Utah Walleye Fishing Reports

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Utah Walleye Fishing Reports Revised 05-17-13 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 (May 16) Many boat anglers report fair to good fishing. Most anglers are using traditional baits and lures. (May 2) Many boat anglers report fair to good fishing. Wallsburg Bay has been a popular place to fish over the last week or two. Most anglers are using traditional baits and lures. Come to the State Park's El dia de Playa (day at the beach) event on May 4. For more information, call Deer Creek State Park at 435-654-0171. (Apr 28) Kent Baker of Orem fished near the state park boat ramp and caught 3 rainbows using popping gear with a fly on the end. "It was windy so we only stayed a few hours. Two 18 inchers" (Apr 20) Scott of Provo fished Wallsburg Bay with a partner trolling Rapalas and using PowerBait and worms in 30-50 ft. of water. "We spent the first 2 hours trolling and didn't get a bite. We stayed on the lake for another 3 hour bait fishing from spot to spot trying to find the fish. Not a single bite all day." Regulations Holmes Creek Reservoir Bluegill, Crappie, Largemouth Bass, Walleye (May 17) Fishing has improved for small trout and bass. Try traditional baits, spinners or wet flies. The water level is rising and is now up to the vegetation, which could make access difficult for the summer season. (May 10) Fishing has improved for small trout. Try traditional baits, spinners or wet flies. The water is rising (it's now up to the vegetation), which can make access difficult during the summer season. The reservoir is now open to angling from non-motorized boats. (The DWR has a cooperative agreement with the irrigation company that owns this private reservoir.) Please respect this opportunity by packing out all trash and following the guidelines posted at the reservoir. (May 2) Fishing for small trout has picked up. Try traditional baits, spinners and wet flies. The water level is rising; it's now up to the vegetation, making access difficult for the summer season. (Apr 25) Fishing for small trout has picked up. Try traditional baits, spinners and wet flies. The water level is rising; it's now up to the vegetation, making access difficult for the summer season. 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 (May 16) Lake elevation: 3,596 feet Water temperatures: 65-72°F Warm-water fish really respond to changes in water temperature. Lake Powell water temperature is now ranging from 65-72°F, meaning that spring fishing responses are on the way out and summer personality traits are setting in. The most noticeable sign of warming water is the appearance of phytoplankton which gives lake water a green hue. Formerly crystal-clear water now has much less visibility. Normally we blame runoff for clouding the water but this year runoff has just barely started and plankton lessens clarity. It's time to say goodbye to spawning bass and crappie. There were still some active nests this past week but the bass spawn is now concluding. Bass fishing is not over; it just changes to summer mode. Nest builders are leaving the shallows to go deeper. Wise anglers will adjust and do the same following the bigger bass to 15-25 feet. Crappie will move to open water and suspend making them harder to find but susceptible to slow trolling with small plastic grubs. Fishing tip: Free floating Carolina rigged baits behind a sliding sinker are more effective in the summer. Use the same plastic grubs, tubes and senkos, just rig them differently for more consistent success. Follow the 25-foot depth contour for best success. Smallmouth bass will be fun and easy to catch in the shallow rocks all along the shore. But if you prefer the bigger fish, then the advice just given about fishing deeper should be heeded. Big smallmouth are moving deeper once they leave the nest and will be caught at 25 feet as the water temperature climbs into the upper 70s. Stripers will continue to hang out on the canyon walls until shad spawn and fry grow large enough to become striper food. For the remainder of the month, stripers will continue to be caught like crazy with bait in the southern lake. Right now each shallow ledge extending out to 20 feet then falling into deep water holds a striper school. Stripers are eating plankton in the surface layer and crayfish on the 20-foot ledge while waiting for shad to appear. You'll find hot fishing spots all over Padre Bay. Good camping beaches often have a striper school nearby that can be caught from shore. Locate stripers by slow trolling lures in the upper 30 feet while graphing to find a school. When a striper is caught or a school seen on the graph, toss out a handful of chum and go to work. Stripers will rise to the chum but can be caught on an assortment of lures. Anchovies are a sure thing, but everything from fly fishing to bottom bouncing works to catch these hungry fish. Please keep all the stripers you can use, or give them away to family and friends. It's population adjustment time and the southern lake will benefit from a smaller striper population. Some stripers are still in the backs of canyons and easy to find and catch. Just work the mudline or color changes from brown to green water. Troll medium to deep divers at the color change where bottom depth is between 20 and 45 feet. Fishing is not as fast as that found on the canyon walls, but the stripers you catch will generally be larger and fatter. Walleye are enjoying the greener/murkier water and not very patiently waiting for shad to spawn. They are eating anything they can find all day long. Walleye fishing success will be at its peak for the next two weeks. The most effective technique this week was to put a nightcrawler on a quarter ounce jig head and slowly drag it along the bottom in 12-26 feet of colored water. The technique can be dressed up with worm harnesses, beads, spinners and bottom bouncers but the message here is that walleye are hungry and willing right now. There are more walleye north of Bullfrog than south, but many are being caught all over the lake. That will continue for the rest of the month. The muddy water near White and Farleys Canyon was great for walleye and fat stripers earlier in the month, but runoff is now starting which will decrease visibility to zero, cool the water and reduce fishing success. The backs of canyons will provide better fishing than the main channel on the far north end of the lake. (May 10) Lake elevation: 3,596 feet Water temperatures: 59-65°F One week after the spring fishing peak and fishing is still good. A lingering cold front has slowed fishing for bass slightly, but stripers continue to eat bait in the southern lake. One disturbing note is that the lake level is still going down, making it uncertain that the lake will raise much during the normal runoff period. There is still time but the runoff is slow to start. A lower lake leaves brush out of the water and causes access problems at some ramps. Hite ramp is closed but other ramps at main access areas are in full operation. The bass spawn is still on with many occupied bass nests seen in shallow rocky areas. The cooler weather has caused some nests to be abandoned but males will return to the nests with the warming trend scheduled for this weekend when daytime air temperatures are forecast to be near 80°F. Walleye fishing is at its peak with many fish caught deep on live worm harnesses and bottom bouncing rigs. Bass anglers are finding success by casting soft plastic jigs tipped with a piece of nightcrawler and worked slowly along the bottom from 12-26 feet. Walleye are caught lakewide but are more abundant in the cloudy water on the north end. You can still find crappie in the backs of the canyons. There are more fish caught in the remote areas of the San Juan and inflow areas near Hite. But crappie are caught throughout the lake in muddy water near the backs of canyons. Stripers are still the biggest news on the fishing scene. Catches from the dam all the way uplake to Rock Creek are phenomenal. There are many tagged stripers in this area for Cabela's Fish For Millions contest. Register to win cash and merchandise. Some tag returns have already been reported, but there are many more tagged stripers waiting to be caught. Most tagged stripers are in the southern lake where striper fishing is hot, but there are also a few near Bullfrog. Stripers are being caught on cut bait by chumming along the canyon walls and fishing with a small piece of anchovy or sardine. These 3 to 4-pound stripers are educated and can quickly steal bait visibly attached to a hook. Those that use invisible fluorocarbon leaders catch fish that steal bait from hooks on monofilament line. Never attach a hook directly to braided line when bait fishing. Some stripers are still hanging out in murky water at the back of the canyon. These fish are best caught by trolling or casting medium to deep diving hard plastic baits. The magic bottom depth is 25 feet where water is stained. Stephen Maurer and his family cast tubes and cranks in the back of the Escalante Arm this week. They caught many stripers up to nine pounds. Stephen used a large gold deep diving crankbait to land a 23-pound, 37-inch striper. If you need another option, yearling stripers are eating plankton suspended at 25-30 feet in open bays near slick rock cliffs and coves. These smaller but fatter fish can be caught on bait or by casting and trolling small jerk baits where big schools of fish are graphed. Right now, it's hard to miss when fishing at Lake Powell. If you haven't tried fishing here yet, this is the time. (May 2) Lake elevation: 3,596 feet Water temperatures: 58-67°F Spring fishing peak! Now is the time to catch any of the Big Six sport fish in Lake Powell. In alphabetical order: Catfish: Hitting bait at night on the sandy beach near camp where the boat is parked. Crappie: These schooling fish are a bit lost without brush. While males are making nests in the dirty water at the backs of canyons and coves, many more crappie are schooling in open water in the back of canyons. The key to finding fish is to look for a significant color change from muddy to lightly muddy. Crappie feel more comfortable when they're protected by brush, but without that, they seek the cover of murky water where they may hide and feed on smaller fish. Slow trolling and casting small plastic crappie jigs in 4-6 feet of water is the most productive technique. Largemouth bass: Like crappie, largemouth bass prefer to hide in brush. Failing that, they will use deeper water where visibility is lessened. Normally, casting to the shoreline is the best bass technique but now drifting along shore and fishing the bottom 10 feet off shore and 10-20 feet deep is better. Look for anything resembling a bush or tall rock that may harbor a bass. Of course, nesting bass can be seen and caught at their chosen nest location. Smallmouth bass: You'll find spawning bass in shallow water over the length of the lake. The best spot is on the breaking edge of a shallow flat leading toward deep water. Find the edge of big rocks, small terraces, rocky points, or better yet, just go look for nests—they are easy to see in the clear, shallow water all along the lake shoreline. It's sight fishing time for bass! Striped bass: From Moki Canyon to Glen Canyon Dam, you can pull up to the main channel wall, drop anchovy bait and catch fish after fish. Bait fishing is much better in the south, but now Moki and Lake Canyon near Bullfrog have turned on too. There are stripers all along the shallows where bass anglers catch them on grubs, cranks and spinner baits. They are in deep water in open bays where they can be caught on spoons and swim baits. They are at medium depths near the mouth of coves where trolling shallow to medium runners is very effective. If you don't catch stripers at the first spot, try a couple more places in the same area — find a waiting school. The best bait fishing spot in the south is near Buoy 25 in the south shoreline slick rock coves. The best bait spot mid-lake is Moki Wall. The best trolling spot in the north is mouth of White Canyon. Walleye: For all the night owls: walleye are very active after dark in the same areas where bass are found in the daytime. I've been able to find hungry walleye by getting out before first light and fishing the mouth of coves at a depth of 12 feet. This early-morning bite is very dependable, but it slams shut as soon as the sun hits the water. Fish the eastern slope in the shade of steep walls to prolong the bite an extra hour. Muddy water from White Canyon to the Horn is particularly good for walleye. In summary, this is the peak of spring fishing. There is no reason to wait. Try to get here as soon as possible to take advantage of the ideal conditions. The water is stable and warming. The weather is good without high winds in the forecast. Now is the time. Have fun! (Apr 25) Lake elevation: 3,597 feet Water temperatures: 53–60°F It's a typical year: Bass move onto their nest sites as the water warms, and then pull off as the water cools. If the home cove is protected from wind, it stays warm and the bass spawn. If strong wind cools the water, then spawning is delayed until the next calm period. The big selling point for visiting early to fish for spawning bass is lake level. The lake is stabilizing and will soon start filling. Sight fishing is best in crystal clear water. Rising water causes bank sloughing, which clouds the shallow water and reduces visibility. All these factors suggest that the last week of April and first week of May are the peak times for spring bass fishing success. Regulations Provo River Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout, Walleye (May 16) Lower: The river between I-15 and Utah Lake is now open to angling. The water can get a bit high and murky this time of year, so use caution. Fishing is good through town and up the canyon. Try using small dark fly patterns. You can use bait in some stretches of the river. Middle: Water levels can be a bit high this time of year, so use caution. Anglers report fair to good fishing. Smaller-sized flies such as Parachute Adams, scud patterns, San Juan worms, midge pattern or hare's ear are still the most popular patterns. You can use bait from above Charleston Bridge to the Legacy Bridge. (May 2) Lower: The river below I-15 will open to angling this Saturday! Fishing is good using small dark fly patterns. One angler suggests using a Parachute Adams. You can use bait in some stretches of the river. Middle: Anglers report good fishing using smaller-sized flies like Parachute Adams, scud patterns, San Juan worms, midge pattern or hare's ear. You can use bait from above Charleston Bridge to the Legacy Bridge. Regulations Starvation Reservoir Brown Trout, Crayfish, Smouthmouth Bass, Walleye (May 17) Recent reports indicate that the rainbow fishing is good to excellent. Anglers are also catching browns and walleye. Watch out for the wind; it can pick up suddenly and create cold and unsafe boating conditions. Expect the good fishing to continue as the weather warms up. (May 11) Recent reports indicate that the rainbow fishing is starting to pick up again. Anglers are also catching a few browns and walleyes. Watch out for the wind; it can pick up suddenly and create cold and unsafe boating conditions. Expect the good fishing to continue as the weather warms up. (May 3) Recent reports indicate that the rainbow fishing is starting to pick up again. Anglers are also catching a few browns and walleyes. Watch out for the wind; it can pick up suddenly and create cold and unsafe boating conditions. Expect the good fishing to continue as the weather warms up. (Apr 25) Rainbow trout fishing is starting to pick up again, and anglers have been catching a few browns as well. Watch out for unexpected high winds — they come suddenly and create cold and unsafe boating conditions. Expect good fishing when the weather warms up again. Regulations Utah Lake Bluegill, Bullhead Catfish, Channel Catfish, Largemouth Bass, Smouthmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass FISH CONSUMPTION ADVISORY (May 16) Many anglers report that channel catfish fishing is good. Several channel catfish between 25-30 inches long have been reported using baits such as worms or stink bait. White bass fishing is still considered fair, but it could improve over the next week or so. Walleye fishing has been quite slow. Please do not release any of the northern pike you catch. We do not want them in the lake! (May 2) Anglers report fair to good fishing for channel catfish. There have been several catfish caught between 25-30 inches using worms or stink baits. Walleye fishing is slow. Tributaries open up this Saturday. Please do not release any of the northern pike you catch. We do not want them in the lake! Regulations Willard Bay Bullhead Catfish, Channel Catfish, Crappie, Largemouth Bass, Perch, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Wipers (hybrid), Yellow Perch (May 17) Catfish action should pick up soon. The south marina is open, and boats are launching. The north half of the reservoir has been closed and marked with buoys, and the closed area is being patrolled by boat. (May 10) Anglers report good fishing for walleye along the west dike. (May 2) The south marina is open, and it is possible to launch a boat. The north half of the reservoir is closed. The closed area is marked with buoys and is being patrolled by boat. You can access to the north dike by taking the dirt road north of the State Park entrance gate back to the outlet gate. This can be a good area to fish for wipers in the spring. (Apr 25) Anglers are predicting that post-spawn walleye will become more active in about a month. The North Marina and North Dike access from the State Park are closed until further notice because of the diesel oil spill. The northern half of the reservoir is closed. The closed areas are marked with buoys and are being patrolled by boat. Division of Wildlife Resources and U.S. Fish and Wildlife personnel are investigating the possible impacts to the fisheries and the surrounding areas. So far, the impacts seem to be minimal and no dead fish have been found. You can still access the north dike by taking the dirt road north of the State Park entrance gate back to the outlet gate. This can be a good area for springtime wiper fishing. Regulations Yuba Reservoir Channel Catfish, Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Walleye, Yellow Perch (May 16) Northern pike fishing is fair to good by casting minnow-imitating lures in shallower water (three to 12 feet. Walleye fishing is slow. (May 2) Northern pike fishing is fair to good by casting minnow-imitating lures in shallower water (three to eight feet. Walleye fishing is slow. Regulations