Hopefully you are aware, Currant Creek is our favorite fishing spot in the entirety of Utah. Currant Creek is a small tailwater that flows from Currant Creek Reservoir and converges with Red Creek before that converges with the Strawberry River and then flows into Starvation Reservoir.
The majority of Currant Creek flows through private property, especially South of Highway 40. Either way, the best fishing is North of Highway 40, so don’t even concern yourself with getting permission from the Southern landowners. Even travelling North, the lower reaches occasionally travel through private property, be mindful of where you are fishing. The further that you travel, the less private property that you’ll encounter.
To get to Currant Creek, travel East on Highway 40 from Heber City for about 40 miles, or West on Highway 40 from Duchesne for about 25 miles. The turn off is on the North side of the highway, if you’re heading East, it’s at the bottom of a hill and you will see a run-down, closed service station a little bit passed the turn. If you’re heading West, it’s just passed the run-down, closed service station. There will be signs marking the turn, but if you’re travelling East, the turn can come upon you with little notice.
The stream follows pretty close to the road, with the exception of a few places, for the entire 14 mile drive to the dam of Currant Creek Reservoir. The first 8 miles, roughly, of the road is paved until you reach the Nation Forest and then it is a gravel road. If you continue passed the dam and around the reservoir you’ll find a Forest Service ran (read that as, contracted out) campground that has limited services. Also, you’ll find USFS roads that will lead you deeper into the Utah forests. There are many non-designated camps along the creek though if you don’t want to pay the Forest Service fees.
The landscape through the canyon is a striking example of the greater Utah ecosystem. The hillsides are lined with scrub oak and sagebrush, beckoning to the harsh, arid environment that the early pioneers found across the state. However, along the path of the creek is an oasis of lush, green vegetation. Willows line the bank and a small meadow of green grass spreads out from there for a small distance. It is this environment that kept the pioneers here!
The dense vegetation along the bank can make it difficult for a lot of back casts and the smaller the rod, most of the time, the better. Our standard rod for Currant Creek is a 7’6” 3 wt that handles everything the creek is ready to throw at it. For Currant Creek, a 9’ 5 wt might just be overkill, and anything over that is definitely akin to taking a Spey rod on the Provo.
The waters above Water Hollow is going to be the best fishing on the stream. Water Hollow meets up with Currant Creek about 4 miles up the road from the turn off from Highway 40. Interspersed between Water Hollow and the Reservoir are numerous beaver dams that many of the big fish call home. You’ll more than likely find wild browns with the occasionally stocked rainbow or native cutthroat in the creek, some reaching more than 16 inches. 
The fish here can be difficult to catch and each fish you catch is worthy of a picture, regardless of it’s size. Standard midge, mayfly, and caddis patterns work well. During the late summer and fall ants, hoppers, and beetles work wonders. Even though the fish can be finicky, if you can get in the middle of a hatch, you can pull six or seven fish from the same hole without putting the rest down.
While fishing, be prepared, and a bit cautious, you never know what you might run into. Moose call Currant Creek home and for being as large as they are, are more than capable of hiding in the willows until you stumble upon them. Mule deer and elk also call the canyon home and will more than likely dot the fields, meadows, and hillsides as you drive to each fishing hole. There is nothing like listening to a hen mallard quacking from a not too distant beaver pond while the sun begins to set to remind you why you chose the fly rod.
With it’s definitive claim to solitude, Currant Creek should be a stream that everyone hits at least once a year. Even on the weekend it’s the adventurous fisherman who treks so many miles to possibly get skunked. Good Luck and Guid Luck!
