Utah

Logan River

Utah·Northern Utah·41.78° N, 111.70° W

Fishing right now

Good

PoorSlowFairGoodPrime

How we rate this

What's driving it

71 cfs in rangestocked 13 days agobright sun

Flow

70.7cfs

Logan River above State Dam, near Logan, UT · stable

Water temp

—

Flow vs normal

Well Below Normal

10th percentile for mid-August

Median 135 cfs

Weather

70°F

Partly Cloudy · near North Logan

Solunar · next 7 days

About Logan River

The Logan River is a freestone that falls out of the Bear River Range and runs down Logan Canyon alongside US-89 into Cache Valley. It's really two fisheries stacked on top of each other. The lower canyon, from the three dams up to Card Canyon, is roadside pocket water full of wild brown trout and mountain whitefish, with stocked rainbows in the impoundments behind the dams — easy access, easy to fish, and busy on summer weekends. Climb above Card Canyon and the river turns over to native Bonneville (Bear River) cutthroat, which hold here in some of the strongest densities documented anywhere in Utah. That upper water is the reason fly fishers make the drive.

This is small-to-medium technical water, not a big-river float. You wade everywhere, and most of the canyon is a string of plunge pools, pockets, and short runs that ask for accurate short drifts rather than long casts. The lower canyon forgives a sloppy presentation; the special-regulation stretch from Card Canyon to Red Banks rewards a careful, mobile approach with a dry-dropper. Brown trout in the lower river run 8-13 inches with the occasional fish to 16; the cutthroat and brook trout up top mostly run 6-12 and come willingly to a well-placed dry. The season is snow-driven — runoff usually blows the river out through May and into June, it drops and clears by late June, and caddis evenings carry the summer. BWOs bookend the year in spring and fall.

Logan is the base, fifteen minutes from the canyon mouth, with a fly shop in town and lodging strung up US-89 toward Bear Lake. The lower canyon's roadside access is a blessing and a curse: it's the most convenient trout water in northern Utah, but it sees real pressure, so the wild fishing improves the farther you walk from a pull-off. The upper river above Red Banks is closed January 1 through the second Saturday of July to protect spawning cutthroat, so save the headwaters for midsummer and fall. Check the current UDWR guidebook before you go — the canyon carries section-specific regulations that change with the cutthroat conservation program.

Species

Brown Trout
Common · Jun-Oct · 8-16"
Wild and dominant in the lower canyon below Card Canyon. Most run 8-13 inches with a few to 16. The dams keep them from pushing up into the cutthroat water.
Bonneville Cutthroat Trout
Common · Jul-Oct · 6-14"
Native and the conservation priority of the drainage. Increasingly the dominant trout above Card Canyon, with one of the strongest documented densities in Utah. Eager to a dry.
Brook Trout
Common · Jul-Sep · 6-12"
Abundant in the headwaters above Red Banks. Small but plentiful and willing — good company for cutthroat on a small-water day.
Mountain Whitefish
Common · Year-round · 8-16"
Native throughout the lower canyon. Hit nymphs hard and fish all winter when the trout are sluggish.
Rainbow Trout
Stocked · Apr-Sep · 9-14"
Catchable rainbows stocked by UDWR into the First, Second, and Third Dam impoundments through the warm months. A few drop into the river between the dams.

Species	Abundance	Best Season	Size
Brown Trout	Common	Jun-Oct	8-16"
Bonneville Cutthroat Trout	Common	Jul-Oct	6-14"
Brook Trout	Common	Jul-Sep	6-12"
Mountain Whitefish	Common	Year-round	8-16"
Rainbow Trout	Stocked	Apr-Sep	9-14"

Sections

3 reaches

Red Banks to the Idaho State Line (Franklin Basin)

WadeCutthroat · Brook Trout · Rainbow Trout

Above Red Banks Campground the Logan shrinks to a headwater stream winding through meadow and willow up toward Franklin Basin and the Idaho line. Thick streamside vegetation guards most of the banks, so you fish the open pockets and undercuts where you can find them. Native Bonneville cutthroat and wild brook trout dominate, both running small — 6 to 12 inches is the norm — but they come readily to a well-placed dry. This is closed January 1 through the second Saturday of July, so plan a midsummer or fall trip.

Best for: Native Bonneville cutthroat trout and brook trout on small attractor dries and hoppers. Walk-and-wade headwater fishing for anglers who like solitude and small water.

Card Canyon to Red Banks

WadeCutthroat · Brown Trout · Rainbow Trout

The heart of the wild fishery and the stretch under special regulation — artificial flies and lures only, two trout combined. As you climb the canyon the brown trout thin out and native Bonneville (Bear River) cutthroat take over; this drainage carries one of the strongest documented cutthroat densities in the state. The river here is small-to-medium technical pocket water, brushy in places, with tight casting lanes and quick pockets that demand short, accurate drifts. Fish are eager but the wading is rocky and the banks are overgrown.

Best for: Native Bonneville cutthroat trout and wild brown trout on dry-dropper rigs, caddis, and attractor dries. Artificial-only water that rewards a careful, mobile approach.

The Dams to Card Canyon (Lower Logan)

WadeCutthroat · Brown Trout · Rainbow Trout · Whitefish

The lower canyon between the Logan River dams and Card Canyon Bridge, paralleled the whole way by US-89. This is the most-fished water on the river — pull-offs are everywhere and the impoundments behind First, Second, and Third Dams get stocked rainbow trout through the season. Between the dams it's classic pocket water and plunge pools holding wild brown trout and mountain whitefish, with the occasional cutthroat that drops down out of the upper canyon. Browns to 16 inches are realistic; most run 8-13.

Best for: Wild brown trout and mountain whitefish on nymphs and attractor dries, plus stocked rainbow trout in the dam impoundments. Good water for a quick after-work session or fishing with kids.

At a glance

Ideal wading flow: 60–250 cfs
Blow-out: >600 cfs
Ideal water temp: 48–62°F

Best seasons

Late June through October once runoff clears. July-September for caddis evenings and terrestrials in the upper canyon; September-October for fall BWOs and aggressive browns. Spring BWOs fish well in the lower canyon before snowmelt blows the river out.

Regulations

Section-specific regulations apply through Logan Canyon to protect native Bonneville (Bear River) cutthroat trout. The lower canyon below Card Canyon Bridge follows the statewide general trout limit; the middle stretch is artificial-only; the headwaters above Red Banks are seasonally closed. Always check the current UDWR Fishing Guidebook before fishing.

Below Card Canyon Bridge (lower canyon and dams): statewide general season and trout limit
Card Canyon Bridge to the highway bridge at Red Banks Campground (including tributaries, excluding Tony Grove Lake): artificial flies and lures only; limit 2 trout and whitefish combined
Red Banks Campground upstream to the Idaho state line (including all tributaries): limit 2 trout and whitefish combined; closed January 1 through 6 a.m. the second Saturday of July
Valid Utah fishing license required for all anglers age 12 and older

The Logan drainage upstream of the third dam is managed for native Bear River cutthroat trout. Regulations are revised periodically as the conservation program evolves — verify the current section boundaries and limits in the UDWR guidebook each season.

Source: Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. Regulations change annually — verify before fishing.

Getting there

Logan, UT

15 min from Logan to the canyon mouth, 1.5 hrs from Salt Lake City, 1.5 hrs from Ogden

Fly shops

Round Rocks Fly FishingLogan

Camping: Forest Service campgrounds line US-89 through Logan Canyon — Red Banks, Spring Hollow, Guinavah-Malibu, and Tony Grove among them. Full services in Logan; lodging continues up the canyon toward Bear Lake.

US-89 parallels the river the length of Logan Canyon, with pull-offs and trail access throughout. The dam impoundments at the canyon mouth are the easiest access; the wild fishing gets better the farther you walk upstream from the highway.

Logan River

Solunar · next 7 days

About Logan River

Species

Sections

Red Banks to the Idaho State Line (Franklin Basin)

Card Canyon to Red Banks

The Dams to Card Canyon (Lower Logan)

More in Utah

Northern Utah

Bear River

Blacksmith Fork

Other regions

Beaver River

Currant Creek

Diamond Fork

Duchesne River

Fremont River

Green River