Utah Fly Fishing Reports

COMMENTS

Utah Fly Fishing Reports Revised 03-09-10 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 (Mar 4) You can access more of the lakes with a snowmobile. Fishing pressure is light throughout the winter, with Little Reservoir and Kent's Lake receiving the most pressure. (Feb 18) You can access most lakes by snowmobile. Fishing pressure is light throughout the winter, with Little Reservoir and Kent's Lake receiving the most pressure. Beaver River Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout STOP WHIRLING DISEASE (Mar 4) Lower: The ice is gone and water level is low, so fish are easily spooked. There is not much fishing pressure. Upper: The anchor ice is making fishing difficult. The area near the mouth of the canyon is starting to open up. (Feb 18) Lower: The ice is mostly gone. Fish are easily spooked because the water level is low. There is not much fishing pressure. Upper: The anchor ice is making fishing difficult. The area near the mouth of the canyon is starting to open up. Regulations Benches Pond Reservoir Rainbow Trout No recent reports. Regulations Blacksmith Fork River Brook Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout, Whitefish STOP WHIRLING DISEASE (Feb 18) On Feb. 13, there was only one angler on the river between the mouth of the canyon and Hardware Ranch. The river impoundment above the power plant was free of ice. (Feb 12) Use caution when parking or crossing the road to get to Blacksmith Fork River. The highway can be busy with visitors traveling to Hardware Ranch. Boulder Mountain Lakes Brook Trout, Rainbow Trout (Feb 18) Most Boulder Mountain lakes are closed to fishing until April 17. Check the Utah Fishing Guidebook to see which lakes are open year-round. Access is limited to snowmobile. Anglers report good fishing at Oak Creek Reservoir. Regulations Boulger Reservoir Rainbow Trout No recent reports. Regulations Chalk Creek Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout No recent reports. Clear Creek Rainbow Trout (Mar 4) The lower section in the state park is a little murky with some runoff. You may be able to find water that is more clear upstream above the narrows. (Feb 18) Some of the edges are icy. Wild rainbows and browns are abundant. Although trout get sluggish during the winter, stream fishing can be very productive throughout the colder months. Successful winter tackle includes nymphs, spinners and natural baits. Cleveland Reservoir Rainbow Trout No recent reports. Clinton City Park Pond Bluegill, Channel Catfish, Largemouth Bass, Rainbow Trout No recent reports. Regulations Corn Creek Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout No recent reports. 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 (Mar 4) Kingston Canyon: The ice is gone and the water level is low, so tread lightly to avoid spooking fish. The water is a little murky. Black Canyon: The river in Black Canyon generally does not freeze over. Trout get sluggish during the winter, but you can still find productive stream fishing throughout the colder months. Try winter tackle like nymphs, spinners and streamers. (Feb 18) Kingston Canyon: Much of the ice is coming off because of the recent warm weather. The water is low, so tread lightly to avoid spooking fish. The melting ice can make the water a little turbid. Black Canyon: The river in Black Canyon generally does not freeze over. Although trout get sluggish during the winter, stream fishing can be very productive throughout the colder months. Successful winter tackle includes nymphs, spinners and natural baits. Regulations Electric Lake Cutthroat Trout No recent reports. Fish Creek (lower) Rainbow Trout No recent reports. Fish Lake Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Mackinaw (Lake Trout), Splake (hybrid), Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch STOP WHIRLING DISEASE (Mar 4) Fishing is fair to good. There is a lot of deep snow and slush, so don't bother with an ATV. The ice is still over a foot thick, but you have to dig down to get to it. Fishing pressure is still heavy on the weekends. The slowest fishing is often found in the spots with the most concentrated pressure. Try fishing mornings or late afternoon or evening to get away from the crowds. You can catch small trout and perch in shallow water, around 15 to 20 feet. For larger splake and rainbows move to 30 feet and fish on the bottom, or suspend 20 to 30 feet down over deeper water. Rainbows and perch should hit light-colored jigs or spoons tipped with mealworms, wax worms or night crawlers. For splake, try tipping your jigs with perch meat. The bite can often be light so a spring bobber can be handy. (Perch will also hit a jig tipped with perch meat.) Anglers are catching small lake trout at depths of 80 to 95 feet with large tube jigs tipped with fish meat. Catching large lake trout is rare and requires a lot of patience. A few anglers are leaving perch on the ice. Note: This is wasting and is illegal. It is important that anglers harvest perch at Fish Lake, but not at the expense of the law. If you're not going to take the fish home, please release them. (Feb 18) There is a lot of slush, so don't bother with ATVs. Snowmobiles are okay if you stay on packed trails. Fishing pressure is still pretty heavy on the weekends. Fishing ranges from slow to good. Anglers are having the best success if they have a secret fishing spot where they know they can find fish. For every one else, the best bet is to get away from the crowds. The slowest fishing is often in the spots with the most concentrated fishing pressure. Anglers are catching small trout and perch at depths of 15 to 20 feet. For larger splake and rainbows, move down around 30 feet and fish on the bottom or suspended between 20 and 30 feet over deeper water. For rainbows and perch, try jigs in light colors or spoons tipped with mealworms, wax worms or night crawlers. For splake, tip your jigs with perch meat. (Perch will also hit a jig tipper with perch meat.) The bite can be light so keep a spring bobber handy. Anglers are catching small lake trout at 80 to 95 feet on large tube jigs tipped with fish meat. Catching large lake trout is rare and requires a lot of patience. A few anglers have been leaving perch on the ice. Please note that this is wasting and it is illegal. Harvesting perch is important at Fish Lake, but not at the expense of the law. If you're not going to take the fish home, please release them. Regulations Green River Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Channel Catfish, Cutthroat Trout, Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout STOP NEW ZEALAND MUDSNAIL (Mar 9) The daily river flows will fluctuate, so watch the depths of the waters around you. Try fishing with glowbugs (trout egg imitations), scuds, nymphs and small fish imitations. The brown trout spawning run is over, but the redds are still in the riverbed. Try to avoid damaging the eggs if you're wading. Spin anglers should try Rapalas (floating, countdown and husky jerk), spinners, spoons, plastic jigs or black, brown or olive marabou jigs. Regulations Huntington Creek Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout STOP WHIRLING DISEASE No recent reports. Regulations Huntington Reservoir Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout, Tiger Trout (hybrid) No recent reports. Regulations Jordanelle Reservoir Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout, Smallmouth Bass, Yellow Perch STOP WHIRLING DISEASE (Mar 5) Some anglers are braving the ice and reporting over 12 inches on the north end from Hailstone. Don't fish the Rock Cliff side, there is very little water. Much of the open water is around the dam. The edges are usually weak. It's best to wait for ice off. (Feb 24) Some anglers are braving the ice and having some success for perch and trout. However, there is a lot of open water on the reservoir and the edges can be weak. It's probably best to wait until ice off. (Feb 20) Johnny W. of Orem fished Rock Cliffs in a group of 3 using jigs with waxworms or piece of nightcrawler. "Skunk. Ice was solid. 16 inches. only open water was at inlet we just stayed on trail from parking lot and went around . Some guys over to the north had some trout on the ice. They were using pink ice ants with mealworms dropping down ten to 15 feet in center of main channel." (Feb 19) Some anglers are still braving the ice and catching perch and trout. Be very careful, though. There's a lot of open water on the reservoir, and the ice edges can be weak. It would be wise to wait until the ice melts. (Feb 12) There is open water and weak ice. Stay off of the ice. Regulations LaSal Mountains Albino Trout, Bluegill, Grayling, Largemouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Splake (hybrid) No recent reports. Logan River Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout, Whitefish STOP WHIRLING DISEASE No recent reports. Regulations Minersville Reservoir Rainbow Trout, Smallmouth Bass STOP WHIRLING DISEASE (Mar 4) The ice is getting soft around the edges and thinner all over. Open water should appear very shortly. Ice-off will likely occur within a few weeks, depending on temperatures and wind. Remember that the use or possession of bait, including scented lures, is prohibited at Minersville Reservoir. (Feb 18) The ice is over 12 inches thick. The recent warm weather is melting the edges. Even though the edges are refreezing at night, they are still thin. So use caution—especially in the afternoon. Fishing is fair to good for 11- to 14-inch rainbows. Anglers are catching a few larger fish—including a few over the 22-inch minimum size restriction. Try using white plastic and marabou jigs. Remember that the use or possession of bait, including scented lures, is prohibited at Minersville Reservoir. Regulations Ogden River Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout STOP WHIRLING DISEASE (Mar 4) Dedicated Hunter Doug Johnson reported deep snow along the roadside, especially near Pineview Reservoir, which made it difficult to access the river. He didn't see anyone catching fish. The lower Ogden (west of Wall Avenue) contains quite a few large brown trout, according to fish surveys conducted by the DWR last winter. (Feb 18) This is a good time of year to fish the lower river. The stretch of river above the confluence is often very brushy and harder to fish in the summer. It has high densities of brown trout. Regulations Price River Rainbow Trout No recent reports. Regulations Provo River Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout, Walleye (Mar 5) Lower: Anglers report good success with small (size 20 or smaller) midge imitations. Sow bugs are still effective. Middle: Midges (size 20 or smaller), sow bugs and small, dark nymphs are working well. There are special regulations on much of the Provo River, see the Utah Fishing Guidebook for more. (Feb 24) Gold Medal Fishing Guides fished the middle Provo and caught 3 browns flyfishing with baetis nymphs. "browns were feeding on nymphs and small midges" (Feb 24) Lower: Anglers report success with small (size 20 or smaller) midge imitations. Sow bugs should also be effective this time of year. Middle: Midges (size 20 or smaller), sow bugs and small, dark nymphs are working well. There are special regulations on much of the Provo River, so please read the Utah Fishing Guidebook. (Feb 19) Lower: Anglers report success with small (size 20 or smaller) midge imitations. Sow bugs should also be effective this time of year. Middle: Midges (size 20 or smaller), sow bugs and small, dark nymphs are working well. There are special regulations on much of the Provo River, so please read the Utah Fishing Guidebook. (Feb 12) Lower: Anglers report good success with small (size 20 or smaller) midge imitations. Sow bugs should be effective this time of year as well. Middle: Midges (size 20 or smaller), sow bugs and small, dark nymphs are working well. There are special regulations on much of the Provo River. Read the Utah Fishing Guidebook for details. Regulations Scofield Reservoir Crayfish, Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout (Feb 24) Conservation Officer Ben Riley checked anglers over the Feb. 20–21 weekend. He reports good fishing at multiple locations across the reservoir. Ben recommended using white jigs tipped with chub meat. Sergeant J. Shirley and his officers checked anglers over the holiday weekend and reported very good fishing across the entire reservoir. Anglers had success with a variety of different baits, including nightcrawlers, wax worms, jigs and PowerBait. Shirley mentioned that a number of anglers did not comply with the special regulations. He cautions anglers to make sure they can identify the species of fish they catch and to become familiar with the regulations. Please read the Utah Fishing Guidebook for all of the details about Scofield Reservoir's special regulations. (Feb 17) Sergeant J. Shirley and his officers checked anglers over the holiday weekend and reported very good fishing across the entire reservoir. Anglers had success with a variety of different baits, including nightcrawlers, wax worms, jigs and PowerBait. Shirley mentioned that a number of anglers did not comply with the special regulations. He cautions anglers to make sure they can identify the species of fish they catch and to become familiar with the regulations. See the Utah Fishing Guidebook for all of the details about Scofield Reservoir's special regulations. Regulations Strawberry Reservoir Crayfish, Cutthroat Trout, Kokanee Salmon, Rainbow Trout, Smallmouth Bass (Mar 5) The edges are still good and the fishing is fair. There are pockets of slush, so it's probably best to skip the ATV. Several parking areas have been plowed, but you can't drive past the Strawberry Marina turnoff. Try fishing with bait tipped jigs. If your success is slow, move locations. There are special regulations for Strawberry. Read the Utah Fishing Guidebook for details. (Feb 24) There is less slush this week and, according to angler Chuck, more than 20 inches of ice. There are still pockets of slush, however, so it's best not to take an ATV and to wear tall, waterproof boots. Several parking areas have been plowed, but you can't drive a vehicle past the Strawberry Marina turnoff. Bait tipped jigs are working well. If you're having slow success, try moving locations. There are special regulations for Strawberry, so please read the Utah Fishing Guidebook. (Feb 19) Tracy of Heber fished Soldier Creek and caught 12 cutts using a jig tipped with wax worm in 15 to 20 ft. of water. "Some slush. One 23 incher the others 19-21 inches. Fished from 4:30 to 8:00 pm" (Feb 19) Anglers reported less slush this week, and there are still about 20 inches of ice. You may not, however, want to take an ATV onto the reservoir because there are still pockets of slush! Wear tall, waterproof boots. Several parking areas have been plowed, but you can't drive a vehicle past the Strawberry Marina turnoff. Bait-tipped jigs work well. If fishing is slow, move to a new location. The main regulations at Strawberry are as follows: limit is four trout or kokanee salmon in the aggregate. No more than two may be cutthroat trout under 15 inches, and no more than one may be a cutthroat trout over 22 inches. All cutthroat trout from 15 to 22 inches must be immediately released. Trout or salmon may not be filleted, and the heads or tails may not be removed in the field or in transit. (Feb 12) Angler Demarkus reports lots of slush on top of about 18 to 24 inches of ice. So wear tall, waterproof boots and don't take an ATV to the reservoir! Several of the parking areas are plowed, but you can't drive a vehicle past the Strawberry Marina turnoff. Bait tipped jigs are working well. If you don't have any success, try moving locations. There are special regulations for Strawberry Reservoir. Read the Utah Fishing Guidebook for details. Regulations Thousand Lakes Mountain Trout (Mar 4) Access is limited, with best access from I-70. Ice fishing can be good to excellent in Solomon Basin. (Feb 18) Access is limited. The best access is from I-70. Ice fishing can be good to excellent in Solomon Basin. Tibble Fork Reservoir Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout (Feb 19) Stay off the ice. The brown trout spawn has ended, and fishing success in the river has slowed. (Feb 12) Stay off of the ice. The brown trout spawn has ended and fishing success is slow. 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 (Mar 6) Greg of Kaysville fished north of I-84 in the Uinta township area and caught 2 browns using brown wooly bugger and stonefly on sinking line. "Caught 1st on woolybugger about 12-14 in. weighing 1lbs. and 2nd Brown was 25 in. weighing 5 1/2 lbs. took 45 minutse to land." (Mar 4) Conservation Officer Bruce Johnson reports that fishing success along the Weber River is good. Anglers are catching nice brown trout and a lot of whitefish. Both fishing pressure and water levels are low. (Feb 27) Matt of Morgan caught 4 browns, 2 cutts, 2 whitefish, 1 rainbow and what looked like a tiger trout using midges. (Feb 25) Biologist Paul Thompson reports good fishing. He caught whitefish and browns on smaller nymphs (size 12 and smaller). He also had success with scuds, pheasant tails (flashback and copper johns), and hare's ears. (Feb 12) Biologist Paul Thompson reports fair to good fishing for brown trout and mountain whitefish. Try small nymphs or hare's ears nymphs in sizes 12 to 16. Regulations Willow Lake Rainbow Trout, Tiger Trout (hybrid) No recent reports.