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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 2009-11-17 Slow	The water level is low and murky. Fishing is slow with only a few rainbows being caught.
Barker Reservoirs (North Creek Lakes) 2009-11-17 Slow	All lakes except Barker and Lower Barker reservoirs are closed to fishing until April.
Beaver Mountain Lakes 2009-11-17 Good	Fall fishing can be good as cooling water temperatures prompt fish to feed heavily.
Beaver River, Lower 2009-11-17 Fair	The water is low and fish spook easily 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.
Beaver River, Upper 2009-11-17 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 2009-11-17 Fair	Most Boulder Mtn. lakes are closed to fishing until April. Check the Utah Fishing Guide to see which lakes are open year-round. Snow is beginning to limit access to the mountain. Lakes above 8000 feet are freezing at night and opening back up during the day.
Clear Creek 2009-11-17 Fair	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 2009-11-17 Fair	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 2009-11-17 Fair	Catchable rainbows have been stocked and fishing should be fair to good with any technique. Lots of pressure on weekends.
East Fork Sevier River in Kingston Canyon 2009-11-17 Good	Irrigation releases from Otter Creek 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.
East Fork Sevier River, Black Canyon 2009-11-17 Good	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 2009-11-17 Fair	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 2009-11-17 Good	Shore anglers are finding good to excellent fishing for rainbows with any technique.
Fish Lake 2009-11-17 Good	Splake fishing is fast. Anchor just off the weeds in 10–30 feet of water and jig Kastmasters or light-colored jigs (marabou or plastic) tipped with pieces of sucker, chub or perch meat. Perch and rainbows may also be picked up with the same technique. Trolling for rainbows with rapalas is still producing well.
Forsyth Reservoir 2009-11-17 Fair	Water level is low but rising as the reservoir fills. Fishing should be picking up as the weather and water cool. Good techniques for splake and tigers in the fall include lures (spinners, spoons and rapalas); marabou jigs and streamers in dark colors; and dead minnows. Also try tipping jigs with pieces of minnow or cutbait.
Fremont River 2009-11-17 Good	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 2009-11-17 Slow	The reservoir was drained in fall 2008 for dam repairs and has since been refilled. A limited number of adult bass and bluegill have been stocked, but it will take a few years for populations to fully reestablish.
Iron County Community Fisheries 2009-11-17 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 2009-11-17 Good	Good fishing reported with lures and streamers. Other fly patterns should also work 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 2009-11-17 Good	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 2009-11-17 Fair	The water level is very low. 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 marabou jigs and streamers in dark colors.
Minersville Reservoir 2009-11-17 Fair	Irrigation releases have stopped for the year and the reservoir is filling. Trout fishing should continue to improve as further cooling occurs. There are reports of some larger trout being caught. Catchable rainbow trout were stocked earlier this summer and have grown. They are, however, well below the minimum size restriction of 22 inches.
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 2009-11-17 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 2009-11-17 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 with cooler weather. Fall fishing is usually good to excellent as fish cruise the shallows feeding.
Panguitch Lake 2009-11-17 Good	Cutthroat trout have moved in close to shore and are feeding aggressively during morning and evening. One angler reports good to excellent success casting white tube jigs tipped with cutbait. Also reports of good success with flies near shore. Remember that cutthroat and tiger trout 15–22 inches must be released. For help with fish identification, refer to page 40 in the Utah Fishing Guide 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 2009-11-17 Slow	Slow fishing reported with bait.
Piute Reservoir 2009-11-17 Slow	The reservoir is filling and it is possible to launch boats again. However, most fish were lost downstream during the low water and fishing should be slow this fall.
Quail Lake 2009-11-05 Fair	Bass fishing is fair.
Sand Hollow Reservoir 2009-11-17 Fair	Bass fishing is slowing down as the water cools into the mid-50s. Fishing is still fair for 10- to 14-inch fish.
Sevier River in Marysvale Canyon 2009-11-17 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 2009-11-17 Good	Good fishing can be found in most lakes. One angler reports good success with spoons and marabou jigs in the Solomon Basin lakes.
Tropic Reservoir 2009-11-17 Slow	Water level is very low. Slow fishing reported with bait.
Washington County Community Fisheries 2009-11-17 Fair	Rainbow trout have been stocked in all ponds and fishing is fair to good.
Wide Hollow Reservoir 2009-11-17 Slow	The reservoir has been drained so that the dam can be rebuilt. It will be filled again in 2011.
Yankee Meadow Reservoir 2009-11-17 Fair	One angler reports fair to good success with black woolly buggers. Slower success with bait. Fall is a good time to target brook trout. Try streamers and marabou jigs in dark colors fished near the bottom.