Fishing report for southeastern Utah

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GENERAL Late summer is a good time to fish, but it’s the hardest time to catch fish. If you like the catching part of fishing, then fish at dawn or dusk, when fish feed more actively. For best success, fish from a boat. In the summer, trout get heat-stressed like people. They spend lazy summer days in deep, cold water near the bottom of reservoirs. Only during low light periods, when the water cools down, will trout venture into shallower water and show interest in feeding or attacking a lure.
ABAJO MOUNTAINS No recent report.
BENCHES RESERVOIR Fishing has been good. Rainbow trout are 10-12 inches long. PowerBait has been the best fish-getter most recently.
BOULGER RESERVOIR Fishing success has been good.
CLEVELAND RESERVOIR Fishing continues to be slow.
DUCK FORK RESERVOIR Fishing remains very good for tiger trout up to 15 inches. Conservation Officer Jay Topham suggests fishing near the tributary inlet in early morning or late evening. Good fly patterns continue to include the renegade, mosquito, wooly bugger, leech and prince nymph. Special regulations apply. Artificial flies and lures only. Closed to the possession of cutthroat trout. Please release cutthroat trout immediately and with care. The tiger trout limit is two fish.
ELECTRIC LAKE Fishing success has been fair. Cutthroats range from 12-16 inches.
FAIRVIEW LAKES Fishing continues to be fair.
FERRON RESERVOIR Fishing success has improved, says Jay Topham, conservation officer, who describes fishing as good. Brookies are the most frequently caught trout, ranging between 12-13 inches.
GRASSY LAKE Fishing success fluctuates from fair to good with baits, spinners and flies. Trout average 10-12 inches.
HUNTINGTON CREEK Fishing in the fly-only zone has been very good. Special restrictions apply. Refer to the proclamation. Good artificial flies include a #14 beadhead ugly or #12 beadhead Montana in green and brown. Some have had luck with ant imitations. A small Mepp’s spinner with a gold blade and yellow or red roostertail has been a very effective lure. Action is fastest when bugs are at a minimum and anglers avoid the heat of the day. Nightcrawlers continue to be the best bait. Officer Jay Topham describes fishing as good on the left fork, where special regulations apply. Please refer to the fishing proclamation.
HUNTINGTON NORTH STATE PARK Wait until summer water recreation activities taper off before dipping the line here. Special regulations apply. Please refer to the proclamation.
HUNTINGTON RESERVOIR (on the Wasatch Plateau, Sanpete County) Fishing success ranges from slow to fair. Early morning is the best time to fish. Popular baits have included nightcrawlers or dead minnows. Good lure choices are the Jake’s Spin-a-Lure or tan Rooster Tail. Good flies include a # 10-12 black beadhead leech with rib or a #8 beadhead Sheep Creek Special. Special regulations apply. The reservoir is closed to the possession of cutthroat trout or trout with cutthroat markings.
JOES VALLEY RESERVOIR Fishing success continues to be poor. Trolling or jigging dead chubs or chub meat in deep water has been the best strategy for larger splake. Special regulations apply. The limit is two trout, only one over 22 inches. All trout between 15-22 inches must be immediately released.
LAKE POWELL The Lake Powell fishing report home page is: http://www.wayneswords.com.
LASAL MOUNTAINS Conservation Officer Joe Nicholson filed this report: Fishing at Oowah was a littler slower this past week. Trout are averaging 8-12 inches and are being caught primarily on worms and PowerBait. Fishing at Warner has been fair for trout in the 8-10 inch range. Salmon eggs and PowerBait are catching the most fish. Fishing at Hidden Lake has picked up a little. Lots of trout in the 12-inch range were being caught this weekend on red and rainbow-colored PowerBait. Fishing at Don’s was still a little slow, but a few trout were being caught on PowerBait and worms.
LOWER FISH CREEK Access from US Highway 6 is open, and there’s a good volume of water flowing in the creek. Try a #14 beadhead ugly, #10 Montana nymph or #10-12 leech.
MILLER’S FLAT RESERVOIR Fishing has been fair for 10-14 inch rainbow trout
MILLSITE RESERVOIR Still-fishing boaters have done well early or late in the day.
PETES HOLE Fishing continues to be fair to good with baits, flies or spinners.
POTTERS PONDS Fishing success has been fair for 8-10 inch rainbow trout.
SCOFIELD RESERVOIR Fishing success continues to be variable. One angler reported good fishing last weekend. He trolled a yellow Triple Teaser under two colors of leaded line in the morning. All members of his party limited out. Some boaters have also had good luck, trolling pop gear and worms. Aquatics Biologist Justin Hart says the best bait to use at Scofield is a redside shiner, which can be caught with a casting net or trap. Justin notes that dead shiners can be still-fished on the bottom, under a bubble, or jigged through the water.
SOUP BOWL Fishing ranges from fair to good with artificial flies, baits and spinners.
SPINNERS RESERVOIR Fishing has been slow due to the huge amount of natural food in the water. However, Officer Jay Topham reported an angler catching a four pound trout last week. Tiger trout are planted as fingerlings at this reservoir.
WILLOW LAKE Fishing has been fair with a variety of baits, lures and fly patterns. Tiger trout up to three pounds have come out of Willow. A number of tigers range up to 16 inches.
WRIGLEY SPRINGS RESERVOIR Fishing has ranged from fair to good for tiger and rainbow trout.