Around the Southwest:Thistle Creek, UT
By Bryan Anglerson

unintended impoundment.
Today, 35 years later, Thistle Creek is fully recovered from its year-long inundation, flowing naturally for 10 miles northward from Birdseye to the Thistle ghost town at the landslide site. The creek’s abundant brown trout are easily accessible from US Route 89, which parallels the entire length of the short stream. Although there are a few posted private sections (I unwittingly fished into a private ranch and was kicked off politely), the majority of the creek is either public or accessible because of walk-in-access agreements with landowners, and there are numerous fence ladders and designated access points.
Willows can be thick, but beavers keep the river corridor pruned enough to be passable. Beavers also provide woody dams and fishy structure. Although the creek flows straight in a few sections, generally, it is a winding string of deep runs below fecund riffles. Brown trout stack up in these holes that provide all they need for cover and food. Catching two or three 10- to 13-inch trout from each hole is not unusual.
Upstream (south) of a small collection of ranches called Birdseye, Thistle Creek begins as a tiny unfishable trickle.

dam site.
All the usual freestone insects crawl around the creek bed, but I rarely need anything more than utility flies for prospecting, such as parachute-style duns in gray or tan, small Prince Nymphs, and Higa’s SOS. In the fall, hoppers drive the brown trout crazy.
Thistle Creek is open all year and fishes well in all seasons. On a recent hatchless day in early March, I was nymphing with a brace of flies under a small yarn indicator, and some of the browns would inspect or strike at my indicator. After one brown chomped solidly onto my yarn ball and bent my rod momentarily, I switched to a bushy dry fly; but, alas, I could not match whatever bug the trout thought my yellow yarn was imitating. I rerigged with a heavy Prince Nymph and a Higa’s SOS and contentedly resumed hooking 10- to 12-inch browns from the deepest holes. The depth of holes varies enough that I have decided to use my Euro-nymphing rig (long rod, long thin leader, and no floating indicator, but rather a colored monofilament indicator) next time to probe the depths better.
Any time of year, Thistle Creek is a reliable fishery and is a quick-and-easy half-day destination for anglers along the
Wasatch Front.