Six reservoirs east of Beaver are full of fish

Beaver — The Tushar Mountain range offers great opportunities to catch fish and beat the heat during August.

Lower Kent's Lake is one of several trout fishing waters waiting for you on the Tushar Mountains east of Beaver. The waters offer beautiful scenery and a variety of trout.

Utah Division of Wildlife Resources photo

Known to the locals as Beaver Mountain, you can access the Tushar Mountain range by traveling east out of Beaver on state Route 153. About seven miles up the canyon, Forest Road 137 (the South Fork Road) will take you to four small reservoirs.

The reservoirs range from Little Reservoir, at an elevation of 7,300 feet, to Labaron Reservoir, at almost 10,000 feet.

You'll find two other reservoirs, Puffer Lake and Three Creeks Reservoir, just off Route 153 itself.

Lots of snow means great fishing

Even though it's August, the exceptional snow pack this past winter has led to relatively high water levels and excellent fishing conditions at all of the reservoirs.

The lakes contain a mixture of trout. Most of the trout are brook trout and catchable-sized rainbow trout stocked by the Division of Wildlife Resources. But at Middle Kent's Lake, you can catch four different species of trout, including tiger trout and Bonneville cutthroat trout. The DWR stocks Upper Kent's Lake mostly with Bonneville cutthroats.

Since the reservoirs are relatively small, fishing from boats with motors is allowed only on Middle Kent's. Float tubes and boats without motors are allowed on all six waters.

Tips to catch fish

Fishing from shore using nightcrawlers or PowerBait works well, especially if you're after rainbow trout. Trolling small spinners has also been effective this summer at Middle Kents.

If you're a fly angler, trolling a leech or bugger pattern from a float tube generally works well for any of the species of trout. In the evenings, you'll also see some surface insect activity. When that activity happens, you can find success using small midge, mayfly and caddis patterns.

If you don't have a fly rod in your arsenal, using your spinning rod to fish a fly and a bubble from the shore will still allow you to take advantage of the evening hatches.

Two other reservoirs, Puffer Lake and Three Creeks Reservoir, are just off Route 153. Both are stocked with catchable-sized rainbow trout.

Puffer Lake also has brook trout in it.

River and stream fishing

In addition to fishing at the reservoirs, lots of stream fishing is available in the area. After running high and muddy all summer, the main Beaver River is running clear. And it's low enough to make it fishable.

The main river in the lower canyon is high-gradient, plunge-pool type habitat. It contains lots of small, wild rainbow and brown trout. Although you won't find many fish longer than 12 inches, you and your children can enjoy some fast action by fishing worms, small spinners or flies in the pocket water.

As you travel up the canyon, you'll find brook trout and cutthroat trout in the upper river and its tributaries.

Plenty to do

If you get tired of catching fish, lots of other alternatives are available on the mountain:

• Drive near the high meadows in the evenings to see world-class mule deer and elk.
• Mountain goats are often visible in the Mount Holly and Mount Delano area.
• Although all-terrain vehicles are not allowed on the main canyon road and the South Fork Road, numerous roads and trails are open to ATV use.
• Numerous U.S. Forest Service campgrounds along the main canyon and South Fork roads provide a place to camp.

Stay updated

You can stay updated on how fishing is going on Beaver Mountain by subscribing to the DWR's free fishing reports.

You can also read the reports at wildlife.utah.gov/hotspots. The DWR updates the reports every one to two weeks.

You can also get information by calling the DWR's Southern Region office at 435-865-6100.