Utah Fishing & Outdoors Report

Fishing is very good right now in most waters around Utah, and the high success rate should hold up during the next few weeks as we settle into a summer pattern.

Uinta Mountains are opening up early this year. High lakes may still have some ice and there are still snowdrifts in spots. Most lakes along Hwy 150 are fishable now and are being stocked heavily. Here’s an interesting discussion about fishing small Uinta streams for tiger trout.

Boulder Mountain lakes are open. This report talks about catching grayling in the small lakes.

Fish Lake, Forsythe, Mill Meadow and Koosharem are fishing well according to this report, which has beautiful photos and describes good action for a variety of fish including rainbows, brookies, cutthroat, browns, tiger trout, splake and perch.

Causey Reservoir usually has muddy water at this time of year, but it is clear now and fishing well. These guys caught splake, rainbows and a tiger trout.

Scofield reports are mixed. In this one, the initial reporter says fishing was slow but someone responding says he found hot action – the best of the year. The anglers fished the reservoir on the same day.

Strawberry can be fickle, but Memorial Day action was good for these guys. Their post includes some great photos.

On the Provo, flows are stabilizing and that should allow fishing conditions to improve. As flows subside there should be good hatches of PMDs, drakes and stoneflies. Check with the local fly shops to find the most effective patterns before you hit the water.

Middle Provo is yielding mostly small browns. Here's a lively discussion about management on the river - whether it is good that anglers can use bait and harvest fish. This report talks about catching a bunch of small browns using spinners.

Green River flows have settled back to normal and fishing is very good. "Cicadas are going to remain for the near future," Dennis Breer says. "In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to see the larger species appear or even for the present hatch to last well into late June." Fishing a dropper under a cicada usually produces great results.

Pineview tiger muskie fishing is always spotty - you've got to work at it to catch those toothy fish. This guy reports impressive success casting and trolling crank baits.

Utah Lake has yielded a monster channel catfish. Elroy Colledge caught the fish, which weighed 28.1 pounds. He was using a chicken heart. Here are details.

Pelican Lake has very good action for bass and bluegill. Here's info, along with good photos.

Deer Creek Reservoir is good for bass and bluegill right now. This report and this one talk about the action.

At Lake Powell, Wayne Gustaveson reports hot striper fishing. Large numbers of fish are being caught by people dropping anchovies down to school of stripers seen on their graphs. The main channel has been very productive, from Rock Creek Bay to Bullfrog. Fish can also be taken using jigs and lures that get down about 20 feet.

Some stripers are already feeding on the surface, eating tiny larval shad. "Feeding often looks like a wind riffle or a wake," Wayne says. "On closer examination the riffle has a silver lining. The surface commotion is small but stripers to 5-pounds are found feeding on shad larvae. The trick is to find a lure that casts far enough to hit the slurp before it sounds, but is small enough to mimic a one-inch larval shad. Perhaps the best bait is silver Kastmaster or other small spoon."

As summer progresses and the shad grow, surface feeding will become more common. Around mid-July, full scale boils will start and fishing will be incredibly good.

DWR Fishing Hotspots
DWR reports the following waters have hot fishing right now
East Canyon Reservoir for trout and smallmouth bass
Matt Warner for trout
Steinaker for trout, largemouth and bluegill
Lower Bowns for trout
Sand Hollow for largemouth, bluegill
Lake Powell for bass, striped bass, walleye, channel catfish and crappie

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Where should you fish over Memorial Day Weekend? This post has a lively discussion.

The Mirror Lake Highway and other high mountain areas are now opening up. You can drive to Trial Lake and action there has been fast. Most lakes in the area still have some ice (which is unsafe). You also have to wade through snowdrifts to get to some areas. This area will open up quickly now.

This report talks about the good fishing at Trial Lake.

Boulder Mountain is open and fishing well. Here’s a good post recommending hike-in lakes on the Boulder.

There’s fast fishing at Smith & Moorehouse, according to this report.

Panguitch Lake has good action for trout running 14-16 inches. This report has good information and photos.

Porcupine Reservoir has good fishing for kokanee. Here’s info.

East Canyon is good for smallmouth bass and crappie. Details.

Middle Provo good nymph fishing. Major hatches are right around the corner, but right now the surface action is slow. That could change quickly so check with the fly shops to get the latest.

This fisherman did well on the Middle Provo using spinners.

On the Green, fly fishers are doing well using cicadas. Water level is still high but are coming down. See Dennis Breer’s report for the latest details.

Lake Powell has risen rapidly during the past couple weeks and that has moved the fish around. Fish are still biting but you’ve got to track them down. As a general rule they are down 12 feet or deeper. See the report by Wayne Gustaveson.

DWR Hotspots Report
DWR rates these waters as hot this week
East Canyon for trout and bass
Matt Warner for trout
Steinaker for trout, bass and bluegill
Lower Bowns for trout
Navajo Lake for trout
Lake Powell for bass, striped bass, walleye, catfish, pan fish

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Big bugs are the ticket on the Green River. Cicada numbers are on the rise and fish are responding to imitations. It is great fun to fish cicadas. You don’t have to be graceful or accurate. Just splat one on the surface and hang on for a fierce strike. Read tips from Dennis Breer.

Lower Provo River has high water. Some fish are being caught on nymphs but conditions are tough. The Middle Provo is fishing well. Nymphs have been the most productive, but that will change soon as new hatches come on.

Lake Powell, Sand Hollow, Strawberry, Jordanelle, Willard Bay... lots of waters are hot right now.

Still tickets available for the Wasatch Fly Tying & Fly Fishing Expo, Saturday, May 19, at the Karen Gail Miller Convention Center, Salt Lake Community College, 9750 South 300 West, Sandy. Sponsored by the Stonefly Society and Cache Valley Anglers. Details.

Strawberry is consistently good right now. Here’s a good report with photos of big beautiful fish, and an interesting discussion on whether the big reservoir will ever produce huge cutthroat.

Wiper fishing is good at Willard Bay. This report has details and photos.

Jordanell has turned on for smallmouth bass. This report gives details, and has a discussion about what to do with chubs caught at the reservoir.

Sand Hollow is yielding some big bass. Here’s a report with photos.

Lake Powell has hot smallmouth fishing, and it is very good for other species. Wayne Gustaveson reports: "Smallmouth bass have gone ballistic. It's a sure thing to toss a single tail plastic grub (smoke, green or pumpkin) on a quarter ounce jig head to waiting bass. Just let the grub hit the reef and drag it a few feet at a time. Smallmouth bass will be all over it like a puppy chewing a bone."

DWR Hotspots Report
East Canyon Reservoir for trout, smallmouth
Matt Warner for trout
Steinaker for trout, bass and bluegill
Lower Bowns for trout
Navajo Lake for trout
Lake Powell for bass, striped bass, catfish, panfish

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Hike With Experts Near Cedar City

The Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Southern Utah University, and Cedar City Parks and Recreation have teamed up to offer family hikes during the summer months, mostly around the Cedar City/Brian Head area.

Our intent is to get families out recreating together, said Kenton Call, Dixie National Forest public affairs officer, quoted in this article in the Cedar City Review.

Call said there are many wonderful hiking opportunities “in our backyard” and more people ought to know about them.Anyone interested can come to some or all of the hikes, Anne Smith, SUU Outdoor Center director, said. The series is designed to be flexible and fun.

Read the entire article.

Spring runoff will impact fishing in northern Utah during the next week or so. With the warm weather, snow is melting quickly and streams are rising. The biggest impact will be on the Green River, where flows will be artificially high because of the annual attempt to benefit the river's native fish. Flows could increase to 4600 cfs and that will change the fishing dynamic on the stream.

Dennis Breer has these comments in his weekly fishing report: "Having dealt with flows of 4600 cfs for many years now, I no longer see them as a bad event. My opinion is actually the opposite, when these flows are steady, higher water is actually good fishing." Dennis has excellent, practical advice about how to fish high flows. Read his weekly report.

Dennis reports that cicadas are now producing hot fly fishing on the Green.

Other northern Utah streams will be high but most will be fishable. The best action may come on sheltered sections below dams: the Provo below Jordanelle and Deer Creek, the Weber below Rockport, the Ogden below Pineview, etc.

In southern Utah runoff will be minimal.

A wide variety of bugs may be found on streams now (cicadas, bwos, drakes, stones, etc). Matching the hatch can be essential so check at a local fly shop for the latest before hitting the water.

Lake Powell is very good right now for all species. Stripers are everywhere and biting well; smallmouth are aggressive and defending nests; walleye are hungry and on the prowl. Below are excerpts from the latest report by Wayne Gustevson. Read the entire report. (The photo above is from Wayne's report).

"Warming water temperatures activate fish. Walleye have finished spawning and get very hungry when their cold-blooded body finally warms up. They respond by eating early and often. The next 3 weeks will be the best time to catch hungry walleye. Fish in low light periods - early and late. Take advantage of boat wakes and windy afternoons to find murky water where walleye shade up to feed. Mudlines along rocky points, muddy coves, and mud-covered brush are prime walleye spots during May.

"Stripers are literally everywhere. They are in the backs of canyons, in mid channel and in deep water. Warming will make them seem even more abundant as the younger plankton-eaters will be caught more often. Troll, cast, or graph and bait fish - your preference. Keep all stripers. The smaller fish are better table fare and the bigger fish are fun to catch. Both sizes are equally caught on bait or lures. Stripers in the back of the canyons and coves are not boiling but they are "looking up" so they will hit a topwater lure early and late. It is possible to create your own boil from dawn to 8 AM."

Boulder Mountain is opening up. Here’s an interesting report from a guy who fished during the past storm (snow down there), with a lively discussion about management on the mountain.

Flaming Gorge continues to fish well. This report includes an attached photo showing a phenomenal lake trout.

Willard Bay recently produced a new state record wiper. Here’s an Ogden Standard Examiner article about it. This link should bring up a photo.

DWR Hotspots Report
DWR Rates the following waters as hot:
East Canyon Reservoir for trout and bass
Steinaker for trout, bass and bluegill
Matt Warner for trout
Navajo Lake for trout
Lower Bowns for trout
Lake Powell for catfish, bass, walleye and striped bass

Many waters are rated as good. See the DWR report.

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There's plenty of good fishing around right now - something for every interest and style

On the Green River, cicada are now showing up and that usually foreshadows some of the best fly fishing of the year. Big trout gobble up the big bugs, and they aren’t picky about taking imitations. Read Dennis Breer’s report for details.

On the Lower Provo, flows are up and that is hindering fishing. The Middle is fishing well, with drakes and small golden stonefly nymphs showing up. The next few weeks should bring incredible fly fishing on the Middle Provo. Read Steve Schmidt’s report for details.

Lake Powell has very good fishing for a multitude of species. Here’s some advise from Wayne Gustaveson, DWR’s Lake Powell project leader: "Water temperature is now firmly affixed in the 60's which is the ultimate temperature range for the best spring fishing. May is the best time of year to catch a wide variety of fish. Use your favorite lure or technique. You will catch fish and have a great time." Read Wayne’s full report.

At Pineview, crappie are active and tiger muskie are following them around. This is a great time to fish for the toothy predators. Here’s a new report with good info and some impressive photos.

Interesting trip report and discussion about management of Blacksmith Fork, one of Utah’s Blue Ribbon trout stream. The author found a good hatch, but didn’t see fish rising. Says the Blue Ribbon program is a farce.

Fish Lake yielded a 26.9 pound lake trout on April 28. See >photos and a description here.

Mantua Reservoir has been good for nice largemouth. Here’s a photo of a beauty.

Utah Lake is very good for channel catfish. Can be good for crappie and white bass if you find the right spots.

DWR Hotspots Report
DWR lists these waters as hot:
- East Canyon Reservoir for trout
- Matt Warner Reservoir for trout
- Steinaker Reservoir for trout, bass and bluegill
- Otter Creek Reservoir for trout
- Enterprise Reservoir for trout, bass
- Lake Powell for bass, striped bass, walleye and catfish

Many waters are listed as good. See DWR's weekly fishing report for details.

Fishing derby for disabled kids, Tuesday, May 8th, at Salem Pond.

Free kokanee fishing seminar Wednesday, May 16, 7 pm at the Midvale at the Sportsman’s. Gary Miralles, owner and guide for Shasta Fishing will share his tips.

Willard Bay cleanup project, Saturday, May 19, 8-11 am at the North Marina.

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Hook shot