When chasing the Utah Cutthroat Slam there are several places around the state that you can go. The Weber River holds Bonneville Cutthroat but many people want to make sure that they will fish a Bonneville Specific stream. One of the streams that is close to Salt Lake City and has easy access to fishing is Mill Creek.
Mill Creek is nestled in the mountains at the east part of the city. It hosts tons of hiking trails and several boy scout camps as you drive up the canyon. It hosts a decently high population of trout but most of the trout aren’t of the bragging size. You can find trout that are over 12 inches but they are spooky and hard to catch.
The best way to get to Mill Creek is to head east on I-80 toward Cheyenne. You’ll exit onto the belt route of I-215 and take your first exit which is E 3300 S. Cross the bridge on the left and then hang a right onto S Wasatch Blvd. You then will hang a left onto E 3800 S and that road will take you directly up Mill Canyon. At the mouth of the canyon is a small hut that is a pay station to access the canyon. You will usually pay as you exit the canyon and the fee is $5.00. You will bump into quite the amount of cyclists going up and down the canyon. Mill Canyon is actually one of the only canyons that you are allowed to have a dog in.
I usually start fishing above the Boy Scout camps but almost right as you enter the canyon you’ll see a national forest sign and you should be able to start fishing. The Boy Scout camps are private property and usually locked up. Some trout somehow snuck into the ponds at the camps and got pretty big but they are not very accessible. The stream is small and there are tons of downed branches and overhangs that can snag you up. With all the difficult fishing it has it still has quite the amount of pockets that were formed by downed trees.
In the summer I love fishing small mayflies, caddies and small grasshopper patterns. In the winter I usually fish a small tungsten midge pattern with a bit of flash on it. There is plenty of parking on the side of the road that you can park and start working your way up the stream. Make sure you bring waders because they are required if you will be in the water.
If you are looking for a quick little trip to grab a couple trout on your line and even start you Utah Cutthroat Slam Mill Creek is a great place to start. Full of Bonneville Cutthroat and even right in the middle of town.
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