations, depending on what he would like to catch, where his clients have been before and what kinds of things they hope to accomplish.
“The nice thing about the Provo and the Weber are there are four distinct sections between the two,” he said. “It kind of gives us four different rivers.”
For longer trips, he said there are great rivers in the Uinta Mountains.
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Summertime on the Provo River and — with the right guide — the fish are jumping - The Park Record
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