Fishing Trial Lake in the High Uintas

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By Brad Lowman, written when he was age 16

Fishing in the high Uintas can be quite unpredictable. I guess you could call me a dedicated Uintas fisherman. I love to fish this high country. You never run out of things to do or get bored. The Uintas have such a wide array of different lakes, ponds and streams, in addition to great camping spots and scenic views all along the Mirror Lake Highway.

One of my favorite spots is Trial Lake. I had one trip there I'll never forget. Trial Lake is heavily fished all through the summer months of June, July and August, but it's an enjoyable place to go for fairly constant action.

Larry Sanders and I set off for the Uintas. We got to Kamas about 8 a.m. and were at Trial Lake by 8:45. We quickly set up and casted out. Larry, sitting right next to me, was having some troubles with his reel and was able to cast out only four or five yards.

But while I was getting only a few bites, Larry was reeling them in right and left. He even pulled in a very nice grayling. You know how frustrating situations like this can be. You put the same bait on as your fishing partner, you cast into the same spot, your fishing techniques are similar. But he catches fish and you don't.

It must be a freak of nature. To top it off, he reels in a 15-inch trout.

Now any angler at this point can either get mad or leave. So I left!

I told Larry I was going to fish the stream that flowed out of the lake. He decided to come along. We climbed over the road and observed the stream. Water was gushing out of a pipe with such excessive force that we thought no way anything could hold in this spot. But I dropped my line in anyway.

I couldn't believe it, but I got a strike almost immediately. I gave him a few seconds and jerked back my rod. Slam! While my friend watched skeptically, I reeled him in to the sandy shore. He wasn't a record, but was bigger than most trout we catch in the Uintas.

Anyway, it turned out to be a pretty great day for both of us. We continued to catch fish from the stream for most of the day.

Please release all fish. It is vital to the future of fishing in this beautiful state of ours.