Southeastern Utah mid-July fishing report

By Sun Advocate

Fire restrictions are in effect statewide. No open fires are allowed, except in concrete rings in improved campgrounds.No smoking is permitted, except inside enclosed vehicles. All types of fireworks are banned.
Recreationalists on the south side of the Wasatch Plateau will continue to find smoky conditions, residual fire, and road closures following the U.S. Forest Service prescribed burn in the Ferron drainage.
Holders of valid fishing licenses qualify for entrance fee discounts at state parks from Tuesdays through Thursdays until the end of the year.
Reservoir tributaries, which have been closed to fishing, opened on July 14.
•Abajo Mountains. Conservation Officer Paul Washburn reports that Monticello and Foy lakes and Blanding number four reservoir continue to produce good catch rates with traditional baits. Washburn says that fishing action at Blanding number three, Recapture and Lloyd Lake is only fair.
•Boulgers Reservoir. Fishing success has been widely sporadic, ranging from poor to excellent.Yellow or green PowerBait with a worm is recommended. One fly fisher had good luck with a purple leech on floating line. Early morning or late evening fishing is highly recommended. Fishing is generally slow during the day.
•Cleveland Reservoir. Cory Winder reported catching his limit in two hours, using orange sparkle PowerBait and worms. Cory fished from a pontoon boat. Dedicated Hunter John Barclay conducted a creel survey last weekend and reported good fishing with lime green PowerBait and worms or with gold or silver Jake’s or Rapalas. Fish generally ranged between 10-18 inches, although John saw one five pound 23-inch brown trout caught with a lure.
•Duck Fork Reservoir. Access is subject to closure, due to the Jungle Fire. Go to www.utahfireinfo.gov for closure information. The new gravel road may also present a risk for tire puncture.
Dedicated Hunter Gil Bowden described fishing success ranging between fair and excellent. Late evening was the best time to fish. He watched one fly fisherman in waders near the outlet, who caught a trout with every cast. In the time Gil was at the reservoir, this man had caught and released 20 fish, ranging from 1.5 -2 lbs. The best fly patterns were elk hair caddis, renegade or double renegade. Gil said the best lure was a lil Jake’s.
A week ago, Ray Allred reported catching and releasing 25 tiger trout in five hours with a size 12 baby olive wooly bugger. His tigers ranged from 14-20 inches.
Tom Ogden fished a week ago with a number 10 beadhead scud close to shore. He had the best success when he cast the fly, let it sink a little, and then stripped it in. All of Tom’s tiger trout ranged from 13-17 inches. Special regulations apply. Cutthroat trout must be immediately released to the water. Artificial flies and lures only. Special regulations apply to tributary fishing. See the current fishing proclamation.
•Electric Lake. Dedicated Hunter John Barclay interviewed fishermen on Saturday and Sunday. He described fishing as very good. The best bait was a minnow held close to the bottom with a small sinker. Anglers, please use dead minnows only. The use of live minnows is against the law and can ruin a fishery. The best PowerBait colors were rainbow or green. Fly fishermen had good success with size 16-24 leech or fresh water shrimp patterns. The most popular lure was a Jake’s Spin-a-Lure. Trout ranged from 12-18 inches. The trout limit is two fish.
•Ferron Reservoir. Please visit www.utahfireinfo.gov for information on road access and camping. The road may be closed at times. A new gravel road presents a tire puncture risk.
Dedicated Hunter Gil Bowden interviewed anglers on Friday and Saturday. He reported excellent fishing with a number of types of tackle. Fly fishermen had good luck with a wooly bugger pattern. Spincasters had good luck with either a Jake’s Spin-a-Lure or a Spin Master lure.
The best bait was a worm/marshmallow combo. The best marshmallow color was a florescent red or green. Madlyn and Hadlyn Bowden hooked and released 20 fish in one hour, while their dad conducted the creel survey.
At Ferron Reservoir, anglers may take an extra four fish, if at least four of them are brook trout. The limit is four trout.
•Gooseberry Reservoir. Fishing was fair over the weekend for baitcasters using PowerBait. John reported excellent success for a fly fisherman using a blue damsel fly or dragon fly imitation.
•Huntington Creek. A week ago, Biologist Kenny Breidinger fished the left fork and had good luck with black ant or brown grasshopper patterns. Tom Ogden fished below the forks a week ago and said that caddis flies, stoneflies and mayflies emerged from the water surface most of the day. He had best success with a size eight maroon San Juan worm or size 12 ugly. Tom used floating line with a BB size split shot about 12 inches above the fly. Tom’s catch consisted mostly of brown trout, which ranged from 11-13 inches.
•Huntington North State Park. No report. The water level is extremely low. The boat ramp is out of the water.
•Mammoth Reservoir. Dedicated Hunter John Barclay reported good fishing over the weekend with PowerBait. The best colors were rainbow or pink. Fly fishermen used beadhead pheasant tail nymphs or beadhead leeches or shiner imitations on sinking line. Their success wasn’t as good as that enjoyed by baitcasters. The best spinner was a Jake’s. John saw a lot of 16-inch trout being reeled in. Beginning this summer, using motorboats with 10 horsepower is prohibited. This reservoir has special fishing regulations. All cutthroat trout must be immediately released.
•Joes Valley Reservoir. No report. Slow fishing is expected. Best fishing will be at dawn or late evening from a boat. Still fishermen will have best luck with dead chubs. Special regulations apply at this reservoir. The limit is two fish. Only one may be over 22 inches. All trout from 15-22 inches must be immediately released.
•LaSal Mountains. Fisheries Biologist Darek Elverud reported good fishing at Ken’s Lake in the evening for small and medium sized green sunfish and a few small bass. Darek used a fly rod with surface poppers. He caught his fish in shallow water around cover.
Dedicated Hunter Tim Jones conducted a creel survey on the LaSal Mountains last weekend. He reported excellent fishing at Oowah. Fly fishermen did best. Tim said one fly fisher caught 24 trout in three hours with a black wooly bugger. Fishing at Dark Canyon was fair. The best luck was had by a baitcaster using orange PowerBait, although worms and salmon eggs were somewhat effective. No fishermen were observed at Medicine Lake, which usually suggests poor fishing. Hidden Lake produced only fair conditions. Tim estimated the catch rate at one to two fish per hour. Popular baits were salmon eggs, worms or PowerBait. Dons Lake offered fair to good fishing, especially for fly fishermen using a black fly pattern with silver sparkles.
The Mill Creek Bridge remains under construction and will be impassable until November. Anglers wanting to fish Oowah must access the lake from the south end of the LaSal Mountain Loop Road. Warner Lake fishermen will need to come from the Castle Valley side.
•Lower Fish Creek. No recent report. Try a Rapala or Jake’s near the dam. The road from Highway 6 to lower Fish Creek is open. Along the DWR easement, nymphs are often effective for 12-16 inch brown trout.
•Miller Flat Reservoir. Sheldon Davis with his family and friends fished adjacent to the dam last weekend. From the shoreline, they fished in the early morning. Everyone had their limit within a few hours. They used PowerBait with a sinker and let the bait float off the bottom. Gary Fox fished with flies, but reported only fair success.
•Millsite Reservoir. Fishing has been slow.
•Potters Ponds. Fishing has been slow. Success is better in the early morning or late evening with small dry flies, which imitate the hatch of insects coming off the water.
•Scofield Reservoir. Dedicated Hunter John Barclay conducted a creel survey last weekend and rated fishing as fair to poor. The reservoir is full of algae and other aquatic vegetation, which clog lines and all kinds of end tackle. Most bait fishermen used green, yellow or rainbow PowerBait. Some trolled silver spinners close to the island. Fly fishermen used various leech colors from tubes or pontoon boats. At this time of year, Tom Ogden has had good luck with number 10 Canada blood leeches or number 10 beadhead scuds.
Due to frequent hatches of mayflies, damselflies and midges, the overall catch rate for all angler types has dropped�there’s just too much natural food in the water.
The best fishing occurs in the early morning or late evening.
•Wrigley Springs Reservoir. The reservoir is low and choked with moss. Fishing has been poor. One fly fisherman in a tube had moderate success with a renegade pattern. Bait fishing has not been effective. Stocked rainbows range from nine to ten inches.
•Willow Reservoir. Please visit: www.utahfireinfo.gov for information on road access and camping. The road may be closed at times. A new gravel road presents a tire puncture risk.
Two weeks ago, Ray Allred caught and released 16 rainbows with number 10 red crystal buggers. Tom Ogden fished last week and said that trout were surfacing everywhere. Fish are generally small, ranging from 10-12 inches. The large majority are rainbows. Tom had good luck with a number 10 beadhead black leech on floating line, but thinks that a fly and bubble with a renegade, scud or ant pattern would work equally well.