Wade · Best fit20/100
Wading is the most sensitive plan today. Use protected edges only, avoid crossings, and downgrade quickly if clarity or current feels wrong.
All Utah reports
Fly fishing report · West
Blacksmith Fork River
Is Blacksmith Fork River worth the trip today? Check flow, weather, hatches, access, and rules for Utah before you go.
See the flow chart ↓Generated artwork: BlueStreamFly · Regional illustration; not the exact location.
Good day to fish?Latest river check
Poor
Not today. Make another plan.
40
Best option: Wade. Wading is the most sensitive plan today. Use protected edges only, avoid crossings, and downgrade quickly if clarity or current feels wrong.
See update time and confidence
Live data checkHighHow much of the live flow, weather, and alert data came back.
Today's callMediumWater temperature not verified; do not use this score to clear warm-water risk.
Score calculated Aug 22, 2026, 8:30 PM MDTUsually checks again about every 45 minutes
Best access methodWade
These scores compare the risks of wading, bank fishing, and floating.
Bank / edgeNot recommended
This report does not recommend bank fishing on this reach.
FloatNot recommended
This report does not recommend floating this reach.
Your plan
Today's Blacksmith Fork River plan.
Blacksmith Fork is most useful to anglers when RiverReports and USGS 10113500 show a stable, readable canyon flow and you are prepared to keep the day inside clearly public water and right-of-way entries. This is not a river for loose private-land assumptions. It is a Blue Ribbon-style trout plan that rewards short, careful wading, close attention to Utah's special rules, and a willingness to walk away when runoff, color, or crowding make the canyon feel small.
- Check first
- Utah's 2026 Fishing Guidebook lists the Blacksmith Fork River from the first SR-101 highway bridge at the canyon mouth to the headwaters as closed from April 15 until 6 a.m. on the second Saturday of July.
- Try
- Start with the canyon rules and flow check before choosing a pull-off, because Blacksmith Fork is a better one-section river than an aimless road-hopping river.
- Leave when
- Skip it during the seasonal closure, on any muddy runoff pulse, when late-season heat leaves the river thin, or when legal access feels uncertain.
Live river check
What the river is doing
Check the latest flow and weather before you go. A quick change can make the river harder or less safe to fish.
Showing the latest stored river check while current readings load.
- Flow
- 52 cfs
- From the latest stored river check. Open the official source for the newest reading.
- Air now
- 80°F
Current NWS forecast period
- Next 24h high
- 81.0°F
NWS air forecast near
- Rain chance
- 36%
For this forecast period
This is an air forecast, not a river-temperature reading. Check the water with a stream thermometer before fishing in hot weather.
Latest stored weather check
Chance Showers And Thunderstorms
Chance Showers And Thunderstorms
- Wind
- 7 mph
- Weather checked
Recent flow chart is loading
The latest stored reading is shown above. Check the official source below if you need the newest value now.
More forecast and source details
National Weather Service
Blacksmith Fork Canyon forecast point
The National Weather Service forecast is temporarily unavailable.
Live data
Where these readings come from
RiverReports gauge: Blacksmith Fork above Utah Power and Light diversion dam
How to fish it
How to fish Blacksmith Fork River today.
The strongest Blacksmith Fork days come after runoff has settled into a clear cold summer or fall shape, when the canyon has enough push to define seams without turning every crossing or bank slot pushy. If the river is rising, carrying color, or running so low that fish stack into obvious small pockets, shorten the day or move to a larger Utah option.
Clear stable midsummer flow
Best for short wading sessions, dry-dropper rigs, and methodical pocket-water coverage through the canyon bends.
Post-runoff drop
Often the best seasonal window once the river falls into shape and the wading picture becomes readable again.
Very low late-season flow
Fish smaller water carefully, lengthen leaders, and leave if the river looks warm, crowded, or too compressed to support a good trout day.
Runoff, color, or fast rise
A skip signal because the canyon gets smaller fast when current pushes against cut banks and slick rock edges.
Fishing words used on this page
- U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) gauge
- A USGS gauge is an official river station that measures flow or water height.
- Cubic feet per second (cfs)
- Cubic feet per second, or cfs, shows how much water passes the gauge each second.
- Nymph
- A nymph is a young water insect. Anglers also use the word for a fly that copies it.
- Seam
- A seam is the line where fast and slow water meet.
- Attractor fly
- An attractor fly is bright or bold. It draws a strike without copying one exact insect.
- Blue-winged olive (BWO)
- Blue-winged olives, or BWOs, are small mayflies that often hatch in cool or cloudy weather.
- Caddis
- Caddis are small water insects. The adults look a little like tiny moths.
- Dry-dropper
- A dry-dropper rig has a floating fly with an underwater fly tied below it.
- Emerger
- An emerger copies an insect as it rises from below the water toward the surface.
- Midge
- Midges are tiny flies and a common trout food, especially in cold water.
Why this call
Why this score
Best mode nowHurts
Wade: Wading is the most sensitive plan today. Use protected edges only, avoid crossings, and downgrade quickly if clarity or current feels wrong.
FlowUse caution
USGS shows 52 cfs. The flow has been stable over about 6 hours. USGS marks this reading provisional and may revise it. USGS records for this date (1915-2025, 108 readings) show a median near 93 cfs and a low-water marker near 52 cfs; today's flow is unusually low for the date. Low water can make fish spooky, warm, pressured, or concentrated; check temperature and handling risk.
Short-term weatherUse caution
The forecast has storm or heavy-precipitation risk, so timing and access matter more than the score alone.
Public alertUse caution
An active public alert is in effect near this forecast point, so the score is capped at caution until conditions are checked. NWS alert: Special Weather Statement issued August 22 at 8:25PM MDT by NWS Salt Lake City UT.
SeasonHelps
Summer opener through early fall: The main Blacksmith Fork window after the seasonal closure lifts and the river settles into cold pocket-water trout fishing.
Trip notes
Trip notes
Check these before you choose a reach.
Best once runoff drops into a clear, stable coldwater shape where pocket seams hold fish and crossings still feel controlled.
Skip it during the seasonal closure, on any muddy runoff pulse, when late-season heat leaves the river thin, or when legal access feels uncertain.
Base out of Hyrum or Logan, check 10113500 first, choose one section around the Hardware WMA or a clearly legal canyon entry, and fish it thoroughly instead of leapfrogging all day.
Shift to the Weber River if you want a broader completed Utah option, or keep Logan River in mind once that page is built out for the site.
What to try
Blacksmith Fork River flies through the year.
Match the time of year, then let rising fish and current speed guide the next change.
SeasonWhat to look forFlies to try
Summer openerCurrent
What to look forCaddis, attractor dry windows, and mixed nymph activity
Mid to late summerCurrent
What to look forPMDs, caddis, terrestrials
Fall
What to look forBWOs, midges, small streamer windows
Cold-season windows
What to look forMidges and sparse blue-winged olives
Each fly name opens its matching Fly Box guide.
Access and safety
Blacksmith Fork River access and rules.
Use these places as starting points. Open the access link below and check posted signs before you park or enter. Utah's 2026 guidebook applies special rules from the first SR-101 bridge at the canyon mouth upstream to the headwaters: closed April 15 through 6 a.m. on the second Saturday of July. Catch-and-release only with artificial flies and lures during the early and late open windows. Only one trout may exceed 15 inches. And an additional four brown trout may be kept within an eight-trout total.
First SR-101 bridge at the canyon mouth
The legal upstream boundary named in Utah's special fishing rules and a practical orientation point for this page.
Hardware Wildlife Management area
The strongest public recreation anchor in the drainage, with multiple trout-water miles and clear Utah DWR ownership context.
Blacksmith Fork Canyon roadside pull-offs
Useful only when they connect to clearly legal water access and do not require stepping onto closed private ground.
Left Hand Fork and upper canyon side roads
Supplemental scouting options when seasonal road status and public-land boundaries are confirmed first.
Utah's public-waters access rules do not allow walking on the private bed of a public waterbody where the underlying property is closed to trespass.
Public-property fishing is allowed where the managing agency authorizes it, which makes the Hardware WMA the cleanest access anchor on this page.
Roadside convenience does not equal legal all-day access in Blacksmith Fork Canyon. Treat every new pull-off as a boundary check, not an automatic invitation.
Seasonal road conditions and canyon weather can narrow the day quickly, especially higher in the drainage.
River sources
Official Blacksmith Fork River sources.
Official agencies and primary river operators come first. Secondary tools are labeled so you know what carries the most weight.
How this report was checked
How this report was checked
Reviewed byBlueStreamFly River Review Team
Trip guidance checked
What was checked: This report starts with official regulation, access, flow, weather, and public-water sources, then adds practical planning guidance for fly anglers.
Live measurements and forecasts keep their provider timestamps. Rules, access, and trip guidance use the source-review date shown here. BlueStreamFly planning advice is editorial interpretation, not an agency notice.
First-hand experience: BlueStreamFly does not claim a first-hand visit or local field test for this report unless a real contributor is explicitly named and linked.
Rules and closures
Check what is allowed, where the rule applies, and whether the river is open.
Flow and weather
Check the latest river reading and forecast before you leave.
Access and land
Check public entry points, land rules, and seasonal access changes.
See all 7 checked sources
Rules and closures
Check what is allowed, where the rule applies, and whether the river is open.
What this source covers
Open the current rules and check the river section, season, and special limits.
Flow and weather
Check the latest river reading and forecast before you leave.
What this source covers
Open this page and check the latest safety advice before your trip.
What this source covers
Open this river reading to check the latest level, flow, and update time.
What this source covers
Open this river reading to check the latest level, flow, and update time.
Access and land
Check public entry points, land rules, and seasonal access changes.
What this source covers
Open the land or access page, then check signs before you park or enter.
What this source covers
Open the land or access page, then check signs before you park or enter.
What this source covers
Open the land or access page, then check signs before you park or enter.
Quick answers
Quick Blacksmith Fork River answers.
When can I fish the Blacksmith Fork canyon section?
Utah closes the special fishing rule canyon water from April 15 until 6 a.m. on the second Saturday of July, so always confirm the current guidebook before the trip.
Which gauge should I trust for this page?
Use RiverReports for the quick read, but keep USGS 10113500 open as the official backstop for Blacksmith Fork above the diversion dam near Hyrum.
Is Blacksmith Fork a float river?
No. This page is built as a wade-only canyon trout plan with short public or clearly legal entries.
What is the biggest access mistake here?
Assuming that roadside proximity means you can step onto any bank or streambed. Utah's stream-access rules still control where you can legally walk and fish.