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Southern Region report

Information compiled by Mike Hadley
DWR Southern Region Aquatics Biologist

Attention: Quagga and zebra mussels are a major threat to Utah waterways. Read how you can help keep them out of Utah.

Waterbody	Report
Baker Reservoir 2009-11-05 Slow	Fishing is slow, with anglers catching only a few rainbows. The water level is low and murky.
Barker Reservoirs (North Creek Lakes) 2009-11-05 Slow	Except for Barker and Lower Barker reservoirs, all lakes are closed to fishing until April, 2009.
Beaver Mountain Lakes 2009-11-05 Good	Fall fishing should be good. The cooling water temperatures prompt fish to feed heavily.
Beaver River, Lower 2009-11-05 Fair	The irrigation releases from Minersville Reservoir have ended and the water is low, so tread lightly to avoid spooking fish. Brown trout get aggressive in the fall as they prepare to spawn, so try fishing streamers or flashy lures. Egg patterns are also effective.
Beaver River, Upper 2009-11-05 Good	Use caution when approaching pools to keep from scaring the fish. Wild rainbows and browns are abundant. Brown trout get aggressive in the fall as they prepare to spawn, so try fishing streamers or flashy lures. Egg patterns are also effective.
Boulder Mountain 2009-11-05 Fair	Most of the Boulder Mountain lakes are closed to fishing until April. Check the Utah Fishing Guidebook to see which lakes are open year round. Snow is beginning to limit access.
Clear Creek 2009-11-05 Good	Wild rainbows and browns are abundant. Brown trout get aggressive in the fall as they prepare to spawn, so try fishing streamers or flashy lures. Egg patterns are also effective.
Corn Creek 2009-11-05 Good	Wild browns are abundant. Brown trout get aggressive in the fall as they prepare to spawn, so try fishing streamers or flashy lures. Egg patterns are also effective.
Duck Creek Pond / Aspen Mirror Lake 2009-11-05 Fair	Catchable-sized rainbows have been stocked and fishing should be fair to good with any technique. There is a lot of pressure on the weekend.
East Fork Sevier River in Kingston Canyon 2009-11-05 Good	The irrigation releases from Otter Creek have ended. The water is low, so tread lightly to avoid spooking fish. Brown trout get aggressive in the fall as they prepare to spawn, so try fishing streamers or flashy lures. Egg patterns are also effective.
East Fork Sevier River, Black Canyon 2009-11-05 Good	River flows are low and clear. Brown trout get aggressive in the fall as they prepare to spawn, so try fishing streamers or flashy lures. Egg patterns are also effective.
East Fork Sevier River, Upper 2009-11-05 Good	Small trout are abundant in the East Fork and some of its tributaries. Brown trout get aggressive in the fall as they prepare to spawn, so try fishing streamers or flashy lures. Egg patterns are also effective.
Enterprise Reservoir, Upper 2009-11-05 Good	Shore anglers report good to excellent fishing for rainbows with any technique.
Fish Lake 2009-11-05 Good	Splake fishing is fast. Try anchoring just off the weeds in 10 to 30 feet of water and jigging Kastmasters or light-colored jigs (marabou or plastic) tipped with pieces of sucker, chub or perch meat. You may be able to catch perch and rainbows with the same technique. Trolling for rainbows with Rapalas is also producing well.
Forsyth Reservoir 2009-11-05 Fair	The water level is low, but rising as the reservoir fills. Fishing should pick up as the weather and water cool. For splake or tigers, try lures—like spinners, spoons or Rapalas—dark-colored marabou jigs and streamers, or dead minnows. You should also try tipping jigs with pieces of minnow or cutbait.
Fremont River 2009-11-05 Good	The irrigation releases from Johnson Reservoir have ended and the water level is just right for fishing. Brown trout get aggressive in the fall as they prepare to spawn, so try fishing streamers or flashy lures. Egg patterns are also effective.
Gunlock Reservoir 2009-11-05 Slow	Gunlock Reservoir was drained in fall 2008 for dam repairs and has since been refilled. The Division has stocked a limited number of adult bass and bluegill, but it will take a few years for the fish populations to fully re-establish.
Iron County Community Fisheries 2009-11-05 Fair	Catchable-sized rainbows were recently stocked in Parowan Pond.
Johnson Reservoir 2009-08-27 Fair	A few tiger muskies are caught. Try casting large crankbaits near weed beds. Fishing will slow down as the water level drops and the lake gets muddy.
Kolob Reservoir 2009-11-05 Good	Anglers report good fishing with lures and streamers. Other fly patterns should work as well.
Koosharem Reservoir 2009-09-11 Slow	Water level is dropping, though not as badly as last year.
Lower Bowns Reservoir 2009-10-21 Good	The water is very low, but fishing is good to excellent for 12- to 16-inch rainbows with any technique.
Mammoth Creek 2009-11-05 Good	The water is low and clear. Brown trout get aggressive in the fall as they prepare to spawn, so try fishing streamers or flashy lures. Egg patterns are also effective.
Mill Meadow Reservoir 2009-11-05 Fair	The water level is very low; launching boats is not possible. Fall is a great time to target brown trout near the stream inlets. Browns get aggressive as they prepare to run upstream to spawn, so try flashy lures as well as marabous jigs and streamers in dark colors.
Minersville Reservoir 2009-11-05 Fair	The irrigation releases have stopped for the year and the reservoir is starting to fill. Trout fishing should improve as the weather continues to cool. Some anglers report catching larger trout. Catchable-sized rainbow trout were stocked earlier this summer and have grown. They are, however, well below the 22-inch minimum size.
Monroe Mountain Lakes 2009-10-21 Good	Anglers report good fishing at Manning Meadow for 14- to 18-inch cutthroat, with the best success occurring in the shallow upper end of the lake. Try wooly buggers and nymphs. There is tough fishing for tigers at Barney Lake. Special regulations apply at Manning Meadow and Barney Lake, including artificial flies and lures only. See the Utah Fishing Guidebook for details.
Navajo Lake 2009-11-05 Good	An emergency change has been made to the trout limit at Navajo Lake, increasing the bag and possession limit to eight trout. This change will be in effect until January 1, 2010, and will allow anglers to harvest more fish that would likely be lost this winter due to low water. Good to excellent fishing reported for splake. Try casting lures, stillfishing dead minnows, or jigs tipped with pieces of minnow or cutbait.
Newcastle Reservoir 2009-09-24 Fair	There are no recent reports on wiper fishing. Smallmouth fishing is fair to good. Anglers are catching a lot of small smallmouth, with a few bigger fish mixed in. Anglers are regularly catching rainbows.
Otter Creek Reservoir & State Park 2009-11-05 Fair	The water level is rising. Docks and buoys have been removed from the state park. Fishing has been slow to fair, but should improve in the cooler weather. Fall fishing is usually good to excellent because fish swim the shallows feeding.
Panguitch Lake 2009-11-05 Fair	One angler reports good success for rainbows and cutthroat trolling with a Countdown Rapala. Cutthroat should be moving in shallow soon to feed. Try flashy lures, streamers or jigs tipped with minnows or cutbait. Remember that cutthroat and tiger trout between 15 and 22 inches must be released. For help with fish identification, refer to page 40 in the Utah Fishing Guidebook or go to wildlife.utah.gov/trout.pdf.
Paragonah Reservoir 2009-11-05 Fair	Anglers report fair to good fishing with nymphs. Most fish are in the 10- to 13-inch range.
Pine Lake 2009-11-05 Good	Anglers report very good fishing for rainbows with bait and lures.
Piute Reservoir 2009-11-05 Slow	The reservoir is filling and it is now possible to launch boats again. However, most of the fish were likely lost downstream during the low water. Fall fishing should be slow.
Quail Lake 2009-11-05 Fair	Bass fishing is fair.
Sand Hollow Reservoir 2009-11-05 Fair	Bass fishing is slowing down as the water cools. The water temperature is already in the mid-50s. Fishing is fair for 10- to 14-inch fish, however.
Sevier River in Marysvale Canyon 2009-11-05 Fair	Irrigation flows have ended and the river is low enough to fish. Fish tend to spook easily in low water, so tread lightly. Brown trout get aggressive in the fall as they prepare to spawn, so try fishing streamers or flashy lures. Egg patterns are also effective.
Thousand Lake Mountain 2009-11-05 Good	You can find good fishing in most lakes. One angler reports good success with spoons and marabou jigs in the Solomon Basin lakes.
Tropic Reservoir 2009-11-05 Slow	The water level is very low.
Washington County Community Fisheries 2009-11-05 Fair	Rainbow trout have been stocked in all ponds and fishing is fair to good.
Wide Hollow Reservoir 2009-10-07 Closed	The reservoir has been drained so that the dam can be rebuilt. It will be filled again in 2011.
Yankee Meadow Reservoir 2009-11-05 Fair	One angler reports fair success with black woolly buggers, and slower success with bait. Fall is a good time to target brook trout; try fishing streamers and marabou jigs in dark colors near the bottom.