The archery deer season opens on Saturday, August 18. Anglers who enjoy wandering up a creek or river course may wish to wear bright colors as a safety precaution.
Cool weather stimulates the appetite and aggressiveness of a trout. Traditionally, autumn offers some of the best fishing of the year. Now in effect is a fishing license requirement for 12- and 13-year-olds. The price is $5.
Bow hunters should take along their fishing gear for the daytime lull, when big game animals bed down, and archery hunting is least effective.
ABAJO MOUNTAINS: Conservation Officer Paul Washburn reports that Foy and Monticello lakes offer good fishing with traditional baits. Fishing at Recapture, Lloyd’s and Blanding reservoirs was slow.
BENCHES RESERVOIR: Justin Burrup described fishing as good for anglers using worms and rainbow PowerBait. Fly fishermen should have a black gnat in their tackle box for evening surface feeding.
BLUE LAKE: (above Joe’s Valley Reservoir) No anglers were present at the time of the creel survey. A week ago, worms or flies were recommended.
BLUE LAKE: (near Emerald Lake) Small (6- to 10-inch) grayling and 8- to 10-inch rainbow trout occur in this high elevation lake. Justin Hart recommends scuds or double renegades.
BOULGERS RESERVOIR: Fishing was good with rainbow PowerBait and worms.
CLEVELAND RESERVOIR: Success has fluctuated between poor and fair. A worm and orange PowerBait combo was the ticket. The best spinners have been Jake’s or Panther Martins in yellow and black. Todd Munford reported fair fishing from a boat on the northwest side with nightcrawlers and yellow marshmallow. Tom Ogden has had luck with dark #8 wooly buggers or leeches.
COVE LAKE: (on the South Skyline Drive) Over the weekend, anglers caught rainbows up to 16 inches. Tiger trout were smaller. They used a fly and bubble.
DUCK FORK RESERVOIR: Aquatics Biologist Kenny Breidinger caught 6 tigers in 2.5 hours last weekend. The fish ranged between 10 to 17 inches. He used a brown beadhead nymph, which was pulled slowly through the water. Dedicated Hunter Bob Nichols rated the reservoir as fair. He recommended a Panther Martin spinner with a black body and gold blade.
ELECTRIC LAKE: Cory Winder reported slow fishing at Electric Lake. He caught one trout, trolling with pop gear and a worm. His dad caught two with a renegade fly. Dedicated Hunter Justin Burrup also described fishing success as slow, but a little better in the early morning. He recommended a gnat or mosquito pattern in the evening.
EMERALD LAKE: (on the south Skyline Drive) Aquatics Biologist Kenny Breidinger reported slow fishing for both grayling and rainbow trout. Fisheries Biologist Justin Hart recommends a scud or double renegade for the grayling, which range from 6 to 10 inches.
FAIRVIEW LAKES: Todd Munford of King’s Outdoor World fished recently and reported great shoreline fishing. He recommends a two-leader set-up. Hook a nightcrawler to three feet of leader, and rainbow PowerBait to 18 inches of leader. Todd reported excellent fly-fishing from a pontoon boat or tube. Try a red crystal bugger or brown leech on sinking line, trolled slowly through the water. The lakes are low with the best fishing occurring on the west lake.
FERRON RESERVOIR: Fishing has picked up, especially from a boat. Put your bait on the bottom with a sliding sinker and allow it to float up a foot. The best lures are Jakes or Panther Martins. Conservation Officer Casey Mickelson recommends green wooly buggers or deer flies.
GIGLIOTTI POND: No recent report.
GOOSEBERRY RESERVOIR: Success has really picked up! Best fishing occurs in the early morning with a PowerBait/worm or marshmallow/worm combo. Avoid moss beds by fishing deeper water.
GRASSY LAKE: Fishing has ranged between fair and poor. No recommendations.
HUNTINGTON CREEK: Fly fishermen have had limited success with a number of patterns, including: San Juan worm, pheasant tail, beadhead hare’s ear, hopper, elk hair caddis, or renegade. Browns are 11 to 13 inches.
HUNTINGTON NORTH STATE PARK: Last week, Calvin Grogan of Price landed a 27-pound, 36-inch catfish. This broke the record established a week earlier by Clifton Elliot of Price, who took home a 25-pound channel cat. Both men fished from the bank in the late evening. Calvin used raw liver and chicken meat. Clifton fished with a nightcrawler. They used 8- to 10-pound test monofilament line and let their baits sit on the bottom. The water level is extremely low, which has concentrated the fish, making the prospect of taking a trophy much more likely.
HUNTINGTON RESERVOIR: (also known as MAMMOTH RESERVOIR) Success has ranged from slow to fair. Fly fishermen have had moderate success with a black marabou bugger. Spincasters reported success with a gold Jake’s Spin-a-Lure. For bait fishermen, try a worm/cheese combo, using orange glitter PowerBait. This reservoir has special regulations. Please refer to the proclamation.
JOE’S VALLEY RESERVOIR: Dedicated Hunter Bob Nichols saw and interviewed only one angler at the reservoir. He caught a 12-inch tiger trout with a worm. Special regulations apply at this reservoir. The limit is two fish. Only one may be over 22 inches. All trout from 15 to 22 inches must be immediately released.
LAKE POWELL: Visit www.wayneswords.com for the fishing report, provided by Wayne Gustaveson, DWR project leader.
LASAL MOUNTAINS: Aquatics Biologist Darek Elverud fished Ken’s Lake recently and reported good fishing for green sunfish and fair fishing for bass. Small jigs worked best for sunfish. The bass were hitting spinnerbaits and plastic worms in deeper water. Darker colors, such as black or purple, worked best. The bass were mostly 8 to 12 inches. The Mill Creek Bridge remains under construction and will be impassable until November. Anglers wanting to fish Oowah must access the lake from the south end of the LaSal Mountain Loop Road. Warner Lake fishermen will need to come from the Castle Valley side.
LOWER FISH CREEK: Success ranges from fair to good. One spincaster reported good luck with a yellow Panther Martin with red dots. Todd Munford of King’s Outdoor World recommends a #18 Griffith’s gnat or #12 hopper.
MILLER FLAT RESERVOIR: Poor fishing continues. No recommendations.
MILLSITE RESERVOIR: Park Manager Dan Richards recommends trolling with Shad Raps or Roostertails at a depth of 6 to 12 feet. Pop gear and spoons have also been effective.
PETE’S HOLE: Dedicated Hunter Bob Nichols reported excellent fishing with rainbow PowerBait or nightcrawlers or a combination of the two. Most trout are 8 to 9 inches.
POTTER’S PONDS: Fly fishermen in tubes and pontoons experienced excellent fishing last weekend with wooly buggers or renegades. Silver Mepp’s spinners with an orange blade worked best for spincasters. All colors of PowerBait were effective.
SCOFIELD RESERVOIR: Fishing was best in the early morning. Fly fishermen have had best luck from tubes or toons with black wooly buggers or leeches. Bait fishermen have had the best luck with lime twist, green, rainbow or orange twist PowerBait. Boaters continue to have the advantage. They get beyond the moss beds. Good lures include a Jake’s or black Panther Martin with yellow dots.
SOUP BOWL: Dedicated Hunter Bob Nichols described fishing as excellent. He watched a small party of anglers catch a trout every five minutes on cheese bait. Wooly buggers have been an effective fly pattern.
STRAIGHT CANYON: Try worms or a black Panther Martin with yellow dots.
WRIGLEY SPRINGS RESERVOIR: Slow fishing continues. There was a partial fish kill in recent weeks. Summer heat and low oxygen have caused a number of trout to “belly up.”
WILLOW RESERVOIR: Fishing success was fair. Fly fishermen should try a green wooly bugger or deer fly. Spincasters should pack Jake’s lures in the tackle box. Popular baits have included green PowerBait or live grasshoppers. Most trout are about 11-inches long.
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