At four dollars a gallon for gasoline, this might be the first Fourth of July in a lot of years that most of us stay a little closer to home. The good news is that most of our local, "urban" fisheries have been or will be stocked this week with rainbow trout. From Tibble Fork and American Fork Creek in the north to Santaquin Creek and Burraston Ponds to the south, the DWR is in the process of planting close to 9,000 pan-sized trout.

These fisheries are true "put and take" waters; it is expected that families will bring their children and catch a few fish to take home for supper. The most interesting part of the put and take equation is that many anglers believe the only fish available in our urban fisheries are eight-inch hatchery-raised rainbows, but that's not entirely true.

No rainbows are currently stocked in the lower Provo River. But the brown trout population continues to prosper and with the dam work in progress at Deer Creek, there's more water in the Provo this year than there has been for several years.

I spent 30 minutes on a stretch of water in the middle of Provo on Monday morning, used a small, green and white spinner and caught three 12-inch browns and I missed more strikes than the three I hooked. I have no doubt that in an afternoon or part of a morning, some great browns could be taken from the mouth of Provo Canyon all the way to Utah Lake.

Hobble Creek has a similar story. The brown trout are aggressive, active, and can be easily taken on flies or spinners. Thistle Creek, Diamond Fork, and almost any other stream headed for Utah Lake can and does produce fine trout even without the help of stocking programs.

My favorite stocked urban lakes are: Spanish Oaks, Salem Pond, Burraston Ponds, Canyon View Park Pond, Tibble Fork Reservoir and Vivian Park Pond.

The easiest tackle set up is a weighted, two-leader rig (25 inches and 16 inches long), under a small bobber and baited with Powerbait. To make the Powerbait sink, attach a small split shot sinker to each leader six inches above each tiny treble hook.

Children love to fish this way because they learn to cast and can watch their bobbers for signs of strikes. And, since the trout almost always hook themselves, all the child has to do is simply reel in the fish.

Don't overlook our urban fisheries this week: you might just find a new favorite fishing hole right under your proverbial nose.