Southeastern Utah fishing report

By Sun Advocate

Throughout central Utah a rumor has circulated to the effect that trout limits at lakes, reservoirs and their tributaries have been lifted because the DWR plans to remove them by rotenone treatment of those waters infected by non-native zebra mussels. This is not the case.
The primary target of such gossip is Electric Lake and its tributaries. Although zebra mussel larvae have been detected in this water, not adults have been found. The rumor that DWR plans to treat the water is baseless. The limit on this water and its tributaries is four fish.
•Dark Canyon. Conservation Officer TJ Robertson reports fair-to-good fishing. Anglers have had luck with small spinners like silver Jakes or Roostertails. A few anglers report good action with a fly and bubble. Try PowerBait or small nightcrawlers.
•Hidden Lake. TJ Robertson reports good fishing. He fished the lake last week with his son and caught 12 fish in 1.5 hours with orange PowerBait. Other anglers report success with nightcrawlers and salmon eggs.
•Kens Lake. Sergeant J. Shirley reports good fishing at Kens Lake. Anglers are using nightcrawlers from the shoreline for trout, bass and bluegill. Fishing was best early or late in the day. Conservation Officer TJ Robertson also reports good fishing, and said that bass were biting on just about anything that moved or that was cast into the weeds. Robertson recommends that boat anglers cast diving crankbaits or spoons. Boaters should remember that they must use an electric motor only. Robertson says that fly-fishermen have done well with small grasshopper or mosquito patterns. Shoreline baitcasters are using nightcrawlers, salmon eggs, and orange or yellow PowerBait. Robertson asks fishermen to pack their garbage home or to take it to the south-end dumpster near the restrooms. Please be courteous and avoid leaving unburnable garbage in the fire pits.
•Medicine Lake. TJ Robertson reports good fishing with all types of bait.
•Oowah. Sergeant J. Shirley reports good fishing for smaller brook trout and a few catchable-size rainbow trout. Bait and spinners have both been effective. TJ Robertson says that fly-fishermen have had good luck with renegade patterns or small nymphs.
•Lower Fish Creek. On May 17, Tom Ogden reported a discharge of 20 fps from Scofield Reservoir dam. Anglers should see improved fishing.
•Miller Flat Reservoir. Tom Ogden and Perry Bunderson fly-fished from tubes and caught a lot of stocked trout using dark-color leeches on sinking line. Conservation Officer Casey Mickelsen reports very good fishing with worms tipped with multi-colored marshmallows or Power Eggs. Casey suggests fishing from the north bank. Sergeant Stacey Jones reports fair fishing with traditional baits.
•Millsite Reservoir. Conservation Officer Casey Mickelsen reports slow fishing and suggests that anglers experiment with a variety of tackle and baits. Volunteer Coordinator Randall Stilson conducted a daylong creel survey last Sunday. Several boats anglers caught their limits in a couple of hours trolling near the dam with pop gear and Rapalas or nightcrawlers. Creeled trout were a mixture of rainbows and cutthroats ranging from 12 to 15 inches. The annual Tagged Fish Contest will continue until the end of July. Anglers can win prizes by catching marked fish. Call State Park Manager Dan Richards for more information.
•Petes Hole. An angler reports good fishing with a Pistol Pete leech pattern behind a full bubble with a slow retrieve. The angler hooked a 6- to 14-inch fish on almost every cast, with most falling into the 8- to 12-inch range. Trout include albinos, rainbows and tiger trout.
•Right Fork of Huntington Creek. Fly fishermen will have the best success with a #12 bead head Montana nymph on floating line and with a small split sinker clamped about 12 inches above the fly.
•Scofield Reservoir. Volunteer Coordinator Randall Stilson reports fair-to-good fishing for boaters trolling with pop gear and nightcrawlers. Anglers in boats anchored by the island experienced fair-to-good success with rainbow PowerBait. Bank fishing continues to be slow. Baitcasters should try dead minnows or chub meat.
Creel Survey Technician Bob Olson reports fair fishing throughout the week. He believes that the catch rate is negatively influenced by the inclement weather. Bob interviewed one boat angler who caught his limit trolling with a Jakes Copper with red dots at a 42-foot depth. Another boater did well trolling with a black Triple Teaser with a red belly and yellow or green dots at 20 to 25 feet. Most of the creeled fish were small.
Tom Ogden fly-fished on June 15 and caught 16 trout in 5.5 hours. Tom used sinking line with red, black or brown leech patterns on size 6 hooks. Tom’s method involved casting, paddling and then stripping the line in 10- to 15-feet of water.
The new regulations, including the slot limit that protects tiger and cutthroat trout, were designed to control the growing chub problem. Please refer to page 28 in the Utah Fishing Guidebook under the section entitled Rules for Specific Waters for more information.
The Scofield tributaries are closed until the second Saturday in July. The U.S. Forest Service plans to ignite a controlled burn in the higher country to the west of the reservoir as early as June 15 that should last a week.
•Straight Canyon Creek. Anglers report slow fishing, with no recommendations on bait or tackle.
•Willow Lake. Conservation Officer Casey Mickelson recommends fishing from the south bank with worms and salmon eggs.
•Wrigley Springs Reservoir. Conservation Officer Casey Mickelsen reported fair fishing. Casey suggested worms with marshmallows or green PowerBait from the south shore.