Southeastern Utah Fishing Report

By Sun Advocate

ABAJO MOUNTAINS: (May 30) Conservation Officer Dennis Shumway reported on several Abajo Mountain waters. Fishing is good for trout using PowerBait at Blanding 3 and 4 reservoirs. Both reservoirs were stocked on May 19 with 1,000 9-inch rainbow trout. The trout been very active at Foy Reservoir since it was stocked with 1,200 rainbow trout on May 7. Fishing is good at Monticello Lake using salmon eggs. Monticello was stocked with 1,000 9-inch rainbow trout on May 7. Pike fishing is good at Recapture Reservoir using tube jigs and gold spinners.
ACADEMY MILL RESERVOIR: (May 30) Anglers reported good fishing last weekend, despite the snow and the muddy hike from Petes Hole. The reservoir hasn’t been stocked yet.
BENCHES POND: (May 30) The pond was stocked just before Memorial Day. A lot of anglers fished the pond over the holiday weekend. Worms and PowerBait were the most popular baits.
BLUE LAKE: (May 23) Because of the snow drifts, snow and mud, access is limited to ATVs.
BOULGER RESERVOIR: (May 30) The pond was stocked for the first time this spring on May 27 with 1,000 9- to 10-inch rainbow trout. Expect good fishing.
CARBON COUNTY COMMUNITY FISHING POND: (May 30) The pond was stocked with 1,000 9- to 10-inch rainbow trout just before Memorial Day. On May 26, Justin Shannon and three children reported excellent fishing using worms and PowerBait. Justin stayed busy releasing the fish that his kids caught.
CLEVELAND RESERVOIR: (May 30) On May 29, Aquatics Biologist Calvin Black reported mixed fishing. On May 27, Tom Ogden fly fished from a kick boat on the northwest portion of the reservoir. He caught three 15- to 18-inch rainbow in four hours using wooly bugger and hot head patterns on fast sinking line. Tom said that other boat and shoreline anglers didn’t appear to be catching any fish. On May 26, Tom fly fished near the campground for an hour. He hooked two fish and brought in one 14-inch rainbow using a size 6 bead head crystal bugger and sink-tip line. Over Memorial Day weekend, Conservation Officer James Thomas reported slow fishing.
DUCK FORK RESERVOIR: (May 30) You won’t be able to access the reservoir for another week or so.
ELECTRIC LAKE: (May 30) On May 29, aquatics biologist Calvin Black reported excellent fishing. Last weekend, conservation officer James Thomas reported good fishing floating worms off the bottom with PowerBait or suspended under a bobber. Thomas said spinners were also effective. The access road to the boat ramp is open.
FAIRVIEW LAKES: (May 23) The lakes were drained last year for dam repairs. Fish haven’t been restocked yet.
FERRON CREEK: (May 23) Snow drifts are blocking the access road to the reservoir and creek.
FERRON RESERVOIR: (May 30) You won’t be able to access the reservoir for a week or longer.
GIGLIOTTI POND: (May 23) Since ice-off, anglers have consistently reported good fishing using worms or PowerBait. On May 19, the pond was restocked with 770 9-inch rainbow trout, which will boost fishing success.
GOOSEBERRY RESERVOIR: (May 30) The U.S. Forest Service has opened the gate and anglers can now access the reservoir. The first stocking has not yet occurred. Aquatics biologist Calvin Black reminds anglers that the outflow and all of the tributaries are closed to fishing until July 12 to protect spawning cutthroat trout. If you’re targeting rainbow trout, Calvin recommends using Jakes spinners or PowerBait.
GRASSY LAKE: (May 30) Conservation Officer James Thomas reported good fishing using worms or spinners.
HUNTINGTON CREEK: (May 30) Fly fishing is good from South Hughes Canyon to the dam. In early May, more than 4,000 four-inch brown trout were planted along the creek. ring future flash floods, this brown trout fishery is expected to recover within the next two years.
HUNTINGTON GAME FARM POND: (May 23) The pond was stocked in early May with 500 9-inch rainbow trout. Because there aren’t many anglers at the pond, fishing should be good using traditional baits and popular spinners.
HUNTINGTON NORTH RESERVOIR: (May 30) State park manager Jonathan Hunt reports improved fishing for wipers and bass because of the warming water temperatures.
HUNTINGTON RESERVOIR: (May 30) On May 29, Aquatics Biologist Calvin Black reported excellent fishing. A fishing blogger described his three days at the reservoir last weekend as among the best fishing days of his life. He praised the fight, size and number of the fish he caught. His blog included a photo of a three-pound, 20-inch tiger trout – which wasn’t the biggest fish his party caught. Conservation officer James Thomas reported great fishing last weekend. Most anglers fished with worms off the bottom.
JOES VALLEY RESERVOIR: (May 30) Fishing is generally slow, though one angler came to the Price DWR office to weigh a 12.5-pound splake he caught during over weekend from the shore using chub meat.
LA SAL MOUNTAINS: (May 30) Conservation officer TJ Robertson provided fishing report for a number of waters in the La Sal Mountains. Fishing is slow on the Colorado River, apparently due to higher water levels. Dark Canyon hasn’t been stocked yet, and a group of angelrs reportedly found no fish in the lake. Fishing was fair at Dons Lake last weekend using small dry flies. Fishing is fair to good at Hidden Lake for anglers using PowerBait and nightcrawlers. Despite the bad weather at Kens Lake, anglers reported good fishing last weekend using a variety of baits, including all colors of PowerBait, nightcrawlers and salmon eggs. The best spinner was a Jakes Spin-a-Lure. Bass anglers did well with soft plastic single- and double-tails on light jig heads, especially when cast into the aquatic vegetation around the inlet. Kens Lake was stocked in mid-March with 5,000 9-inch rainbow trout. Oowah Reservoir was stocked on May 19 with 1,100 catchable-sized rainbow trout. Anglers reported fair to good fishing at Oowah. If you visit Oowah, try using lures like red and yellow Rooster tails and brightly colored Jakes lures. Bait anglers reported poor fishing with PowerBait, but fair fishing with nightcrawlers. At Rattlesnake ponds, fishing was good last weekend with traditional baits. Finally, Warner Lake was stocked on May 22 with 600 10-inch rainbow trout.
LOWER GREEN RIVER: (May 23) Walt Maldonado reports good fishing using shrimp and chicken liver at the pump house and confluences of the Price and San Rafael rivers. The river, though, is running high and muddy. You can catch small catfish anywhere with worms.
MILLER FLAT RESERVOIR: (May 30) The gates on both the north and south sides are locked because of the lingering snow drifts and muddy conditions. The gates should be opened during the first week in June. Aquatics biologist Calvin Black performed gillnet sampling this week. He found large numbers of rainbow trout within reach of shoreline anglers. He suspects that fishing will be excellent once the gates are opened.
MILLSITE RESERVOIR & STATE PARK: (May 30) Spring run-off muddied the water last weekend and frustrated anglers. Still-fishing off the bottom with PowerBait seemed to be the most effective tactic.
PETES HOLE: (May 30) Fishing was slow last weekend. The pond hasn’t been stocked yet, but you can now access Petes Hole in a 2WD truck – that means that hatchery trucks have access too.
POTTERS PONDS: (May 30) The gate to Potters Ponds is still locked because of the lingering snow drifts and muddy road conditions.
RIGHT FORK OF HUNTINGTON CREEK: (May 23) You can only fish in the fly-only zone from South Hughes Canyon to the dam. Flash floods that followed the Seeley Fire have completely wiped out the fish downstream In early May, 4,000 4-inch brown trout were planted along the creek. Barring future flash floods, the fishery may return to its pre-fire productivity in a few years.
SCOFIELD RESERVOIR: (May 30) On May 27, aquatics biologist Nathan Owens reported slow fishing. The catch rate was better for the shoreline anglers who were using chub meat than for the boat anglers who were trolling with Rapalas. On May 24, Tom Ogden fly fished the west shoreline with crystal bugger and leech patterns. He had eight chubs in two hours, but no trout. Shoreline anglers were likewise catching chubs, but no trout. A week earlier, Melissa Anderson of Mount Pleasant caught a 17.75-pound, 33-inch tiger trout while trolling with popgear and bait. That fish was within 2.5 pounds of the state record. (That record-breaking fish was caught at Scofield in 2013 and weighed 19 pounds, two ounces.) Before Memorial Day, the reservoir was stocked with 73,000 9-inch cutthroat trout.
SOUP BOWL: (May 30) The pond is now accessible in a 2WD truck. Fishing was slow last weekend. Spincasters seemed to have the best luck. The Soup Bowl hasn’t been stocked yet.
WILLOW LAKE: (May 30) The snow drift that was blocking access to the reservoir has melted, so the lake is now accessible. The lake hasn’t been stocked yet.
WRIGLEY SPRINGS RESERVOIR: (May 30) Brandon Behling and his wife fished in the evening of May 24. Brandon reported excellent fishing using PowerBait in the early evening, and with small flies as the evening advanced.