Fall fishing report for southeastern Utah

By Sun Advocate

The DWR expects fishing success to gradually improve with the onset of cooler weather and the fall season.
•Benches Reservoir – Fishing has been slow to fair. Fly fishermen in float tubes and pontoon boats have had the best success with sinking line and brown and olive leech patterns. Spincasters have had luck by quickly retrieving a gold Jake’s from the dam. Shoreline bait fishermen have experienced some success, using PowerBait behind a full bubble and long leader.
•Cleveland Reservoir – Fishing has been fair from shore with corn PowerBait. Fly fishermen from tubes or pontoon boats have had fair success with red crystal buggers on sinking line.
•Duck Fork Reservoir – Duck Fork will be replanted with Colorado River cutthroat trout and fingerling tiger trout this fall. Duck Fork regulations will protect the Colorado River cutthroat population for future egg collection and fish transplant operations. The DWR hopes that this measure will help keep the Colorado River cutthroat from being listed as threatened or endangered. If that were to happen, traditional fishing in southeastern Utah could be dramatically impacted. Tiger trout are being planted to provide for sport fishing at this water.
•Electric Lake – Fishing success has been sporadic, but is generally slow to fair. Fishing from small watercraft has been better than from the bank. The limit at Electric Lake is four trout which may be taken on any type of bait, lure or fly. In the tributaries, the limit is two trout, which must be caught with artificial flies or lures.
•Fairview Lakes – Shoreline fishing has been fair from the rocks on the west end, using PowerBait behind a full bubble with four feet of leader. Fly fishing has been best in the late evening with a black leech pattern. Spincasters have had luck with a gold Jake’s.
•Ferron Reservoir – Shoreline fishing has ranged from fair to good with a salmon egg and worm combination for brookies on the northeast end. Fly fishermen have done fairly well from boats using olive leeches or chartreuse/red crystal buggers. The trout limit is four. However, anglers may take a bonus limit of four brook trout in addition to the normal trout limit.
•Gigliotti Pond – The reservoir is starting to refill. Last week, the Castle Country Bass Masters and DWR planted several hundred bluegill in the pond. On or before Sept. 15, 2,000 catchable-size rainbow trout will be stocked by the hatchery. A flow-through agreement is expected to keep the reservoir full from spring until fall, in spite of the leaks in the pond bottom. Bass and bluegill anglers are encouraged to use artificial baits and lures, and exercise caution when releasing a bass or bluegill. If a hook has been swallowed deeply, cut the line and release the fish. Most fish will survive until the hook becomes dislodged, dissolved, or passes through the digestive system.
•Gooseberry Reservoir -Generally slow fishing continues. Anglers, on the west shoreline south of the campground, have had some luck with a night crawler, tipped with a floating Power Egg behind a full bubble and four feet of leader. Fly fishing has been best in the channel on the south end. Olive or brown leeches stripped quickly with sinking line have been effective.
•Huntington Creek – Low flows continue. Fish early or late for best results. Todd Munford reports success on the right fork with a 14 royal wulff or an 18 griffiths gnat pattern. For left fork anglers, willing to hike several miles down from Millers Flat dam, good surface action can be had with a 14 elk hair caddis or tan/yellow hopper pattern. Good below-surface action can be had with a 14 beadhead pheasant tail/prince nymph or a 14 lil brassy. Special regulations on Huntington Creek are as follows: On the right fork (from Flood and Engineer’s Canyon upstream to Electric Lake) only artificial flies may be used and the trout limit is two. On the left fork, only artificial flies and lures may be used, and the harvest of brown trout is encouraged.
•Huntington North Reservoir -Trout fishing continues to be slow. More trout will be stocked in October as other water recreation subsides. The bass limit is two; all largemouth bass over 12 inches must be immediately released.
•Huntington Reservoir – (near the top of Huntington Canyon) Angler Tom Ogden reported excellent fishing success from a float tube in 25 feet of water, using brown and olive leeches and sinking line. Most anglers have found fishing slow. Good results have been reported by boaters, trolling gold Jake’s or brown/tan roostertails on leaded line. Todd Munford recommends using a straight night crawler behind a full bubble, cast out as far as possible. The reservoir is closed to the possession of cutthroat trout or trout with cutthroat markings.
•Joes Valley Reservoir – The boat ramp is now out of the water. Only hand-launched water craft can be used. Fishing success has been slow. The splake are holding in deep water. In 2003, the trout limit is two. No more than one trout may be over 22 inches. All trout 15-22 inches must be immediately released.
•Lasal Mountains – Conservation Officer Vance Mumford reports good fishing at Hidden Lake with PowerBait for nine-inch rainbow trout. At Dark Canyon, anglers have had good success for pan-sized trout, using live grasshoppers behind a bubble.
•Miller Flat Reservoir – Shoreline fishing has been good with red salmon eggs behind a full bubble with 3-4 feet of leader. Fly fishermen have had fair success with a brown leech or red crystal bugger.
•Potter’s Ponds – Shoreline fishing has been good with PowerBait behind a full bubble with 3-4 feet of leader. Fly fishermen have had luck with a brown leech or red crystal bugger.
•Price River/Lower Fish Creek – Heavy flows from the reservoir continue. 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 – The water level is dropping and there is a growing problem with moss and other aquatic vegetation, especially from the islands south. Shoreline angling opportunities are dwindling with the abundance of vegetation and likelihood for entanglement. Fly fishing has been fair from tubes or pontoon boats slow-trolling black/red wooly buggers or olive leech patterns. There are no special regulations on the tributaries.
•Willow Lake – Fishing has been slow to fair. Cheese and dough baits have not been very effective.