Fishing report for southeastern Utah

By Sun Advocate

•Abajo and Blue Mountains. DWR conservation officer Randall Scheetz reports that a few northern pike are being caught from shore at Recapture Reservoir. Crankbaits and/or spinners are recommended.
Scheetz indicates that fishing at Blanding number three has been good with PowerBait and spinners.
•Cleveland Reservoir. Please avoid this reservoir until ice-off. The ice is dangerous and unpredictable.
•Duck Fork Reservoir. This body of water is fishless, but will be stocked with small tiger trout and Colorado River cutthroat in summer. The tiger trout are expected to be large enough to catch in 2004.
•Electric Lake. The rumor suggesting that there is no limit on fish at Electric Lake is false. At Electric Lake, there are no restrictions on the type of tackle which may be used, but the trout limit is the same as the statewide trout limit which is four fish. Tributaries will be closed until July 12. When tributaries open, the limit will be two trout; and artificial flies and lures must be used.
The ice is multi-layered with slush and ice. Snow blankets the ice. Caution is strongly advised. The risk exists of falling through one or more layers of ice and slush.
One group of anglers reported catching and releasing 60 fish in three hours using green or white jigs tipped with bait.
•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. Anglers should wait until May, when the reservoir is filled and restocking occurs.
In 2003, the trout limit is 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. Flows are low. 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. A portion of Crandall Creek above the Genwal Mine is closed to fishing for 2003 to protect Colorado River cutthroat trout.
•Huntington Game Farm Pond. The pond will be restocked in May. In 2003, the limit is four fish in the aggregate for all species.
•Huntington North Reservoir. The reservoir is ice-free. Fishing continues to be good with a black wooly bugger, which imitates the cutworm hatch.
DWR aquatics biologist Justin Hart caught and released a dozen brown trout along the dam a week ago.
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). This reservoir is extremely dangerous, due to the potential for buckling and subsidence of the ice pack. Please stay off! Anglers are urged to wait until ice-off, before resuming fishing. 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 ice pack is considered dangerous and further ice fishing is discouraged.
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.
•Ken’s Lake. Ken’s Lake is rising and ice-free. After being nearly drained last fall, the lake is now quite full.
Stocking will occur in April or May. In 2003, fishing is prohibited from a boat with a gas engine.
•LaSal Mountains. No report.
•Millsite Reservoir. The reservoir is ice-free. One angler e-mailed the DWR to say his group of four caught their limits off the rocky points above the state park, using orange and purple powerbait in four hours time on March 12. The trout averaged 14 inches.
•Price River. Flows are extremely low. 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.
•Scofield Reservoir. Success has been variable. Wind, snow, and cold have kept a lot of anglers off the ice.
Two weeks ago, fishing was good with white or chartreuse-colored jigs tipped with bait or with PowerBait alone.
•Lake Powell. Report updated updated March 19 by Wayne Gustaveson, DWR Lake Powell project leader, who provides the following report:
The lake elevation is 3,608 M.S.L. and the water temperature is 47 to 52 degrees Fahrenheit.
Much needed moisture is falling driven by a strong spring storm. Wind and cooling are not good for fishing this week. That’s fine. Anglers can accept a small delay in warming if it means more runoff headed to Lake Powell in the future.
Each storm adds to the snowpack in the Colorado River flood plain and bodes well for a rising lake. Ramp construction has begun at Bullfrog on the main ramp and at Antelope Point.
Launching at Hite is still “day to day” but currently possible for fishing boats.
The lake will decline a few more feet before more concrete is poured at Stateline ramp.
National Park Service has vowed to chase the receding lake with concrete on most of Powell’s launch ramps.
After any modest rise in lake level launching will be better than it was in the past. Expect good launching conditions by the Memorial Day Holiday.
When the storm front passes, warming will occur and this time bass will move shallow. Look for nest building fish around any rocky structure in the sea of white sand now so abundant along the shore.
Clean main canyon and main channel rocks will be the place to start looking for bass. Early spring lure favorites include spinnerbaits, “jig and pig”, and the standard soft plastic jig.
Largemouth bass will be the most commonly caught fish until the water warms above 55 degrees at which time smallmouth fishing will improve dramatically.
Striped bass are found in the backs of canyons with shad. Begin looking at the brown/green water interface where water is warmest. Take a thermometer along to get in just the right place.
Stripers are fussy right now and will react to a fast moving lure (trolled or cast) but not necessarily to anchovy bait.
Use a bright colored lure in murky water for best results.
Plan the first fishing trip of the year for the next stable warm weather period.