Utah Fishing & Outdoors Report

High mountain lakes are very attractive right now, offering cooler temperatures and great fishing. The Wind Rivers, Uintas, Boulder Mountain, Beaver Mountain, Skyline Drive and similar areas will provide good trout fishing and backpacking through August.

Strawberry and other reservoirs are fishing well if you get out early and fish deep. The best action comes from first light until about 9 am. Late evening can also be good. Troll lures using a downrigger or try jigs tipped with bait.

Hoppers are starting to work well on the Green and other area streams.

The Middle Provo River is a good choice. Steve Schmidt reports: "It's surprising that our fishing continues to be decent given July's heat. With the clouds and cooler weather we are seeing more prolonged Caddis and PMD hatches. PMD's will begin popping in the afternoon. Early and late look for spinners laying eggs of this summer mayfly. Rise forms when the river Browns are keyed on these dying insects are subtle."

At Lake Powell, striped bass boils are faded but should be back strong during the next few weeks. Meanwhile, stripers are being caught on anchovies and catfish provide very good action for people using almost any kind of bait.

Wayne Gustaveson offers these tips: "Graph a school, anchor the boat or tie to shore, chum, then cast a third of an anchovy and let it rest just off the bottom. After the first bite stripers come shallower with each caught fish. When in full bite the entire school swims at 10-20 feet. An unweighted anchovy bait on a circle hook is now the ticket."

Interesting Posts By Anglers
Uintas High Line Trail, backpacked 91 miles and found good fishing in many
Uintas fishing several lakes with varying results (nice photos)
Alexander Lake in the Uintas is good for nice brookies
Green River is good for anglers floating
Strawberry River has good fly fishing but too many snakes
Ogden River South Fork good for browns using Rapalas
Henrys Fork (Uinta Mountain stream) is very good for small trout
Strawberry Reservoir was great during light rain
Strawberry Reservoir good family fishing
Beaver Mountain lakes were kind to this Scout Troop
Jordanelle is good for bass; most are small
Pineview Reservoir is good for bass
Flaming Gorge is very good for smallmouth, good for kokanee and lake trout
Good bass fishing from a tube on local ponds (beautiful photos)
Willard Bay is good for catfish; North Marina ramp is launch at your own risk because of low water
Utah Lake Bird Island area is very good for white bass and good for catfish
Starvation carp (fun photo and story)

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
- Sand Hollow Reservoir for bass and bluegill
- Lake Powell for bass, stripers, walleye, crappie and catfish

New News Reports
DWR
Swan applications online only
Archery buck deer permits sold out

Deseret News
Floods cause damage in Oak City
Evacuation order lifted for Salt Creek fire
Urban waters: DWR-stocked ponds lure fishermen closer to home
Forest Service teams with foundation to combat global warming
Ray Grass: Avid anglers pass along their skills to youths
Outdoor notes
Center to aid winter athletes
Utah's ancient history is focus of donation
Corn production endangers fish

Salt Lake Tribune
Walk on the wild side at Wasatch Wildflower Fest
Where is it?
New electric boats help keep waterways green
Tight Lines: Volunteers are hooked on service
Bird sighting
Taking aim at clay pigeons is fun and competitive for the many enthusiasts of this 'very friendly sport'
Trapshooting practice and more at the Lee Kay Center
Learn about flying mammals
Camping Tools
Hook shot
Recreation roundup
The Outsider: Biking World Championships; bear safety
Outdoor Notebook: Everest climbers will share tales at charity event
Out Takes

KUTV Roughin' It Outdoors
Boulder Mountain Brookies
Moab Horse Rides Attract People From Across USA
Fly Fishing
Outdoors Tip - Cooking With Fire Restriction
State Park - Red Fleet Reservoir
Utah Field Guide - Brook Trout

The new Salt Creek Fire on Mt Nebo has prompted closure of all roads and campgrounds along the Nebo Loop. Thousand Oaks and Indianola have been evacuated.

Zion National Park's entire backcountry area is closed because of wildfires. Trails that stay in Zion Canyon are open but those that cross into backcountry areas are closed. You can hike into the Narrows from the bottom and proceed upstream to Orderville Gulch, but you cannot go beyond that point. Top-to-bottom hikes through the Narrows are not allowed at this time. All technical canyon hikes are closed. The Lava Point Campground is closed. The North Fork Road, located just east of the park, has been closed and a mandatory evacuation order is in effect for resorts and summer homes in that area.

Kaibab National Forest was briefly closed to all recreational activities because of high fire danger. That closure has been lifted, effective 7/20, so visitors can again camp, hike, bike and explore the forest. Campfires are not allowed except in developed campgrounds, and smoking is restricted to vehicles, buildings and developed campgrounds. The forest is located on the Arizona Strip near the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.

At Lake Powell, surface boils are common now and will become more prominent during the next few weeks. Striper fishing, which was already good, will become amazingly good as summer progresses. Retrieve a lure through the boil and it will be smacked repeatedly by the aggressive fish. The Hite area is best right now but the boils will soon spread through the entire lake. Wayne Gustaveson explains, "From dawn to 8 AM look for surface disturbances as stripers chase shad to the top and against the canyon walls. Shad are still small following a late hatch of threadfin, so stripers are not making a lot of commotion as they feed on tiny shad near the surface. Scan carefully to see 5-20 stripers churning the surface in a room-sized area."

On our trout streams, the drake hatch is winding down but there are good hatches of caddis, pale Morning Duns, Pale Evening Duns and some stoneflies. There may also be some Yellow Sallies around. We're now in the full heat of summer, with long days. Fishing is best early and late in the day, but can also be good on a cloudy afternoon.

Our reservoirs continue to fish well if you get baits and lures down to the fish. For trout and kokanee, downriggers are the way to go if you want to catch fish regularly.

Steve Schmidt has posted this interesting blog about inconsiderate guides and the impact well-meaning but ignorant fly fishers are having on our trout streams.

Anglers Forum Posts
Pineview is a trash dump
Volunteers will clean up trash at Pineview Saturday, then share barbecued hamburgers and hot dogs.
Pineview is good for tiger muskie, smallmouth and crappie
First trip for Grayling - Very nice photos of grayling from a high Uinta Mountain lake.
Uinta Mountain Lakes - discussion about stocking, natural reproduction and over fishing
Trail Lake has big, hungry albino trout
Middle Provo good for trout using Mepps and flies
Utah Lake very good for white bass and catfish near Bird Island
Good on the Fremont River near Bicknell for browns and rainbows
Currant Creek Reservoir produced lots of bites but few hookups
Flaming Gorge is good for kokanee and rainbows
Strawberry is steady for nice cutts
South Fork Ogden browns are picky, took only hares ear bead head nymphs
Yuba Lake is good for an assortment, including perch, walleye, northern pike and rainbows
Starvation is fair to good for walleye; construction delays in Provo and Daniels canyons


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
- Nine Mile Reservoir for trout
- Sand Hollow Reservoir for bass and bluegill
- Lake Powell for bass, stripers, walleye, crappie and catfish

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Upland Game Hunting Guide available

Salt Lake Tribune
National wildfire preparedness jumps to highest level
Hike of the week: 5 lakes loop at Brighton, Big Cottonwood Canyon
Outdoor notebook: Celebrate pioneer spirit in Wellsville
Wharton: Let's hope state resource managers learn from this summer's wildfires
Whooo knows Owls
Hook shot
The Outsider: Fly-fishing in Chile
Here's to finding out all about trout
Bird sighting
Where is it?

Deseret Morning News
Fires at Zion park prompt evacuations Thursday near Navajo Lake
Nation's wildfire preparedness level raised as fires rage in West
Fireworks ban? Sparks fly over governor's declaration
Ground broken for winter sports center
Ray Grass: 100% cash for license sales goes into DWR
Outdoor notes
Cycling notes: King of the Mountain event to test top cyclists
Commentary: On a mountain bike, your childhood is within your grasp
Ashley wildfire area reopened to public

KUTV
Hunt Preparation
The Goat Hunt
State Parks - Field House of Natural History
Outdoor Tip - Clarks Jungle Hammock
Walleye Makes Huge Comeback At Yuba Lake
Fishing For Walleye At Yuba Lake
State Parks: Yuba State Park

Wildfires have restricted public access to some recreational areas in Utah, but the flames seem to be abating right now. The Neola fire temporally closed access to a large section on the South Slope of the Uintas, but most of the area has reopened. At this writing, the closed area is mostly between Uintah Canyon and Mosby Mountain Road.

The Milford fire is pumping smoke through much of central Utah and over the Wasatch Front and backcountry areas around Beaver and Milford are closed to the public. The Jungle fire along Skyline Drive west of Ferron is now 100% contained and so closures in that area should be ending soon.

The Kaibab Forest on the Arizona Strip south of St George has been closed because fire danger is so high. Some developed recreational areas remain open but basically "all activities will be prohibited on the Kaibab National Forest, including camping, hiking, biking and motorized vehicle use." See the Forest news release for details.

This website has the latest wildfire information.

The Middle Provo and many other Utah streams offer good fly fishing. Steve Schmidt gives this summary: "If you are headed to the Middle be armed with a good assortment of flies. There is a lot going on. Caddis and Mayfly, PMD's and Drake, spinners in the morning. In the afternoon look for good PMD & Drakes hatches. With the Drake hatch coming to its end, look for PMD to be more widespread throughout the river. Spinners again towards the evening and the a blizzard of Caddis right at dark." Read his complete report.

On the Green River, terrestrial are working well, along with an assortment of summer patterns. Dennis Breer reports: "Late evening Caddis hatches have been huge over the past week. Lower A Section and Upper B have been the strongest areas. In the past, late evening caddis hatches have been hard to fish if you didn’t know they were present in time to react. Often by the time the noisy rises caught your attention, the action could be over. But the current activity has been so large that you can’t miss it. Caddis pupa and soft hackles in the early hatch stages have been effective too. Skittering caddis works along with the standard drifting of imitations."

Lake Powell continues to offer very good fishing for striped bass and smallmouth. Wayne Gustaveson reports: “Air temperatures have been in the 100's and catch of stripers is also in triple digits if the holding spot for the resting school is discovered.”

Interesting posts by anglers
Manning Meadow cutthroats – beautiful photos show them spawning. The spillway and tributaries open to fishing on Saturday (July 14). Closed until then to protect the spawning fish.
Marsh Lake in the Uintas is good for rainbows
Fish Lake in the Uintas has fast action for grayling. Round Lake was ok but not as fast.
Moosehorn Lake in the Uintas has hot fishing
Strawberry yielded a 5+ pound kokanee (includes nice photo)
Strawberry is fast for rainbow when trolling for kokanee
Scofield Reservoir is good trolling and bait fishing, but slow from shore
Jordanelle Reservoir is still good for bass
Jordanelle and Pelican Lake are good for bass. Says Pelican make be heading for trouble because carp are taking over.
Electric Lake cutts are big and fat, but action was only fair. Good at Scofield; slow at Cleveland and Joes Valley.
South Fork Ogden River is good for browns fishing nymphs
Mantua Reservoir is good for perch, bluegill and bass. Also info on good action at Pineview & Hyrum.
Flaming Gorge – big beautiful lake trout caught while trolling for kokanee. (Nice photo)
Starvation Reservoir has big perch and nice bass, but the water level is dropping fast
Recapture Reservoir has large bass and some small pike.
World record rainbow caught in Canada. Amazing photos.

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
- Nine Mile Reservoir for trout
- Sand Hollow Reservoir for bass and bluegill
- Lake Powell for bass, stripers, walleye, crappie and catfish

New Articles
DWR
I just saw a bear. Should I report it?
Chance to buy a second elk permit starts July 26

KUTV
Fishing For Walleye At Yuba Lake
State Parks: Yuba State Park
Jamming In Fillmore With ATVs

Deseret News
A-lure-ing: What are they biting today?
American Fork Creek cleanup is joint effort
Ray Grass: Lake Powell anglers trust words of Wayne
Wildlife agencies give go-ahead for land disposal plan in Sanpete
Warm-water fishing grows in popularity in Utah
Anglers are shaping up with fitness program
Girl's death at Powell linked to CO poisoning

Salt Lake Tribune
Hike of the week: Circle All Peak - Big Cottonwood Canyon
Learn about birds, mines and ancient inhabitants at Timpanogos Cave
Public comment sought on dinosaur quarry
Outdoor Notebook: Hit Bryce Canyon in full stride and more
Where is it?
The Outsider: Hawks up close; Albion shuttle service
Hook shot
Best Outdoor Towns
Tight lines: To reduce rage on the river, try casting out lines of courtesy
Outdoor bookshelf
Bird sighting
Recreation roundup

The best fishing is now found in the high mountains, away from this oppressive heat. The Uintas are particularly attractive, and will provide great opportunity for fishing, hiking and camping through the rest of the summer.

Streams in the Uintas provide remarkably consistent fishing, often giving novice fly fishers their best-ever experience. Lakes in the Uintas can be fickle - hot one minute and slow the next. Luckily, there are plenty of lakes so if one isn’t producing then try another nearby. Action can be incredibly fast when you catch a lake just right.

Scofield offers very good action right, as do other high-elevation lakes and streams along the Skyline Drive. The Boulders are a great destination and so are the Wind Rivers across the border.

The Middle Provo is crowded now because the drake hatch is producing good action. Steve Schmidt gives this advice: “If you want to avoid the crowds, fish early and late. Most of the people have either not arrived early on or they disperse after fishing the Drake hatch.” Bring an assortment of flies because good PMD, PED and Caddis action often continues after the drakes are off the water.

I was on the Lower Provo Saturday and was amazed at the number of people tubing and rafting. Weekends and holidays are a joke there lately, with kids smashing through the holes. Even on weekdays you have to fish early and late to find casting room. Still, Caddis and PMDs are producing well, and nymphs almost always work.

The Green River continues to fish well with a variety of bugs available. Talk to the guys in the fly shops to learn about the latest hot patterns.

At Lake Powell, night fishing for stripers is good. Stripers and smallmouth can also be caught during the day if you fish deep. Some surface boils have been reported near the Colorado and San Juan inlets, and that action will soon spread throughout the lake. Wayne Gustaveson reports: “The surface action is very early and very late in the day. But 50-100 stripers can be caught quickly on topwater lures during prime time.” Expect incredibly surface fishing at Powell in early August.

Interesting Posts By Anglers
Wind Rivers – Interesting info and great photos about catching lake trout in high mountain lakes using a fly rod.
Scofield is hot, with big fish
Scofield from a pontoon boat
Weber River in the canyon is good using lures
Smith & Morehouse Creek has good fly fishing
Strawberry is good trolling for cutts and kokanee
Gooseberry Reservoir has good action
Willard Bay is good for wipers (nice photo of a big wiper)
Bear Lake is good for cutts trolling deep
Electric Lake is good trolling for cutthroat
Deer Creek is still good for bass, walleye and trout
How does a full moon affect fishing?

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
- Nine Mile Reservoir for trout
- Sand Hollow Reservoir for bass and bluegill
- Lake Powell for bass, stripers, walleye, crappie and catfish

New Articles

DWR
Summer fire restrictions
New Rules for Utah Hunting Licenses
Hunting age lowered
Trapping and cougar hunting discussions

Deseret Morning News
Anglers are moving to the mountains for summer fishing
Public comment sought on trout restoration projects
Hunting and fishing essential to economy
Supervolcano boils beneath Yellowstone
Bicyclists gather to tackle King of the Mountain ride
Bicycle trail in Parleys?
Waterfowl roundup — The country goose and the city goose
Outdoor notes

Salt Lake Tribune
Tight lines: Streamside sleuthing solves the mystery of the displaced trout
Wharton: Polarization might pose the biggest threat to conservation
Now's your chance to speak out on snares
Wipe out bug bites conveniently
Together on the river
Outdoor Notebook: Shotgun Showdown, Explore series, more
Bird sighting
The Outsider: Trail repair, boat float
Hook shot
Where is it?