Fishing report for Southeastern Utah

By By

ABAJO MOUNTAINS: Tommi Budd fished some open water at Blanding #4 on Sunday. His limit of fish included a 21-inch tiger trout and a 16-inch albino. Tommi experimented with a variety of spinners, flies and bubble, and PowerBait. He also observed ice anglers catching fish at Blanding #3. Recapture is a mixture of ice and open water. The ice fishing season is over there. Tommi recommends PowerBait at Blanding #3 and #4, and brassy lures or Rapalas at Recapture.
ELECTRIC LAKE: Weekend blizzard conditions kept anglers at home. Open water occurs on the north end around the mine’s water discharge. Springs or isolated pockets of open water may also be encountered. Caution is advised.
HUNTINGTON CREEK: Tom Ogden fished the creek on January 13, and caught 10 small browns along open water stretches below the forks. Tom used floating line and three different fly patterns. These included a size 12 bead head Montana, size 14 bead head hares ear (gray color), and size 12 bead head serendipity (green color). Tom reports very little fishable water along the creek at this time. He observed most trout in holes, resting on the bottom, and indicates that in winter months, a fly must be drifted past a trout a number of times, before it will bite. The bite will be very light, so an angler must watch for any hesitation in the drift of the fly.
HUNTINGTON RESERVOIR (MAMMOTH): Blizzard conditions over the weekend put a stop to angler activity. The ice cover is thick, and snow-covered. Angler access is difficult, and drilling an ice hole is even harder.
HUNTINGTON NORTH RESERVOIR: Slow fishing is expected.
JOES VALLEY RESERVOIR:
Conservation Officer Casey Mickelsen reported fair to good fishing on Saturday, January 24 for 10-12 inch splake. He checked 10 parties of anglers, all of whom were using jigs, tipped with chub meat. Casey recommends fishing west of the new boat ramp and south of Lowry Water.
Ron Sorensen of Mount Pleasant, who caught a 27-inch splake on January 3, caught another 27-incher on January 17. It weighed an estimated eight pounds. Ron fishes with a custom yellow/chartreuse jig, tipped with chub meat. On the 17th, Ron fished in 12 feet of water near the Lowry Water inlet on the north side of the lake. Ron reported catching a lot of small splake that moved around in schools, so the bite alternated between hot and cold all day long.
Regulations at Joes Valley Reservoir changed on January 1. The limit is four trout, and only one trout may be over 18 inches. Please take along a 2009 Fishing Guidebook for reference.
LAKE POWELL: Visit http://www.wayneswords.com for the winter fishing report from Wayne Gustaveson, DWR project leader.
LASAL MOUNTAINS: Mountain access is closed, except by snow machine. On January 28, Conservation Officer Tj Robertson stated that Kens Lake was now open. The ice fishing season is over.
MILLSITE RESERVOIR: Fishing success has slowed down.
SCOFIELD RESERVOIR:
Sergeant Stacey Jones reported that Scofield Reservoir was rainy all weekend. Rain, slush and a slick surface made moving around the ice pack very difficult. Fishing success was poor with all kinds of end tackle and on all parts of the reservoir.
On January 1, regulations changed at Scofield Reservoir. The limit is four trout in the aggregate. A slot limit is now in effect for tiger and cutthroat trout. No more than two may be cutthroat or tiger trout under 15 inches, and no more than one may be a cutthroat or tiger trout over 22 inches. All cutthroat and tiger trout from 15-22 inches must be immediately released. The trout you take home should not be filleted or the head and tail removed. Any trout with cutthroat markings is considered a cutthroat trout. It’s a good idea to take along a 2009 Fishing Guidebook for reference.