Utah Tiger Trout Fishing Reports

COMMENTS

Utah Tiger Trout Fishing Reports Revised 07-30-10 Hypertext gives a description of the lake and facilities available. Check proclamtion for details on restrictions as some may not be listed here. Birch Creek Reservoir Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout, Tiger Trout (hybrid) (Jul 29) Anglers report fair fishing. One angler caught two rainbows, 9 and 13 inches, and a 14-inch tiger trout. The reservoir is drawn down in the late summer, which makes the water soupy with blue-green algae. (Jul 22) Conservation Office Jade Sumsion reports Birch Creek not many people fish this reservoir. (Jul 9) Conservation Officer Jade Sumsion reports that Birch Creek was recently stocked with tiger trout fingerlings. It will take some time and growth before these fish have an effect on catch rates. Officer Sumsion recommends using a worm off the bottom. At Woodruff Creek Reservoir (south of Birch Creek), Sumsion reports that fishing is tougher. Anglers are catching rainbows from the dam and south end, but access is limited. (Jul 4) Keri of Ogden fished with a partner using worms in 10 ft. of water. "It is still cold and got pretty windy. We caught 7 rainbow trout and only 1 tiger trout. The tiger trout was double the size of any of the rainbow we caught. We had hoped to catch our limit in tiger trout, but they were not biting." Causey Reservoir Cutthroat Trout, Kokanee Salmon, Rainbow Trout, Splake (hybrid), Tiger Trout (hybrid) (Jul 29) Dedicated Hunter Mark Strauss reports fair fishing from the shore with PowerBait or worms. Floattubers should try fishing deep with leaches and woolly buggers. Most of the action is in the morning. (Jul 22) Dedicated Hunter Scott Houston reports the fishing continues to be slow. Some anglers reported success catching rainbows using worms and Power Bait near the inlet by the Boy Scout camp. (Jul 9) Dedicated Hunter Bob McLean reports that fishing is very slow. Even the spear fishermen reported that few fish were visible. The water was murky down to about 35 feet. Nightcrawlers worked best for those who caught fish. Spinners drew fish close, but there weren't any hits. Dedicated Hunter Kevin Jackson reports that the fish are biting in the early morning. Fishing slows down as soon as the day warms up. Most fish caught were small rainbows, ranging from six to nine inches long. Regulations Duck Fork Reservoir Colorado River Cutthroat Trout, Tiger Trout (hybrid) (Jul 30) Conservation officers reported good fishing last weekend for 16- to 18-inch tiger trout. Trout appeared to feed on the surface much of the day, due to a dragon fly hatch. A variety of dry fly patterns seemed effective. On July 18, Tom Ogden and his son fished from a tube with sinking line and soft hackle patterns on size 8 hooks. Dark colors proved to be most successful. Ogden rated fishing as good. His catch ranged from 13 to 18 inches. (Jul 30) Anglers report fair to good success for smallmouth bass near the shoreline and underwater structure. Anglers have also had decent success catching trout with traditional baits from the shore. Boat anglers report good success with traditional baits and while trolling various lures or pop gear. There were only a couple of reports from successful walleye anglers. (Jul 22) On 7/18, Tom Ogden and his son fished from a tube with sinking line and soft hackle patterns on size 8 hooks. Dark colors proved to be most successful. Ogden rated fishing as good. His catch ranged from 13–18 inches. Ogden observed that most anglers were not getting their flies or lures deep enough to catch fish. This water has special regulations. The limit is two tiger trout. The reservoir is closed to the possession of cutthroat trout or trout with cutthroat markings. Artificial flies and lures only. Tributaries are now open to fishing. (Jul 14) Sergeant Stacey Jones reported good fishing with plastic jigs. Anglers using other tackle experienced less success. This water has special regulations. Tributaries open on the second Saturday in July. (Jul 2) Aquatics Technician Randall Stilson reported heavy fishing pressure over the weekend. Tiger trout ranged from 14–20 inches. Jakes lures and Mepps spinners are the most effective in catching fish. The best lure colors are brass or yellow. This water has special regulations. The limit is two tiger trout. The reservoir is closed to the possession of cutthroat trout or trout with cutthroat markings. Artificial flies and lures only. Tributaries are closed until the second Saturday in July. Regulations East Canyon Reservoir Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout, Smallmouth Bass, Tiger Trout (hybrid) (Jul 29) Anglers report good fishing with a lot of fishing pressure. Try PowerBait from the shore. Worms, spinners and salmon eggs are not working very well right now. (Jul 22) Anglers report good fishing for rainbows in 30 to 40 feet of water. (Jul 17) Morgan of Layton fished the 16th and 17th in a group of 3 on the east side during early morning till about 11:00am both days. They trolled very very slow using pop gear with leaded line a worm and also used PowerBait along with the worm and caught 10 rainbows. "seemed like all colors of powerbait worked. We had our limit in 2hrs." (Jul 17) Tyson Briggs of South Jordan fished the west side by the rock cliff with a partner and caught 15 rainbows, a smallmouth and a crappie trolling popgear and worm in 15 to 30 ft. of water. "the fishing was better in the morning for trout" (Jul 12) Cory Smith reports: "We caught 18 fish within 4 hours using pop gear and worm, we would have more but some got off the hook to soon. Best time was between 0800 and noon." (Jul 9) Dedicated Hunter Bob McLean reports that fishing from the shoreline can be fairly fast with PowerBait in the middle of the day. The are some good-sized rainbows in the reservoir. Trolling slowly with bait is also an effective method. Forsyth Reservoir Rainbow Trout, Splake (hybrid), Tiger Trout (hybrid) STOP WHIRLING DISEASE (Jul 29) Fishing is slow right now. (Jul 2) Small tiger trout, up to 14 inches, are hitting spinners. Larger tigers and splake will hit spoons, Rapalas and cutbait (like chub, sucker or half a minnow). A recent sampling found a few illegally-stocked perch. This news is disappointing to anglers who love Forsyth because perch have the potential to negatively impact the great trout fishery. A chemical removal of all fish may eventually be necessary to solve this perch problem. If you have any knowledge of, or ever witness an illegal fish introduction, please report it by calling the poaching hotline. Huntington Reservoir Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout, Tiger Trout (hybrid) (Jul 30) Fishing has been good with pop gear tipped with a nightcrawler. Most tiger trout have been around 12 inches. Fishing from a tube or boat yields far better results than from the bank. A variety of wet flies on fast-sinking line have been effective. Good fly colors have been black, green, red and purple. It's best to fish the wet fly near the bottom in 20–35 feet of water. (Jul 22) Fishing success continues to be sporadic. Fishing from shore has been slow, but fishing from a tube or boat has been much better. On 7/14, Tom Ogden and three companions reported catching 91 fish in eight hours, using a variety of wet flies on fast-sinking line. Best colors were black, green, red and purple. Fishing was best near the bottom in 20–35 feet of water. Boaters, trolling with pop gear, have also had good success. This water has special regulations. It is closed to the possession of cutthroat trout or trout with cutthroat markings. (Jul 14) On July 6, Tom Ogden and son fly fished from a tube near the upper end of the reservoir. In five hours, they caught 10 trout. Nine were tigers and one was a cutthroat. All were less than 14 inches. They used medium sinking line, tipped with a black/green soft hackle fly. Ogden noted that fishing success had slowed down in the past few weeks. Other angler reports suggest slow to fair fishing. This water has special regulations. It is closed to the possession of cutthroat trout or trout with cutthroat markings. (Jul 10) Brian H. of Provo fished with a partner. "Fishing was terrible! We fished from 6am until nearly 3pm without a single bite! We fished all around the lake from the shore and saw lots of shiners and trout fry in the shallows, but the mature ones seemed to be hiding and not hungry. The water seemed very warm I would guess over 60 degrees, so that's probably keeping the fish in the deepest coldest water they can find." (Jul 2) Tom Ogden fly fished on June 26 and said his catch-rate was only half as good as a week earlier. Tom hooked a lot of small tigers with his biggest measuring 20 inches. He used a size 8 beadhead soft hackle fly on medium sinking line. This water has special regulations. It is closed to the possession of cutthroat trout or trout with cutthroat markings. Regulations Hyrum Reservoir Bluegill, Largemouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Tiger Trout (hybrid), Yellow Perch STOP WHIRLING DISEASE (Jul 29) A couple of guys were fishing from float tubes over the weekend. They had a 15-inch rainbow they had caught using worms. (Jul 22) I talked to a couple of guys who were fishing from float tubes over the weekend. They showed me a 15-inch rainbow they had caught using worms. (Jul 9) PowerBait has produced good fishing for shore anglers. Joe's Valley Reservoir Crayfish, Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout, Tiger Trout (hybrid), Splake (hybrid) (Jul 30) Fishing has been slow. Aquatics Biologist Dan Keller recommends anchoring in 50–70 feet of water and jigging near the bottom. Chub meat is the best all-around bait. (Jul 22) Fishing has been slow. Aquatics Biologist Dan Keller recommends anchoring in 50–70 feet of water and jigging near the bottom. Tip your jig with chub meat. (Jul 14) Fisheries Biologist Dan Keller spoke with several boaters at Joe's Valley Reservoir on Monday (July 5). They reported slow fishing. Keller observed that these anglers had used springtime techniques, which included casting lures and jigs from a boat toward the shore. During the summer season, most of the splake go deeper. Keller recommends anchoring in 50–70 feet of water and jigging near the bottom. Try tipping your jig with chub meat to increase the catch. (Jul 2) On June 23, James Gilson reported slow fishing. He and his son fished caught six trout under 18 inches in about five hours from a boat. Try using chubs or chub meat. Regulations Mill Meadow Reservoir Brake (hybrid), Brownbows (hybrid), Perch, Rainbow, Splake (hybrid), Tiger Musky (hybrid), Tiger Trout (hybrid) STOP WHIRLING DISEASE (Jul 29) To catch perch, use jigs tipped with perch meat in 15–20 feet of water. Try to harvest perch — it helps the population stay in balance with available food. Remember that the perch limit has been increased to 50. (Jul 29) Good fishing success with baits or spinners. Other anglers report hot success using a worm under a bobber. Flies in the morning or evening hours work well. (Jul 2) Anglers report good success for perch using jigs tipped with perch meat in 15 to 20 feet of water. A few anglers are catching brown trout. Anglers are encouraged to harvest perch in order to help the population stay in balance with available food. Remember: The perch limit has been increased to 50. Regulations Monroe Mountain Lakes Rainbow Trout, Tiger Trout (hybrid) (Jul 29) Catchable-sized rainbows have been stocked in the Box Creek reservoirs as well as the north-end lakes and ponds. Anglers report fair fishing at Manning Meadow with streamers and nymphs. Evening hatches can also be productive. (Jul 2) Catchable-sized rainbows have been stocked in the Box Creek reservoirs and the northend lakes and ponds. Access to Barney Lake is good and the lake is full but murky. Fishing is slow to fair for tigers with lures and streamers. Manning Meadow Reservoir is closed to fishing until July 10. Palisade Reservoir Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout, Tiger Trout (hybrid) (Jul 22) No report this week. Try traditional baits and lures. (Jul 2) There haven't been any reports this week, but traditional baits and lures have worked well over the past month. Panguitch Lake Brook Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout, Tiger Trout (hybrid) (Jul 29) Shore anglers are catching fish with PowerBait as well as worm-and-marshmallow combinations. Garlic-flavored bait has been the hot ticket lately for rainbows. Trolling with neon-yellow or orange lures also produced good success. Remember that cutthroat and tiger trout from 15–22 inches must be released. For help with fish identification, see page 40 in the Utah Fishing Guidebook or go to wildlife.utah.gov/trout.pdf. (Jul 2) Shore anglers report good success with PowerBait and a worm and marshmallow combination. Garlic-flavored bait is the hot ticket for rainbows. Trolling has also produced good success with neon yellow or orange lures. There are special regulations at Panguitch Lake, including a slot for cutthroat and tiger trout. For more information, and help with fish identification, read page 40 in the Utah Fishing Guidebook or visit wildlife.utah.gov/trout.pdf. Regulations Rockport Reservoir Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout, Tiger Trout (hybrid), Smallmouth Bass, Yellow Perch STOP WHIRLING DISEASE (Jul 29) Dedicated Hunter Chris Strauss reports poor fishing from the shore because of the warm and murky water. Boaters had better success in deeper, clearer water. Try using silver spinners. (Jul 22) Anglers report fair fishing for trout in deeper water (Jul 9) Dave Clark reports: "water was beautiful, bass were active. caught 9 small mouth and one trout and those were the ones I got into the float tube....great day for fishing." (Jul 9) Dedicated Hunter Bob McLean reports that fishing for rainbows is fair from the shore, especially if you use PowerBait on the bottom. Trolling action seems a little slow. Anglers report catching bass with dark tube jigs. Regulations Uinta Lakes Albino Trout, Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout, Tiger Trout (hybrid) (Jul 29) Backcountry anglers report hot fishing for brook trout. Be careful if you are catch-and-release fishing with bait. Released fish caught with bait sometimes die and float to the shoreline, which can attract bears. For best catch-and-release results, use flies and lures with barbless hooks. (Jul 22) Brian H. Provo fished Mill Hollow opposite the dam in a group of 3 and caught 2 rainbow, 2 tiger trout and 1 brown. "Caught 1 Rainbow and 1 Tiger on a gold Kastmaster, 1 Rainbow on a Blue Fox spinner, and a Brown and a Tiger on Worms floated about 3 feet under a bobber. Biggest fish was only 9 inches, lots of fish were biting but all seemed very small." (Jul 22) Conservation Officer Bruce Johnson reports fishing success has slowed down a bit along the Mirror Lake Highway. Anglers are still having success with Power Bait. Worms are also a possibility. Anglers remember the fish limit is four fish per person, per day. All campgrounds are open. (Jul 18) Jackson Cundick of Sandy fished Mill Hollow in a group of 5 and caught 4 rainbows. "long day with minimal bites. Small fish caught and released. Albino trout seen under surface but didn't bite. 2 10 inch Rainbows and 1 10 inch Albino kept. Beautiful Lake." (Jul 14) Bob of Salt Lake fished Bonny Lake using a mosquito fly on a bubble. "7 fish in an hour & 10 minutes" (Jul 9) Dedicated Hunter Todd Strong interviewed anglers at the following lakes. Trial Lake: Shoreline anglers who used earthworms and PowerBait were catching rainbows. Most anglers had some success and even caught the occasional albino. The best time to catch fish was late morning. Fishing was slow for all other species. Washington Lake: Anglers reported excellent fishing for rainbows when they used earthworms and PowerBait from the shoreline. Many anglers caught their limits within a few hours. Anglers also caught a few brook trout, again using earthworms and PowerBait. Fishing from shore for tiger trout was slow. Anglers reported limited success with flashy gold spinners. Teapot Lake: Fishing for rainbows and brook trout from the shore was slow. Anglers have caught very few fish, using any type of bait or lure. Corn-flavored PowerBait had the most success. Lilly Lake: Anglers reported excellent success fishing for brook trout from the shore. They used PowerBait, earthworms and an assortment of spinners. All anglers caught fish regularly throughout the day. Fishing from shore for other species was very slow. Mirror Lake: Shoreline anglers who used earthworms and PowerBait were catching rainbows. Most anglers had some success and even caught the occasional albino. The best time to catch fish was in the evening. Try using a variety of flies from shore or from float tubes near the shore. Both techniques produced good results. Fishing was very slow for other species. Moosehorn Lake: Fishing for rainbows and brook trout from the shore was slow. Anglers have caught very few fish, using any type of bait or lure. Flashy spinners have limited success, if you can avoid the weeds. Fishing for other species was also very slow. (Jul 2) Officer Mike Roach reports that Silver Lake is open and should be stocked for the holiday weekend. The streams and rivers in the area are running high, so please use caution around the water. The high-elevation trails and lake still have snow piled in the shaded areas. Have fun and be safe. Regulations Willow Lake Rainbow Trout, Tiger Trout (hybrid) (Jul 30) Fishing has ranged from fair to good. Some of the better choices for end tackle include a fly and bubble, PowerBait, worms, and Jakes lures. The south side typically offers the best fishing. (Jul 22) Fishing has ranged from fair to good. Some of the better choices for end tackle include a fly and bubble, PowerBait, worms, and Jakes lures. The south side typically offers the best fishing. (Jul 14) Conservation Officer Ben Stearns described fishing success as fair. He recommended a fly and bubble or PowerBait. A week ago, Sergeant Stacey Jones reported excellent fishing at dawn with a fly and bubble. She said that many dry fly patterns seemed to be effective. Jones indicated that some of the tiger trout ranged from 18–20 inches and weighed as much as three pounds. Other popular end tackle included worms or Jakes lures. (Jul 2) Sergeant Stacey Jones reported excellent fishing at dawn with a fly and bubble. Most dry fly patterns have been effective. The next best baits have been worms or Jakes lures. Stacey said some of the tiger trout got up to 18–20 inches and weighed as much as three pounds.