Fishing report for southeastern Utah

By Sun Advocate

•Benches Reservoir. Try a fly and bubble, separated by two to three feet of tapered leader in the early morning. A size 14 renegade pattern or brown leech has been working well. If spinners are prefered, try a gold Jake’s, Thunderbolt or Super Duper. PowerBait’s effectiveness has been spotty.
•Blue Mountain. Conservation officer Randall Scheetz reports that Blanding number three is good in the morning and evening with bait. Trolling crankbaits for Northern pike has been fair at Recapture Reservoir.
Scheetz recommends that anglers at Foy use baits during midday and spinners and flies in the evening.
Angler Steve Duke reports good fishing at Monticello Lake with PowerBait and a slip sinker.
Duke observed good angling at Foy with Super Duper lures.
Lloyd’s Lake has been good for anglers using salmon eggs and a bubble or PowerBait and a slip sinker.
•Boulgers Reservoir. Refer to Benches Reservoir for tackle recommendations.
•Cleveland Reservoir. Fishing success has been slow.
•Duck Fork Reservoir. The reservoir will be replanted with Colorado River cutthroat trout and fingerling tiger trout in August. Some of the tiger trout are expected to be big enough to catch in 2004.
Duck Fork regulations will protect the Colorado River cutthroat population for future egg collection and fish transplant operations. The DWR hopes that this measure will help keep the Colorado River cutthroat from being listed as threatened or endangered.
•Electric Lake. There has been very little fishing pressure. Fishing has been slow.
The limit at Electric Lake is four trout which may be taken on any type of bait, lure or fly. Tributaries are open. On the tributaries, the limit is two trout, which must be caught only with artificial flies and lures.
•Ferron Reservoir. Fishing success continues to be sporadic. PowerBait has been popular among bait casters. Good lure choices include the Panther Martin or Jake’s.
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 open.
•Gigliotti Pond. Trout fishing has been poor. When fishing for bass and bluegill, please use artificial baits and lures. Also exercise caution when releasing a bass or bluegill. Many are being fatally injured by anglers, when they are released.
If a hook has been swallowed deeply, please cut the line and release the fish. Most fish will survive until the hook becomes dislodged, dissolved or passes through the digestive system.
•Gooseberry Reservoir. Todd Munford reports good fishing off the main campground and west shore with a night crawler behind a full bubble. A damsel fly hatch continues. Fly fishermen have been using olive and brown leech patterns or olive and green crystal buggers fished with sinking line on the southwest side. Munford suggests stripping the line quickly and fishing in the channel for best success. All tributaries are open.
•Huntington Creek. Fly fishing has been fair on the right fork and fair to good on the left fork. For good surface action, Munford recommends a number 14 royal wulff, number 12 orange stimulator, or number 14 red or yellow humpies.
Nymph fishermen should try number 16 beadhead pheasant tails, beadhead prince nymphs or large attractor patterns with a nymph dropper, such as a number 18 disco midge or RS2.
Below the forks, bait fishermen have been using night crawlers or salmon eggs.
On the right fork (from Flood and Engineer’s Canyon upstream to Electric Lake) only artificial flies may be used and the trout limit is two.
On the left fork, only artificial flies and lures may be used. The harvest of brown trout is encouraged.
•Huintington North Reservoir. Trout fishing continues to be slow. More trout will be stocked in October. Water recreationalists dominate the water for now.
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). Fishing continues to be slow, except for skilled fly fishermen.
Tom Ogden recommends fishing in deep water, using dark leech patterns on sinking line. Keep the leech moving by twitching the rod.
Tributaries are open. The reservoir is closed to the possession of cutthroat trout or trout with cutthroat markings.
•Joes Valley Reservoir. Fishing success has been very poor. The splake are holding in deep water.
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.
•LaSal Mountains. Wildlife division Sgt. Edward Meyers reports good fishing at Hidden Lake with salmon eggs.
Don’s Lake has been fair for tiger trout and splake with bait. Meyers recommends flies and lures for better success. Bait fishermen have had some success at Dark Canyon with PowerBait, although anglers should use artificial flies for best results.
Medicine Lake has been good for planted rainbow trout. Oowah offers good to excellent fishing for rainbows and an occasional brook trout. Bait fishermen using salmon eggs have been doing well. Anglers casting Panther Martin spinners in the evenings are experiencing fast action.
•Miller Flat Reservoir. Fishing success has been spotty. Bait fishermen have been using Velveeta cheese, PowerBait or salmon eggs. Effective fly patterns have been the mosquito, double renegade, renegade and brown or purple leech.
•Millsite Reservoir. Fishing has been slow. High elevation lakes are recommended for fishing at this time of year.
•Petes Hole. Fishing has been good with a night crawler and bubble, Jake’s spinner, PowerBait, or fly and bubble.
•Potter’s Ponds. Anglers have had success using small black dry flies and a bubble. PowerBait has also been used with fair to good success.
•Price River/Lower Fish Creek. Heavy flows from the reservoir continue. 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. Good fishing for brown trout has been reported.
•Scofield Reservoir. Shoreline fishing has been slow. Fly fishermen in float tubes have done better with double renegades, Scofield Specials or dark leech patterns.
Dead minnows remain the most effective bait. Anglers need to beware that the minnows they catch may be tiny trout. A number of anglers using minnow traps, nets and seines now face serious fines for assuming that all small fish are non-game minnows.
If anglers can’t positively distinguish between small trout and non-game fish, leave the nets and minnow trap at home.
Trollers have been using pop gear and a worm, flatfish or zig zags.
All tributaries are open. There are no special regulations on the tributaries.
•Wrigley Spring Reservoir. Fishing success has been good until 9 a.m. and becomes slow thereafter.
Some anglers have had good luck by hooking and casting dragon flies.