Top 5 Utah Rivers Fishing This Week | July 2026

The Kingston Canyon is currently flowing at 20 cfs (normal) with a falling trend. Flows are fishable today. The Verdict: Excellent Conditions This week’s forecast shows temperatures ranging from 72-90°F. Calm winds support dry fly presentations.

Insect Activity: Golden stoneflies are the main event on Kingston Canyon right now, with adults crawling along rocks and taking short flights from late morning through the afternoon — watch for fish keying on size #8-10 Pat’s Rubber Legs and Kaufmann’s Stones drifted through the pockets below boulders. Afternoon thunderstorms are building mid-week, which can push terrestrials like ants and beetles off the canyon walls and trigger opportunistic feeding, so keep a Parachute Ant or Foam Beetle #16-18 clipped to your vest as a change-up. With golden stones on deck and July grasshoppers just starting to appear, a Chubby Chernobyl or Hippie Stomper pulled through slower seams is producing explosive takes.

Where to Fish: At 20 cfs, Kingston Canyon is running at the low end of its normal range — water is gin-clear, so long leaders (12-14 feet), fine tippet (5X or 6X), and careful approaches are non-negotiable. Focus on the compressed pools below canyon narrows and the transition zones where fast riffles break into slower, deeper runs, where trout stack up to intercept drifting food with minimal energy expenditure. Fish early before midday heat sets in — temperatures are pushing into the mid-90s this week, and cutthroat and browns will slide to shaded undercut banks by early afternoon.

Gear Tip: Start with a two-fly nymph rig and a yarn indicator early. Shift to dry fly or dry-dropper during hatch windows. A 9-foot 5X leader with light tippet keeps the rig natural in these flows.

Presentation: Start shallow, then add weight or depth as you move into deeper runs and pockets. Use longer drifts to cover tailouts and seam water.

Regulations: General Utah regulations apply.

The Sevier River – Upper Hatch is currently flowing at 43 cfs (normal) with a stable trend. Flows are fishable today. The Verdict: Excellent Conditions This week’s forecast shows temperatures ranging from 71-89°F. Calm winds make indicator nymphing more effective.

Insect Activity: The Sevier Upper Hatch is in pure terrestrial mode right now — no dominant insect hatch is driving surface activity, but July is grasshopper season in southern Utah and the trout know it. Thunder Thighs Hopper and Chubby Chernobyl in tan or gold are the standout patterns, fished along grassy banks where hoppers congregate in the morning heat. Caddis are the dependable backup: Elk Hair Caddis #14 in brown or tan and LaFontaine’s Sparkle Pupa #16 fish all day, with a slight uptick in action when afternoon clouds build, so rig a hopper-dropper with an Elk Hair on top and a LaFontaine’s pupa 18 inches below.

Where to Fish: Flowing at 43 cfs — squarely in the productive mid-range of the 40-150 cfs normal band — the Sevier runs with moderate speed and excellent visibility, making it ideal for sight-fishing from the bank before wading in. The productive water here is the flat, meadow-style riffles and slow-water runs flanked by cut banks: cast the hopper tight to the overhanging grass and let it drift naturally before adding a subtle twitch. With afternoon storms becoming more likely later in the week, plan to fish the prime 7 a.m. to noon window on days when the forecast shows clear mornings.

Gear Tip: Start with a streamer rig in softer edges. Switch to a two-fly nymph rig and a yarn indicator as flows settle. A 9-foot 5X leader with light tippet keeps the rig natural in these flows.

Presentation: Start shallow, then add weight or depth as you move into deeper runs and pockets. Use longer drifts to cover tailouts and seam water.

Regulations: Standard UDWR fishing regulations apply. Valid fishing license required. See https://wildlife.utah.gov/fishing.

The Upper Bear River is currently flowing at 80 cfs (normal) with a falling trend. Flows are fishable today. The Verdict: Excellent Conditions This week’s forecast shows temperatures ranging from 69-87°F. Calm winds support dry fly presentations.

Insect Activity: The Upper Bear is firing on two hatches simultaneously: Brachycentrus caddis are hitting their mid-summer peak, with egg-laying flights in the late afternoon bringing fish to the surface, while golden stoneflies are still emerging from the rocks as flows recede. Start your day with a Pat’s Rubber Legs #10 or Kaufmann’s Stone #8 dead-drifted through riffles, then switch to an Elk Hair Caddis #14 or Klinkhammer Special #16 as afternoon activity picks up around 4-6 p.m. Native Bonneville cutthroat are particularly responsive to dry flies, so don’t pass up the chance to throw a size #10 Chubby Chernobyl when caddis are in the air.

Where to Fish: Running at 80 cfs — upper-mid range for the Bear — the river is wading well but pushy in the faster runs, so stick to the knee-deep gravel bars and wade across tail-outs rather than through the main current. Prime lies are below the step-pool cascades where slowing water piles into deeper pools, and along the outside bends where current undercuts the bank; both spots collect drifting caddis and give the resident Bonneville cutthroat a clear sightline upstream. Plan for a full fishing day — the Bear is far enough north that afternoon storms hit later and lighter than the southern Utah rivers this week.

Gear Tip: Start with a two-fly nymph rig and a yarn indicator early. Shift to dry fly or dry-dropper during hatch windows. A 9-foot 5X leader with light tippet keeps the rig natural in these flows.

Presentation: Start shallow, then add weight or depth as you move into deeper runs and pockets. Use longer drifts to cover tailouts and seam water.

Regulations: Bear River proper (downstream from the Idaho state line, including Cutler Reservoir and outlet canals): General Utah regulations apply.

The Upper Logan River is currently flowing at 94 cfs (normal) with a falling trend. Flows are fishable today. The Verdict: Excellent Conditions This week’s forecast shows temperatures ranging from 76-94°F. Calm winds support dry fly presentations.

Insect Activity: The Upper Logan just came off its seasonal closure — it reopened at 6 a.m. on Saturday July 11, the first week of the season for this artificial-only section above Red Banks Campground. Hydropsyche caddis are at peak, filling the air in late afternoon, and golden stoneflies are still trickling off rocks into late July. Lead with an Elk Hair Caddis #14 during afternoon hatches, swap to a Caddis Larva #16 in olive or tan as a dropper during the midday lull, and keep a Kaufmann’s Stone #8 for the deeper pocket water where fresh trout have yet to see an artificial.

Where to Fish: At 94 cfs the Upper Logan is flowing at normal summer levels with excellent clarity and comfortable wading through the canyon corridor. This section has been closed since January, so fish haven’t seen an artificial in months — use that edge by fishing attractor dry flies aggressively. Prime water is the riffle-to-pool transitions and soft seams along canyon walls, where trout hold out of the current and tip up to caddis in the film. The forecast is remarkably stable compared to the rest of Utah — mostly sunny with minimal storm threat — so full-day sessions are very realistic.

Gear Tip: Start with a two-fly nymph rig and a yarn indicator early. Shift to dry fly or dry-dropper during hatch windows. A 9-foot 5X leader with light tippet keeps the rig natural in these flows.

Presentation: Start shallow, then add weight or depth as you move into deeper runs and pockets. Use longer drifts to cover tailouts and seam water.

Regulations: Artificial flies & lures only

The Lower Logan River is currently flowing at 94 cfs (normal) with a falling trend. Flows are fishable today. The Verdict: Excellent Conditions This week’s forecast shows temperatures ranging from 75-93°F. Calm winds support dry fly presentations.

Insect Activity: Golden stoneflies are the headline bug on the Lower Logan this week, with adults sprawled across rocks and drifting in the surface film through the canyon section. Size #8 Pat’s Rubber Legs in yellow-brown or coffee and Kaufmann’s Stones in golden are the nymph anchors, but the dry fly action overhead is equally compelling: a Chubby Chernobyl or Hippie Stomper #10-12 skated through the slower runs has been drawing fish up all week. PMDs and caddis round out the picture — keep a Parachute PMD #16 and a Sparkle Dun #18 ready for the mid-morning PMD window, which can be surprisingly productive in the Lower Logan’s longer pool sections.

Where to Fish: The Lower Logan runs from Card Canyon Bridge up to Red Banks Campground through a spectacular limestone canyon, with big tailout pools, mid-river boulders, and deep corner runs that hold trout to 16 inches. At 94 cfs it’s flowing at an ideal wade-fishing level — enough current to keep fish comfortable and in predictable lies without blowing out the seams. Fish the deep, compressed slots along canyon walls with a stonefly nymph rig in the morning, then drop to a hopper-dropper setup through the flatter runs from late morning through early afternoon. Weather here is the calmest of all five rivers this week — barely a 15-17% storm chance — so you can count on stable, fishable conditions all day.

Gear Tip: Start with a two-fly nymph rig and a yarn indicator early. Shift to dry fly or dry-dropper during hatch windows. A 9-foot 5X leader with light tippet keeps the rig natural in these flows.

Presentation: Start shallow, then add weight or depth as you move into deeper runs and pockets. Use longer drifts to cover tailouts and seam water.

Regulations: Artificial flies & lures only