Southeastern Utah fishing report for Memorial Weekend

By Sun Advocate

•Abajo Mountains. Conservation officer Randall Scheetz reports that fishing at Monticello Reservoir has been slow. Foy Reservoir has been good with PowerBait, salmon eggs and spinners. Blanding number three has also been good with PowerBait, salmon eggs and spinners. Blanding number four is very close to being drained. Fishing for trout has been slow at Recapture Reservoir, although a few Northern pike are being caught with Rapalas and large spinners.
•Benches Pond. Stocking will occur within a week.
•Blue Lake (above Joes Valley). Walk-in access only. The lake has not been stocked this year.
•Boulger Pond. Stocking will occur during the upcoming week.
•Cleveland Reservoir. “The ice is off Cleveland Reservoir and fishing is fair to good for nice-size rainbows,” says Louis Berg, aquatics manager. Because the lake may be drained this year, anglers are encouraged to harvest fish so they are not wasted.
•Electric Lake. The ice is off Electric Lake. The water level is very low. The boat ramp is 0.6 miles from any flat water. Shoreline fishermen are catching cutthroat trout with spinners. Remember that tributaries are closed until July. A tributary is any moving water, which empties into a reservoir, even if the water is running within the lakebed.
•Gigliotti Pond. This new pond in Helper will be filled and stocked by May 25th for its grand opening. Ribbon cutting will take place at 9 a.m. The pond will be closed to fishing until after ribbon cutting takes place.
•Gooseberry Reservoir. The reservoir remains blocked by a U.S. Forest Service gate to prevent road damage.
•Grassy Lake. The access road is open and dry. The lake has not been stocked yet this year.
•Huntington Creek. No report. Harvest of brown trout on the left fork is encouraged, where the limit is four fish. On the left fork, fish must be taken with artificial flies or lures. On the right fork, from Flood and Engineer’s Canyon upstream to Electric Lake dam, only two trout may be taken and artificial flies must be used. No bait or lures are allowed in this section.
•Huntington Game Farm Pond. Farm superintendent, Dale Van Wagoner describes fishing as fair to poor. Most of the planted trout have been caught already. The trout limit is four. The bluegill limit is 10. The bass limit is four, but only one bass larger than 15 inches. Limits are the same for all licensed anglers and unlicensed anglers under 14 years of age.
•Huntington North Reservoir (near the city of Huntington). Fishing has been generally slow for trout. Jigs have been working well for largemouth bass, where the limit is two. All bass over 12 inches must be immediately released.
•Huntington Reservoir. (near the top of Huntington Canyon). The ice is rapidly disappearing. There is plenty of open water around the entire shoreline for bank fishermen. Some good tiger trout fishing has been reported with worms. Typically, some of the best fishing of the year occurs as the ice recedes from the shoreline. Release of tiger trout is encouraged so that fish can grow larger. Any brown trout caught should be harvested. The reservoir is closed to the possession of cutthroat trout and trout with cutthroat markings.
•Joes Valley Reservoir. Only boats, which can be carried to the water, may be launched this year. The boat ramp is already out of the water. Anglers are encouraged to release all larger splake for control of the abundant Utah chub population. The splake limit is two fish. All splake between 15 to 20 inches must be immediately released.
•Lake Powell. The Lake Powell fishing report home page is: http://www.wayneswords.com. DWR biologist and project leader, Wayne Gustaveson, updates fishing conditions at this website weekly. He provides detailed information on locations, tackle and techniques for each species in the lake. In 2002, an unlimited number of striped bass may be kept. The smallmouth bass limit is 20, and the largemouth bass limit is five.
•Lasal Mountains. Conservation officer Edward Meyers reports that fishing at Ken’s Lake has been fair to good near the dam with traditional baits. Fishing has been better early and late in the day. As of May 7, Oowah and Medicine lakes had not been stocked yet. Dark Canyon Lake was stocked on May 6 with 1,800 catchable-size rainbow trout. The road to Warner is open, but the lake has not been stocked. All other mountain lakes are accessible. Stocking should occur before Memorial Day.
•Lower Fish Creek. Lower Fish Creek flows are currently high and the water is murky. The road to the DWR property is open and dry.
•Mary’s Lake. Access is mostly dry. Stocking should occur soon, but not in time for the Memorial Day weekend.
•Millers Flat Reservoir. U.S. Forest Service gates are closed on the north and south ends of the Millers Flat road, preventing access. Gates will be opened by the Memorial Day weekend. Stocking will probably not occur this year, because the reservoir will likely be drained.
•Millsite Reservoir. State park rangers describe fishing as fair to good with a large variety of baits and lures.
•Pete’s Hole. Muddy roads block access. Please wait a week or two in order to prevent road damage.
•Potter’s Ponds. These ponds will be inaccessible until the Memorial Day weekend, due to locked gates on the north and south sides of the Millers Flat Road. Stocking will occur by Memorial Day weekend.
•Scofield Reservoir. Fishing at Scofield Reservoir has been fair for anglers using worms and other baits, according to conservation officer Stacey Taggart. Please remember that fishing is not allowed in the tributaries until July 13 in order to protect spawning fish. Any moving water, which empties into the body of the reservoir, is considered a tributary, even if that channel of water lies within the reservoir’s basin. Aquatics manager Louis Berg reminds anglers that much of the land around the reservoir is private. Anglers should keep vehicles off the shoreline and fish only in designated areas. Conservation officers are writing quite a few tickets for illegal vehicle use and trespass. There have been some expensive towing charges for violators.
•Willow Reservoir. The road should be open by Memorial Day weekend.
•Wrigley Springs Reservoir. A U.S. Forest Service gate, which will open once the roads dry out blocks access to this water. The gate should be open by Memorial Day weekend.