Utah Fishing & Outdoors Report

The weather should be beautiful this weekend and fishing will be very good at many of our waters. It looks like we are settling into a warm, stable period and so conditions should be great throughout next week. There will never be a better time to go fishing.

Seasonal changes are coming a couple weeks ahead of normal this year. Fish Lake and Currant Creek Reservoir have open water and have produced some of the best recent fishing reports. Many of the high lakes on Boulder Mountain and Skyline Drive will become accessible during the next couple weeks and they should produce very good fishing.

Runoff will increase on northern Utah streams with the warmer weather, but it will be lighter than normal. Still, some streams may become unfishable during high runoff. Even when runoff peaks, there will be plenty of opportunities to fish streams in sheltered areas below dams. Southern Utah streams will see very little runoff - it is already mostly over for the southern part of the state.

Fish Lake was extremely nice to one angler, who reported catching a 32-pound lake trout, 14-pound splake and 5-pound brown, all in one day. See his photos.

This report about Currant Creek includes a couple photos of beautiful cutthroat trout.

Lake Powell will be on fire right during the next 2-3 weeks, for stripers, smallmouth, bluegill, crappie and catfish. Walleye action is good if you hunt down the productive spots. Read the tips by DWR Biologist Wayne Gustaveson.

This angler report talks about great striped bass in Bullfrog the area. This one describes stripers, bass, bluegill and crappie around Good Hope.

Quail Lake and Sand Hollow also have good bass fishing. This report gives details and shows photos.

On the Middle Provo River, Steve Schmidt reports some very good Skwala stonefly hatches. These early-season stones hatch best on warm, sunny days. If it is cloudy and/or stormy, look for good mayfly hatches. Either way, there will be action on the surface. Rehabilitation work can interfere with fishing on the Middle. The Lower is also fishing well but is often crowded. Read Steve’s full report.

On the Green River, hatches have been sporadic. Some people find great surface action, others get there when it is slow. Dry fly fishing should become more consistent during the next couple weeks. Meanwhile, nymphs are working well. Weekends are also crowded here so fish mid-week if possible.

Many other streams in Utah are fishing well. Talk to the guys in the fly shops and they will put you onto fish.

Traditional favorites like Strawberry, Scofield and Otter Creek have been spotty - good at times but slow other times. Flaming Gorge has been more consistent for rainbows, but spotty for other species.

Many smaller waters are good right now. We’ve heard about nice fish coming from Kolob, Mill Meadow and Steinaker.

DWR’s Hotspots Report says these waters are hot:
East Canyon
Matt Warner
Steinaker
Otter Creek Reservoir
Enterprise Reservoir
Lake Powell

New Articles
DWR
Fish advisories for six waterways

Deseret Morning News
Lake Powell Fishing: Striped bass are extra hungry, leading to bountiful harvests
Lake Powell guards against mussels
Trout from 6 Utah sites are tainted with mercury
Wildlife board increases big-game hunting permits
Funds for wildlife refuges are drying up
Utah's dangerous waters: State has 4th highest rate of boat accidents
CO poisoning linked to Lake Powell deaths
New book of photos shows Timpanogos' beauty, moods
Outdoor notes

Salt Lake Tribune
Forest Service seeks comment on Alta, Snowbird trail plans
Hike of the week: Grove Creek Trail - Utah County
Tight Lines: Utah fly-fishing expo aims to equal Idaho show allure
Wharton: Gun-related crimes trigger questions that defy answers
Marbled godwits, and much more, at annual bird festival
Utah court restores state hunting enforcement in Indian Country
New mercury alert
Recreation roundupHook shot

Stormy weather hampered fishing for many anglers during the past several days. Others adjusted to conditions and found good success.

Fly fishermen on streams often do better when it is a little stormy. The spring Blue Wing Olive hatch is more profuse when it is overcast, and fishing can be very good even if there is a light rain. But nobody does well when it pours rain or when it is really windy. The Provo, Green, Weber, Ogden and many other streams have been fishing well.

Provo River Clean-Up
The annual Provo River Clean up is this weekend, sponsored by Western River Flyfisher. Take a little time to give back to a resource that offers us great fishing. For more information call the shop or drop them an e-mail: 801-521-6424 or info@wrflyfisher.com.

Reservoir shore fishing for trout will be good during the coming weeks. DRW gives tips in its new article on shore-fishing Strawberry.

Bass fishing at Lake Powell has been hot when the weather is stable, but it slows when a cold front moves across. Striper action has been consistently good, and will stay good for the next several weeks. The long range forecast suggests warmer, more stable weather later next week. It that holds, get down to Powell for some great fishing.

Wayne Gustaveson says anglers have been catching stripers by the bucketful. The best striper action has been down-lake, but there are a lot of stripers being caught lake-wide. The best smallmouth action is uplake. See Wayne’s report for current conditions.

Catfishing has been surprisingly good this spring at Utah Lake, Willard Bay, the Bear River, Cutler Marsh, Lake Powell and other waters.

Hot Waters on DWR’s Hotspots Report:
East Canyon Reservoir
Steinaker Reservoir
Matt Warner Reservoir
Otter Creek Reservoir
Lake Powell
Kolob Reservoir

Many waters are listed as good on the DWR report. See DWR's weekly fishing reports.

New Articles By DWR
- Interested in a free, guided fishing trip?
For the second straight year, the Utah Conservation Officers' Association (UCOA) is sponsoring a free, guided fishing trip to Flaming Gorge Reservoir.
- Fish doing well in Recapture Reservoir
If you're an angler, what biologists found in Recapture Reservoir recently might grab your attention.
- Ice-off "luring" anglers to Strawberry Reservoir
Anglers who know a little about great fishing are starting to take advantage of one of the best times of the year to fish Utah's most popular fishery.
- Catching cold water fish: a guide for beginning anglersSometimes the hardest thing about an activity is taking the first step, especially if it's an activity you've never tried before.

New From Deseret Morning News
- Recovery program for Bonneville cutthroat is working
- 2007 Off-Road Expo this weekend

New From Salt Lake Tribune
- Hike of the week: Holbrook Canyon Trail - Davis County

Strawberry, Jordanelle, Scofield, Otter Creek and most other popular lakes now have open water. Fishing has been spotty - very good for some folks and slow for others. That’s not unusual for this time of year. The action will become more consistent during the next couple weeks, as the water warms a bit and fish settle into a spring pattern. If you are looking for trout, get out in a float tube or boat and work the shorelines, prospecting until you find where and how deep the fish are that day. Often they will be right up close to shore.

Flaming Gorge has been very good for rainbows, spotty for lake trout and kokanee. DWR has this new article about fast rainbow fishing at the gorge.

Lake Powell offers excellent action right now. Here’s a quote from Wayne Gustaveson’s latest report on wayneswords.com:

“The main event is right around the corner. Large and smallmouth bass will begin spawning with the next warming trend. The long range weather forecast is for sunny and warm by the weekend (April 14-15). My best guess for spawning then is April 17-20. Did I mention that this is the best year in recent memory for big bass? You may want to mark down these dates in RED on the calendar. Fishing is going to be even better than it is now. Next week will be as good as it gets in the spring, if the weather warms as forecast. I hope you can make it.”

The Green, Provo and other streams are also fishing well. Some streams are a little high some days, but all are fishable. Action is picking up nicely now. Here’s a snippet from the Trout Creek Flies Green River report:

“We have seen some very good hatches this past week. We need a little more consistency before we can claim the hatch is on, but overall, it is promising. The most consistent timeframe was 11:00 am to 3:00 pm, but there were several days where they were present on the water even later. Don?t forget that Baetis emergers spend several hours prior to the dun stage swimming in the currents and are available to feeding trout. Great fishing with nymphs suspended 3-5 feet below the rivers surface.”

Southern Utah streams will have very little runoff this year – it just won’t be a factor. In the north, runoff will be mild. It will be a problem some days, but stream fishing will be good on many waters right through the runoff period.

Joes Valley Reservoir has open water and is spotty for good-sized splake. Typically, some trophy splake are caught there at this time of year.

Smallmouth/largemouth fishing has been surprisingly good in northern Utah for this early part of the season. Utah Lake, Deer Creek, Pineview and other bass waters have yielded nice fish to those who work a jig or lure slowly near the bottom.

Catfish action has also been good at Utah Lake, Willard Bay and other popular holes.

In short, most waters are fishing well right now, and should be even better during the next few weeks.

Check DWR’s weekly fishing reports.

News Articles Of Note
Utah's natural wonders — State parks are truly treasures
DWR wants increase in antlerless permits

Ice is pulling back at Strawberry and Scofield. If you catch it just right, trout fishing can be excellent on the edge of the ice as it pulls away from shore on these reservoirs. That experience may be possible this weekend and into next week. At Strawberry, the Ladders has open water now and the Soldier Creek side is expected to open up quickly. Floating ice can be dangerous, especially if the wind comes up, so use caution.

Get out in a pontoon boat or float tube and position yourself so you can cast onto the ice, then hop your lure or bait until it falls into the water. Dark leeches and woolly buggers usually work at this time of year.

Lake Powell will have red-hot fishing during the next few weeks. Striped bass are now biting near the dam and at other traditional spring hot spots. Largemouth action is good and smallmouth fishing is picking up. Work a jig or lure into rocks or brush near the back of a canyon and you might catch stripers, largemouth, smallmouth, walleye, crappie or bluegill. Watch this report for specific info and tips: http://www.wayneswords.com/lpfish.htm

Sand Hollow near St George also has good bass fishing. Largmouth are also starting to bite in Mantua.

Deer Creek and East Canyon reservoirs have been very good for trout. Reports I’ve seen say active fish are being caught on lures down 20-30 feet. There are probably plenty of fish closer to the surface if you fish earlier or later in the day.

Rockport, Otter Creek, Piute, Minersville and other trout reservoirs also offer good fishing.

Utah Lake is hot for catfish. Lincoln Beach, Bird Island, Lindon, all over. Don’t worry about getting out into deep water. The best action may be in bays where water is fairly shallow, where the sun is warming things up. Traditional smelly bait works well: nightcrawlers, shrimp, carp meat, chicken liver, that kind of stuff.

Fly fishing is good now on most streams. Many are running a little high and a little muddy, but that hasn’t hampered success much. The Green River below Red Creek is the exception. Some days Red Creek pumps in serious mud, ruining conditions downstream. The Green has been good from the dam to Red Creek. Blue Wing Olives (BWOs) are coming on strong.

There’s good fly fishing on the Provo and other northern Utah streams. BWOs are the key hatch now, particularly on cloudy days. Midges are still hatching, but they should start dwindling in numbers. Some bigger stoneflies may show up during the next week or two, adding more topwater action. Nymphs always work down near the bottom. Stop by a fly shop to get the latest on patterns and sizes.

The Weber blow Echo may be muddy at times, but should still be fishable.

The popular streams are crowded on weekends. Fish mid-week, or try smaller streams. Every area in Utah has lesser-known streams that provide good fishing with little pressure. Inquire at a local fly shop for details.

See DWR's weekly fishing reports for additional ideas.

News Reports:
Salt Lake Tribune
Brush up your cycling skills at a free Bike Bonanza
Hook shot
Tight Lines: Father, son land brown behemoth
Bass tournament schedule announced for young anglers
Tribune Hike of the week: Devils Garden Trail to Double O Arch - Arches National Park
National parks looking for input on future goals

Deseret Morning News
Plenty to do on Easter weekend
Flying WILD bird education program takes off
Outdoor notes

Upcoming Events
Rocky Mountain Goat Viewing, April 14, Salt Lake City. Viewing will begin at the Park and Ride lot at the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon. This is a free field trip offered by Utah's Division of Wildlife Resources and no pre-registration is required. Scopes and binoculars will be available.

Moab Photography Symposium, May 3-6. This is a terrific opportunity for aspiring photographers. Come hear the pros and participate in seminars and workshops. Also enjoy solo time to work on your personal photography. Classes deal with lighting, composition and photographic subjects. This year's theme is "Perspectives of People and Place."

Four Corners Indian Art Market, May 5-6. Participate in Art demonstrations, food, and music all weekend long. Celebrating beautiful cultures and the world of art. Call Rebecca Stoneman at (435) 678-2238

Wedding of the Rails 137th Anniversary, May 10, Golden Spike National Historic Site. This is the anniversary of the driving of the Golden Spike, completing the first transcontinental railroad. Special programs, food, souvenirs, music, and locomotive demonstrations.