Fishing report for southeastern Utah

By Sun Advocate

•Abajo and Blue Mountains. There is no safe ice in San Juan County. In 2003, fishing from a boat with a motor is prohibited at Monticello and Foy lakes.
At Blanding number three and four reservoirs, no boats will be allowed, although float tubes will be permitted.
•Cleveland Reservoir. The draw down continues. There is a void of air space between layers of soft ice and slush.
The ice pack is unstable and unsafe. Ice anglers are strongly urged to stay off the reservoir!
•Electric Lake. Tributaries will be closed until July 12. When tributaries open, the limit will be two trout; and artificial flies and lures must be used.
Electric Lake itself has no special regulations this year. The limit will be four trout. No tackle restrictions.
•Ferron Reservoir. The trout limit is four. However, anglers may take a bonus limit of four brook trout in addition to the normal trout limit. All tributaries are closed until July 12.
•Gigliotti Pond. In 2003, the trout limit will be four fish. All largemouth bass and bluegill must be immediately released.
•Gooseberry Reservoir. All tributaries are closed until July 12.
•Grassy Trail Reservoir. The reservoir is closed to fishing in 2003.
•Green River Golf Course Ponds. The limit is four fish in the aggregate for all species.
•Huntington Creek. On the right fork (from Flood and Engineer’s Canyon upstream to Electric Lake) only artificial flies may be used. The trout limit is two.
On the left fork, only artificial flies and lures may be used. The harvest of brown trout is encouraged. Crandall Creek, which empties into Huntington Creek, is closed to fishing for 2003 to protect a population of pure Colorado River cutthroat trout.
•Huntington Game Farm Pond. In 2003, the limit will be four fish in the aggregate for all species.
•Huntington North Reservoir. Unusually warm weather has softened the ice pack. Conditions are becoming dangerous. Fishing has been fair with PowerBait or meal worms.
In 2003, the bass limit is two; all largemouth bass over 12 inches must be immediately released.
•Huntington Reservoir (near the top of Huntington Canyon). The Cleveland-Huntington Canal Company is draining water from the reservoir, which has created an air space between the ice sheet and water level. The ice is highly unstable.
All winter recreationalists should avoid the lake.
Dangerous conditions will persist through the winter season.
Tributaries are closed until July 12. The reservoir is closed to the possession of cutthroat trout or trout with cutthroat markings.
•Joes Valley Reservoir. The Hunter Power Plant is drawing water from the reservoir.
Over time, this will destabilize the ice sheet. Through the rest of the winter, please use extra caution at Joes Valley.
In 2003, the trout limit is two. No more than one trout may be over 22 inches. All trout 15 to 22 inches must be immediately released.
•Kens’s Lake. In 2003, fishing is prohibited from a boat with a gas engine.
•LaSal Mountains. No fishing report.
•Millsite Reservoir. The ice has softened from unseasonably warm weather. We urge extreme caution for recreationalists.
•Price River. From the railroad bridge approximately one mile below the Scofield Reservoir dam downstream to the confluence with the White River only artificial flies and lures may be used.
The creek is partially frozen, due to decreased water releases from the reservoir.
•Scofield Reservoir. Fishing success has declined. The best time to fish is from 6 a.m. until 10 a.m.
Try a small jig, tipped with a piece of nightcrawler, meal worm or wax worm. Many of the trout are eight to 10 inches, although a few range from 15-22 inches. Tributaries are closed until July 12.
•Lake Powell. The Lake Powell fishing report was updated Feb. 12 by Wayne Gustaveson, DWR Lake Powell project leader who provides the following information.
The lake elevation is 3,613 M.S.L. and the water temperature is 47 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
Lake Powell’s water level has declined to a new low but the second largest manmade lake in America is still over 400 feet deep in the main channel and almost 150 miles long.
A lake that large provides room for a myriad of boaters, anglers and explorers.
Lower water means that travel channels are narrower but camping beaches are more prevalent.
While infrequent sand spits large enough for one boat has been the norm, now white sand beaches stretching for miles have appeared.
Navigation in the main channel is safe with hazards to navigation well marked.
The main channel now follows the original Colorado River streambed offering a new view of many land forms that have been submerged or off the beaten path in the past.
It is a good time to see the lake again for the first time.
Bullfrog, Halls and Wahweap marinas were constructed when the lake was much lower. Launch ramps extend well into the depths.
Expect good launching conditions from at least one quality ramp at each location. Some ramps now out-of-service will be lengthened.
New concrete on the ferry boat ramps at Bullfrog and Hite will allow the ferry to use the private ramp and open the public ramps for visitor use.
By May when crowds increase, launching conditions will be much improved.
PWC, currently banned, will probably be allowed back on the lake, maybe as early as May or as late as August.
Anglers will find the lake less traveled and more sedate during the really good spring fishing months of April through May.
Fishing is expected to be super with both smallmouth bass and stripers in superb physical condition and abundant in numbers.
Expect angling to be great in April and May. It is an unusual spring day when one or the other species is not cooperating.
With all of the sand showing, rocky bass habitat is easy to identify. Bass will be congregated around the rocky structure.