CLEAR AS VODKA
By Chadd VanZanten
Photography: Chadd VanZanten
The Logan River runs clear and bright today. Wish I could say the same for my head. That’s why I’m here, of course, seeking reprieve between the Wasatch and Bear River mountains, fly-fishing Utah’s northernmost trout water. It’s so clear I spot a Bonneville cutthroat 40 feet upstream, a watery smear of bronze and crimson. I cast my fly. The trout rises. I squeeze the cork handle tight.
But he doesn’t bite.
Instead, he follows the fly downstream, scrutinizing it with considerable diligence. The river is transparent, clear as vodka. I ogle the trout doubtfully, but already my mind is clearing. Quick as electricity, the trout strikes. I set the hook, net the fish, let the fish go. Then I wade upstream to find another.
Chadd VanZanten is the author of three books about fly fishing, the most recent of which is 2021's “On Fly-Fishing the Bear River: Essays and Exceptional Misadventures.” His writing can also be found in numerous magazines, journals and anthologies. When he isn’t writing, he is probably fishing. The opposite is also true. In 2016, he and co-author Amanda Luzzader won second place in the adult manuscript category of the Utah Original Writing Contest.