Updated fishing report for southeastern Utah

By Sun Advocate

Fishing success is improving with the onset of cooler weather and the fall season.
•Benches Reservoir – Todd Munford of Big Pine Sports in Fairview reports good fishing success with PowerBait or worms. Fly fishermen have had good luck in the mornings or evenings by quickly stripping sinking line with a brown leech pattern. Evening fly fishermen have had luck with a 14 renegade or mosquito patterns.
•Blue Mountains – Conservation Officer Randall Scheetz recommends that anglers use spinners and flies in the mornings and evenings and bait during the day for trout at Foy, Monticello, Lloyds, and Blanding 3. Scheetz recommends that northern pike anglers troll with crankbaits at Recapture Reservoir.
•Cleveland Reservoir – Munford reports that rainbow trout being caught are in the three-fourths to one lb. size range. He recommends orange or corn-flavored PowerBait along the west shoreline. Fly fishermen have had fair to good success on the southeast side with red crystal buggers or black wooly buggers with a red tail.
•Duck Fork Reservoir – Duck Fork will be replanted with Colorado River cutthroat trout and fingerling tiger trout this month. 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 – Good fishing success has been reported for anglers jigging olive Gitzits or one-fourth ounce black marabou jigs. Shoreline anglers have had fair luck with night crawler and salmon egg combinations. 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 – Munford says that fishing success has been variable, but can be good with Zeke’s green garlic cheese mixed with PowerBait. He suggests using 3 1/2 to four feet of leader and fishing off the rocks on the northeast and northwest corners of the lake. Fly fishing has been best in the evening with a black leech or chartreuse crystal bugger.
•Ferron Reservoir – Fishing was good last week with a green leech pattern or beadhead nymph. 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 Gigliotti Pond will be stocked with 2,000 catchable rainbow trout within the next week or so. The reservoir should be full and good fishing is anticipated.
•Gooseberry Reservoir – Munford reports good fly fishing with sinking line and a brown and olive leech pattern on the south and northeast sides of the lake. Bait fishing has been good south of the campground on the west shore with a night crawler and marshmallow combination.
•Huntington Creek – Fishing has been fair to good from Engineer’s Canyon down to the forks. Use a large attractor pattern trailed by a small pheasant tail or prince nymph. Below the forks, night crawlers with a split shot has been good when fished in the deeper holes. 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) Fishing has been improving as tiger trout are moving into shallower water. Retrieve a straight night crawler slowly behind a full bubble for best results. Fly fishermen have been using wooly buggers or brown leeches. 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. 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 most lakes. Pan-sized brookies are biting on small flies at Oowah. At Dark Canyon, Mepp’s spinners have been catching 12 inch rainbow trout.
•Miller Flat Reservoir – Shoreline fishing has been good with red salmon eggs or PowerBait. Fly fishermen have had luck with beadhead nymphs.
•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 – Due to the moss problem, shoreline fishing has been slow. However, still-fishing from a boat can be very good. Some have reported good luck by floating worms rigs or PowerBait about three feet from the bottom. Dead minnows remain a good bait choice. Fly fishermen have been using dark leech patterns.