Utah’s Walleye Waters

(Updated for 2003)

The opportunity to fish for walleye in Utah has expanded in recent years, with innovative management strategies paying off at several waters. Utah now boasts some of the best walleye fishing in the region — and it’s poised to get even better.

The old standbys — Utah Lake, Willard Bay, Deer Creek and Starvation — should fish well this year, as they do year after year. Walleye populations have been on the upswing at Lake Powell and we expect fishing there will improve dramatically over time. All game fish at Powell should benefit because gizzard shad have now become established there. Yuba Reservoir has had pronounced boom and bust cycles and 2003 will probably be a down year. But work in 2002 to improve habitat should begin to pay off soon and so we expect good walleye action at Yuba during the coming years.

There are a couple myths about walleye, which keep some people from enjoying the tremendous sport they offer. The fist myth suggests walleye are hard to catch. They aren’t, once you get "onto them." The techniques that work well for walleye are different than those that work for trout. The typical angler in Utah was raised fishing for trout, and so must learn new techniques and perhaps change his mindset a bit before he will have much success with walleye. But the techniques aren’t difficult.

The second myth suggests the only good time to fish for walleye is during the spawn, in early spring. Wrong! The spawn isn’t even the best time to fish for walleye. Walleye can be difficult to locate in a large reservoir, and its true they are easier to find during the spawn. But they don’t feed aggressively while spawning, as they do at other times of the year.

The best place to learn to fish for walleye is at the Utah Walleye Seminars hosted by the Rocky Mountain Anglers fishing club, with help from the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. These free seminars are usually held in March or early April. Watch www.utahoutdoors.com for details.

Walleye can be caught year- round. Some good fishing occurs just after ice-off, when the fish are in a pre-spawn condition and are hungry after a long winter. Post-spawn action can also be good, as the fish settle back into a normal routine. But walleye fishing can be good right through the simmer, and is usually very good in the fall. Walleye feed during the winter as they have opportunity and they can be caught through the ice, but they are difficult to find at the time.

Even though walleye are on the upswing in Utah, we still need to exercise care to maintain our fisheries. Walleye are not planted in Utah waters. Populations depend on natural reproduction. If mature fish, which are capable of spawning, are over-harvested, the population will suffer. We encourage anglers to release mature walleye. People fishing the spawn often catch big females that have not yet spawned. Those fish should definitely be released.

Willard Bay

Willard is one of our best walleye waters. The fish are plentiful here and many reach trophy size. Willard has a prolific forage fish — the gizzard shad — and so all the predator fish in the reservoir are doing well, including walleye, channel catfish, wipers and crappie.

Post-spawn is the most productive time to fish Willard. Summer is more difficult becomes newly hatched gizzard shad have grown big enough to attract the walleye’s attention. Little shad start to show up everywhere in the reservoir and the predators gorge on them. Productive spots during the post-spawn period include deeper water near the dikes.

To catch walleye at Willard during the summer and fall you have to hunt them down, working spots where there is deeper water or some structure. The area know as the "Island" can be productive.

Utah Lake

There are good numbers of walleye in Utah Lake, including some big ones. Well-know spawning areas draw crowds during early spring — Bird Island, Lincoln Beach and the Bubble-Up area behind Geneva Steel are productive spots.

After the spawn walleye spread throughout the lake and become difficult to find. Look for them in deeper water in and around the harbors and other areas where there is structure.

Yuba

Yuba offered surprisingly good walleye fishing for several years before entering the "bust" part of its current cycle. Walleye fishing will probably be poor to fair this year as populations rebound. Biologists will pay close attention at the lake as they continue efforts to improve habitat.

Traditionally productive spots include the shoreline in both directions from the dam, Walleye Bay and up around Painted Rocks.

Deer Creek

Deer Creek offers good numbers of fish — including some very big ones — but they can be hard to find. Many of the walleye caught here are taken be people working the rocky shorelines for smallmouth bass. Walleye are usually deeper than the bass but are associated with the same structure and strike similar jigs and crankbaits.

If you slowly troll a worm harness you will catch rainbows and an occasional walleye.

People line up along the Provo River inlet in the spring, hoping to catch (or snag) walleye spawning in the river. Snagging walleye is illegal. A few fish are caught here, but it is not one of the better times or places to fish catch the fish.

Starvation

Starvation Reservoir is perhaps the easiest place in the state to catch walleye. There are plenty of small fish, along with a few big ones.

Put a crankbait or worm harness behind a bottom bouncer and troll slowly along the shorelines and you will probably enjoy good fishing. You can also find success jigging around the island and into deep structure in the coves.

Gunnison Bend

This is a unique little reservoir that offers a tremendous diversity of game fish. In addition to walleye it offers largemouth and smallmouth bass, white bass, crappie, perch and channel catfish. It is often drawn down low during the summer because of irrigation demands. Success here may be marginal for a few years as populations rebuild from our extended drought.

With such a strong diversity of predator fish, no single species seems to dominate at Gunnison. There are good numbers of sport fish in the water, but if you just target walleye you may go home disappointed. The best approach is to use techniques that could take any of several species. Try smaller jigs or crankbaits. Nightcrawlers are particularly good here.

There are some big channel cats in this water.

The Sevier River above and below the reservoir can also be good for cats, bass, and sometimes walleye.

Lake Powell

Walleye fishing at Powell has been good the past few years and it should be even better this season. The shad population has held up and so most sport fish are in good shape. The new gizzard shad population was discovered on the San Juan arm and the fish might begin to provide a noticeable benefit in that area this season. It is not know how long it will take the gizzard shad to spread throughout the lake.

Many people think walleye fishing should come on early at Powell, before it starts in northern Utah waters, because Powell is warmer. But walleye action doesn’t start here until April, and is at its best in May and early June.

Powell is such a massive lake, where do you begin looking for the walleye? The fish can be found in every canyon, but a few spots traditionally offer the best fishing. The canyons of the Escalante arm can be good, along with the Good Hope area, Trachyte, Red Canyon and North Wash. Some of the biggest walleye have been caught in Halls Creek but the action there is never fast.

Walleye can often be found on rocky points and rock slides. Good fishing can often be found on the edge of mud lines created when wind or boat wakes push water against the shore.

Dead-of-winter walleye fishing has been good at Hite in recent years.