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Southeastern Utah mid-June fishing report

By Sun Advocate

•Cleveland Reservoir. The reservoir is open. Fishing has ranged from poor to fair for 12- to 14-inch rainbows. Bait anglers may want to try nightcrawlers or PowerBait. Flycasters should throw dark wooly buggers.
•Duck Fork Reservoir. Access is open. Fishing was good for 16- to 24-inch tiger trout with a green or gold Jake’s Spin-a-Lure. Special regulations include artificial flies and lures only. This reservoir is closed to the possession of cutthroat trout. The tiger trout limit is two fish.
•Electric Lake. The lake is finally open. Fishing was good from the dam and the nearby shoreline, according to several reports. Tom Ogden fished on Monday, and caught seven trout in 2.5 hours with a number 10 purple/black wooly bugger on sink-tip line. Six were cutts, and one was a tiger. Randall Stilson reported the harvest of several two- to three-pound cutthroats near the dam. Last week, Bill Farr of Orangeville caught a fair number of trout in the 13- to 24-inch size class with a gold Jake’s Spin-a-Lure. Due to a change in regulations this year, fishing in the tributaries is allowed. This is a departure from previous years, when tributaries were protected until the second Saturday in July.
•Ferron Reservoir. The reservoir is now open, but there haven’t been any recent reports on angling success.
•Gigliotti Pond. Anglers are reminded that statewide fishing license regulations apply at this pond. If you are 12 years of age or older, you must have either a fishing license or combination license. There haven’t been any recent reports on angling success.
•Grassy Lake. The access road is now open and the lake is ice-free. Fishing was fair for pan-sized rainbow trout with Jake’s lures, nightcrawlers or PowerBait. Anglers should stay vigilant—a bear was recently seen patrolling the shoreline for dead fish. Please keep a clean camp.
•Huntington Creek. The creek is running high and fast, especially below the forks. Better fishing conditions will be found in the fly-only zone. A number 10 beadhead Montana is recommended for fly fishermen. Nightcrawlers and PowerBait are recommended for baitcasters below the fly-only zone. The catch will consist mostly of 11- to 14-inch browns. Campgrounds are now open.
•Huntington Reservoir. The reservoir has finally thawed. Fishing was good. Todd Munford recommends bank fishing with a straight nightcrawler, two feet of leader and a full bubble. Todd advises to keep the crawler moving slowly along the bottom. Tom Ogden fished on the south side of the dam near the shoreline on June 9. He caught several tigers in an hour with a number 10 purple/black wooly bugger on sink-tip line. Most tigers will be 10–14 inches in length, although Kevin Phillips of Huntington caught a five-pound tiger last week. He used a slow-moving nightcrawler. Huntington Reservoir is closed to the possession of cutthroat trout or trout with cutthroat markings.
•Huntington North State Park. Water sports have taken over the reservoir. You will find the best fishing in the early morning or late evening. The DWR received a report today of a dead catfish—estimated to weigh 30 pounds—floating near the inlet.
•Joe’s Valley Reservoir. The reservoir is ice-free. Fishing was slow to fair for splake below and within the slot limit. A few large splake continue to be taken by savvy anglers who are intimately familiar with the lake and its trophy fish. DWR fisheries personnel have been removing chubs from the reservoir with gill nets. So far, 5,500 pounds of chubs have been removed. Paul Birdsey, Aquatics Program Manager, estimates that approximately 200 million chub eggs have been removed from the system this year. In the past two years, Birdsey estimates the removal of nearly 640 million eggs. During the chub removal operation, fisheries personnel have encountered at least one big splake every day. Last Saturday, they caught and released a 12-pound splake. It was found swimming close to shore in five feet of water. At this reservoir, all trout from 15–22 inches must be immediately released. The trout limit is two fish, with only one over 22 inches.
•Lasal Mountains. Aquatics Biologist Darek Elverud fished Kens Lake last Thursday evening for several hours. He caught six sunfish and three bass. The biggest bass was about 15 inches, but the other two were less than 10. He used dark-colored plastic worms. A week ago, TJ Robertson fished Hidden Lake and caught 11 trout in an hour- and-a-half. Trout were hitting on rainbow or orange PowerBait. Other anglers had good luck with salmon eggs and worms. Don’s Lake was rated as fair to good. Warner Lake is now accessible. There hasn’t been a recent report on access to Oowah, Medicine or Dark Canyon.
•Millsite State Park. During the month of June, prizes are being offered to anyone who catches a tagged fish. Some fish have tags worth $100. One trout bears a $500 tag. No pre-registration is required.
•Petes Hole. This water is now accessible and ice-free. Fishing was fair to good with nightcrawlers or a gold Jake’s Spin-a-Lure.
•Scofield Reservoir. Fishing was hot, cold and everything in between. Conservation Officer Ben Riley indicated that fishing in general is slowing down. The catch rate is worse when there’s wind or when temperatures are unusually cold or hot. Mornings offer the best fishing conditions. On Monday, June 9, Bob Olson surveyed more than a dozen anglers. All but one reported poor fishing. The one exception was a party in a boat, anchored just off shore on the east side. Everyone had their limits and had thrown back an additional 20 fish. They used egg sacs. Richard Langford fished on Friday and Saturday. In two days of fishing, he caught only one fish. He described the water as muddy and the weather as windy and extremely cold. Roy Marchant, Desert Lake Superintendent, fished last Friday evening and didn’t get a bite. Todd Munford of King’s Outdoor Gear described fishing as fair on the east side with a nightcrawler and chartreuse marshmallow. As the weather warms, Todd plans to use redside shiners that he caught in the reservoir in a minnow trap.
•Willow Lake. The lake is now accessible, but fishing has been very slow.
•Wrigley Springs Reservoir. This water is now accessible, but fishing is slow.

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