Utah Fishing Reports

What's New

Grand Gulch Backpack
We enjoyed a great early-season backpacking trip into Grand Gulch. Daytime temps were ideal for hiking. Nights were cold, as expected.
- See photos from the trip
- Read my blog about the trip

I shot video and will have it posted within a few days.

Now's the perfect time to hike dry, sunny trails in southern Utah. My next trek will probably be to Kolob Arch in Zion Park. Hopefully, I'll get down there before the end of this month.

Featured Property For Sale
Imagine a cabin at Strawberry Reservoir, right where you love to play. Two story, 4 bedroom cabin in the Bryants Fork area. Just $265,000. Details.

Now's the time to buy - prices and interest rates will never to be lower.

New Video Clips
At utah.com, we've just acquired some good video from regional travel regions around Utah. Check out these clips:
- Zion Park Overview
- St George Area Overview
- Moab Area Overview

My little company also created a Highway 12 overview video that is now running on utah.com. We had to get it up quickly for a client, so we used a hodgepodge of existing video. When it is warm enough, we'll shoot some new stuff and re-do it. We really need video showing people jumping into the pool under Lower Calf Creek Falls. Any volunteers?

We're pushing hard to expand our video libraries, both on utah.com and on my RedRockAdventure.com site. If anyone has good video showing outdoor adventures, we'd like to see it. We're particularly interested in snowmobile and ATV clips, because we don't have much showing those sports.

I will be doing a series of videos on fishing Strawberry, as soon as the ice comes off there.

Video is the best tool available to present some kinds of information on the Internet. We've become good at creating videos that are effective, interesting, fun and cost-effective. Let us create one for your website.

Events
Salt Lake International Sportsmen's Exposition, Mar 12-15, South Towne Exposition Center. Presented by KUTV2. Displays, seminars and lots of booths full of everything related to the outdoors.

Catch Fish, Shoot Arrows at Kids' Fair, Mar 12-15. Kids can catch fish, shoot arrows and learn how to ride their ATVs safely at this year’s Youth Outdoor Sports Fair, conducted by the Utah Department of Natural Resources as part of the International Sportsmen's Expo.

Moab Skinny Tire Festival, March 14-16. The festival's three rides highlight Moab's different road riding opportunities. The first day follows the mighty Colorado River corridor downstream passing by ancient puebloans petroglyphs. The next two days leave the valley and climb the beautiful canyon roads into red rock country to Dead Horse Point State Park and through Arches National Park. This event raises funds for cancer survivorship programs. For more information contact 435-259-2698.

Lake Powell South Shad Rally, May 15-16. Join other Lake Powell enthusiasts rallying to save shad by catching stripers. All are welcome. Fishermen, boaters, those that like to eat fresh fish. There is something for everyone. Contact: Pete Klocki, 928-710-0599. Friday May 15, 8 am-6pm, Saturday May 16, 4-8 pm. Admission: free. Fish fry, potluck dinner, door prizes. Held at Lone Rock Beach, on Lake Powell near Page. Watch wayneswords.com for updates.

See our events calendar

- Good Fishing, Dave Webb

Ice is coming off our low-elevation waters. Here's the rundown, as of Thursday.
- Utah Lake has mostly open water
- Willard has open water in the marinas and around the edges, but considerable floating ice.
- Yuba has open water on the west half, but the Painted Rocks area is still iced up.
- Deer Creek has a little open water around the edges.
- Piute Reservoir ice is completely gone.
- Otter Creek Reservoir has considerable open water but some floating ice.

Floating ice can be hazardous. If you are out in a float tube, you can be in real trouble if wind blows a sheet of ice at you. Be very careful.

Otter Creek and Piute reservoirs are good bets for this weekend. Trout fishing can be very good at both reservoirs just after ice off.

Walleye fishing in northern Utah will probably be tough for a week or so, until the next spell of warm, stable weather. As soon as we get a couple warm afternoons, a few largemouth bass will be caught in warm, shallow areas.

Lake Powell fishing report is now being updated weekly by Wayne Gustaveson. He says walleye there are about ready to spawn. "That is not so good for catching because walleye don't eat when actively spawning. BUT, the larger females will eat just prior to spawning. The largest walleye population is in the upper lake near Hite."

Wayne continues, "Expect largemouth to come into shallow water in the afternoon to bask in slightly warmer water near a south facing rock wall that collects solar heat and transmits it to surrounding water. Fishing is not fast by any stretch, but some of the largest bass of the year are caught during March."

Fly fishing continues to improve on our streams. Midges are the main game on top, but Blue Wings should start to make a showing in a week or two. Wind puts the hatches down, but nymphs work even when there's nothing happening on the surface.