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INDEX | NORTHERN | CENTRAL | NORTHEASTERN | SOUTHEASTERN | SOUTHERN | LAKE POWELL
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 2012-02-02 Slow |
There is no ice on the reservoir and fishing success is slow. The winter can be a good time to target brown trout with minnow-imitating lures and flies. |
| Barker Reservoirs (North Creek Lakes) 2012-02-02 Slow |
Most lakes on Boulder Mountain are closed to fishing until April 21. Barker and Lower Barker reservoirs are open year round. Expect slow fishing success. |
| Beaver Mountain Lakes 2012-02-02 Slow |
Conservation officer Brent Farnsworth reports that access to the Beaver Mountain lakes is limited. Kent's Lake has been accessible by four-wheel drive vehicles, but the road is now snow-packed. SR-153 has been plowed to Puffer Lake. Anderson Meadow and Labaron are accessible by snowmobile only. All of the lakes are frozen and we have reports of active ice anglers. Kent's Lake and Puffer Lake are receiving the most pressure. There are no reports of fishing success, but you should expect slow fishing. |
| Beaver River, Lower 2012-02-02 Slow |
Conservation officer Brent Farnsworth reports that the river has been receiving almost-daily fishing pressure below Minersville Reservoir. These warm winter days have encouraged anglers to try winter stream fishing. There is a small amount of water being released from Minersville Reservoir, so the water flows in the river are a little higher than normal for this time of year. The higher water flows help fishing by giving the fish a little more cover, so they aren't quite as wary. |
| Beaver River, Upper 2012-02-02 Slow |
Conservation officer Brent Farnsworth reports that water flows are low and clear. There is a lot of anchor ice, especially in the upper stretches of the river. The lower stretches, near the mouth of Beaver Canyon, have some fishable stretches. Fish are wary, though, so use stealth when approaching the stream. |
| Boulder Mountain 2012-02-02 Fair |
Most lakes on Boulder Mountain are closed to fishing until April 21. (Check the Utah Fishing Guidebook to see which lakes are open year round.) All of the lakes have safe ice, but access is limited by snow. Anglers report fair to good fishing success at the lakes that are open. |
| Clear Creek 2012-02-02 Slow |
Summer storms caused major flooding in Clear Creek and its tributaries this year. Trout appear to be absent from most of the drainage, so fishing success is slow. |
| Corn Creek 2012-02-02 Slow |
Fishing success is slow and difficult because of the ice and snow. |
| Duck Creek Pond / Aspen Mirror Lake 2012-02-02 Closed |
Duck Creek Pond, Duck Creek and Aspen Mirror Lake are closed to fishing until April 21. |
| East Fork Sevier River in Kingston Canyon 2012-02-02 Slow |
Mild weather is keeping the river ice-free, but this could change at any time. Focus your fishing efforts on reaches of the river that have a little gradient and some riffle-pool sequences, which are where the river alternates between shallower and deeper water. Slow-moving areas have less oxygen in the winter and fewer fish. The Circle Valley Anglers fly shop recommends egg patterns, small midges and large streamers. |
| East Fork Sevier River, Black Canyon 2012-02-02 Fair |
Spring water inflow keeps Black Canyon mostly ice-free in the winter. The river has been a little murky, so the Circle Valley Anglers fly shop recommends larger streamer patterns. The key to success is to quickly get your fly deep in the current. |
| East Fork Sevier River, Upper 2012-02-02 Slow |
Fishing success is slow and there is little fishing pressure because of poor access. |
| Enterprise Reservoir, Upper 2012-02-02 Fair |
There is very little snow in the area and access is excellent. The north end of the reservoir has six to seven inches of ice, but there is some open water on the southwest end. This winter's mild temperatures have caused soft edges and some standing water on top of the ice. Please use caution on the ice. There is also some open water on the lower reservoir. One angler reports good success using flies in the open water of both reservoirs. |
| Fish Lake 2012-02-02 Good |
The south end of the lake has eight to 14 inches of safe ice. The ice on the north end has struggled and there is currently less than two inches. Last weekend, a snowmobile went through the ice on the north end. The rider had to be rescued and taken to the hospital. DO NOT fish on the lake north of Fish Lake Lodge until the ice gets thicker. For up-to-date road and ice conditions, call the lodge at 435–638-1000. The ice on the south end is safe to ATVs and snowmobiles. There is a lot of concentrated fishing pressure on the south end since that is the only half of the lake that is fishable. Anglers report that fishing success varies from fair to fast, depending on the area you fish. Fishing action is fast for perch and good for smaller trout near the weeds in 10 to 15 feet of water. Try using jigs and ice flies tipped with mealworms, nightcrawlers or perch meat. Anglers report catching more rainbow trout than splake this year. Trout fishing is usually best before noon, but it can stay fair all day. Try moving out to 20 to 40 feet of water to target larger splake and rainbows. You can also find these fish suspended at the same depth over deeper water. You can find small lake trout, and an occasional larger fish, in depths of anywhere from 50 to 100 feet. For lake trout, use larger jigs tipped with pieces of perch, chub or sucker meat and add a healthy dose of patience. A fish finder can be invaluable tool for finding lake trout. |
| Forsyth Reservoir 2012-02-02 Slow |
There is little snow, so access is good. The ice is solid and safe. Anglers report slow fishing success with an occasional good day. If you're targeting tiger trout and splake through the ice, try tipping jigs with pieces of minnows, or sucker or chub meat. |
| Fremont River 2012-02-02 Fair |
There is little snow, so access is good above Mill Meadow. One angler reported fair fishing for small brown trout using bead head nymphs. Water flows are low, so fish are easily spooked. |
| Gunlock Reservoir 2012-02-02 Slow |
Fishing success should be slow. The boat ramp is closed until March. Visit www.stateparks.utah.gov for the most current boat ramp schedule. |
| Gunnison Bend Reservoir 2012-02-02 Slow |
Gunnison Bend has little ice, and DMAD is mostly covered but has a lot of soft spots. There is little fishing pressure at either reservoir. |
| Iron County Community Fisheries 2012-02-02 Slow |
Leigh Hill Reservoir has closed for the winter. |
| Johnson Reservoir 2012-02-02 Slow |
Access is poor so there is little winter fishing opportunity. |
| Kolob Reservoir 2012-02-02 Slow |
There is generally very little ice fishing pressure because of the poor access. Kolob is closed to bait fishing until May 19. Kolob Reservoir has more special regulations. Read the Utah Fishing Guidebook for details. |
| Koosharem Reservoir 2012-02-02 Slow |
The ice is ten to twelve inches thick. Fishing pressure is light. To target cutthroat trout, try tipping jigs with pieces of minnows, or sucker or chub meat. |
| Lower Bowns Reservoir 2012-02-02 Slow |
There is not much winter fishing pressure because of the poor access. |
| Mammoth Creek 2012-02-02 Fair |
The Circle Valley Anglers fly shop reports fair success with disco midges, prince nymphs and large leech patterns. |
| Mill Meadow Reservoir 2012-02-02 Good |
The reservoir was not drained this year. There is little snow, so access is good. The ice is safe, but the edges can get soft because of the rising water level. Fishing success is good to excellent for both trout and perch. Most anglers have found best success on the west shore in 15 to 20 feet of water. |
| Minersville Reservoir 2012-02-02 Slow |
Conservation officer Brent Farnsworth reports that the reservoir is less than a foot below full pool. Although there is ice on most of the lake, three stretches of open water have appeared during the past two weeks. The main ice pack is still four to five inches thick, but the ice is becoming soft and is thinning daily. The lake is rising, so the ice around the edges is thin and weak. There are only a few places that you can access the thicker ice without taking the risk of breaking through and falling into the water. Ice fishing is NOT recommended right now. Fishing success has been slow for the few anglers who have ventured onto the ice. If you decide to ice fish, use extreme caution! |
| Monroe Mountain Lakes 2012-02-02 Slow |
There is not much winter fishing pressure because of the poor access. |
| Navajo Lake 2012-02-02 Fair |
Highway 14 in Cedar Canyon has been closed because of a landslide. The highway will be plowed from US-89 to the Navajo Lake turnoff, but you can only access the area beyond there by hiking or using a snowmobile. There is little fishing pressure in the winter because of the poor access, but fishing for splake should be good if you can get there. |
| Newcastle Reservoir 2012-02-02 Slow |
More than half of the reservoir has open water. One angler reports fair success for rainbow trout in the open water using a wooly bugger. Bait fishing is slower. |
| Otter Creek Reservoir & State Park 2012-02-02 Slow |
There is no snow in the area, so access is good. The ice is about a foot thick, but several spots of open water have appeared on the points along the west shore. Please use caution in these areas: Even if they freeze over again, the ice will be thin. Watch for soft edges around any shoreline in the afternoon. Anglers report slow to fair fishing, but they are catching quality-sized fish that are in good condition. Fishing success varies depending on the time of day, the water depth and the technique. The key to finding success is to keep changing location, depth, technique or time of day until you find something that works. Since the reservoir has been full all year, fish are not as hungry as they normally would be in the winter and they may be less concentrated as well. Don't hesitate to try a location or depth you normally would not have in the past. Some of the best fishing success has been on the north end and along the east shore. Fishing tends to be better in the morning. |
| Panguitch Lake 2012-02-02 Slow |
The ice is over ten inches thick, but there was some soft ice and some open water near the north boat ramp just over a week ago. There have been no more reports of bad ice, but use caution in this area. Fishing success is generally slow. The lower water level means that fish are likely more stressed than normal and will be less likely to bite. Some anglers have found limited success along the north shore. Fishing on the south end has been very slow. Keep changing your location, depth, technique and bait until you find something that works. Remember that all cutthroat and tigers between 15 and 22 inches must be released. |
| Paragonah Reservoir 2012-02-02 Good |
Anglers report good to excellent fishing success. Access may be getting more difficult with the recent snow storms. |
| Pine Lake 2012-02-02 Slow |
The lake should have safe ice, but access is difficult. |
| Piute Reservoir 2012-02-02 Slow |
Ice is covering most of the lake, but the ice is not safe. |
| Quail Lake 2012-02-02 Fair |
Rainbow trout have been stocked and should provide fair to good fishing. Visit www.stateparks.utah.gov for the current boat ramp schedule. |
| Sand Hollow Reservoir 2012-02-02 Slow |
Bass activity slows down during winter, so you need to adjust your fishing techniques. The primary key to cold water bass fishing is slowing down the presentation, or even to use the dead-stick technique. Try using plastics (like senkos), swimbaits, hula grubs and drop-shots with the right presentation. A drop-shot rig is one of the more popular cold weather techniques because of its natural slow presentation. Concentrate on deeper water at 20 to 30 feet. Crankbaits and spinnerbaits can also be effective during the warmest part of the day. Quagga mussels are present in Sand Hollow, so plan extra time to have your boat washed before leaving. |
| Sevier River in Marysvale Canyon 2012-02-02 Slow |
Releases from Piute Reservoir have dropped from nearly 300 cubic feet per second to 50 cubic feet per second, so the river may be a little more fishable. |
| Thousand Lake Mountain 2012-02-02 Fair |
The Elkhorn Road from Forsyth Reservoir is impassable because of snow. Solomon Basin is accessible from I-70 in Emery County. The snow makes accessing most of the other lakes difficult. One angler reports fair to good success at Meeks Lake and Morell Pond. |
| Tropic Reservoir 2012-02-02 Slow |
There is very little winter fishing pressure because of the poor access. |
| Washington County Community Fisheries 2012-02-02 Fair |
All of the ponds have been stocked regularly since November. Check out the new pond at the Sullivan Virgin River Park on 300 East in Washington. |
| Wide Hollow Reservoir 2012-02-02 Fair |
The reservoir has about eight inches of ice with some soft edges. Fishing has been fair for rainbow trout with standard ice fishing tackle and bait. |
| Yankee Meadow Reservoir 2012-02-02 Fair |
Access is difficult, but fishing should be fair to good if you can get there. |
