Utah Fly Fishing Reports

COMMENTS

Utah Fly 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. Beaver Mountain Lakes Rainbow Trout (May 8) Access on the mountain is still restricted to Little Reservoir. Fishing is slow. There are still snowdrifts blocking the Kent's Lake Road about two miles below Kent's Lake, so access is probably still a week or two away. All other lakes will be longer. (Apr 23) Little Reservoir is ice-free and accessible. All other lakes are still snowed in. Beaver River Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout STOP WHIRLING DISEASE (May 8) LOWER: Irrigation releases from Minersville Res. have begun. Flows should still be fishable, though turbidity can be a problem. UPPER: Flows are low and clear. Not much pressure. (Apr 23) LOWER: Flows are still low and clear, so fish are easily spooked. Fishing is fair to good for rainbows and browns using streamer patterns in the deep holes. Flows may increase for irrigation needs at any time. Regulations Benches Pond Reservoir Rainbow Trout (May 7) This small pond remains hidden by snow and ice. Regulations Blacksmith Fork River Brook Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout, Whitefish STOP WHIRLING DISEASE (Apr 11) "I was impressed with the number of fish rising on calm water at the impoundment just above the power plant at 10:00 a.m. There was nobody fishing the area however. The USGS Web site indicates the water is running at 82 cfs. The river looked pretty clear, yet was running higher than last week." Report from Phil Douglass. Boulder Mountain Lakes Brook Trout, Rainbow Trout (May 8) All Boulder Mtn. lakes are now open to fishing. Access on most of the mountain is still limited, but should open up by June. Access to the Boulder Top will be later. Most lakes are still frozen. (Apr 23) All Boulder Mtn. lakes are now open to fishing. Access on most of the mountain is still limited to snowmobile and ATV. No recent reports. Regulations Boulger Reservoir Rainbow Trout (May 7) This small pond remains hidden by snow and ice. Regulations Chalk Creek Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout (May 8) Expect high spring flows. Wild rainbows are abundant and can be caught with spinners and flies. Best fishing is away from the campground and more heavily fished spots. The North Fork provides a good spot for those willing to hike. Meadow Creek and Pioneer Creek are other small streams in the area that contain populations of small, wild trout. (Apr 23) Wild rainbows are abundant and can be caught with spinners and flies. Best fishing is away from the campground and more heavily fished spots. The North Fork provides a good spot for those willing to hike. Meadow Creek and Pioneer Creek are other small streams in the area that contain populations of small, wild trout. Clear Creek Rainbow Trout (May 8) lows have increased and water has a little color to it but is still very fishable. Reports of fair to good fishing for small rainbows and browns. (Apr 23) Flows are generally low and clear and fishing is fair. Cleveland Reservoir Rainbow Trout (May 7) This reservoir remains completely frozen. Further ice fishing is not recommended. Clinton City Park Pond Bluegill, Channel Catfish, Largemouth Bass, Rainbow Trout No recent reports. Regulations Corn Creek Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout (May 8) Flows are high and turbid. Wild brown trout are abundant and can be caught with spinners and flies. (Apr 23) Wild brown trout are abundant and can be caught with spinners and flies. Currant Creek Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout No recent reports. Duck Fork Reservoir Colorado River Cutthroat Trout, Tiger Trout (hybrid) No recent reports. Regulations East Fork of Sevier River Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout (May 8) KINGSTON CANYON: Flows are low and only slightly turbid. A fair amount of pressure lately, but fishing was slow to fair. Recent sampling found that trout numbers are down from recent years. Irrigation releases from Otter Creek Res. could begin at any time, making flows high and turbid. BLACK CANYON: Flow and turbidity can vary with runoff from higher elevations. Fishing action should pick up whenever the water is clear. ABOVE TROPIC RES: No word on access or fishing conditions. (Apr 23) KINGSTON CANYON: Flows are low and only slightly turbid. A fair amount of pressure lately, but fishing was slow to fair. Recent sampling found that trout numbers are down from recent years. Water levels will be fishable until May 1. BLACK CANYON: Flow and turbidity can vary with runoff from higher elevations. Fishing action should pick up whenever the water is clear. ABOVE TROPIC RESERVOIR: No word on access or fishing conditions. Regulations Electric Lake Cutthroat Trout (May 7) The lake remains frozen. Please stay off until the spring thaw. Fish Creek (lower) Rainbow Trout (May 7) Early in the week, Tom Ogden fished the lower stretches from the confluence with the White River, upstream to the first railroad bridge. The water was fairly clear and a chilly 39 degrees. In 3.5 hours, Tom caught 3 tigers, 1 cutt and 6 browns. All fish ranged from 13 to 16 inches. Tom used floating line and a size 14 hares ear nymph. The water below the confluence is unfishable, due to heavy run-off. (May 1) A localized fish kill occurred a little more than two weeks ago, apparently due to an abrupt release of oxygen-depleted water and sediment, incident to spillway reconstruction. The fish kill appeared to extend from the dam for 1/2 mile downstream. Oxygen depletion can occur after a prolonged ice cover, which inhibits light penetration and all but stops photosynthesis. Oxygen production comes to a halt and its concentration in the water dips to levels below the tolerance level required for sustaining life for a trout. (Apr 23) A localized fish kill occurred more than a week ago, apparently due to an abrupt release of anoxic water from the reservoir. The fish kill appeared to extend from the dam to about mile downstream. Anoxic or oxygen-depleted water can occur after a prolonged ice cover, which prevents light penetration. This stops photosynthesis and oxygen production. Fish and other organisms continue to consume oxygen, which is gradually used up. When a surge of water was released, it is possible that anoxic water suffocated downstream fish. Another possibility is that a surge of sediment released from the reservoir as a result of spillway construction caused oxygen depletion in the creek as bacteria tied it up in the decomposition of organic matter, leaving an inadequate oxygen concentration for trout. A multi-agency investigation continues into the cause. Since the fish kill incident, conditions have improved in the creek, and fish appear to be doing well. However, anglers may continue to see some dead fish along the length of the creek. Fish Lake Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Mackinaw (Lake Trout), Splake (hybrid), Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch STOP WHIRLING DISEASE (May 8) 20 to 50 feet of open water around most of the lake, with a little more at Twin Creek and on the south end. Fishing was slow to fair at the mouth of Twin Creek, but should pick up soon. The lake will probably not be ice-free for a couple more weeks. Remember, no boats are allowed on the lake until ALL of the ice has melted. Very little pressure. When the ice melts a little more it can be a good time to catch splake from shore. Try jigs tipped with sucker or perch meat. (Apr 23) Open water has appeared on the south end and at Twin Creek. Accessing the ice is not recommended. Warm weather and wind should cause more ice to melt within the next week. Watch for splake and rainbow to show up in the shallows within the next two weeks. Regulations Green River Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Channel Catfish, Cutthroat Trout, Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout STOP NEW ZEALAND MUDSNAIL (Apr 23) Fishing on the river was picking up and midge hatches are occurring as air temps warm. Nymphing is still probably the best technique but streamers are also working. Watch for baetis hatches as they usually occur in April. Please remember the slot limit size range has changed from 13 to 20 inches to 15 to 22 inches to make regulations more consistent statewide. Nymphing with glo-bugs and San Juan worms with smaller nymphs trailering was the workhorse. Small midge patterns work some days. Streamers are working well and have been extremely good some days. Try size 2-4 buggers such as Goldilox and patterns in olive, pink and white. Spin fishermen should try small rapalas (floating, countdown and husky jerk); small spinners; black, brown or olive marabou jigs; and small jigs. Please check to see that your tube jigs contain no fish attracting scents, as they are illegal to use in the river. (Apr 10) Fishing on the river was picking up and midge hatches are occurring as air temps warm. Nymphing is still probably the best technique but streamers are also working. Watch for baetis hatches as they usually occur in April. Please remember the slot limit size range has changed from 13 to 20 inches to 15 to 22 inches to make regulations more consistent statewide. Nymphing with glo-bugs and San Juan worms with smaller nymphs trailering was the workhorse. Small midge patterns work some days. Streamers are working well and have been extremely good some days. Try size 2-4 buggers such as Goldilox and patterns in olive, pink and white. Spin fishermen should try small rapalas (floating, countdown and husky jerk); small spinners; black, brown or olive marabou jigs; and small jigs. Regulations Huntington Creek Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout STOP WHIRLING DISEASE (May 7) The creek is open from top to bottom. Patches of snow still linger along the shoreline at higher elevations. The water is picking up color, due to increasing runoff. Fly fishermen should try a #10 beadhead Montana. Nightcrawlers and PowerBait are recommended for baitcasters. Most trout are 11- to 14-inch browns. Lower elevation campgrounds are starting to open, although the higher elevation grounds remain snowed in. (May 1) As of April 21, the catch was slow. The water is picking up color due to increasing runoff. Fly fishermen should try a #10 beadhead Montana. Nightcrawlers and PowerBait are recommended for baitcasters. Trout are mostly browns, ranging from 11 to 14 inches. (Apr 23) Tom Ogden fished on April 21 and reported slow conditions. The water is a little murky at the forks but is more clear further downstream. Tom has had his best luck with a #10 beadhead Montana. Typically, the catch consists of browns, ranging from 11 to 14 inches. (Apr 16) Conservation Officer Ben Riley fished last weekend and reports that trout stomachs were full of gray scuds. Ben recommends a scud pattern for flycasters, and little red worms for bait fishermen. Randall Stilson surveyed anglers on Sunday and reported fair fishing success. Randall recommends fishing in the deeper holes with worms or nightcrawlers. Tom Ogden has had good luck with a #10 beadhead Montana nymph or #14 beadhead hares ear. The catch consists primarily of browns, ranging from 11 to 14 inches. Regulations Huntington Reservoir Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout, Tiger Trout (hybrid) (May 7) This water remains covered with multiple layers of thick rotten ice and several feet of snow. Ice fishing is definitely not recommended. Please wait for ice-off. Regulations 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 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. Logan River Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout, Whitefish STOP WHIRLING DISEASE (Apr 17) The water level rose a few inches within the last three days. Although the water level is a little bit higher, the river is still pretty clear. It won't be long until the run-off hits and the river turns to muddy rapids. Take advantage of this last opportunity to do some spring fishing. During the warm weekend, some evening insect hatches were happening. Fish were taking down flies like Parachute Adams, and Griffiths Gnats. Other small dry flies were also effective. If the fish are not rising, try fishing a dropper rig with a small Copper John. Report courtesy of Pavlik Krasnov of www.westerntroutflies.com. (Apr 11) "I went fishing on the Logan on Monday, April 7. I was just past Right Hand Fork. I caught three cutts on nymphs. Could have been some good midge action, but it started to snow. The river was crystal clear, but starting to run faster. The USGS Web site indicates the water is running at 88 cfs." Report from Tod Morrison. 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 Ogden River Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout STOP WHIRLING DISEASE (May 2) Lower Ogden River is slow/fair fishing right now. I have not seen many fish caught on the lower Ogden. South Fork is getting high flows. Report by Conservation Officer Dave Beveridge. (Apr 17) South Fork: The river is running low and clear right below Causey Dam. It should begin to rise shortly as the snow melts. Fishing is good for brown trout. Try fishing the dropper rig with a dry fly on the surface and a small nymph below. The lower portion of the river is running a bit high and muddy. Courtesy of Pavlik Krasnov of www.westerntroutflies.com. Regulations Price River Rainbow Trout No recent reports. Regulations Provo River Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout, Walleye (May 2) Water level was not too high and clarity looks fairly good below both Jordanelle and Deer Creek dams. Hares ear, sow bugs, and other small surface flies and bottom-bouncing nymphs are producing fair to good success. (Apr 28) Brandon of Salt Lake fished the middle river. "I arrived at the river late morning about 11am. While I caught no fish I did have a few strikes missed using a sowbug and a green Beatis dropper. I did see a few anglers landing some. I would say success was fair. Two gentlemen I talked to reported fishing as good with BWO's." (Apr 24) Remember that tributaries to Utah Lake (from I-15 to the lake) are closed to May 1st! Water level was not too high and clarity looked good yesterday below both Jordanelle and Deer Creek dams. Hares ear, sow bugs, and other small surface flies and bottom bouncing nymphs are producing fair to good success. (Apr 11) Water level was not too high and clarity looked good yesterday below both Jordanelle and Deer Creek dams. Hares ear, sow bugs, and other small surface flies and bottom bouncing nymphs are producing fair to good success. Regulations Scofield Reservoir Crayfish, Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout (May 7) The ice cover is receding day by day and a lot of open water is available for shoreline angling. All of the angler reports indicate excellent fishing with egg sacs. With the possible exception of minnows, other baits don't perform nearly as well. Fly fishermen have been most successful with trout egg imitations. Frank Atwood of the Division of Parks and Recreation indicates that the campgrounds are not open yet, but will be by next weekend. Ramps are expected to open in a week or so. Frank announced a fishing tournament taking place at Scofield on May 17. For information on the tournament, call: 435-448-9449 or 435-686-2491. Bob Olson interviewed anglers on May 6 and reported good fishing from boat or shore for 16- to 18-inch trout with a few measuring over 20 inches. Successful anglers were using dead minnows or egg sacs. Randall Stilson conducted a creel survey on May 4. The west side was muddy and fishing was slow. The dam cove and east side offered excellent fishing for a mix of tiger and rainbow trout from 1 to 3 pounds. Randall ranked egg sacs as number 1, followed by minnows. Lieutenant Carl Gramlich and Conservation Officer Ben Riley visited the reservoir last weekend and reported good fishing with heavy angler pressure. Due to dam spillway reconstruction, traffic delays of several minutes can be expected around the dam cove. Anglers are reminded that Scofield tributaries are closed to fishing until the second Saturday in July. (May 1) The dam arm continues to open, and shoreline angler pressure was intense. Tom Ogden counted 17 vehicles around the dam last Saturday morning at 8:30 a.m. He described the scene as "combat fishing." The north and south ends of the reservoir are opening, where the water is shallow. However, as a whole, the reservoir's shoreline remains iced up. Some opening is expected by the weekend, depending on weather conditions and the volume of water released from the reservoir. As a follow-up to the fish kill at Lower Fish Creek two weeks ago, Tom Ogden reported a lingering sulphur odor near the dam. A "rotten egg" smell is associated with water that is low in oxygen. Oxygen-deficient water can be fatal to trout. Egg sacs are expected to be the most effective bait in the days to come, followed by nightcrawlers or PowerBait. Good fishing is anticipated for the next two to three weeks. Mornings have been best. The wind has typically picked up by early afternoon. Anglers are advised that Scofield tributaries remain closed to fishing until July 12 to protect spawning cutthroat trout. Due to dam spillway reconstruction, traffic delays up to five minutes can be expected around the dam cove. (Apr 23) The dam arm is opening up and bank fishermen have done very well with rainbow PowerBait or egg sacs. The south end of the reservoir is opening as is a small area on the north side. Further ice fishing is definitely not advised. The ice-melt changes daily, depending on night and daytime temperatures. Ice-off could occur within a week. The shoreline could open any day. Excellent fishing is expected in the days and weeks ahead. The best fishing was in the morning when the air was calm. Winds have generally picked up in the afternoon. Anglers should remember that Scofield tributaries are closed to fishing until July to protect spawning cutthroat trout. The dam and spillway are under construction. Heavy equipment will be at work in that area. Around the dam, traffic is one-way. Expect delays up to five minutes. (Apr 16) The bite was sporadic. Fair fishing success was most common. The ice pack is variable. A week ago, more than two feet of ice was reported in the mid and upper lake, although an expanse of open water exists on the south end, which grows daily. A week ago, Volunteer Coordinator Randall Stilson interviewed a party of six, which had each caught a limit of fish. In a full day's fishing, each member of the party had iced an estimated 15 to 20 trout apiece. Their preferred end tackle was a green plastic jig, tipped with chub meat or a wax worm. Green PowerBait was also effective. Their biggest fish was a tiger trout that measured 19.5 inches. The biggest cutthroat was 16.25 inches. The party fished close to the island. 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 Thousand Lakes Mountain Trout (May 8) Solomon Basin is accessible from Emery County. Snowdrifts still block the road from Forsyth, just past Riley Spring. Tibble Fork Reservoir Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout (May 2) Fair success for trout. Most anglers using traditional baits. (Apr 24) Fair success for trout. Most anglers using traditional baits. (Apr 11) Fair success for trout in open water. Regulations Uinta Lakes Albino Trout, Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout, Tiger Trout (hybrid) No recent reports. Regulations Weber River Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout, Whitefish STOP WHIRLING DISEASE (Apr 23) The river is currently at higher flows than previous weeks. The water levels flowing into Rockport Reservoir are much higher. The water is also more murky and dirty from runoff. The Weber River below Rockport Dam is flowing at much higher levels. The water quality is lower. The runoff and flows are making the water murky and dirty. Report from Conservation Officer Bruce Johnson. (Apr 11) Fishing for brown trout was good near Croyden. The USGS Web site indicates the water is running at 92 cfs at Coalville and 140 cfs further dwon the canyon. Report from Officer Jonathan Moser. Regulations Willow Lake Rainbow Trout, Tiger Trout (hybrid) No recent reports.