Southeastern Utah fishing report

By Sun Advocate

Depending on elevation and weather conditions, lakes and reservoirs may be open or frozen on any given day. Smaller mountain waters generally freeze overnight and thaw by early afternoon. Larger bodies of water are more resistant to the daily freeze/thaw cycles. Unless you plan to fish a large body of water, schedule your fishing trip for the afternoon.
•Electric Lake. Fishing is slow. The north end is open, but the south side remains covered in ice and snow. No recommendations on end tackle.
•Ferron Reservoir. Fishing is slow. Ferron Reservoir is inaccessible.
•Gigliotti Pond. Conservation Officer Brandon Baron reports good fishing. Trout, ranging from eight to 12 inches, were recently stocked. Aquatics Program Manager Paul Birdsey encourages anglers to practice catch-and-release fishing to maintain a high catch rate. When releasing a deeply-hooked fish, it’s best to cut the line rather than trying to remove the hook and causing further injury. Tips on catch-and-release fishing are found in the Utah Fishing Guidebook.
•Huntington North Reservoir. Tom Ogden flyfished for four hours from a tube on April 27 and caught only an 18-inch rainbow and a 17-inch largemouth bass. He used a black and green wooly bugger on medium-sink line. He had best luck when casting toward shore, letting the fly sink, and then quick-stripping the line. Last week, State Park Manager Dan Richards also reported slow trout fishing.
•Huntington Reservoir. The bite continues to be very light. The snow cover has deepened during the week. Anglers will be challenged with alternating layers of frozen slush and ice under the fresh blanket of snow. Take an auger extension for the ice.
•Joes Valley Reservoir. Conservation Officer Casey Mickelsen reports slow-to-fair fishing. Tube jigs and worms have been somewhat effective.
•Scofield Reservoir. Regional Aquatics Program Manager Paul Birdsey expressed concern about the apparent lack of compliance with the new regulations at Scofield Reservoir. He reminds anglers that the new regulations have been put in place to control the growing chub population. Birdsey said that conservation officers are finding a sizable percentage of anglers that don’t seem to be aware of the regulations. Others apparently can’t resist keeping more fish than the new regulations permit.
Tom Ogden flyfished on April 28. His catch rate on the east side was slow, but much better on the west side. He used sink-tip line and a size six bead head leech in black or brown. Tom caught more fish when he would cast the fly out, let it sink and then retrieved the line in short quick strips. Tom’s catch included an 18-inch rainbow, three 17 to 18-inch cutthroats and seven 13 to 20-inch tigers. Egg sacs are the most effective bait. PowerBait and worms are considerably less effective.