Red Rock Adventure Blog

I fished Scofield Reservoir over the weekend and found action to be surprisingly slow. We caught three - two rainbows and a tiger trout, and had an enjoyable time. The weather was perfect - warm but not hot. The scenery is beautiful up there. The snow is almost gone now - just a little bit in shaded areas.

But, it would have been more enjoyable had we caught a dozen or more trout. We worked hard for our fish, which were fat and fish. Maybe too fat. Definitely well fed, apparently dining on Mayflies. Perhaps the fishing would have been better had the fish been a little more hungry...

Others we talked to reported similar success. Lots of fish in the reservoir, we could see them on the finder. But lazy fish not willing to exert much effort to bit my hook.

But we talked to one buy who was really catching them. He was fishing dead minnows on a long leader under a bobber. Scofield supports a large population of minnows (I think they're red shiners). This guy starts his day by using a minnow trap to catch a bunch, which he keeps on ice and uses as bait throughout the day. (In Utah you can fish with dead minnows, but it is illegal to use them if they are live. Also, the minnows can't be small game fish and cannot be from an endangered/protected species.)

Scofield has a lot of cutthroat and tiger trout that love to eat minnows. Since this guy was using their favorite food, a minnow the fish recognize and love, he was catching big fish all over the place.

Now, I report this with some degree of hesitancy. When I fish I normally practice catch and release, and I fish with flies or lures. When I hook a fish on a fly the hook usually penetrates its lip and is easy to remove. Fish often swallow bait and so the hook goes deep. It is very difficult to release fish unharmed if they have swallowed a baited hook.

I don't have any problem with people keeping a few fish, within the legal limit, if they really will eat them. Scofield has a good trout population and it won't hurt anything if a few fish are harvested. Indeed, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources has increased the trout limit at Scofield to 8 fish, to encourage anglers to fish there. (Statewide, the normal limit is 4 trout).

That said, use minnows or other bait if you want a great fishing experience, and you will really eat the fish you harvest.

Me, I'll stick with my flies and lures. It is still early in the season. As the water warms a bit the fish will become more aggressive and I'll do better there.

Scofield is a beautiful reservoir with a very nice campground. It's worth a visit.

- Dave

Fishing was tough at Strawberry on Saturday (May 17, 08). We managed to catch 4, all cutts, 17-20 inches, but we had to work for them. Others we talked to had similar reports.

We launched from Renegade and worked the shorelines out from Indian Creek without getting a bite. I thought fish might be moving up toward the mouths of tributaries and so we worked shallow until stopped by weeds, but didn't find the fish.

We marked a few fish as we cruised past the mouth of The Narrows and so we went in. We used the electric motor to crawl up the channel, casting in toward shore, and we had a couple hits but no hookups.

Finally we entered a couple small bays inside The Narrows and that's where we caught our four. All were caught within 2 feet of shore. We had a couple hits out in deeper water but they didn't stick. Two of the fish were caught on a yellow Panther Martin and two were caught on a black Rooster Tail.

We tried many other lures without any luck.

The guys we talked to who had troll caught very few fish.

The fly guys out in tubes caught a few - also working close to shore.

Water was cold and there was still snow down along the shoreline in many areas. The road to Renegade was clear except in one spot where we had to drive through snow. It was no problem pulling the boat through. The launch ramp was fine but there were no docks in the water.

My guess is that fishing will improve within 2 weeks, as the water warms a bit.

I had planned to be a Lake Powell right now, soaking up the sunshine, catching striped bass and enjoying the big lake. But the two guys going with me both had to cancel and so I decided to postpone the trip. I decided it is worth waiting, to share the fun with them.

My plan is to explore the San Juan arm of the lake. That's a long boat ride and I'd definitely like to have an experienced hand or two with me when I make the journey. Reports suggest the fishing is great up there right now. It should hold for a few weeks, and so I'll still get to enjoy it.

Our plan now is to head down on May 29.

Meanwhile, I'll go fish Strawberry Reservoir tomorrow. The ice is off and I think I know where I can find some big cutts.

I've put a nice electric trolling motor on my little boat. Now I want to add a better fish finder. When I get that on I will have a sweet little craft that is good for fishing and very good for cruising and exploring. It will be fun to see how it works.

I enjoyed hiking in Zion National Park over the weekend, soaking in the sunshine while we hunted down ancient Native American rock art. We did find great petroglyphs. Along the way we enjoyed seeing wildflowers in full bloom, and we had fun playing in a waterfall on Pine Creek.

We managed to take some great photos, which you can see by clicking on the links below.

Deertrap rock art, located near the top of the pass between Deertrap Mountain and East Temple, approached via Pine Creek. About 1 mile from the road, up steep slickrock.

Petroglyph Canyon rock art, located just north of Hwy 9 on the east side of the park.

Zion wildflowers. Blooms were approaching their peak when we visited on 5-10. Should be impressive for a few more weeks.

Pine Creek waterfall photos. Located about .5 miles above the bridge where Hwy 9 crosses Pine Creek, just below the switchbacks that lead to the tunnel.

I had to postpone my Lake Powell fishing trip - the guys I am taking couldn't get away. So now we're scheduled for mid-May. Maybe that will turn out to be a good thing. The fishing should still be excellent, hopefully the weather will be nicer and the water will be warmer.

It will be a serious fishing trip, but it would be nice it the water is warm enough that we can jump in and play a bit.

I've done basic maintenance on my boat and I think it is ready to go. This delay will give me a chance to test it on a local lake just to be sure. It is a small jet boat that I've rigged for fishing. Not a bad little boat. I do want to put an electric trolling motor on its bow - then it will be a nice setup. Goes fast, economical to run, open so 2-3 people can fish easily. And it goes in shallow water.

I bought the boat so I could go on the Colorado at Lees Ferry and other such spots. Just need to make time to take it out.

Mid-May is coming fast.