Southeastern Utah fishing report

By Sun Advocate

Ice fishing conditions have become increasingly hazardous with the approach of spring. Anglers should avoid going out on ice that appears soft, thin, or is near open water. Coves, where tributaries enter lakes, are unsafe places to fish. Even where ice does look safe, anglers should exercise extreme caution and carry rescue equipment. Test ice thickness near shore before going out in water over your head. Safety equipment should include ice awls, a long rope (preferably in a throw bag), and a floatation device.
•Abojo Mountains. All Blanding area lakes and reservoirs are thawing. Blanding City has speeded up the pre-reconstruction draining of the Blanding Reservoir number four reservoir, where fishing is over for the year. Fish stocking will occur at Blanding Reservoir number three in late April or early May. Anglers can expect more crowded conditions this year, while Blanding four is out of use. However, fishing should be good because fish scheduled for stocking in Blanding Reservoir four will be added to the quota for Blanding Reservoir three. Louis Berg, DWR southeastern region aquatics manager says, “Early spring is one of the best times for northern pike fishing, and northern pike are becoming more common in Recapture Reservoir. Shoreline anglers can expect good results if they use appropriate lures, attach them to a wire leader, and use heavy 10 lb. test line. Good lure types include spoons, stickbaits, and crankbaits.”
•Electric Lake. No report. Bait is not allowed at this lake, where the trout limit is two.
•Huntington Creek. No report. Harvest of brown trout on the left fork is encouraged, where the limit is four fish. On the left fork, fish must be taken with artificial flies or lures. On the right fork, from Flood and Engineer’s Canyon upstream to Electric Lake dam. Only two trout may be taken and artificial flies must be used. No bait or lures are allowed in this section.
•Huntington North Reservoir. (near the city of Huntington). The ice is very hazardous. Open water occurs along the edges. Anglers should wait a few days for some good shoreline fishing.
•Huntington Reservoir. (near the top of Huntington Canyon). Slow ice fishing with little pressure. Release of tiger trout is encouraged so that fish can grow larger. Any brown trout caught should be harvested. The reservoir is closed to the possession of cutthroat trout and trout with cutthroat markings.
•Joes Valley Reservoir. DWR conservation officer Torrey Christopherson describes ice fishing as VERY hazardous. He recommends that anglers wait a few days for shoreline angling to open up. Most fish are 13-15 inches in length. Anglers are encouraged to release all larger splake for control of the abundant Utah chub population. The splake limit is two fish. All splake between 15-20 inches must be immediately released.
•Lasal Mountains. Conservation officer Edward Meyers reports that Ken’s Lake is now ice-free. Spring stocking will occur very soon.
•Lower Fish Creek. Access to the middle portion of the stream on DWR property is closed until late spring. Only artificial flies or lures can be used below the railroad bridge, which is about one mile below the dam.
•Millsite Reservoir. The reservoir is virtually ice-free. Shoreline anglers have had fair success with Kastmaster lures.
•Scofield Reservoir. Fishing continues to be slow, reports conservation officer Torrey Christopherson. He recommends a Swedish pimple or pearl jig tipped with a meal worm. Release of trout is encouraged, so they can be caught multiple times and grow larger.
•Lake Powell. Wayne Gustaveson, DWR Lake Powell project leader, provides the following report. The lake elevation is 3,648 M.S.L. and the water temperature is 48 – 50 degrees farenheit. Days are getting longer. Spring warming can’t happen until the hours of sunlight exceed hours of dankness. Right now light and dark periods are almost equal. Two more weeks will make a big difference in waking up slumbering fish. Walleye are cool water fish and will be the most active fish at current temperatures. They spawn in March and will be actively seeking clean rock each night for that purpose. Male walleye do not feed often as they are overcome with the spawning urge. Individual female walleye will eat except on the very day when they spawn.Walleye can be taken on deep vertical rock habitat with live worms. Fishing for walleye is better in late April and May after spawning is over. The water warms and hungry walleye start to prowl in daylight hours in search of food. Bass fishing is slow for largemouth and smallmouth. Wait for water to warm to 55 degrees before expecting a consistent catch. Stripers are moving toward current. A few more fish are showing up each day at the dam and power plant intake. Six stripers were caught near the dam in two hours of fishing anchovies over the weekend. The big schools have not yet arrived and fishing will improve dramatically with warming temperature. There are a few thin stripers in the backs of many canyons. These fish have prowled all winter long in search of food to bolster their low reserves. They are easy to catch and should be harvested. Throw a shallow running crank or spinner bait into the shallow slot at the end of each canyon for a chance at a bonus striper.