Fishbytes Utah Fishing Report

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What's New

Poaching Ring Busted
Two men are in jail, charged with poaching at least 11 deer and pronghorn. Details. Courtesy DWR.

Hiking Zion
Zion Park hiking conditions were great last weekend. We hiked Angels Landing and then played in the pools along lower Pine Creek. Now's the time to plan hikes through the Narrows and other Zion backcountry trails. Photos/details from my trip.

Where Would I Fish?
Flaming Gorge and Green River make a great full meal deal for mid-June. Take the boat and troll for rainbows and kokanee, and work small lures along shorelines for smallmouth bass.

But definitely plan to spend a day or two fishing cicadas on the Green River. Drive to Little Hole and then fish your way upstream, wading to likely looking spots.

Rock Crawl Video
A couple weeks ago I attended a "rock crawl" in Delta, Utah. Jacked up 4X4s getting smashed as they climb over big rocks and other obstacles. Wild. We made this video of the action, for the Millard County tourism website. Video quality is pretty good - we've upgraded to the latest, greatest tools.

What's New

Utah Wildlife Board will meet June 4 and will consider hunting and fishing topics. People are encouraged to attend. Agenda.

Fish-niques clinic at Jordanelle Reservoir, June 5. Meet the state park naturalist at the Hailstone campground and learn how to identify fish and how to catch them at Jordanelle Reservoir. (435) 782-3030

Utah's Free Fishing Day will be Saturday, June 6. On that day only, anyone can fish Utah waters without a license. All other regulations will be enforced. Details.

Utah Outdoor Adventure Expo, June 5-6, 2009 at the Utah State Fairpark, 155 N 1000 W, Salt Lake City. Information, demonstrations and products related to all kinds of outdoor recreation.

Utah Lake Festival: 2 fishing contests, games, food and fun for everyone! Saturday, June 6, 2009, from 10 am to 2 pm, at Utah Lake State Park.

Utah Rivers Council Paddle Festival, June 6-7, at Oquirrh Lake at Daybreak (10400 South and 4700 West, South Jordan). Learn to paddle or try out the newest and hottest kayaks, canoes, hobies, dories and sculls. Beginner paddling and sculling instruction will be offered. Festival goers can also enjoy paddle races, fly-fishing instruction, children’s events, great food, beverage and live music. Proceed from the event support the Utah Rivers Council.

See our events calendar

- Good Fishing, Dave Webb

Green River flows are up and down, but the river is fishable and cicadas are out. Cicada fishing will improve during the next couple weeks and should become very good in early June. When the big bugs aren't working, fish nymphs deep.

Weber River flows have come down. If that holds, the Weber will be a good bet.

Lake Powell continues to rise rapidly and that has made fish harder to find. Action is very good when you find productive spots. Wayne Gustaveson reports that largemouth fishing is the best he's seen in decades. Game fish are fat and healthy, which also makes them a little harder to catch. You've got to work at it, but it is worth the effort. Read Wayne's report for the latest information.

Strawberry and Scofield have been spotty - good for some but quite slow for others. Action should become more consistent on those waters within a couple weeks.

Flaming Gorge offers some of our best fishing right now. It has been very good for rainbows and good but spotty for kokanee. Lake trout fishing is always spotty and requires work. By mid-June, smallmouth fishing will become very good along rocky shorelines.

Some Boulder Mountain lakes are now accessible, and the entire mountain should be open by mid-June. Some lakes there have fast action for small trout. Others are slower but offer bigger fish.

Other good bets include Fish Lake, Bear Lake, Otter Creek, Piute, Rockport, Echo Reservoir (bass), Electric Lake, Currant Creek Reservoir, Steinaker Reservoir, Red Fleet Reservoir and Pelican Lake (bass and bluegill).