Utah Fishing & Outdoors Report

Large Catfish Caught in Huntington Reservoir

I was traveling last week and was not able to file my report. I won’t let that happen too often.

Utah's general archery buck deer hunt begins this weekend. The state's general archery elk hunt kicks off Aug. 23. DWR biologists say the number of young bucks is up this year and hunter success should be high. Details.

Meanwhile, fishing remains good for anglers who get into the high country, or who troll or jig deep in our lakes and reservoirs.

The moon will be full on 8/28, and new again on 9/11. My observations suggest fishing can be sporadic under a bright moon and is usually more consistent when the moon is dark.

At Lake Powell, there are now consistent striped bass boils on the surface. If you read this report regularly you’ll notice that I love fishing the boils at Powell – and that action should be very good during the next few weeks. Wayne Gustaveson reports: “Anchovy fishing for stripers continues to be beyond belief. Adult stripers have gone deeper - some as deep as 100 feet. Anchovy chum gets a school going and they just keep feeding as long as the bait continues to fall.”

Boils most common on the upper lake during early morning, but can happen anytime, anywhere. At Powell there is also very good fishing for smallmouth, largemouth and catfish.

Green River is fishing well early and late in the day, but action can be slow during the afternoon. Thunderstorms bring muddy water down Red Creek some days, and that can interfere with fishing below that point. With the heat of summer, the water warms as you move downstream. In Section C the water is quite warm and that can make fish lethargic. See Dennis Breer’s report for details.

Fly fishing on the Provo and even the Weber is challenging because of the pressure these streams receive. Steve Schmidt gives this advice: “If you have the time traveling to some of our less pressured waters is a good idea. Huntington Creek, Currant Creek, Price River, Logan River, and Strawberry River are all in good shape and fishing pretty good for this late in the year.” Read his report.

Interesting Angler Posts
Flaming Gorge yields 40 lb lake trout (very nice photos)
Flaming Gorge is good jigging for smaller lake trout
Provo River browns are hitting Rapalas
Strawberry is good trolling but better jigging
Scofield is good for smaller trout
East Fork of the Bear is good in the Uintas
Spirit Lake in the Uintas has good fishing and a pesky bear
Deer Creek, some anglers poaching bass
Kolob Reservoir is good for fly fishers
Porcupine Reservoir kokanee are biting
Sand Hollow is good for bass
Pineview has great bass fishing
Newton Reservoir is good for tiger muskie and nice bass (good phtos)

DWR Hotspots Report
DWR says these waters offer hot fishing
- Long Park Reservoir (Uintas) for trout
- Pineview Reservoir for crappie, bass and perch
- Weber River for trout and whitefish
- Fish Lake for splake, rainbows, perch
- Sand Hollow Reservoir for bass and bluegill
- Lake Powell for bass, stripers, walleye, crappie and catfish

New Articles
DWR
About the same number of doves
Another monster catfish caught at Huntington North Reservoir
Invasive mussels detected in Lake Powell
Larger animals can escape
You need a new HIP number
More young bucks this fall
Tips for a safe archery hunt
DWR proposes major turkey hunting change

Deseret Morning News
Salt & Speed: Record number of entries test Bonneville's flats
Bonneville Salt Flats — saved in nick of time
2,000 bicyclists test their limits at 111-mile ULCER extravaganza
Strong field for this week's XTERRA
Outdoor notes
Bighorn sheep return to historic range along Rio Grande Gorge
Montana State eyes profile as university for Yellowstone region
Peer reviews flunk Bush administration plans for spotted owl
Park Service struggles with campers' waste at Washington lake
Santa Fe reservoirs could help restore Rio Grande cutthroat
Authorities say Tahoe bear complaints, Angora fire, linked
Cedar Breaks marking anniversary this weekend
Man falls while rappelling at Zion National Park
Technology to let explorers stay wired in great outdoors
Water safety is urged at Utah lakes, parks

SL Tribune
Hike of the Week: Clayton Peak - Big Cottonwood Canyon
Huge bass surfaces at Lake Powell
Snorkel Utah
Snorkel design is a 'Kapitol' idea
Top 10 false myths about scuba diving
Recreation roundup
Tips to help you avoid injury and keep the hunt on-target
Outdoor Notebook: Watch eagle return to wild at Cedar Breaks and much more
The Outsider: Dressage Society show, Ogden balloon fest
Hook shot
Happy 20th, Fremont park
Bird sighting
Write an essay to vie for special hunts
Where is it?

KUTV
Starvation Walleye
Starvation Reservoir
Rifle Range Camp For Visually Impaired Kids