Utah Walleye Fishing Reports

COMMENTS

Utah Walleye Fishing Reports Revised 07-01-09 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 No recent reports. Deer Creek Reservoir Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Largemouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Yellow Perch (Jun 24) The warmer weather has lured a number of boats onto the water. Anglers report fair fishing. Trolling for trout has been fair-to-good with pop-gear and a worm or with minnow-imitating lures. Anglers report good success casting for smallmouth bass toward the points. Try tube jigs or other bass lures. Shore fishing is slow-to-fair with traditional baits. Overall the water level is high and morning has been the best time to catch trout. (Jun 18) The water level is high. Anglers report fair-to-good success trolling for trout with pop-gear and worms or minnow-imitating lures. Anglers have also had success casting for smallmouth toward points. Try tube jigs or other bass lures for best success. Morning has been the best time to catch fish. Shore anglers report slow-to-fair fishing with baits. (Jun 15) Joshua of Orem fished in a group of 3 and caught 9 rainbows and 6 perch trolling yellow perch Rapala and rainbow trout Rapala. "troll slow around 2mph in the shallow areas no deeper than 25ft. All of our success came in that depth. The rainbow we brought in varied in size. We brought in 5 or 6 that were larger than 15 inches. The perch were random size and depths." (Jun 12) Johnny W. of Orem fished the east end and caught 4 rainbows using PowerBait. "Got there at 5:20 left at 6:30 with limit." (Jun 11) The water level is up to the top of the boat ramps. Anglers report fair success from the shoreline and from boats. Morning has been best time to catch fish. The vegetation can make shoreline fishing very difficult. Walleye success is slow. Regulations Holmes Creek Reservoir Bluegill, Crappie, Largemouth Bass, Walleye (Jun 24) This is a good crappie, walleye and largemouth bass fishing spot — it's close to residential areas and easy to get to. No boats or float tubes allowed. Regulations Jordan River Brown Trout, Channel Catfish, Largemouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Sunfish, Walleye, White Bass No recent reports. Lake Powell Bluegill, Brown Trout, Channel Catfish, Crappie, Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Smallmouth Bass, Striped Bass, Rainbow Trout, Walleye STOP QUAGGAG MUSCLE (Jul 1) Lake Elevation: 3640 Water Temp: 77- 82 F Lake Powell is still rising. Water temperature took a big jump which will be well received by the many recreationists that will be here celebrating the Independence Day Holiday week. And Yes! Stripers will still be boiling. When chasing stripers on the surface during busy traffic times it will be most productive to concentrate fishing effort in the early morning and late evening time slots. Boils will be seen all day long but catching will be much better during the quieter times. Best fishing locations will be in quieter lake areas like Good Hope Bay to Hite, the Escalante and San Juan Arms and main channel between those canyons. The best recent report comes from the main channel near Buoy 67. But if the opportunity arises it is well worth the effort to fish near the busy marinas. Start looking in the main channel areas right in the busy travel lanes. In the southern lake, cruise around Antelope Island between Wahweap and Antelope Point Marinas watching for boils all the way. Boil abundance varies with the day and location but the common theme is that boils are steady and repeatable. While most boils are small with perhaps 25 fish working together, there are some boils each day where over a hundred fish group up to eat shad from the surface. Use your favorite confidence lure, as any lure will work that is presented perfectly. Cast the lure over and slightly beyond the lead fish in the fast moving school. Then quickly swim the lure along the surface or in the upper 2 feet of water and through the school. Schooling stripers spend their lives getting to the bait before the next fish. They will react quickly to a lure placed in the right spot. The strike zone is 2-4 feet in front of the lead fish. Bass fishing is somewhat slower than it has been but still very good for surface fishing early and late - particularly around striper boils. Largemouth are in the newly submerged green brush and smallmouth are on the rocky points and drop-offs. Walleye are caught occasionally while fishing grubs along the bottom for bass or trolling the submerged tree tops. Catfish are very active at night and easy to catch. Sunfish are in the trees and easy prey for a kid of any age with a small hook and live worm. Life and fishing are great- Enjoy the week at Lake Powell. (Jun 24) Lake Elevation: 3638 Water Temp: 72- 75F One method of judging how fishing changes from week to week is to try the same methods in the same spots each week. Last week I chased striper boils from Wahweap to Padre Bay and caught one fish from every third boil. This week I caught one fish in every other boil and two fish in some. Since the frequency of sighting boils also increased, my determination is that fishing for stripers in boils is getting better. Here is a closer look at techniques. The best lures are those that cast great distances with accuracy. We had good success with large rattletraps because many schools were headed down as the boat got in range. 'Traps' dive and could be effectively presented to fleeing fish. The best lure for me was the full size Jumpin' Minnow. It is heavier and therefore casts further than anything but a heavy spoon. Fish are feeding on top so the surface lure was just right. You should fish with your best "confidence" lure. If a lure has been good for you in the past it will be good now. Still it is imperative that the lure is cast in front and beyond the lead fish. As the lure hits water quickly work it into the racing striper school. Stripers are looking toward the surface. They swim fast enough to beat their school mate to the next shad. A larger 'fish' (lure) will be eaten if it is in just the right spot. Casting into or behind a moving school is fruitless. Perfect placement results in a hook up with a 20-25 inch striper. Anything less is ignored. Boat handling is key. Fish in boils are vulnerable for 5-30 seconds. Move quickly into range trying to parallel direction of fish travel. I shut off the motor when in range and grab the rod while the boat is slowing to a stop. Sometimes the school will stay on top long enough to put one cast into the school. More likely the school will sound and then resurface. The most effective cast is to the resurfacing school. Hopefully, fish come up in range and the first cast goes beyond the lead fish. Spend some time watching the school and make one good cast instead of three errant ones. I only stay with a pod of stripers long enough to see them resurface three times. After that they are wary and I move to find a fresh school. Boils cover the length of Lake Powell and are continuous from daylight to dark when the water is calm. Wind may put them down for an hour but they come right back up as soon as the lake calms. Boils are strong from Wahweap to San Juan and Escalante. Reports are less from Rincon to Good Hope but I suspect that is lack of reports and not lack of striper boils. My crew reports strong boils in Good Hope this morning. Water is clearing and fishing out of Hite is effective once more. If the craziness of chasing fish does not appeal then look for a striper boil near shore. Go to that spot and cast a surface walking bait or popper into the submerged trees and have fun with bass on topwater lures. (Jun 18) Lake elevation: 3,636 ft., water temperature: 70–74°F. OK, now I'm excited! We are finally moving striped bass up to the top of the report. Striper boils have started, and fish are catchable. For weeks, there have been small boils reported here and there, but none of them were really repeatable or predictable. Now, boils start at first light and continue all morning or until the wind comes up. Stripers have been quiet most of the year because they came out of winter in good shape. (This made them finicky eaters.) Then, the water warmed, and they forgot about food as they concentrated on spawning. Now, with spawning complete, the population is lean and hungry. Fish look thinner now, with the ovaries evacuated. Striper fillets are still prime, and fish are healthy. All they need now is food — and lots of it! Shad have spawned, and larvae are in rich abundance in the open bays and channels. These are areas where predator and prey conduct daily battles. Here is the scene: Shad regroup in schools at first light. Stripers see the gathering, surround the school and feed quickly by trapping shad on the surface. Since shad larvae are tiny, a quick feeding burst often fragments the shad school, making them hard to see and follow. Stripers then go deep, regroup and search for the next shad pod. The school is then up and down at every feeding opportunity. Today, as we ran from Wahweap to Rock Creek, we saw about 25 quick boils. More boils were seen in Padre Bay, but there was surface activity all the way up and back. The first fish was caught at 8 AM and the last one at 11:30 AM. We caught 10 stripers, so there was more chasing than catching. We had the best success when we located boils, properly positioned the boat and then took advantage as the fish surfaced in range for a second time. Casting to the tail end of fleeing fish is not productive, but if a school resurfaces in range, you'll likely catch some stripers. Regardless, boil junkies have the adrenaline surge going for hours when that much surface activity occurs. There was no best lure. We made the catch when we placed a lure right in front of the first fish coming to the surface to feed. We caught them on full-size topwater lures, shallow-running rattle traps, and deep-diving Rapalas. It took many casts to get the lure and fish together, but it was certainly satisfying when it happened. School stripers were all three-pound clones. Expect good striper surface action from Wahweap to San Juan and beyond to Bullfrog. The best spot on the lake is at the mouth of the San Juan. Visibility in the upper lake is improving. Runoff has declined to 60,000 acre feet per day. Launching at Hite and fishing downstream to Good Hope is enjoyable once again now that there's less driftwood and clearer water. Water temperatures are still lagging due to snow melt runoff, so fishing downstream from Bullfrog is still a better bet. Bass fishing remains good on main channel rockslides with plastic baits. And you can occasionally catch some walleye while fishing for bass. Sunfish and catfish are at a peak in activity levels because both species are about to spawn. Fishing is now improving each day and will continue to improve as the water warms and the lake level stabilizes. It is a great time to plan another Lake Powell fishing trip! (Jun 10) Lake Elevation: 3633 Water Temp: 70- 74F Did it rain at your house? This week has been more like a nice week in April than June in the desert. Normally air temperature is nearing the century mark here, but we will take the 70s for now and enjoy the heat when it comes. Fishing conditions have not changed much since last report. Water still runs in at a rate of 80,000 acre feet per day. Lake level still increases by 3-6 inches. Surface temperature is holding near 70 degrees. Bass are still biting and stripers randomly boil. Best fishing is for smallmouth along the main channel and main canyon areas. Steep slick rock and cliff face areas seem to hold more agreeable fish than other spots. Look for a bit of broken rock, a ledge or terrace that provides just a tiny bit of cover in the vast expanse of clean slick rock. Find a bush in a crack or fracture of the slick rock and a largemouth may lurk there as well. Bass are looking for crayfish and are willing to hit plastic near bottom in the 20-30 foot range. Our tendency is to fish the shoreline from a boat holding about a cast or two off shore. The better thing to do now is put the boat in the same location but drop the lure straight to the bottom instead of casting toward shore. Once the lure contacts bottom let it drift slowly along the 25 foot contour. Gently ease the bait along the bottom to encounter bass and walleye. Early in the morning shad are spawning further back in the canyons and coves on the surface around brush and driftwood. Shallow running crankbaits and top water lures work well at fist light before the sun hits the water. The extended spring weather means that a variety of species are working on vulnerable shad. It is possible to catch bass, stripers, walleye, catfish and sunfish near the site of any spawning shad school. Shad spawning activity subsides by 8 AM and game fish move to their daily holding pattern. Bass go deep, stripers cruise the shoreline along that same 25 foot contour. Trolling the 25 foot flats is effective but not fast fishing. Rattle trap baits are effective for both bass and stripers. Shallow running crankbaits, like glass shad raps and lucky craft bevy shad also work well. It seems to me that shorter baits (3 inches) are more effective than longer ones (Thundersticks). Look out for tree tops that grab trolling lures but get close enough to brush to attract fish interest. A lure that runs right over the brushy tree tops is a great choice. While doing all this, keep an eye out for random striper boils. I get new reports every day of random boils occurring mid morning over the expanse of the lake. Boils are becoming more visible and staying up longer. Unfortunately, they are not yet predictable or repeatable occurrences. But top water time is getting closer. Expect stripers to become catchable in boils as the lake stabilizes and water temperature warms. Shad will grow faster in warmer waters and hasten the boil response. Until then enjoy bass fishing and trolling in the cool springtime luxury of Lake Powell. Regulations Provo River Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout, Walleye (Jun 24) Lower: Water levels and flows are up, so please use caution. Fly anglers are struggling a little in the high water, but doing fair with small, dark nymphs. (Gold-ribbed hares ear is always a good bet.) Middle: Officer Dave Swenson reports that the Provo river is running very high. The best fishing seems to be with sub-surface patterns like san juan worms, or sow bugs. Spin fisherman are using Rapalas or maribu jigs. The upper stretch of the Provo River is also running very high, with little fishing pressure. (Jun 18) Lower: Water levels and flows are up, so please use caution. Fly anglers are struggling a little in the high water, but doing fair with small, dark nymphs. (Gold-ribbed hares ear is always a good bet.) Middle: Officer Dave Swenson reports that the Provo river is running very high. The best fishing seems to be with sub-surface patterns like san juan worms, or sow bugs. Spin fisherman are using Rapalas or maribu jigs. The upper stretch of the Provo River is also running very high, few anglers have been seen. (Jun 11) Lower: Water levels and flows are up, so please use caution. Fly anglers are struggling a little in the high water, but doing fair with small, dark nymphs. (Gold-ribbed hares ear is always a good bet.) Middle: Officer Dave Swenson reports that the Provo river is running very high. The best fishing seems to be with sub-surface patterns like san juan worms, or sow bugs. Spin fisherman are using Rapalas or maribu jigs. The upper stretch of the Provo River is also running very high, few anglers have been seen. Regulations Starvation Reservoir Brown Trout, Crayfish, Smouthmouth Bass, Walleye (Jul 1) Anglers report good fishing for small walleyes. They're also catching a few larger fish. The recommended technique seems to be bottom bouncing. Rig your line so it keeps your jig, crankbait or bait right on the bottom, stirring up some sediment as you bring it in. (Jun 10) Anglers report good fishing for small walleyes. They are also catching a few larger fish. The recommended technique seems to be bottom bouncing. Rig your line so it keeps your jig, crankbait or bait right on the bottom. It should stir up some sediment as you bring it in. (Jun 4) Anglers report good fishing for walleye. The recommended technique seems to be bottom bouncing, keeping your jig or crank-bait right on the bottom so it stirs up some sediment as you bring it in. Regulations Utah Lake Bluegill, Bullhead Catfish, Channel Catfish, Largemouth Bass, Smouthmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass FISH CONSUMPTION ADVISORY (Jun 24) Anglers report good success for channel catfish and hot success for white bass. move around until you locate a school of bass and use bait-tipped action lures or jigs for best results. For best results, move around until you locate a school of bass and then use bait-tipped action lures or jigs. Other fish, like bluegill, are biting as well. You may catch an occasional walleye too. (Jun 18) Officer Bagley and many anglers report good success for channel catfish and hot success for white bass. For best results, move around until you locate a school of bass and then use bait-tipped action lures or jigs. Other fish, like bluegill, are biting as well, and you may catch an occasional walleye. (Jun 11) Officer Bagley and many anglers report good success for channel catfish, with a few reports of hot success for white bass. Move around until you locate a school of bass and use bait-tipped action lures or jigs for best results. Several other fish are biting as well, including big bluegill. Regulations Willard Bay Bullhead Catfish, Channel Catfish, Crappie, Largemouth Bass, Perch, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Wipers (hybrid), Yellow Perch (Jun 24) Father's Day weekend is usually when anglers start catching catfish, and this year was no different. Also, Angler Jim Morkin reports catching and releasing four nice healthy walleyes (from 19 to 21 inches). He kept two smaller ones and two wipers. He caught them while trolling rattletrap crankbaits in light colors around the island, more than 100 feet behind the boat. Trolling speeds varied from 1.5 to 3.0 miles per hour. He also reported seeing a lot of wipers in the South Marina. (Jun 23) Kody of Clearfield fished the north marina to the feed lot with a partner and caught 2 wipers and a walleye using Rapalas trolling with planer boards and longlinning. "Fished from 5:30 in evening till dusk, wipers were 18" and the walleye went 23" all were in different locations." (Jun 20) Dedicated Hunter Steve Ross reports that anglers who fished from boats had good success catching wipers using spinners and shad-colored Rapalas. They were dropping them from the surface to depths of eight to ten feet. (Jun 4) Dedicated Hunter Steve Ross reports that anglers who fished from boats had good success catching wipers using spinners and shad-colored Rapalas. They were dropping them from the surface to depths of eight to ten feet. Regulations Yuba Reservoir Channel Catfish, Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Walleye, Yellow Perch (Jun 24) Though success is slow, gillnetting surveys have found a number of large northern pike. It may take a few hundred casts, but it will be worth your while once you hook a northern pike! (Jun 18) Though success is slow, gillnetting surveys have found a number of large northern pike. It may take a few hundred casts, but it will be worth your while once you hook a northern pike! (Jun 11) Though success is slow, gillnetting surveys have found a number of large northern pike. It may take a few hundred casts, but it will be worth your while once you hook a northern pike! Regulations