Fishing report for southeastern Utah

By Sun Advocate

The Division’s fish hatcheries try to restock all popular waters prior to holiday weekends. Anglers can expect freshly stocked waters for the Independence Day celebration.
•Abajo Mountains – Fishing at Blanding 3 and Blanding 4 reservoirs has been good in the evening and early morning with traditional baits or spinners, according to Conservation Officer Randall Scheetz. At Recapture Reservoir, fishing for northern pike has ranged from slow to fair with Rapalas, Roostertails, and Daredevils.
Foy and Monticello continue to be good during the day with rainbow Power Nuggets; excellent in the morning and evening with olive wooly buggers and stone fly imitations; and good in the evening with spinners, such as the Jake’s Spin-a-Lure-gold or white with polka-dots, says dedicated hunter David Lacey. Lloyd’s Lake has been fair with traditional baits.
•Benches Reservoir – Fishing success has ranged from slow to good for planted rainbow trout. Todd Munford of Big Pine Sports in Fairview recommends PowerBait or a nightcrawler and marshmallow. He suggests that fly fishermen use gold crystal buggers.
•Boulger Reservoir – Fishing has ranged from slow to good with worms, PowerBait, and small dry flies. Conservation Officer Stacey Jones said the largest fish are being caught on a fly and bubble.
•Cleveland Reservoir – Fishing continues to be slow to fair. Shore anglers should plan to fish very early in the morning. Boat anglers generally do much better. Some of the better lures have included Krocodiles, pink Triple Teasers, and black-yellow Panther Martin spinners.
•Duck Fork Reservoir – Tiger trout are only about four inches long right now. Cutthroat trout are catch-and-release only. Only artificial flies or lures may be used.
•Electric Lake – Fishing has been fair for anglers using black Panther Martin spinners with yellow or red spots. Orange flatfish, PowerBait, worms and marshmallows, or worms and salmon eggs have also been used successfully.
Tributaries are closed to fishing until July 10 to protect spawning cutthroat trout.
•Fairview Lakes – Fishing has been slow in the recent past. A straight nightcrawler is recommended. Float tubers can do moderately well by slow-trolling a gold Jake’s. Fly fishermen might try bright-colored wooly buggers or brown leech patterns.
•Ferron Reservoir – Conservation Officer Mike Milburn reports excellent fishing for nine to 13 inch brook trout with nightcrawlers and PowerBait. The trout limit is four, but anglers may take a bonus limit of four brook trout.
•Gigliotti Pond – The pond is now full and was stocked late last week. The DWR and Castle Country Bassmasters plan to introduce bass and bluegill sometime in July. A special Kids’ Fishing Day will take place in mid-September.
•Gooseberry Reservoir – Fishing has been good with worms, PowerBait, spoons, and Mepp’s spinners. Jones recommends a fly and bubble for large fish.
•Huntington Creek – The creek is running high. Try a split shot with a hares ear, Montana, or prince nymph. Other good patterns include a 14 Royal Wulff or an 18 Griffith’s gnat. Use very light tippet in the fly-only zone for best results. Below the forks, anglers have had good success with nightcrawlers.
•Huntington Reservoir – Fishing success has ranged from slow to fair for anglers with baits, and has been fair to good for fly fishermen. Best shoreline fishing occurs before 7 a.m. Bait fishermen should try using a straight nightcrawler behind a full bubble. The nightcrawler should be moved every once in a while to entice strikes.
Dedicated hunter Ramal Jones said that while bait fishing was slow for him, he took home four tiger trout ranging from 15-19 inches in length. Float tubers and boaters have done well near the dam by vertically jigging a nightcrawler several inches from the bottom. Tom Ogden recommends using size 10 black leeches or dark green scuds in 12-16 feet of water. . The reservoir is closed to the possession of cutthroat trout and trout with cutthroat markings.
•Joes Valley Reservoir – Gill-netting in June indicates there are large splake in the reservoir. One splake tipped the scale at 15 lbs. before it was released. About 40 weighed over 7-lbs. Aquatics Biologist Craig Walker recommends trolling or jigging whole dead chubs, up to eight inches long, in the thermocline for big splake. Chubs are now spawning in and around the tributaries and can be caught on many types of small lures, flies or baits. The trout limit is two; only one over 22 inches; all trout from 15-22 inches must be immediately released.
•Lasal Mountains – Dedicated hunter Travis Clark surveyed LaSal Mountain lakes this past weekend. He said very few fish were being caught at Medicine Lake. Fishing success was excellent at Dons Lake with a fly (mosquito pattern) and a bubble. Dark Canyon was good for anglers using a fly (black gnat or mosquito pattern) or orange PowerBait. Oowah was excellent with either a worm and sinker or PowerBait. Warner Lake was fair with a fly (grasshopper pattern) and bubble. Anglers are reminded that the fish limit at all LaSal Mountain lakes is four trout. Ken’s Lake has been best either early in the morning or late in the evening.
•Scofield Reservoir – Officer Jones reports that still-fishing from a boat continues to be good with PowerBait or worms. Trolling has slowed down, due to the early growth of heavy line-tangling moss. Pop gear and a nightcrawler have been the most popular trolling tackle. Shoreline fishing with PowerBait or nightcrawlers is best in the early morning or late evening.
Anglers are encouraged to clean up litter, which has become a nuisance along the shoreline. Conservation officers will be ticketing litter bugs. Tributaries are closed to fishing until July 10.
•Straight Canyon Creek – Try using wooly buggers, stonefly and sculpin imitations.
•Wrigley Springs Reservoir – Fishing has been fair to good for 10-12 inch rainbow trout. PowerBait and worms work equally well, according to Conservation Officer Mike Milburn. A fly and bubble has also been effective.