This mixed weather gives locals and visitors the chance to ski powder at world-class resorts, and chase wild rainbow and brown trout on the nearby Provo River.

Shoulder-Season Fishery
Depending on the ferocity of winter storms, December and January can be great for winter activities like skiing and snowboarding, but hit and miss for catching local midge hatches. By February, dry-fly fishing opportunities on the Provo River increase. The most pleasant part of the day--the 10 A.M. to 2 P.M. window--produces the best fishing. Hatches become more consistent during prolonged warm fronts and toward the end of the month, as afternoon temperatures inch upward into the mid to high 50s. Winter water conditions are typically low and clear, and small patterns (#20-26) are the best producers.

On both the lower and middle Provo, February midge fishing provides solitude and dependable dry-fly opportunities. Regardless of snow-piled banks, when the midafternoon bugs start, you''ll see rising trout: singles in tricky currents and long flat slicks, bank feeders, and pods of a dozen heads in the tailouts and faster riffles.

Although midge fishing is infamous for its technical traits, this 'secret-season' fishery is different. In early spring, before the crowds arrive, 5X tippets and a #18 Parachute Adams catch fish. But for the inevitably tough trout, be prepared to drop down to 6X or 7X tippets and smaller flies. Marking and then resting a fish for a half hour or more is also a good strategy.

By late February and into March, midges are joined by the hotly anticipated Blue-winged Olives. BWOs signal the official start of spring and, on Utah rivers like the Provo, Green, and Weber, represent one of the best and busiest hatches of the year. Be prepared to share the water--everyone gets the memo--the secret season is over.

Lower Provo (Canyon Stretch)
After several days snowboarding Utah''s quality powder, some time off fishing the Provo feels like a cold beer in a hot, dry desert. If you use Salt Lake City as a base, the lower Provo River tailwater, below Deer Creek Reservoir, is within easy striking distance (about 60 miles--the middle Provo is closer).

Cascade Mountain lies to the south and Mount Timpanogos to the north, and the meandering road upstream from the Olmstead Diversion area provides easy public access to the special-regulations canyon water. Several pull-offs line the canyon road, offering quick bank scrambles to good water.

Despite the highway, which never strays far from the water, the lower canyon is a stunning stretch of river, home to mostly brown trout, with rainbows and cutthroat thrown into the mix. The trout average 12 to 16 inches, including healthy populations of 18- to 20-inch fish.

Steve Schmidt, owner of the Western Rivers Flyfisher shop in Salt Lake City, is a longtime Provo River angler and a well-known environmental watchdog. Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) road-widening projects over the years have not permanently impacted the river thanks to activists like Schmidt.