Utah Fishing Reports

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What's New

My son, Aaron, took the photo above on our recent hiking trip to Delicate Arch. It was a fun trip.

This weekend I'm required to take the in-laws hiking in the San Rafael Swell. The weather should be perfect for hiking, not hot and not cold. We will probably do Crack Canyon, which is good for a group that includes some inexperienced hikers - not too hard, not to easy.

Where to Fish
I was surprised by the report that Lake Powell stripers are not cooperating right now. Wayne Gustaveson thinks striper fishing may not take off until late May. Still, Powell is an excellent choice because it offers such a great mix of sport fish, and action is very good for most species right now.

Closer to home, Scofield would be my choice for trout. If I wasn't hiking I'd be up there this weekend.

Strawberry should offer good ice-off fishing by the middle of next week. I'll watch the weather and try to fish it sometime around May 6-8.

Weber River has produced well this spring and it would be a good choice. The water may be a little high and muddy in Weber Canyon, but the section between Rockport and Echo should fish well.

Flaming Gorge would be my top choice, if time was no obstacle. All reports say fishing there continues to be very good. Lake trout are ranging freely in the cold water. During the spring you can sometimes catch a big one without all the specialized gear needed to fish deep. And rainbow fishing has been exceptional.

Fishing Trip Reports
I've expanded my wiki to include fishing reports, and invite you to help me make them a valuable item on the website.

You'll be a better fisherman if you pay attention to detail, and if you record details about your trips so you can review them in the future. We'll all become better fishermen if we share that information. I've created a trip report worksheet to help organize info. I've started to post my reports, and I'll focus on that now to make it a worthwhile service. You'll find links to reports and to the worksheet on my main wiki page.

Post details about your trips to the wiki and then you will always be able to find them. The wiki includes the option to keep your posts private – you'll be the only one who can see them. But I hope many fishermen we share details about what works and what doesn't work.

As we build a library of good reports, we'll be able to search them for information that will help us plan trips. What worked at Strawberry last year as the ice came off? It would be nice to be able to review 10 reports with detailed info about what worked under certain conditions.

I'll make the library searchable by water, by fish species, by success rating and by fisherman. So, if you want, you'll be able to easily pull up all my reports, or all reports that rated Strawberry as good to excellent.

I've made it easy to upload photos with the reports.

You have to register on the website to add fishing reports, or edit or add other info to the wiki. But registration is free and painless.

I hope you'll give it a try and help me create a valuable service.

- Dave

Events

Strawberry Anglers Association will meet on May 4. It's an organization for people who want to learn about and protect Strawberry Reservoir. I joined recently and look forward to meetings.

Great Salt Lake Bird Festival will be May 13-17. Acclaimed author Terry Tempest Williams will be the Keynote Speaker on Saturday, May 15th. The festival includes workshops, field trips and many other events.

These cold temps will slow the melt a little. I expect there will be several fishable spots at The Berry next week. It may be a good 2 weeks before Strawberry is ice-free.

Ice-off is a popular time to fish these waters. Trout fishing is often very good as the ice comes off. The fish cruise the shorelines where they are easy to reach. Some also hang out under the edge of melting ice. My website has great information on fishing Strawberry and Scofield.

DWR has this new article on spring fishing at Scofield. It includes tips on family fishing and on using dead minnows as bait. It also describes what's called the Scofield Special, which is an egg sack containing fresh trout eggs used as bait.

Lake Powell fishing is very good for smallmouth, largemouth, crappie, bluegill and catfish. This is also the best time to go after walleye at the big lake. Striped bass action has been pretty slow, but that will pick up as the season progresses. The next few weeks will bring some of the best fishing of the year at Powell. The reservoir level is rising now and that will move fish around. Check the fishing report on wayneswords.com for the latest info.

Most northern Utah rivers are in good shape but many streams in southern Utah are high and muddy. Runoff is heavy this year in southern Utah and high water will probably continue through most of May. Northern Utah stream sections that are not protected by dams are running high but mud is not yet a problem. Right now they offer good fishing, just be careful in the high water.

During the next few weeks the best stream fishing will be on stream sections protected by dams. That includes the Green below Flaming Gorge, the Middle and Lower Provo and the Weber between Rockport and Echo.

BWO hatches have been prolific during this stormy weather. On fair days, look for Stoneflies on the Provo and Green. Brown trout fry are abundant in many of our streams, and they make a tasty meal for the bigger fish. Woolly buggers and various streamers often deceive fish prowling for minnows.

Rapalas and other minnow-imitating lures work well on streams during the spring but use them judiciously because treble hooks make it almost impossible to release fish unharmed. Jigs are a productive substitute. Plastic jigs are very effective on streams and make it much easier to release fish.