Southeastern Utah Fishing Report

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Updated April 27
BENCHES RESERVOIR – The reservoir is starting to open up near the spillway. Ice-off is expected within a week or so. The reservoir’s tributary is closed to fishing until July 9.
BOULGER RESERVOIR – The reservoir is opening up near the inlet. Access by snowshoe or snow machine only. The tributary is closed until July 9.
CLEVELAND RESERVOIR – The reservoir is still capped with thin ice, although a thaw is imminent. When things open up, try fishing near the inlet on the north side with a nightcrawler below 1/8 ounce split shot.
ELECTRIC LAKE – The north end is open, but is only accessible by snow machine. Although the middle and south portions of the lake remain iced over, ice fishing is definitely not advised. Todd Munford of Big Pine Sports in Fairview reports good fishing near the inlet for staging cutthroat trout. Try a nightcrawler in combination with either a salmon egg or marshmallow. Fly fishermen should use sinking line with a Canadian brown leech pattern. Tributaries are closed to fishing until July 9 to protect spawning cutthroat trout.
HUNTINGTON CREEK – Todd Munford advises anglers in the fly-only zone to be stealthy and keep a low profile. Brown trout can be enticed with a gentle presentation of brown leeches drifted into deeper pools. Glo bugs and tan San Juan worms have been effective in the middle and lower sections of the creek. Bait fishing was fair below the forks with nightcrawler or red salmon eggs drifted from riffles to pools. Trout have been 8-10 inches in size. Water in the lower creek is becoming a little cloudy on warmer days.
HUNTINGTON RESERVOIR (on the Wasatch Plateau, Sanpete County) The reservoir remains iced over, but the integrity of the ice is questionable. The shoreline should begin opening up this coming week. The best fishing of the year occurs when the ice recedes about 30 yards from shore. A straight nightcrawler fished with slight movement is very effective for tiger trout, says Todd Munford. Dedicated Hunter, Scott Barclay reported fair fishing last weekend, using a minnow hooked through the head with a red circle hook, suspended 18 inches below a inch flasher.
HUNTINGTON STATE PARK- Stocking is scheduled to occur any day now. For carry-over trout, Conservation Officer Jay Topham recommends fishing in the reservoir’s main channel with baits or spoons. Tom Ogden suggests a #8 beadhead black leech with rib.
JOES VALLEY RESERVOIR – The reservoir is open. Tom Ogden recommends a #8 beadhead green sparkle leech. Special regulations apply. The limit is two trout, only one over 22 inches. All trout between 15-22 inches must be immediately released.
LASAL MOUNTAINS-LaSal Mountain lakes remain inaccessible, except by snow machine. Ice fishing was good at Hidden Lake with PowerBait. Rainbows average 10 to11 inches. Kens Lake was stocked with 7,000 9- to 10-inch rainbow trout two weeks ago. Sgt. Edward Meyers reports fair fishing at Kens for 9- to 13-inch rainbows and an occasional brown trout. Bait fishermen have done well on worm/marshmallow combinations. Spinners are also working. A few bass and catfish are also being caught. Anglers are reminded that the trout limit is four.
MILLER FLAT RESERVOIR- Access by snow machine only. The reservoir is starting to break up, and fishing is expected to be good with salmon eggs or chartreuse PowerBait.
MILLSITE RESERVOIR – Aquatics Biologist Craig Walker recommends that anglers fish the deep drop-offs with a jig, spinner or leech pattern. Bait fishermen should try eggs on the bottom with a slip sinker. Walker cautions that the shoreline is muddy, so bring your boots.
SCOFIELD RESERVOIR – The north and south sides have large areas of open water. Shoreline fishing is available around the reservoir’s entire perimeter. The ice pack continues to shrink daily. Fishing is possible by small boat, pontoon, tube or along the banks. Scott Barclay, dedicated hunter, reported best success last weekend for anglers casting egg sacs or worms onto the ice and then reeling them off. He observed that the best spinner was a gold or silver Jake’s Spin-a-Lure. Float tubers did very well with brown and olive wooly buggers, or with green and black beadhead leeches. Trout range between 1 and 2.5 pounds. with one-pound bows being the most common. Conservation Officer Stacey Jones cautions anglers against throwing back fish hooked by bait or egg sacs. “Hooking mortality is very high this time of year.” states Officer Jones. She issues one other advisory: “It is illegal to harvest eggs from a female trout and then release the fish back into the water.” Keep in mind that all tributaries to Scofield Reservoir are closed to fishing until July 9 to protect spawning cutthroat trout.
STRAIGHT CANYON (below Joes Valley Reservoir) – The creek is fishable and offers good fishing for brown trout.