Anglers participating in what has become an annual spring salmonfly relocation project get the best of both worlds: a quick fix and the chance to one day look back and say "I helped make that happen."

Cache Anglers, the Logan chapter of Trout Unlimited, and Utah State University BugLab are holding the third annual Salmonfly Relocation Project April 7 on the Blacksmith Fork River in Cache County.

The idea for the innovative and creative relocation came from Mark Vinson, a research assistant professor at the BugLab. Vinson wondered why there were no big bugs on the Logan River in Logan Canyon and started researching. He found that salmonflies were once prevalent on the Logan River, so he went looking for them and found none.

Meanwhile, the nearby Blacksmith Fork was loaded with them and a relocation effort was born.

Vinson believes upward of 6,000 salmonfly nymphs have been captured by volunteers on the Blacksmith Fork and released in the Logan River in the past two years. Another 500 or so adults have been relocated in an effort to augment the population of nymphs released in the river.

The results so far have been hard to gauge, but a couple of nymphs were found in the Logan last year in an area where the adults were released.

That might not seem like much, but "two or three is more than have been found in the past 40 years," Vinson said.

Vinson is confident the fish in the Logan are finding the salmonfly nymphs much easier than he is.

"We try to get the larger nymphs from the Blacksmith so they can hatch this spring before they get eaten," he said. "The fish in the Logan have never seen anything so big and so tasty, so I'm sure they are getting hit pretty hard."

The original plan was to run the transplant for four years, but Vinson and other organizers are enjoying the project too much to give it up.

"We will probably go beyond next year," he said. "The public has a really high interest level and we get more and more people involved each year. I don't want to deny anybody the the opportunity to participate."

In addition to helping the fish in the Logan get fat, the project allows anglers the opportunity to mingle with BugÂLab staffers on the river. Talk about an instant education.

Chris Thomas, president of Utah Trout Unlimited, says people of all angling abilities and disciplines will find the project interesting and he encourages people to bring along youngsters for a look into bug life of the river.

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* BRETT PRETTYMAN can be contacted at brettp@sltrib.com or 801-257-8902. Send comments to livingeditor@sltrib.com.

Salmonfly relocation project

* Volunteers should meet April 7 at 10 a.m. at the Civilian Conservation Corps campsite on the Blacksmith Fork River. Banners from Cache Anglers will mark the spot.

* Bring waders and warm clothes.

* Contact Nick Jones by e-mail at Nick@highline fishing.com for more information and to RSVP.

* Lunch will be provided by the Utah State University BugLab after the release of the nymphs on the Logan River.