Fishing Report for Southeastern Utah August 31, 2012

ABAJO MOUNTAINS: (August 31) Conservation Officer Dennis Shumway reports good fishing in San Juan County. Trout are active at Blanding #3 and #4, where worms, marshmallows and PowerBait are most effective. Monticello Lake and Foy Reservoir are still full of water and have plenty of trout. At these waters, anglers should try dry flies, worms and marshmallows. Recapture Reservoir is pretty slow, and people aren't catching many fish.

BENCHES POND: (August 31) Conservation Officer Devin Christensen observed one angler who caught a trout with every cast, using spinners. Anglers have also had success with a worm and bobber.

BOULGER RESERVOIR: (August 31) Conservation Officer Devin Christensen reports fast fishing with Panther Martin spinners. The best color pattern has been black with yellow spots.

CLEVELAND RESERVOIR: (August 31) On Aug. 27, Tom Ogden fly fished in a kick boat from 8:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. He caught 10 rainbows ranging from 13 to 17 inches. He used fast-sinking line and a size 6 bead-head woolly bugger or soft-hackle fly in black/blue or red. Aquatics Biologist Mike Bolinski said that some anglers have reported success with chartreuse PowerBait.

DUCK FORK RESERVOIR: (August 31) On Aug. 25, Tom Ogden fly fished from a kick boat with two other anglers. They fished from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. They caught a lot of fish, but most were fairly small. The biggest was 17 inches. The average tiger trout was between 10–14 inches. Tom used sizes 6–8 soft-hackle flies in black/green and blue. Tom saw 12 other anglers on the water, and most were catching fish. Conservation Officer Devin Christensen described fishing as slow when he checked the reservoir, but said that the best-performing fly pattern was a renegade.

ELECTRIC LAKE: (August 31) Aquatics Biologist Mike Bolinski reports that the catch rate at Electric Lake has been sporadic, but some anglers have had success with pop gear and a worm. Conservation Officer Devin Christensen said that fishing has been generally slow. Anglers had the most success using spinners at the boat ramp or worms at the dam.

FERRON RESERVOIR: (August 31) On Aug. 24, an angler reported slow fishing with any kind of bait or lure.

GOOSEBERRY RESERVOIR: (August 17) Anglers report fair fishing using worms.

HUNTINGTON NORTH RESERVOIR: (August 31) On Aug. 23, Dan Keller and a friend fished near the dam from 7–10 a.m. They caught seven largemouth bass and many green sunfish. The largest bass weighed about two pounds. Bass ranged in size from 7–14 inches. White rattle traps worked the best. As the weather cools in September, bass fishing is expected to improve. State Park Manager Dan Richards has heard from anglers who caught some nice trout just off the dam. Dan recommends early morning or late evening for the best bass fishing.

JOES VALLEY RESERVOIR: (August 17) Fisheries Biologist Dan Keller reports that tiger muskie fishing has picked up. One angler caught 10 tiger muskies in the 31- to 36-inch size range. Keller recommends using spoons, rattle traps and crank baits.

LA SAL MOUNTAINS: (August 17) Conservation Officer TJ Robertson provided the following reports:

Dark Canyon: Fishing is slow, though anglers have seen a lot of fish feeding on the surface.

Dons Lake: Fishing is good if you can get your bait, lure or fly beyond the moss. Try using a dry flies.

Hidden Lake: Fishing has been very good with salmon eggs, PowerBait or worms.

Kens Lake: The limit on rainbow trout has been doubled to eight fish. Officer Robertson reports that you can see dead fish seen along the banks because of the low water levels and the warm water temperature. Fishing is slow.

Oowah Reservoir: Fishing is good with almost any type of bait or lure. You can only access the reservoir from Sand Flats Road because of construction.

Rattlesnake Ponds: The water level is low and very few anglers are fishing the ponds.

Warner Lake: Fishing is good. Try fishing from the dam and using Jakes lures or salmon eggs.

SCOFIELD RESERVOIR: (August 17) Sergeant J. Shirley and his family fished the reservoir last weekend and reported fair fishing from the shoreline using worms. His family caught far more chubs than trout. For trout, he recommends fishing in deeper water with a Jakes Spin-a-Lure. Conservation Officer Devin Christensen reports that the catch rate is slow. Devin said that gold Kastmasters are the best lure. He also recommends using chub meat for larger fish.

WILLOW LAKE: (August 31) The fishing is good, and there has been quite a bit of fishing pressure.

WRIGLEY SPRINGS RESERVOIR: (August 31) Conservation Officer Devin Christensen said that fishing has been slow, but anglers are having the most success with yellow-spotted black Panther Martins.