| This young angler enjoys an afternoon of fishing at the Gigliotti Pond last year. Fishing officials suggest that anglers wait until May to hit the Helper pond after restocking occurs. |
All ice anglers cautioned. Ice conditions at many of the southeastern Utah reservoirs and lakes are changing rapidly with the onset of spring. The risks associated with ice fishing increase considerably from one week until the next.
Don’t ice fish alone. Take along rescue equipment, including a strong rope, floatation device, ice picks, and a cell phone.
•Abajo and Blue Mountains. Conservation officer Randall Scheetz reports that a few northern pike are being caught from shore at Recapture Reservoir. Crankbaits and/or spinners are recommended.
Scheetz indicates that fishing at Blanding number three has been good with PowerBait and spinners.
•Cleveland Reservoir. Please avoid this reservoir until ice-off. The ice is dangerous and unpredictable.
•Duck Fork Reservoir. This body of water is fishless, but will be stocked with small tiger trout and Colorado River cutthroat in summer. The tiger trout are expected to be large enough to catch in 2004.
•Electric Lake. The rumor suggesting that there is no limit on fish at Electric Lake is false. At Electric Lake, there are no restrictions on the type of tackle which may be used, but the trout limit is the same as the statewide trout limit which is four fish.
Tributaries will be closed until July 12. When tributaries open, the limit will be two trout; and artificial flies and lures must be used.
•Ferron Reservoir. The trout limit is four. However, anglers may take a bonus limit of four brook trout in addition to the normal trout limit. All tributaries are closed until July 12.
•Gigliotti Pond. Anglers should wait until May, when the reservoir is filled and restocking occurs. In 2003, the trout limit is four fish. All largemouth bass and bluegill must be immediately released.
•Gooseberry Reservoir. All tributaries are closed until July 12.
•Grassy Trail Reservoir. The reservoir is closed to fishing in 2003.
•Green River Golf Course Ponds. The limit is four fish in the aggregate for all species.
•Huntington Creek. Flows are low. On the right fork (from Flood and Engineer’s Canyon upstream to Electric Lake) only artificial flies may be used. The trout limit is two.
On the left fork, only artificial flies and lures may be used. The harvest of brown trout is encouraged.
Crandall Creek, which empties into Huntington Creek, is closed to fishing for 2003 to protect a population of pure Colorado River cutthroat trout.
•Huntington Game Farm Pond. The pond will be restocked in May. In 2003, the limit is four fish in the aggregate for all species.
•Huntington North Reservoir. The reservoir is ice-free. Aquatics biologist Justin Hart enjoyed good success last weekend by casting jigs with grubs. He landed a 22-inch rainbow and 18-inch brown trout.
The trout have been eating cutworms, which may be used as bait. Good imitations might be a black wooly bugger or inch worm fly.
In 2003, the bass limit is two; all largemouth bass over 12 inches must be immediately released.
•Huntington Reservoir (near the top of Huntington Canyon). This reservoir is extremely dangerous, due to the potential for buckling and subsidence of the ice pack. Please stay off! Anglers are urged to wait until ice-off, before resuming fishing.
Tributaries are closed until July 12. The reservoir is closed to the possession of cutthroat trout or trout with cutthroat markings.
•Joes Valley Reservoir. The ice pack is considered dangerous and further ice fishing is discouraged.
In 2003, the trout limit is two. No more than one trout may be over 22 inches. All trout 15 to 22 inches must be immediately released.
•Ken’s Lake. Ken’s Lake is rising and ice-free. After being nearly drained last fall, the lake is now quite full. Stocking will occur in April or May.
In 2003, fishing is prohibited from a boat with a gas engine.
•Lake Powell. The Lake Powell fishing report home page is: http://www.wayneswords.com. DWR biologist and project leader, Wayne Gustaveson, updates fishing conditions at this website weekly. He provides detailed information on locations, tackle, and techniques for each species in the lake.
•LaSal Mountains. No report.
•Millsite Reservoir. The reservoir is ice-free. No report on angling success.
•Price River. Flows are extremely low. From the railroad bridge approximately one mile below the Scofield Reservoir dam downstream to the confluence with the White River only artificial flies and lures may be used.
•Scofield Reservoir. Last weekend, fishing success was surprisingly good, reports Sergeant Carl Gramlich. (Fishing success is typically poor this late in the ice fishing season). Successful anglers were using white or chartreuse-colored jigs tipped with bait; or were using PowerBait alone.
Trout were being caught on the bottom and half way up from the bottom. The northern part of the lake and dam cove seemed to provide better fishing than the southern end.