Utah Bass Fishing Reports

COMMENTS

Utah Bass Fishing Reports Revised 05-08-08 Hypertext gives a description of the lake and facilities available. Check proclamtion for details on restrictions as some may not be listed here. Bear River Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Bullhead Catfish, Channel Catfish, Crappie, Cutthroat Trout, Green Sunfish, Largemouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Walleye, Whitefish, Yellow Perch (Apr 14) Travis of Lewiston fished below the Hyrum Dam with a partner and caught 5 browns, 2 rainbows and a yellow perch drifting worms down the river. "The fish are finally biting real good, now that what water levels have risen. I expect that in the next couple weeks it's going to get a lot better too." (Apr 10) Travis of Lewistonb fished near Trenton Bridge with a partner and caught 3 channel cats, 2 bullheads and a carp using chicken livers soaked in stink bait. "The Cats are finally starting to bite a little bit. We caught 2 nice ones over 20 inches long. This time of year you still have to be really patient with the cats. It takes at least a half hour or more to get a nibble or two." Brough Reservoir Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout, Smallmouth Bass (Apr 23) Reservoir is ice-free and is almost full. Water is slightly murky. Fishing was slow but the fish are nice sized. (Apr 10) Reservoir is ice-free and the reservoir is almost full. Water is slightly murky. Fishing was slow but the fish are nice-sized. Regulations Bullock Reservoir Largemouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Tiger Musky (hybred) (Apr 23) Anglers report of fair to good fishing for rainbows and slow for other fish. Reservoir is now ice-free and being filled. (Apr 10) Reservoir is now ice-free and being filled. Regulations Clinton City Park Pond Bluegill, Channel Catfish, Largemouth Bass, Rainbow Trout No recent reports. Regulations Cottonwood Reservoir Rainbow Trout, Smallmouth Bass (Apr 23) Anglers report of fair to good fishing for rainbows and slow for other fish. Reservoir is now ice-free and being filled. (Apr 10) Reservoir is now ice-free and being filled. Regulations Cutler Reservoir Bass, Catfish, Crappie, Sunfish (May 2) On Wednesday April 30, I talked to two fishermen fishing from Valley View Highway and they reported that fishing was slow. There have been reports of good fishing for big crappie, so this area would be good to keep an eye on for panfish, walleye and bass as weather warms up. Report by Phil Douglass. Regulations Deer Creek Reservoir Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Largemouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Yellow Perch (May 4) Aaron of American Fork fished in a group of 3 and caught 17 rainbows and 2 browns trolling crankbaints. "Steady action Caught some nice fish Seems to have alot of big in there Caught about a 30" 12 " (May 2) Open Water. Angler Cliff spent all day bottom bouncing for walleye without any luck for walleye (Cliff states that a couple of rainbows were picked up by accident). Angler Gary reports "Water temperature was about 45 to 47 degrees—didn't come up much because the wind kicked in about 10:30. We were on the lake fishing by 7:00 a.m.—caught fish early by trolling leadcore with 100 feet of line out at about 2.2 mph (GPS) with a J-7 Rapala in both Rainbow Trout and Perch in Rainbow Bay and around the corner along the highway and over to the Island. Rainbow trout proved to be the best lure overall. Caught a total of about 12 fish (14 to 18 rainbows) before the wind and cold made the day unpleasant (we quit about noon). Caught fish from 100 to 175 feet of line out. Also picked up several smaller rainbows on downrigger at 20 feet down (35 to 50 feet of setback) using small Perch Rapala Taildancer in the bay where Deer Creek comes into the reservoir. Didn't see others having much success, but we weren't near a bunch of other boats either, so I can't say for sure." (Apr 24) Open Water. Some anglers report walleye success with bottom bouncers. Rapalas and similar lures fished slowly. Angler Gary reports "I would consider the fishing as slow. Best location was from the Island over to the highway and along the cliffs to the point rounding into Rainbow Bay. We picked up about seven fish with a few others hooked and lost. We got one brown and six rainbows ranging from about 12 to 18 inches. Best fishing was about 20 feet down (150 to 200 feet of line out using leadcore and trolling 2 to 2.5 mph (GPS). Best lures were J-7 Rapalas in perch and Rainbow Trout. Small Rapala Tail Dancers in Perch pattern were also good. Hard to establish pattern once the wind came up at about 10:30. Didn't observe a lot of other fish caught, though some guys were doing okay with pop-gear and a worm. Water temperature ranged from 40 to 47 degrees depending on location. Do not ice fish!" (Apr 19) Sam K. of Payson fished near the state park in a group of 5 and caught 4 rainbows trolling worms. "It was a beautiful day for fishing until the wind came up." (Apr 17) Big T of West Valley fished by main boat ramp and the beach areas in a group of 3. "Ice is off and a beautiful day to get out of the valley, but no fish to bring home. Seen one guy in the 9 hours we were there reel in one small rainbow maybe 10-12 inches." (Apr 13) Gary H. of Riverton fished with a partner without catching anything. He reports that the ice is off. (Apr 11) Open water on the Charleston portion of the reservoir up to around "The Island" area and beyond. Still ice on about 70% of the Reservoir. Do not ice fish! Regulations East Canyon Reservoir Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout, Smallmouth Bass, Tiger Trout (hybrid) (May 5) Nick L. of Salt Lake fished the south end in a group of 3 and caught 6 rainbows using rainbow glitter PowerBait. "Reservoir is ice free. Water level is low and murky. Fishing was fair in the early morning, however, it had slowed by late morning. We fished with rainbow glitter Power Bait from a depth of about 15-20 ft down. The gate just up the hill from the Mountain Dell exit was closed. The reservoir is accessible by driving through Henefer." (Apr 27) FC of Ogden fished near dam bouys, Dixie arm, south end with a partner and caught 3 rainbows using orange PowerBait Nuggets. "tried various trolled baits and lures, no luck. But power bait in the calm pockets around edges in Dixie arm and Taylor Hollow produced 3 nice size 12-14 inch Rainbows. Water level is coming up nicely, small boat dock on ramp is in the water, launching is easy." (Apr 11) Anglers were fishing the open water areas near the inlet and Dixie arm. Fishing was good at the inlet with night crawlers for rainbow trout ranging from ten to twelve inches. Report from Officer Jonathan Moser. Echo Reservoir Bass, Brown Trout, Channel Catfish, Crappie, Rainbow Trout (Apr 23) Completely ice free. Fishing was slow there also. There is a fee to enter the resort portion of the lake and launch your boats. Report from Conservation Officer Bruce Johnson. (Apr 17) Officer Bruce Johnson reports that Echo has areas of open water near the shore but winds are shifting daily and that means areas of open water shift from day to day also. Wind and warmer weather will contribute to rapidly deterioriating ice conditions. Regulations Enterprise Reservoirs Rainbow Trout, Smallmouth Bass FISH CONSUMPTION ADVISORY (May 8) The upper reservoir will not be stocked this year. The reservoir will not be filled past its current level because work on the dam will not be finished until later this summer. Irrigation needs will drain the reservoir again by summer. The lower reservoir is full and was stocked with catchable-sized rainbow trout. Extra fish have been stocked in the lower reservoir to help compensate for the loss of the upper reservoir this year. (Apr 23) The upper reservoir will not be stocked this year. The reservoir will not be filled past its current level because work on the dam will not be finished until later this summer. Irrigation needs will drain the reservoir again by summer. The lower reservoir is full and was stocked with catchable-sized rainbow trout. Extra fish have been stocked in the lower reservoir to help compensate for the loss of the upper reservoir this year. Farmington Pond Bluegill, Channel Catfish, Largemouth Bass, Rainbow Trout (Apr 27) Anel M. of Salt Lake fished the inlet in a group of 3 without catching anything. "I used everything I had in my tackle box and not one bite.I used worms, all kinds of powerbaits, spinners, and flies nothing. I did get a few hits on the spinners but thats it no fish. I saw a few guys near the pier they were loading fish" (Apr 24) Shane of Bountiful fished the east side with a partner and caught 20 rainbows with mealworms. "It is hot in farmington" (Apr 20) Shane of Farmington fished with a partner and caught 10 rainbows using Gulp Earthworms and regular worms. "Pulled out 10 'slabs'. All were over 14"" Regulations Flaming Gorge Reservoir Brown Trout, Burbot, Channel Catfish, Crayfish, Kokanee Salmon, Mackinaw (Lake Trout), Rainbow Trout, Smallmouth Bass (Apr 29) Alan reports the ice is nearly gone on the Gorge. (Apr 23) Launching boats is possible at Cedar Springs and Mustang ramps. The canyon up reservoir is mostly frozen from about Skull Creek. The Sheep Creek, Antelope and Lucerne areas have open water but be aware of large and small chunks of floating ice making navigation difficult and dangerous. In Wyoming, ice appears to be weaker and is melting around the edges but it may still be a while before boats are able to launch. Lake Trout Fishing: As ice conditions deteriorate there will be good fishing for 16- to 24-inch lake trout on most areas near the ice. Look for continued good fishing for smaller lake trout in the Confluence, Buckboard, Marsh Creek, Current Creek, Anvil Draw, Skunk Cliffs and any other locations in 30 to 70 feet of water near the old river channel. As the areas open up, try trolling or jigging from boats. Use tube jigs in white, chartreuse, glow or brown tipped with a small chunk of sucker or chub meat. Airplane jigs and jigging spoons also work. Fishing is usually best early in the morning or later in the afternoon. Use no stretch line to feel strikes and set the hook better. A graph helps to see suspended fish and put your jig in their face. Unlike their larger relatives, the smaller lake trout are excellent table fair with orange flesh and taste as good or better than a rainbow when cooked up on the grill. There's an overabundance of lake trout under 28 inches in the Gorge so do your part to help the fishery and keep a limit of eight fish. Larger lake trout should be good from Big Bend south to Anvil Draw and Swim Beach. Remember, only one fish over 28 inches may be kept. Use larger tube jigs, spoons and other lures through the ice or trolling. Big lake trout can eat big food so lures and jigs can be big also. Kokanee Fishing: Ice fishing for kokanee is almost always slow if they can be found at all so fishing will improve as the ice melts. Rainbow Fishing: Before poor ice conditions started there was good fishing for rainbows on most of the reservoir. After ice out, look for larger rainbows around boat ramps. Older fish return to areas where they were stocked in an attempt to spawn. Fish as large as 24 inches can be caught. Shore anglers will have the best fishing of the year from ice out until mid-May as rainbows will be shallow and close to shore searching for food. Anglers can use marshmallows and worms, flies such as wooly buggers, minnow imitation plugs, spinners and jigs to catch fish from shore. If fishing from a boat, try casting to shore using the same types of lures or long line lures while trolling shallow. Planer boards also work well to get lures close to shore without spooking fish with the boat. Burbot (Ling) Fishing: Ice fishing for burbot may still be possible in the Wyoming end of the reservoir but be careful of ice conditions. After ice out, fishing should continue to be good for burbot as long a water temps are cool in shallow water. Fishing from a boat, at night in water from 10 to 30 feet using glow jigs should work well for high catch rates. Areas like Firehole, Lost Dog, Sage Creek, Confluence, Buckboard, Holmes Crossing, Anvil Draw, Skunk Cliffs and Marsh Creek are good places to try. If you can still fish from the ice, locate flats and points near the old river channel. (Fishing out of a boat should be good after ice out with similar techniques as ice fishing.) Try fishing with jigs late in the afternoon, early morning or at night on points coming into reservoir. Use glow tube or curly tail jigs two to three inches in size about 1/8 to 1/4 ounce in weight. Jigging spoons and jigging rapalas also work well. Tipping with sucker or crayfish meat will help catch fish. Use of smelly jelly or similar scents in crayfish seem to help. These fish are in depths from 20 to 70 feet but seem to be caught most recently in 40 to 60 feet mostly in the Wyoming end of the reservoir. Some reports of fast catch rates. If fishing in Utah try rocky points on Antelope Flat, Linwood Bay or Sheep Creek. November netting in the area north of Buckboard has shown a large increase in the number of burbot present. Larger fish are 30 inches and up to four or five pounds. Burbot activity increases under the ice as these fish spawn in winter. These fish must be harvested if caught in Utah to help control their population as they were illegally introduced to the upper Green River drainage and could have a major impact on other fish species. There is no limit on burbot but you cannot waste the burbot in the Wyoming end of the reservoir and they can be released there. However, please don't release any of these fish as they have been eating large amounts of crayfish and are also consuming kokanee salmon, smallmouth bass and other critical food sources for other fish species. They could have an extreme impact on the reservoir fishery and should be removed by fishermen. Burbot are an excellent eating fish with white, flaky flesh that is similar to a perch. They can be breaded and fried or boiled and dipped in melted butter. You can use six lines on the ice in Wyoming so take advantage of tip-ups and harvest some burbot. By law, be sure you have your name on your tip-ups and tend only your lines if you are fishing in a group. Smallmouth Bass Fishing: Smallmouth fishing is slow, as smallmouth tend not to bite well at temps near or below 50 degrees. Use twist tail grubs on lead head jigs or small plastic worms, sinkos, twitch and crankbaits in about 5 to 30 feet of water off rocky shorelines and points. Crayfish imitation colors will work the best. Drop shot techniques will also work. Launching boats is possible at Cedar Springs and Mustang ramps. (Apr 12) Jeremy S. of Farmington fished the Pipeline in a group of 3 and caught 19 rainbow and a lake trout shore fishing with worms and spinners in 12 ft. of water. "I'm surprised there are no other reports considering the number of people fishing that we encountered. The ice is off Lucerne and remaining ice was melting fast. Fishing was HOT!" (Apr 10) Launching boats is not possible except at Cedar Springs and Mustang ramps. The canyon up reservoir is frozen at about Skull Creek. All other boat ramps are frozen. Ice is still thick from Sheep Creek north, the ice in the back of Sheep Creek and at Kingfisher Island is melted but the majority of the bay is still frozen. Ice in Linwood, Antelope and north into Wyoming. Ice appears to be weaker and is melting around the edges but it may still be a while before boats are able to launch. Ice may not be off the reservoir by the weekend of April 10. Lake Trout Fishing: Before ice conditions deteriorated there was good fishing for 16- to 24-inch lake trout on most areas of the reservoir north of the pipeline. Look for continued good fishing for smaller lake trout in the buckboard area after ice out. Smaller lake trout will be concentrated in the northern end of the reservoir. Try areas like the Confluence, Buckboard, Marsh Creek, Current Creek, Anvil Draw, Skunk Cliffs and any other locations in 30 to 70 feet of water near the old river channel. Use tube jigs in white, chartreuse, glow or brown tipped with a small chunk of sucker or chub meat. Airplane jigs and jigging spoons also work. Fishing is usually best early in the morning or later in the afternoon. Use no stretch line to feel strikes and set the hook better. A graph helps to see suspended fish and put your jig in their face. Unlike their larger relatives, the smaller lake trout are excellent table fair with orange flesh and taste as good or better than a rainbow when cooked up on the grill. There's an overabundance of lake trout under 28 inches in the Gorge so do your part to help the fishery and keep a limit of eight fish. Larger lake trout ice fishing should be good from Big Bend south to Anvil Swim Beach. Remember, only one fish over 28 inches may be kept. Use larger tube jigs and jigging spoons through the ice. Big lake trout can eat big food so lures and jigs can be big also. Kokanee Fishing: Ice fishing for kokanee is almost always slow if they can be found at all. If you can find schools of fish, try vertical jigging with buzzbombs or jigging spoons. Tipping with a mealworm or fish egg may help. Fishing will pick up after the ice melts. Rainbow Fishing: Before poor ice conditions started there was good fishing for rainbows on most of the reservoir. After ice out, look for larger rainbows around boat ramps. Older fish return to areas where they were stocked in an attempt to spawn. Fish as large as 24 inches can be caught. Shore anglers will have the best fishing of the year from ice out until mid-May as rainbows will be shallow and close to shore searching for food. Anglers can use marshmallows and worms, flies such as wooly buggers, minnow imitation plugs, spinners and jigs to catch fish from shore. If fishing from a boat, try casting to shore using the same types of lures or long line lures while trolling shallow. Planer boards also work well to get lures close to shore without spooking fish with the boat. Burbot (Ling) Fishing: Ice fishing for burbot may still be possible in the Wyoming end of the reservoir but be careful of ice conditions. After ice out, fishing should continue to be good for burbot as long a water temps are cool in shallow water. Fishing from a boat, at night in water from 10 to 30 feet using glow jigs should work well for high catch rates. Areas like Firehole, Lost Dog, Sage Creek, Confluence, Buckboard, Holmes Crossing, Anvil Draw, Skunk Cliffs and Marsh Creek are good places to try. If you can still fish from the ice, locate flats and points near the old river channel. (Fishing out of a boat should be good after ice out with similar techniques as ice fishing.) Try fishing with jigs late in the afternoon, early morning or at night on points coming into reservoir. Use glow tube or curly tail jigs two to three inches in size about 1/8 to 1/4 ounce in weight. Jigging spoons and jigging rapalas also work well. Tipping with sucker or crayfish meat will help catch fish. Use of smelly jelly or similar scents in crayfish seem to help. These fish are in depths from 20 to 70 feet but seem to be caught most recently in 40 to 60 feet mostly in the Wyoming end of the reservoir. Some reports of fast catch rates. If fishing in Utah try rocky points on Antelope Flat, Linwood Bay or Sheep Creek. November netting in the area north of Buckboard has shown a large increase in the number of burbot present. Larger fish are 30 inches and up to four or five pounds. Burbot activity increases under the ice as these fish spawn in winter. These fish must be harvested if caught in Utah to help control their population as they were illegally introduced to the upper Green River drainage and could have a major impact on other fish species. There is no limit on burbot but you cannot waste the burbot in the Wyoming end of the reservoir and they can be released there. However, please don't release any of these fish as they have been eating large amounts of crayfish and are also consuming kokanee salmon, smallmouth bass and other critical food sources for other fish species. They could have an extreme impact on the reservoir fishery and should be removed by fishermen. Burbot are an excellent eating fish with white, flaky flesh that is similar to a perch. They can be breaded and fried or boiled and dipped in melted butter. You can use six lines on the ice in Wyoming so take advantage of tip-ups and harvest some burbot. By law, be sure you have your name on your tip-ups and tend only your lines if you are fishing in a group. Smallmouth Bass Fishing: Smallmouth fishing is slow, as smallmouth tend not to bite well at temps near or below 50 degrees. Use twist tail grubs on lead head jigs or small plastic worms, sinkos, twitch and crankbaits in about five to 30 feet of water off rocky shorelines and points. Crayfish imitation colors will work the best. Drop shot techniques will also work. Launching boats is possible at Cedar Springs and Mustang ramps. Regulations Gigliotti Pond Bluegill, Largemouth Bass, Rainbow Trout (May 7) A fair number of large albino trout may still be seen. The bright yellow torpedo-like fish are easy to spot in the water column. Kids have been having the time of their lives, trying to entice the behemoths to their bait. Randall Stilson conducted a creel survey and reported rainbow PowerBait to be the best fish-getter. Next best was nightcrawlers. The best lure was a Jakes Spin-a-Lure. It's best to fish in the morning. By early afternoon, the wind picks up, and angling success falls off. (May 1) For best results, fish in the morning. By early afternoon, the wind picks up, and angling success falls off. (Apr 23) Sergeant Stacey Jones reports steady fishing at Gigliotti and suggests that anglers fish in the morning when the air is calm. A few lunkers continue to come out, as a result of the stocking of brood albinos earlier in the month. (Apr 16) The pond is ice-free, and was lightly stocked with albino rainbow trout, including excess brood stock. A few lunkers have been landed in the past few weeks. Regulations Glassman's Pond Bluegill, Black Crappie, Channel Catfish, Largemouth Bass, Rainbow Trout No recent reports. Regulations Gunlock Reservoir Bluegill, Channel Catfish, Crappie, Green Sunfish, Largemouth Bass FISH CONSUMPTION ADVISORY (May 8) Fishing was slow lately, but could pick up as the water temperature warms. (Apr 23) Water temperature is still a little cold. Bass fishing should pick up in May. Regulations Gunnison Bend Reservoir Catfish, Largemouth Bass, White Bass No recent reports. Holmes Creek Reservoir Bluegill, Crappie, Largemouth Bass, Walleye (Apr 17) The reservoir is ice-free and getting lots of fishing activity on Sunday, but fishing was slow. Report from Sgt. Rick Olson. Regulations Huntington North Reservoir Crayfish, Largemouth Bass, Rainbow Trout (May 1) The reservoir continues to fill. The water elevation will fluctuate all spring and summer to meet irrigation needs. Fishing was slow, due to windy conditions and a constant influx of natural food, brought into the reservoir by spring runoff. Nightcrawlers or PowerBait are recommended for trout hunters. (Apr 23) The reservoir continues to fill. The water elevation will be fluctuating all spring and summer to meet irrigation needs. Fishing pressure was limited due to windy conditions. Fishing success was slow, due to an influx of natural food pouring into the reservoir with the runoff. Nightcrawlers or PowerBait are recommended for trout hunters. (Apr 16) The reservoir continues to fill. The water elevation will be fluctuating all spring and summer to meet irrigation needs. State Park Manager Dan Richards reports slow fishing. Aquatics Biologist Kenny Breidinger fished last Sunday and confirmed Dan's assessment. There's a lot of natural food in the water, making it difficult to lure fish to bait. Regulations Hyrum Reservoir Bluegill, Largemouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Tiger Trout (hybrid), Yellow Perch STOP WHIRLING DISEASE (May 2) The reservoir is filling fast and is only about 15 feet from the high water mark! No fishing activity was observed. Report by Phil Douglass. (Apr 11) The reservoir is completely ice-free, yet there was no angling activity on April 9. Report from Phil Douglass. Jordan River Brown Trout, Channel Catfish, Largemouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Sunfish, Walleye, White Bass No recent reports. Jordanelle Reservoir Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout, Smallmouth Bass, Yellow Perch STOP WHIRLING DISEASE (May 2) Open water and success is described as fair to good by using various trolling and jigging techniques from boats and traditional baits from shoreline have produced fair success. (Apr 24) Angler Paul reports "We put our boat in at the PWC ramp about 11:00 a.m. and had our limit by 2:00 p.m. It was a beautiful day." Please stay off any remaining ice. Some water along the edges but waiting a week is advised for a little more open water. (Apr 11) Still much ice on the reservoir but ice fishing is discouraged. Regulations Kaysville Ponds Black bullhead, Bluegill, Channel Catfish, Green Sunfish, Largemouth Bass, Rainbow Trout No recent reports. Regulations Lake Powell Bluegill, Brown Trout, Channel Catfish, Crappie, Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Smallmouth Bass, Striped Bass, Rainbow Trout, Walleye STOP QUAGGAG MUSCLE (May 6) By Wayne Gustaveson: Lake elevation: 3,596 ft., water temperature: 59–65° F. Smallmouth bass bite is ON! The weather is warming and Lake Powell is filling a foot every 4th day. Bass are guarding deep nests but the fast rising water makes sight fishing difficult. Not to worry! Bass fishing is great with feisty smallmouth bass waking up and getting with the program. Work the rocky structure to find willing smallmouth. Earlier in the spring all the bass action was in the backs of sandy coves with brush. Now bass are staged near the primary rocky points leading into those coves. It is not time yet to fish the main channel drop-offs. Start at the back of the canyon where muddy water meets the rich green color. That is the bass hotspot and many other species of fish like the green productive zone. Technique varies with personal preference. The most common approach is to use a plastic grub, tube, senko or other bait of your choosing. That works great as does retrieving a spinnerbait or crankbait across rocky structure. I like to have the option of using both techniques. Just have a tube rigged on one rod and a crank or jerk bait on the other. Use a tube for a while and then switch to the crank. Let the fish tell you which they like best. Do not be afraid to fish deeper water. The shoreline at the current lake level is devoid of brush. Old brush is buried 10 to 15 feet deep while the new shoreline brush won't go under water for a couple more weeks. The lake has to exceed last year's high water mark of 3,611 before new brush is flooded. Walleye are perking up with warming conditions. They should be caught more often now, particularly in murky water after an afternoon wind muddies a cove or floats a mudline into a clear water bay. Crappie are still being caught in the brush at the ends of the canyons. Use a bobber to suspend a tiny curly tail grub just above the brush zone. Stripers are schooled in 25 to 45 feet of water waiting to spawn. Trolling and graphing across deep points and drops in bays is the best way to locate them. They will come up from 25 feet to hit a bevy shad, rattletrap or Wally diver running at 10 to 12 feet. I keep a floating fish marker handy and toss it out each time a good school is graphed. When tired of trolling, go back to the various makers, chum and fish bait over the stationary marked schools to catch a cooler full of stripers. Chum brings striper off the bottom. While they are easy to catch on bait, they are searching for food and will also take a spoon, crank, or swim bait while swimming in the chum field. Fishing is great right now for whatever species or technique is your personal favorite. (Apr 29) By Wayne Gustaveson: Lake Elevation: 3593, Water Temp: 57-64 F The lake is now rising 2-4 inches per day and the filling rate will continue to increase during May. Increased runoff is due to warming weather. Fish respond to warming by increasing activity. In turn, cooling causes them to sulk on the bottom. The intermittent winds really cool the bite while an extended warm calm period ignites a flurry of fishing results. There needs to be a longer warm period than seen in April to really make the fish perk up. Bass spawning has been impacted by wind induced weather anomalies. Largemouth spawned haphazardly and smallmouth bass spawning has been delayed. Much more spawning is to come but rising lake levels will take away most of the sight-fishing opportunities. Bass fishing will peak during the next two weeks. In current conditions, plastic baits fished on the bottom have been the best technique. Continue to fish shallow rock ridges, reefs and points for best bass success. Crappie have spawned and will continue to guard nests for the next two weeks. There will be another spawn that will coincide with smallmouth spawning on the next warm spell. Expect this to happen when morning water temperature exceeds 62 degrees. Good walleye fishing is delayed by the same lack of warming. All these warming worries will be forgotten when the heat does come. The good news is striped bass. They have turned a "cold shoulder" to the weather and have just gone about their business of finding current in the main channel to the delight of anglers. Fishing has been excellent in the southern lake from the dam, to buoy 3, to the intake, buoy 9, with stops in Antelope and Navajo Canyons. Running the circuit of these favorite fishing spots has resulted in catches of at least 20 and often many more stripers for bait anglers. Patience is required. It seems the schools start and stop. When they are on fishing is furious; when off, not fish is caught. Fortunately, they are on most of the time. Chumming gets the school going. Then all that have prepared by using invisible fluorocarbon line with either a light jig head or Carolina rigged circle hook catch fish in a hurry when the school comes in range. In the northern lake, the mouth of Moki canyon is the most consistent place but many schools are holding along canyon walls both uplake and down from Bullfrog. I like Lake Canyon and Slick Rock for consistent action. The Hite area is affected by runoff. Good Hope Bay is still murky but fishable. Head to the back of the canyon to find fish when muddy water dominates the channel. Trolling for stripers in the bays is consistent but not better than fishing bait in the channel. All stripers are now eating plankton which means they are able to forage individually. Therefore, schools have broken down. Many lone fish will be found in the backs of bays while schools are in the channel. (Apr 22) By Wayne Gustaveson: Lake Elevation: 3591, Water Temp: 53-64 F. The grand predictions of our last fish report were blown away by a week of windy weather. All the positive variables remain firmly in place awaiting a warm day. Water temperature this morning was still in the low 50's. All the fish are poised for the early morning temperature to reach 57-60 F. When that happens, which may be as soon as this weekend, the fun begins. A few largemouth bass have spawned. Usually the largest fish are the first to make beds in prime spots. The majority of the population will be moving shallow this weekend and next week, weather permitting. Even those that spawned previously will come back to the nest they abandoned and spawn again with the next warm spell. If a nest is found, cast slowly descending plastic baits (senkos, flukes) right on to the nest ring and watch the male bass rush over to grab the lure and haul it away from the nest. Some just grab the tail and never get the hook in the mouth but it is sure fun to watch them work. Return males caught on the nest so they can protect the young from predators. If no nests are seen in clear water, go to the back of the canyon where the green and brown water meet. This zone warms up sooner and provides bass and crappie a warm spot to live while waiting for real warming. Brush piles will hold largemouth and crappie, while smallmouth bass will be on rock ridges, terraces and points. Use your favorite technique in these conditions. The fish won't care and will take all incoming lures and offerings. Stripers remain in the channel where they can be caught by the tubful with anchovy bait and copious chumming. There is not a lot of forage this time of year. Most of the stripers are small enough that they can eat plankton to maintain their body while waiting for a fish dinner. The plankton supply is most abundant in the upper 20 feet of the water column so many stripers are in the upper zone. That makes them prime targets for shallow trolling lures as well as bait. I have effectively used Wally Divers, various rattletrap types, and bevy shad to consistently catch mature male stripers. The trick is to find them. My search pattern has consistently led to striper schools holding on the breaking edge of a long point. By long, I mean at least 100 yards or more. Follow the shallow point (5-12 feet) out until it breaks from 20-25 feet and goes quickly to a depth of 40 feet or more. Follow that 25 foot sharp breaking contour to find stripers holding right on the edge at 25 feet. When a school is located, troll back and forth over the spot or mark the school and hold with the trolling motor while chumming to keep them in place. This allows you to find your own private fishing spot and not have to share it with others in the popular (dam, Moki Wall) or well known striper fishing spots. If it's your first time, go fish with the anglers at the Dam or Moki, to see their techniques, get a few tips and measure success. (Apr 15) By Wayne Gustaveson: Lake elevation: 3,591 ft., water temperature: 55–65° F. Bass are building nests! Largemouth bass began nest construction this week as air temperature hit 80 degrees. Spawning is imminent with largemouth going first followed by smallmouth a few days later. Warming is long overdue but may work to the advantage of anglers who enjoy fishing for spawning bass. Expect to find bedding bass in shallow water for the next 10 days. Lake levels are not increasing at a quick rate so nests will be visible for the first spawn. All of this is weather related. Bass move on nests as the water warms quickly. This spawning trigger causes a quick reaction in bass that are now overdue. Bass move on nests and spawn within a few hours. Males are actively building nests today. Each male then spawns with one to two females on the next warm day. On the third day the male drives away anything that comes close to the nest including female bass and fishing lures. Aggression is greatest right after the spawn and decreases with each passing day. By the fifth day of nest tending the male is seen lurking near the nest but not actively chasing. In warm water, eggs hatch and fry swim off in about seven days. It takes longer if the water cools. Males stay with the black fry for a few days and then spawn again. A male may spawn as many as six times during a season if driven off the nest by cooling temperatures. They renest as soon as the water warms once more. It is fun to sight fish for bedding bass. Watching a slow sinking senko or grub settle onto the nest creates an adrenalin rush as the nest monster rushes to the attack. Enjoy the spectacle but return fish caught on beds so they can protect the nest. If keeping a few bass for dinner keep the fish that are lurking on the extremities beyond the nest. In the bass community, females are excess fish and should be the ones harvested. Males are vital to perpetuate the species. Striper fishing is excellent. In the south, stripers have moved into the main channel. It is not necessary to fight the crowd at the dam any longer. Large schools are found roaming the channel near Buoy 1 and 3 and from the Power Plant intake to Buoy 9. The points in Navajo Canyon just past the double islands are beginning to produce some nice catches. Main channel fish tend to move to a slightly different spot each day so a good method to find them is trolling the wall with a deep diving lure. When fish hit the trolling lure, stop and drop bait to fill the cooler in a hurry. With warming temperatures remember to put fish immediately in a cooler with ice to keep the fish fresh. Do not place them on a stringer in warm water. They deteriorate in a hurry unless kept cool. In the north lake both bait and trolling are working. Moki Wall near the mouth of the canyon is producing for bait anglers, as is the mouth of Lake Canyon. Trolling with a deep diving lure like a Rapala X-Rap is working well in the back of Bullfrog Bay, Red Canyon south of Castle Butte, and White Canyon. Water is stained by runoff beginning at Ticaboo in Good Hope Bay but it is not interfering with fishing until rounding the horn at 2 Mile and 4 Mile Canyons. The backs of these canyons are still clear enough to fish. Crappie are showing up in modest numbers around brush in the backs of many canyons. This is the best report of fishing conditions that I have been able to write this year. Watch the weather reports and plan the spring trip now. Try to fit it in between storm fronts for the best results. Regulations LaSal Mountains Albino Trout, Bluegill, Grayling, Largemouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Splake (hybrid) (May 7) Conservation Officer TJ Robertson reports that Ken's Lake fishing is picking up, and was good in the past few days with an assortment of baits. Darek Elverud fished Ken's Lake on May 6. In two hours, he landed 9 largemouth and 4 sunfish. All bass were less than 11 inches. He used gray or orange plastic worms. Hidden Lake is now accessible and angler success was fair to good with nightcrawlers and salmon eggs. Don's Lake is only accessible by 4-wheeler, due to lingering snow drifts, which could melt this next week. Medicine Lake and Dark Canyon remain inaccessible. The gates to Oowah and Warner are closed. (May 1) Conservation Officer TJ Robertson reports slow fishing at Ken's Lake. Mountain lakes and reservoirs remain inaccessible. The gates to Oowah and Warner are closed. (Apr 23) No recent report for Ken's Lake. The best times to fish have been early morning or evening. Bass are becoming more active. Two weeks ago, the DWR received a report of a seven-pound bass being creeled at Ken's. Mountain lakes remain inaccessible. The gates to Oowah and Warner are closed. (Apr 16) Conservation Officer TJ Robertson reports slow fishing at Ken's Lake. The best times to fish are early morning or evening. Bass are becoming more active. TJ received a report of a seven-pound bass that was caught last week. Mountain lakes remain inaccessible. The gates to Oowah and Warner are still closed. Locomotive Springs Largemouth Bass, Rainbow Trout No recent reports. Mabey Pond Crappie, Catfish, Largemouth Bass No recent reports. Regulations Mantua Reservoir Bluegill, Cutthroat Trout, Largemouth Bass, Rainbow Trout (May 3) FC of Ogden fished with a partner without catching anything. "Water level good, not too much grass yet. Boat docks not in place yet but beaching small to medium fishing boats no problem. No luck for us and wind came up in afternoon got cold and quite choppy. Several boats on the water, a few anglers on the shores, but didn't see anyone catching anything." (May 2) On Wednesday April 30, the reservoir had good access conditions but I observed no anglers on the water—the windy, snowy weather was keeping most people from venturing out. Observation from Phil Douglass. (Apr 23) Boats have been on the reservoir, but fishing was reported to be slow. Report from Biologist Clint Brunson. (Apr 11) "There is ice on 90 percent of the reservoir with some open water on the southeast end. It looked like some wet areas were forming on the main body of ice on April 9." Report from Phil Douglass. Regulations Minersville Reservoir Rainbow Trout, Smallmouth Bass STOP WHIRLING DISEASE (May 8) Fishing is slow and pressure has dropped off. Water clarity is low, with visibility only about one foot. Irrigation release have begun, so the water level has started to drop. (Apr 23) Fishing has slowed and pressure has tailed off. As fish move back out to deeper water, try fishing with streamers right on the bottom. A float tube or pontoon will help. Regulations Newcastle Reservoir Smallmouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Wiper (hybrid) FISH CONSUMPTION ADVISORY (Apr 23) Catchable-sized rainbows have been stocked. Sampling on April 1 found that 3- to 4-pound wipers are abundant and spread out through various depths. Try trolling minnow-imitating lures for wipers. Experiment with various speeds and depths. Regulations Newton Reservoir Bass, Bluegill, Channel Catfish, Rainbow Trout, Tiger Musky (hybrid), Yellow Perch No recent reports. Regulations Pelican Lake Bluegill, Green Sunfish, Largemouth Bass (Apr 27) Brian of Rock Springs caught 29 largemouth using buzz bait. He says the water temperature was in the mid 50's. (Apr 23) Ice is off but cold weather and high winds have kept the lake waters from warming. Anglers reporting a few early bass, bluegill are few and far between. As the water warms, fishing will pick up. Pelican did not have a severe winterkill as some anglers have reported. Division biologists were one of the first groups out on the reservoir as they watched the ice out carefully. They did see some dead fish along the shoreline but do not believe it is because of a major die-off. Their reports on the fish kill is more inline with angling mortality and possibly a few lethal pockets, which are common for Pelican. (Apr 10) Ice is off but cold weather and high winds have kept the lake waters from warming. Should be good fishing once it warms up. Biologists were one of the first groups out on the reservoir as they watched the ice out carefully. They did see some dead fish along the shoreline but do not believe it is because of a major die-off as was reported by some anglers. Their reports on the fish kill is more inline with angling mortality and possibly a few lethal pockets, which are common for Pelican. Regulations Pineview Reservoir Bluegill, Bullhead Catfish, Crappie, Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Tiger Musky (hybrid), Trout, Yellow Perch (May 2) Anglers are catching black crappie in the shallower inlet areas on the east side and they're catching some of the biggest black crappie I have ever seen!!! Some are at max growth and I don't think they can get any bigger. Use a small jig with slow retrieve. Report by Conservation Officer Dave Beveridge. (Apr 27) Trey A. of Murray fished Cemetery Point with a partner and caught a tiger musky and a smallmouth using an X-Rap. "Lake is totally ice free and is looking good" (Apr 23) Saturday morning 9:00 a.m. The water is still mostly iced over, although there is about 40% open water as well. I interviewed two fishermen that were fishing from the shore on a sandy beach. They fished from approximately 8 to 9 a.m. using various colors of Jigs, and Grubs, with no luck. There were two boats that I could see that appeared to be looking for a fishing spot. I was unable to contact or survey them. Report from Dedicated Hunter Mitchell Wamsley. (Apr 17) Joel N. of West Point caught 1 tiger musky using a Rapala. He reports: "I was there starting at about 11:30 AM and it was 95% ice free. There was only some thin ice in the narrows with a wide ring of open water around that ice." (Apr 17) Pineview is mostly iced over, though the ice looks like it's in very poor condition. Most of the bays on the north and east are opening up, but there were no fishermen on any of them shortly after 1:00 p.m. when I drove around the entire reservoir. The ice in the narrows has approx five to ten feet of open water around the edges. The bay just north of the Ogden Pineview Yacht club has open water for a few hundred yards, though the slips (docks) are still frozen in. You can drive down 5500 East (on the north end) and park at the end of the dead end and walk about 100 yards to get to open water. Can also get down 5900 East, park, and walk about 150 yards to the water. Geertsen Bay on the northeast side is open for approx 200 yds square. Middle Inlet and Spring Creek have open water all along the end, extending approximately 50 to 150 feet out from the bank, depending on where in the bay you look. There is also water open on the south end at Jefferson Hunt. The water is still quite low, so there's no back-up into the weeds in the bays yet. It's going to be a few days yet, but it's getting close. Report from Kime Coleman, Dedicated Hunter. Regulations Pioneer Park Pond Black Bullhead, Black Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish, Green Sunfish, Largemouth Bass, Rainbow Trout No recent reports. Regulations Piute Reservoir Rainbow Trout, Smallmouth Bass (May 8) Shore fishing is still good and has recently been better than Otter Creek. Lots of wind every day. (Apr 23) Lots of wind lately. Fishing from shore is fair to good with popular baits when the wind dies down. Trolling should pick up soon. Quail Creek Reservoir Bluegill, Crappie, Largemouth Bass, Rainbow Trout (May 8) Bass fishing should pick up at any time. (Apr 23) Last weekend's cold front kept the water temp low and fishing slow. Upcoming warm weather should help improve bass fishing. Regulations Red Fleet Reservoir Bluegill, Brown Trout, Largemouth Bass, Rainbow Trout (Apr 23) Reservoir open although there may still be a few ice chunks floating around. Anglers have reported good fishing for trout as the ice melted. (Apr 10) Reservoir still has ice but is melting rapidly and some areas along the shoreline are open. Ice is unsafe. Anglers have reported good fishing along ice edge this week. Regulations Redmond Reservoir Catfish, Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike (Apr 26) Kevin C. of Richfield fished in a group of 3 without catching anything. "Cats r starting to pick up. Pike have been pretty steady. not to much luck on largemouth bass" Rockport Reservoir Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout, Tiger Trout (hybrid), Smallmouth Bass, Yellow Perch STOP WHIRLING DISEASE (Apr 23) The reservoir is almost completely ice free. There are some small thin ice sheets at the boat ramp. The rest of the reservoir is ice free. Fishing was slow. Remember to purchase your park entrance pass when you enter the State Park. There is a small use fee for parking along Hwy 32 on the west side of the State Park. Report from Conservation Officer Bruce Johnson. (Apr 17) Officer Bruce Johnson reports that Rockport has areas of open water near the shore but winds are shifting daily and that means areas of open water shift from day to day also. Wind and warmer weather will contribute to rapidly deterioriating ice conditions. Regulations Sand Cove Reservoirs Green Sunfish, Largemouth Bass, Rainbow Trout (May 8) Catchable rainbows have been stocked in the upper reservoir. Both reservoirs were drawn low this winter while Pacificorp made repairs to the canals. No fish kills were ever reported, however, and it is likely that the bass and bluegill populations made it through just fine. Both reservoirs have been refilled. (Apr 23) Catchable rainbows have been stocked in the upper reservoir. Both reservoirs were drawn low this winter while Pacificorp made repairs to the canals. No fish kills were ever reported, however, and it is likely that the bass and bluegill populations made it through just fine. Both reservoirs have been refilled. Sand Hollow Reservoir Bluegill, Largemouth Bass (May 8) Water temperature is approaching 60 F and bass should be on nests soon. Fishing was fair to good for smaller fish with the standard popular baits in dark colors. (Apr 23) Last weekend's cold front kept the water temp in the mid-50s and fishing varied from slow to fair. Upcoming warm temperatures should start bringing bass in shallow to build spawning beds. One angler reported good success on Monday. Regulations Starvation Reservoir Brown Trout, Crayfish, Smouthmouth Bass, Walleye (Apr 23) Reservoir is ice free and near full. Anglers report good fishing for trout including several larger browns being taken (Apr 10) Reservoir is ice free and near full. Anglers report good fishing for trout including several larger browns being taken. Regulations Steinaker Reservoir Bluegill, Largemouth Bass, Rainbow Trout (Apr 23) Reservoir is ice-free and being filled. Anglers report good fishing for rainbows and a few browns also being taken. No reports of bass or bluegill yet. (Apr 10) A few brown are being caught. Good fishing for rainbows. Reservoir is filling and ice free. Regulations Strawberry Reservoir Crayfish, Cutthroat Trout, Kokanee Salmon, Rainbow Trout, Smallmouth Bass (May 3) J. Allmendinger of Ogden fished Strawberry Bay Marina right off boat ramp and caught 21 cutts using white curly-tailed jig w/ green jig head tipped with meal worm. "Awesome ice fishing! Caught fish one right after the other! Ice is getting bad. Around 24" of ice, first two inches is a crust followed by 8-10" of slush, then 8" of semi-solid ice. By late afternoon, the crust was melting and I was walking in slush leaving the lake. This is definitely the last weekend for ice fishing. Should see open water along the shore anytime. Already has some around the boat ramp around the rocks where it absorbs all the heat during the day. Ice fishing after today, definitely iffy I wouldn't recommend it. Some of the best fishing at Strawberry is when the ice is melted 50-100' off shore. Cast anything shiny onto the ice and let it drop in the water and usually the fish will hit it right away. Looking forward to that maybe by next weekend!" (May 2) Ice fishing is not recommended. A recently drilled hole showed several layers of bad ice, slush, water, etc. Only about six to eight inches of the ice was considered somewhat solid but there are several cracks on the ice surface, a lot of slush in places and water level is rising which provides unsafe conditions around the edges. Though yesterday's storm froze up the edges a bit, warmer weather can make ice weak in a short amount of time. A little bit of open water at the ladders and Indian Creek. DWR biologist Justin Robinson guesstimates another two to three weeks before ice off, depending on weather and wind. (Apr 24) Still about 30 inches of ice and ice fishing success was reported as good again this week. Check ice for safety over the next week or so as ice off typically occurs in the next week or so. Slush hasn't been too bad but can change in a day or two so wear waterproof boots. Tube jigs tipped with bait or various other techniques have all been effective. Early morning was best bite. (Apr 19) J. Allmendinger of Ogden fished Strawberry Bay Marina right off boat ramp with a white jig tipped with mealworm and caught 4 cutts in 20 ft. of water. "Ice thickness is around 24-30" but is starting to get slushy. Ice is also starting to get soft, my auger cut through it pretty easy. Won't be long till we see some open water along the shoreline, especially if the weather stays warm like today." (Apr 11) Ice fishing success was reported as good again this week. There is still plenty of thick ice reported by anglers. In fact, ice is very thick and drilling one hole can be a chore. Anglers report drilling all the way to the handle of the auger before breaking through to water. Slush is making ATVs get stuck but some snowmobiles are still on the ice. Regulations Utah Lake Bluegill, Bullhead Catfish, Channel Catfish, Largemouth Bass, Smouthmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass FISH CONSUMPTION ADVISORY (May 2) Ice free. Not much walleye success. Angler Danny reports "I caught 25 pre-spawn male white bass at Lincoln Beach yesterday in the strong wind and waves on everything I threw. I also picked up a three-pound channel cat on my second pole "deadstick" on a dead fish." Angler Scott reports "I fished Utah Lake (Provo Boat Harbor) today from about 3 p.m. til 6 p.m. I started off fishing where the river goes into the lake and had no luck. So I moved into the marina where the sailboats dock and immediately started getting hits. I fished in the marina for about two hours and it was non-stop action. I ended up keeping five white bass and had a good-sized cat on but he snapped my line, no problem. I was using a shrimp tipped with a worm off the bottom. All in all a good outing though." Largemouth and smallmouth bass limit is six, but immediately release all largemouth and smallmouth bass over 12 inches long. For more information on conditions call Utah Lake State Park at (801) 375-0731. (Apr 24) Ice free. Conservation Officer Shawn Bagley reports "White bass fishing and large mouth bass are being caught near Mill Race. Increasing success on walleye. Cold water temperature and wind have affected the success rate." (Apr 11) Ice free. Getting several reports of small male walleye being caught success is still slow however. Regulations Wide Hollow Reservoir Bluegill, Largemouth Bass, Rainbow Trout (May 8) Catchable rainbows have been stocked. Lots of wind lately and fishing was slow. Action for bluegill and bass could pick up anytime. (Apr 23) Catchable rainbows have been stocked. Action for bluegill and bass could pick up anytime. Willard Bay Bullhead Catfish, Channel Catfish, Crappie, Largemouth Bass, Perch, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Wipers (hybrid), Yellow Perch (Apr 17) The south marina gate is closed for walleye spawning until the end of the month. The north marina is open but the water is very low. Light pressure with poor success. (Apr 13) FC of Ogden fished with a partner using rattle traps and crank baits trolled at various speeds 1.5 to 3.5 mph. "Bay is filling some. 4-6 feet in inlet at north marina. Main body of bay 6 to11 feet deep. Further south west you go deeper it gets. Island is exposed about 6 inches to a foot above water surface. Marker bouys not floating yet.. South marina closed, south channel very shallow. Water surface temp 50 - 54 degrees today. No hits today but the day was beautiful." Regulations