For the next few weeks, anglers can expect some of the best fishing of the year. Ice is melting and hungry fish are moving to open water along the shoreline to feed. Shoreline angling can be red hot!
•Abajo Mountains. Conservation officer Randall Scheetz reports that Monticello and Foy reservoirs are now open. Scheetz describes fishing at both reservoirs as fair to good with PowerBait and salmon eggs. Scheetz notes that fishing success at the three Blanding reservoirs has been fair to good with PowerBait and spinners. Fishing for rainbow trout at Recapture Reservoir has been good from boats with lures and fair from shore with marshmallows or PowerBait. Aquatics manager Louis Berg suggests that Recapture anglers target northern pike with a red and white Daredevil. Recapture Reservoir may be totally drained this year to meet irrigation needs, so anglers are encouraged to harvest the fish they catch. Blanding number four is being drained and will not be stocked with fish this year. Blanding number three has been stocked and will be restocked about every two weeks.
•Huntington Creek. No report. The water will be getting muddy soon due to runoff. 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 Game Farm Pond. Fishing has been good for recently stocked rainbow and albino rainbow trout with flies and spinners. Try traditional baits as well. The bluegill limit is 10. The bass limit is four, but only one bass larger than 15 inches. Limits are the same for all licensed anglers and unlicensed anglers under 14 years of age.
•Huntington North Reservoir (near the city of Huntington). Fly fishing from a float tube has been good for rainbow and brown trout with a gold-ribbed dark leech pattern. Louis Berg recommends jigs and spinners for recently stocked brown trout and albino rainbow trout. Jigs have also been working well for bass. This month will offer some of the best fishing of the year. At Huntington North, the largemouth bass limit is two. All bass over 12 inches must be immediately released.
•Huntington Reservoir (near the top of Huntington Canyon). No report. 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. This is a good time to visit Joes Valley Reservoir. Fly fishing from shore has been excellent in the northeast corner of the lake. Angler Paul Meiling of West Jordan reported getting a hit on every cast and catching about 15 splake 14-17 inches in length. He used a white Zonker on Type 2 sinking line. 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.
•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. In 2002, an unlimited number of striped bass may be kept. The smallmouth bass limit is 20, and the largemouth bass limit is five.
•Lasal Mountains. Conservation officer Edward Meyers predicts that many of the mountain lakes will be accessible earlier this year due to lower snow accumulation. Fishing at Kens Lake has been fair to good with traditional baits. Fishing in early morning or late in the day is best. Fly fishermen using dark leech patterns from a float tube have had good success.
•Lower Fish Creek. Access to the middle portion of the stream on DWR property remains closed. Only artificial flies or lures can be used below the railroad bridge, which is about one mile below the dam.
•Scofield Reservoir. Aquatics manager Louis Berg describes fishing as red hot this past weekend. Anglers have reported good success with spinners, flies (burgundy-colored wooly buggers), and traditional baits. Conservation officer Stacey Taggart wishes to remind anglers that all tributaries are closed to fishing. “Fishing at Scofield is at its best,” explained Taggart. “Worm rigs, red, orange, green and rainbow PowerBaits have been working well. Jake’s Spin-a-Lures, red cottonballs, and black jigs have also been effective.”
•Willow Lake. The lake should be accessible with vehicles by late April.
•Wrigley Springs Reservoir. The ice is off and the access road is dry.
[dfads params='groups=4969&limit=1&orderby=random']
[dfads params='groups=1745&limit=1&orderby=random']