Utah's Fishing Hotspots

COMMENTS

Utah's Fishing Hotspots 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. 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. 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. Regulations