Northern pike fishing is often good during the winter at Redmond Reservoir near Salina. But it can be tricky to catch the fish - you've got to know how to go after them. In the spring the irrigation company fills the reservoir as much as possible and fishing slows in the hotter weather.

Fred Pannanzio, Division of Wildlife Resources conservation officer in Salina, said not many people are fishing for northerns now. A few anglers do fish on Redmond for catfish in the evenings, and for bass.

For the most part, Pannunzio said, most Utahns don't know how to fish for northerns. Some local people have learned the technique, he said, although most still aren't as good as anglers who have grown up fishing for northerns.

For example, Pannunzio said some fishermen from back east stationed at Hill Air Force Base in northern Utah drove down to Redmond last winter and caught 35-40 northerns in a day, releasing all of them. They knew the right lures and techniques.

Some local anglers said they think the northerns are all fished out of Redmond because the fishing becomes so poor in the warm weather. Pannunzio said he doesn't think that's the case. Even at its highest, fishing pressure at Redmond isn't great, the conservation officer said. The reservoir isn't fished out. Some Redmond northerns may range up to 15 pounds and more, he said.

Some northerns have been caught in the Sevier River below Redmond and further down the drainage in Yuba Reservoir. Pannunzio said very few, if any, people fish for northerns in the river, but a few are caught as anglers are going after catfish.

Anyone interested in catching a northern pike ought to try during the middle of the winter at Redmond. Large, flashy lures are usually the best bet.

One threat to all fisheries in the area is drought, Pannunzio said. Some reservoirs, like Redmond, are strictly irrigation waters and could be drained during low water years, destroying the fishery.

Copyright Larry Tullis