Fly Fishing East Fork Virgin River - Glendale

Overview

The East Fork of the Virgin River flows through Long Valley near Glendale and Orderville in southern Utah. Red-rock canyon walls and cottonwoods frame its smaller pools and runs. Brown and rainbow trout inhabit this stream, where short casts and close attention to bankside cover suit the narrow feeding lanes.

Small-Stream Fishing

Work the edge of a pool or the softer current behind a rock before extending the cast. A small nymph can reach deeper holding water, while a dry-dropper covers a short run when trout feed higher in the water. Keep the drift in one current seam and adjust depth between lies.

Blue-winged olive and caddis patterns offer mayfly and caddis options, with pale morning duns adding another small dry-fly choice when those insects are present. Hoppers and ants can cover bankside feeding lanes in warmer weather. A small scud pattern is another subsurface option; choose it in response to what you observe rather than assuming a particular hatch throughout the valley.