A lot of anglers think their home river is too small to float. AJ and Cameron Garcia float theirs all the time.
The brothers run Upland Fly Shop in Ogden, Utah. In our latest video, they take a Flycraft Stealth X down a local Utah river, trade a lot of brotherly trash talk, and catch a dozen or so trout on a dry-dropper.
Check it out:
A day on the water: dry-dropper all day
The water was a little off color, which had them worried. It didn't matter much.
"We probably caught a dozen or so fish," AJ said. They hoped the fish would eat dries, but most came on the dropper. They still got three eats on top.
Cameron said the second half of the float slowed down, and almost every fish came on the dropper. If you're fishing off-color water, that's the takeaway: run a dry-dropper and expect the nymph to do most of the work.
The brothers also fished the classic way. Tight casts under the trees. A fly right in front of every rock. And yes, a few flies left in those trees.
Can you float a small river?
Yes. AJ says most people don't think the smaller rivers near them are big enough to float. In reality, a small, nimble boat opens them right up.
"Last summer, I think I took five or six buddies and they were all great days," AJ said. He says they didn't have fewer than about 25 eats on dries on any of those trips.
That's the whole point of a Flycraft on a smaller river. You see water that wade anglers walk past. You reach banks and seams you can't get to from shore. And you cover more river in a day.
An easy boat to learn to row
Neither brother has been rowing for long. AJ has been on the oars about a year and a half. Cameron has only been rowing for a month or two.
AJ's advice for new rowers: start in a Flycraft. He says the boats are responsive and easy to learn on, and they work on big rivers and small ones. The brothers row the Stealth X inflatable drift boat.
Not sure which model fits how you fish? Take the Boat Finder quiz and we'll point you to the right one.
From Twin Territory to Upland Fly Shop
The Garcia brothers have been getting people outside since they were kids.
At 13 and 14, AJ and his brothers started a nonprofit called Twin Territory. The goal was simple: get kids off video games and outdoors. They held free "222 events" along the Wasatch Front, every second month, on the second Saturday, at 2:00.
Kids could trade in video games for raffle tickets or outdoor gear. The brothers donated those games to Primary Children's Hospital for kids who couldn't get outside. Their biggest donation was close to 800 games and 12 to 15 consoles.
Cameron joined when he was in third grade. He calls himself the original hype man, the cute kid working every sportsman's expo in Utah. Today he runs events and email for the shop.
Their most popular event? Zombie fishing. Kids came in Halloween costumes for a fishing contest and a barbecue.
Building a fly shop from an empty warehouse
Upland Fly Shop started as a bare warehouse. The brothers spent two and a half to three months scraping paint, painting walls, laying carpet and adding AC. It was 115 degrees when they moved in.
In about two years, they've roughly doubled the shop's size. You'll find rods from Orvis, reels from Lamson, Echo gear and everything else you need to get on the water.
The name comes from their other passion: bird hunting. Look up when you walk in and you'll see murals of their dogs above the counter.
AJ doesn't fish as much as he used to. So the advice you get at the counter is the same info he'd use if he were heading out himself. The shop also hosts and supports fish-for-garbage cleanups and local clubs like the Bonneville Fly Fishers.
What fishing means to them
AJ got his first fly rod at five or six. His dad picked up fishing instead of snowmobiling, and his mom gave his dad a fly rod as an anniversary gift. It took off from there.
AJ loved sight fishing and watching a dry fly get eaten. That's still his favorite part.
For Cameron, it's about conservation. Protecting rivers, and protecting the relationships you build along the way.
And AJ's goal? Freedom to travel and fish whenever he wants, with as much time with family as possible.
Visit Upland Fly Shop in Ogden
If you're fishing northern Utah, stop in at Upland Fly Shop, 6671 S 2500 E in Uintah, near Ogden. The brothers will tell you where the fish are eating and what to tie on. Ask them about seeing your local water from a boat.
Ready to float your home river? Find your Flycraft.
FAQ
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Can you float a small river in a fishing raft? Yes. Many anglers assume their local river is too small, but a small, responsive raft like a Flycraft handles it well. The Upland Fly Shop crew floats small Utah rivers regularly.
What flies work on a small river in off-color water? On this trip, a dry-dropper rig caught most fish. A few ate the dry, but the dropper did most of the work, especially later in the day.
Where is Upland Fly Shop? Upland Fly Shop is at 6671 S 2500 E in Uintah, Utah, near Ogden.
Is a raft worth it on a small river? AJ Garcia says yes. A small raft shows you water most people only wade, and his float trips with buddies have turned up plenty of dry-fly eats.
What's the best boat to learn to row? AJ, who has rowed about a year and a half, recommends a Flycraft because it's responsive and easy to learn on. Take the Boat Finder quiz to find the right model for you.
What is Twin Territory? Twin Territory is a nonprofit the Garcia brothers started as teens to get kids outdoors and away from video games. They donated collected games to Primary Children's Hospital.
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