| Updated fishing report for southeastern Utah waters |
The little remaining water in Gigliotti Pond is filled with hundreds, perhaps thousands, of fish, which need to be removed before the pond can be drained and repaired. The Division of Wildlife Resources needs lots of people to help by catching these fish and taking them home for a fish fry. Anglers should find the fish easy to catch.
If children have never caught a fish, this is the time and place to make it happen. Current daily bag and possession limits per licensed angler are eight trout, 50 bluegill, and six bass. The limits are half of these numbers for unlicensed anglers under 14 years of age.
Swimmers beware. Last week, a case of “swimmers itch” was confirmed to have occurred at Gooseberry Reservoir. For more information on swimmers itch, please refer to the Gooseberry Reservoir portion of this fishing report.
Where have fish limits been relaxed?
•Fishing regulations have recently changed at Duck Fork Reservoir. Anglers may now keep up to 16 trout, and they may use any legal bait. These regulations are in effect until the end of September.
•Anglers are allowed to keep six largemouth bass, 50 bluegill, and eight trout at the Gigliotti Pond. This change will remain in effect until September 1.
•The daily bag and possession limits have been doubled at Cleveland and Miller Flat reservoirs,Ken’s Lake, Lloyd’s Lake, Monticello Lake, and Recapture Reservoir. These regulations are in effect until November 1.
•Abajo Mountains. Foy Reservoir continues to provide good fishing with bait and lures. Best fishing occurs in the early morning and evening. Morning and evening fishing has been good at Monticello Reservoir, where the limit has been raised to eight fish, until November 1. Baits and spinners are recommended. Fishing has slowed down at Blanding number three. Trolling deep with pop gear and spinners is recommended for rainbow trout at Recapture Reservoir, where the daily bag and possession limit has been doubled for all game fish until November 1st. The daily bag and possession limits for all game fish have also been doubled at Lloyds Lake until November 1st, due to low water conditions and expected loss of fish. Fishing has been fair.
•Benches Pond. Fishing has been slow from mid-morning until late afternoon. We recommend that anglers use dry flies in the early morning and evening. Baits have not been very effective.
•Blue Lake (by Grassy Lake). Access is walk-in or by ATV. The lake was not stocked this year.
•Boulger Pond. Fishing has been slow with baits. Try dry flies in the early morning or evening.
•Cleveland Reservoir. The daily bag and possession limits have been raised to eight fish until November 1. Anglers are encouraged to harvest the fish before the reservoir drains. At this point, the water level remains good. Fishing has been fair for anglers using PowerBait or worms.
•Colorado River. The river continues to provide good fishing for catfish up to three pounds. Preferred baits include shrimp, worms and liver.
•Cottonwood Creek. Fishing has been fair to good with small spinners, such as Mepp’s, Panther Martins or Jake’s Spin-a-Lures.
•Duck Fork Reservoir. The angling pressure continues to be heavy with the temporarily relaxed regulations, which include a 16 fish daily bag and possession limit and allow anglers to use any legal bait, lure or fly pattern. Fly fishermen should try a Sheep Creek Special or damsel fly pattern. Bait fishermen have also done well. Lots of fish remain to be caught before the rotenone treatment project in mid-September. The shoreline is somewhat muddy but still accessible. Beginning October 1, harvest of cutthroat trout will be prohibited to protect newly stocked Colorado River cutthroat trout. Tackle restrictions requiring the use of artificial flies or lures will also take effect at that time.
•Electric Lake. Shoreline anglers have done well at dusk using lures. Float tubes, canoes or pontoon boats can be launched 0.7 miles downstream from the boat ramp. The trout limit is two. Flies and lures only.
•Ferron Reservoir. Little pressure and generally slow fishing conditions. Anglers are encouraged to harvest the illegally introduced brook trout, which may eventually overpopulate the lake, resulting in small fish in poor condition.
•Gigliotti Pond. The DWR hopes to have the repairs completed and the pond refilled before the end of the year. The trout limit is eight, the largemouth bass limit is six, and the bluegill limit is 50. On September 1, limits and restrictions identified in the 2002 fishing proclamation will resume.
•Gooseberry Reservoir. An angler recently contracted “swimmers itch” at Gooseberry Reservoir. Swimmers itch is an itching dermatitis due to penetration into the skin of larval forms of schistosomes (trematode worms and flukes). Although extremely annoying, swimmers itch is neither communicable nor fatal. Antihistamines can be used to help alleviate the itching and topical steroid creams may reduce the swelling. The itching and swelling generally persist for several days. If someone is believed to have swimmers itch, please consult a doctor and notify a public health official.
•Grassy Lake. Fishermen using salmon eggs have had good success.
•Huntington Creek. Fishing success has been spotty with baits and lures. Fly-fishing has been much better with a size 12 Prince nymph, Renegade or Ugly. The limit is two trout in the fly only zone, which is on a portion of the Right Fork. Anglers on the Left Fork of the Huntington must use artificial flies or lures. Harvest of brown trout on the left fork is encouraged, where the limit is four fish.
•Huntington Game Farm Pond. The limit is four trout, 10 bluegill, and four bass, 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). Slow fishing conditions. The limit is two bass. All bass over 12 inches must be immediately released.
•Huntington Reservoir (near the top of Huntington Canyon). Fish are deep this time of year. Anglers fishing during the day need to get their fly, lure or bait down to a depth of about 20 feet. Tiger trout range up to about 15 inches. 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. Virtually no fishing pressure. Boats cannot be launched, because the water level is low. 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 to 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. The water level is low at Ken’s Lake. Fishing is fair for nine inch rainbow trout with a worm and marshmallow combination. The best fishing is in the early morning. The daily bag and possession limit for Ken’s Lake has been doubled for all game fish until November 1 due to low water conditions and expected loss of fish. Dark Canyon offers excellent fishing for nine to 12 inch trout with worms and spinners. Hidden Lake still provides excellent fishing for eight to 11 inch trout with worms, PowerBait or a black fly and bubble combination. Dons Lake has been good for trout up to 10 inches. Warner Lake offers excellent fishing for six to 12 inch trout with PowerBait, Panther Martin spinners and flies. Oowah was stocked two weeks ago. Fishing is excellent for eight to 12 inch rainbow trout with flies and baits. Good fly choices include wooly buggers and mosquito patterns. Good baits include worms, PowerBait and salmon eggs.
•Lower Fish Creek. Flows are moderate. Aquatic vegetation is thick along the shoreline. Fishing has been good for fly anglers walking the middle of the channel and casting toward the shore. The prince nymph has been an effective fly pattern. Most trout are less than 14 inches. 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.
•Miller Flat Reservoir. Fishing has been fair to good with Roostertails or a fly and bubble. The daily bag and possession limits have been raised to eight trout to help anglers harvest the trout before the reservoir drains. At this point, the reservoir continues to hold enough water for boat fishermen, who can hand-carry their water craft to the water.
•Petes Hole. Fishing has been excellent with an olive wooly bugger in the evening. Bait fishermen have had only fair success. The Jake’s Spin-a-Lure has been the most effective spinner. The daily bag and possession limit is four trout.
•Potter’s Ponds. Fishing success remains fair to good. A bear has been frequenting the campground. Please keep a clean campsite and don’t leave fish or entrails behind.
•Scofield Reservoir. Shoreline fishing has become difficult due to the low water level and aquatic vegetation. The west shoreline and the entire reservoir south of the island are swamp-like. Anglers in boats have had limited success. Fly fishermen in float tubes have done well at dusk with nymph patterns. The average fish size is about 15 inches. All tributaries are open to fishing.
•Willow Reservoir. Fishing success has been slow. Early morning fishing provides the best results.
•Wrigley Springs Reservoir. Fishing continues to be very good away from the shoreline which is thick with aquatic vegetation Anglers have had good success with a fly and bubble or Jake’s Spin-a-Lure. Fly fishermen should try a damsel fly imitation.