Ogden River below Pineview Dam: a small canyon tailwater of wild browns, rainbows and cutthroat minutes from downtown Ogden
Discharge
34.8
cfs
30 min ago
Water temp
—
not measured here
Gage height
2.00
ft
Ideal flow
75-250 cfs
published range
Hatching now · October
Midge
PEAKBlue-Winged Olive
PEAKCrane Fly
ACTIVEAngler reports
Reports filed here are stamped with the gauge reading at the moment they are published, so the first one sets the record for what 34.8 cfs fished like.
Hatch chart
| Insect | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Midge | January: peak | February: peak | March: peak | April: peak | May: on | June: off | July: off | August: off | September: on | October: peak | November: peak | December: peak |
| Blue-Winged Olive | January: on | February: on | March: peak | April: peak | May: on | June: off | July: off | August: off | September: on | October: peak | November: peak | December: on |
| Mother's Day Caddis | January: off | February: off | March: off | April: on | May: peak | June: on | July: off | August: off | September: off | October: off | November: off | December: off |
| Caddis (general) | January: off | February: off | March: off | April: on | May: peak | June: peak | July: peak | August: on | September: off | October: off | November: off | December: off |
| Pale Morning Dun | January: off | February: off | March: off | April: off | May: off | June: on | July: peak | August: peak | September: on | October: off | November: off | December: off |
| Crane Fly | January: off | February: off | March: off | April: off | May: off | June: off | July: off | August: on | September: peak | October: on | November: off | December: off |
Timing checked against
Big Y: BWO Mar-May/Sep-Nov, PMD Jun-Aug, Caddis May-Oct, midges year-round; also Salmonflies May-Jul, Green Drake Jun-Aug, Trico Jul-Aug, Yellow Sally. Chart is nearly identical to Big Y's Provo chart so treated as weak; ours consistent, caddis could extend into Oct.
The water
The Ogden River leaves Pineview Reservoir at the top of Ogden Canyon, but the first half mile below the dam, down to the first bridge, is closed to fishing, and so is the concrete outlet channel. The public water begins at that bridge, and the USGS gauge this page reads sits just below the dam.
Highway 39 runs the length of the canyon with pulloffs and short scrambles to the river, which is a narrow mix of glides, riffles and plunge pools under steep walls. It is walk-and-wade only; nothing floats here. The canyon is shaded until mid morning, which keeps the midge and baetis fishing going later into the day than on open rivers.
Below the canyon mouth the river runs through Ogden along the Ogden River Parkway, with easy park access and less pressure from serious anglers. The USGS gauge near Gibson Avenue reads this urban reach, which picks up irrigation returns and warms in summer.
Wild browns are the main fish in the canyon and the biggest ones live in the deeper pools and undercut banks. Caddis from May into fall, PMDs in summer and baetis in spring and fall bring them up, and midges, sowbugs and scuds carry the winter nymphing.
Rainbows and cutthroat share the canyon with the browns, along with mountain whitefish. The cutthroat are the native fish of this drainage and the ones worth handling gently and releasing.
The river is open year round. Local guidance puts good wading flows at 75 to 250 cfs below the dam; below 75 cfs the fish get spooky and holding water shrinks, and above 250 cfs the canyon gets hard to wade, so that is the range this page compares the gauge against. Winter releases from Pineview often drop to a trickle, which the gauge will show as low.
Utah's 2026 guidebook closes the Ogden River from Pineview Dam downstream to the first bridge, about half a mile, and applies statewide limits everywhere else on the river. Confirm both in the current Utah DWR fishing guidebook.
Facts checked against
Gauge 10140100 below Pineview confirmed on the river and reporting. Removed the unsourced 'Blue Ribbon' label and 12-16 inch average, made wild browns the primary species per local shop descriptions, added cutthroat, and added the closed half mile below the dam from the 2026 Utah guidebook. Ideal flow narrowed from 50-400 to 75-250 cfs.