Calvin Black, fisheries biologist with the DWR in Southeast Region, sent in this report of Joe's Valley Reservoir. Joes is place I've been wanting to visit for years. Looks like now may be the time.

Joes Valley Reservoir Trend Net Survey – May 16, 2013

The annual trend net survey by the Division of Wildlife Resources occurred on Joes Valley Reservoir today with a mixture of fish in the nets. The splake were real healthy with most of the fish measuring 10-17 inches, with several large 5-7 pound splake caught, that were quickly released. A dozen tiger muskellunge were collected with the largest being 36 inches and...

Ryan Kelly with Flaming Gorge Resort sent in this report of fishing on the Green River. Check out more of his tales of

Green River Fishing Report for May 16th, 2013

Hatches: Midges, Small BWO's, Few Cicadas and Pine Beetles.

Flows: 800, but could change any day now.

The warm weather has brought a transition time here on the Green. The smaller bugs are less prevalent and bigger bugs are starting to show. A few cicadas have been out, along with a fair amount of pine beetles. The terrestrial fishing has been spotty, but has had its moments. This can be a good time to use a dry/dropper rig to fill in the times when the fish aren't looking up. The BWO...

Calvin Black, fisheries biologist with the DWR in Southeast Region, sent in this report from trend net survey sampling at Scofield Reservoir earlier this week. Thanks Calvin.

During the annual trend net survey at Scofield Reservoir the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources found good numbers of cutthroat and tiger trout. The two largest fish of the day were a 29-inch 8.5 pound tiger trout and a 24.5-inch 6 pound cutthroat trout. Eighteen to 22-inch cutthroat trout were abundant in the nets with numerous smaller trout in the ten to 15-inch size class being collected. Anglers have had great luck of the shore this spring for large tiger trout. Numerous 24...

Ryan Mosley, Flaming Gorge Project Leader for the UDWR, sent in this report of recently completed spring survey gillnetting on the reservoir straddling the Utah/Wyoming border. The video is from a past gillnetting survey.

We just completed two mornings of gillnetting at Sheep Creek Bay. The weather was phenomenal and it's the first time I remember netting in a t-shirt on Flaming Gorge Reservoir in May! With the warmer water temperatures (55F) bass were more active and well represented in the catch. Two of the bass netted today were larger females (~1.5 lbs) and were bulging with eggs in preparation for the spawn. We also caught several rainbow trout (up to 19-inches) and small...

Lake Powell Fish Report – May 14, 2013
Lake Elevation: 3596
Water Temperature 65-72 F
By: Wayne Gustaveson of Wayne's Words

Warmwater fish really respond to changes in water temperature. Lake Powell water temperatures are now ranging from 65-72F meaning that spring fishing responses are on the way out and summer personality traits are setting in.

The most noticeable sign of warming water is the appearance of phytoplankton which gives lake water a green hue. Formerly crystal clear water now has much less visibility. Normally we blame runoff for clouding the water but this year runoff has just barely started and clarity is lessened by plankton.

It...

Ryan Mosley, Flaming Gorge project leader for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, sent in this report Friday:

We just finished two days of gillnetting at Jarvies Bay. We set three nets for trophy lake trout, and three shore sets for other species like rainbow trout, smallmouth bass, and small lake trout. With water temps around 50F, smallmouth bass are starting to get more active. We sampled several smallmouth bass, with a couple up to 1.5 lbs. Rainbow trout were also well represented in the catch, with fish up to 3.5 lbs. The most exciting part of the sampling event was pulling a shore set with four trophy lake trout i...

This was submitted Friday, May 10, 2013, by Ryan Mosley, Flaming Gorge project leader, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources:

Reservoir netting has begun and Wyoming Game and Fish Department has set the standard pretty high this year. Craig Amadio (WGFD biologist) sent me these pics of a 52-lb, 45-inch lake trout the crew netted near the stateline earlier this week. This fish would beat the current Utah record by 1.5 lbs and the current Wyoming record by 2 lbs. The fish was measured, weighed, pumped for stomach contents, and released to taunt anglers for years to come!

Calvin Black, fisheries biologist with the DWR in Southeast Region, sent in this report from the spring survey at Huntington North. Great to hear how well the wipers are doing at this "off the radar" fishery.

Huntington North Reservoir Trend Net Survey – May 9, 2013
The Utah Division of Wildlife Southeast Region Aquatics staff completed the annual trend net survey for Huntington North Reservoir. Biologists found good numbers of rainbow trout, largemouth bass and wipers, but the surprise of the day were the size of the wipers. Two wipers were collected that measured over 20 inches and 5 pounds. Overall the wipers collected ranged from 10.5 to 20.5 inches. Several largemouth...

Ryan Kelly with Flaming Gorge Resort sent in this report. The fish on the Green are in the best shape I've ever seen them. Get over there and create some lasting memories.

Green River Fishing Report for May 9th, 2013

Flows: 800, current outlook is for high flows to begin around the 20th (this is always subject to change).

Hatches: Midges and BWO's

With the inclement weather the last few days there has been large BWO hatches out. True to form, the BWO's have gotten smaller as the hatch has progressed. Most of the bugs are 16-20 with the majority being 18's. There has been opportunities for good dry fly fishing, but not river wide. The darker skies made fo...

Lake Powell Fish Report – May 8, 2013
Lake Elevation: 3596
Water Temperature 59-65 F
By: Wayne Gustaveson of Wayne's Words

One week after the spring fishing peak and fishing is still good. A lingering cold front has slowed fishing for bass slightly, but stripers continue to eat bait in the southern lake. One disturbing note is that lake level is still going down making it uncertain that the lake will raise much during the normal runoff period. There is still time, but the runoff is slow to start. A lower lake leaves brush out of the water and causes access problems at some ramps. Hite ramp is closed, but other ramps at main access areas are in full operation.
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Michael Hadley, a fisheries biologist with the UDWR, sent in this net survey report from Panguitch Lake.

Panguitch Lake Trend Net Survey – May 7, 2013

During the annual trend net survey at Panguitch Lake the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources found good numbers of rainbow and cutthroat trout, as well as a few tiger trout. Thirteen to 18-inch trout were abundant in the catch, while a number of larger fish were also observed. Big fish for the day included a 25-inch, 5.6-pound cutthroat trout and a 28-inch, 7.7-pound tiger trout. This whopper was the largest fish seen in the netting surveys since the fishery restoration project of...

UDWR fisheries biologist Michael Hadley sent in another excellent report about fishing in southern Utah. If Navajo Lake is not on you must-fish list it should be. Here's his report.

The ice has come off Navajo Lake east of Cedar City in southern Utah. Access is good and, yes, there is some water left. In fact, the water level is rising about two inches per day thanks to snow melt. Over the weekend Richard Hepworth, Stan Beckstrom, and others reported fast fishing for splake. Lots of fish in the 16- to 20-inch range are being caught, as well as a few exceeding 5 pounds. This is the simplest form of fishing you can do. All you need is a rod, a hook, and a few night crawlers. Fir...

Water in many Utah reservoirs is starting to warm. Time to start looking for water skeirs.

Here's the Utah State Parks reservoir conditions report for the week of May 6:

Bear Lake State Park Marina: Launch Ramp OPEN/41 degrees
Bear Lake First Point: Launch Ramp OPEN/41 degrees
Bear Lake Rainbow Cove: Launch Ramp OPEN/41 degrees
Bear Lake Rendezvous Beach: Launch Ramp CLOSED FOR SEASON- LOW WATER
Deer Creek State Park: Launch Ramp OPEN/46 degrees
East Canyon State Park: Launch Ramp OPEN/48 degrees
Wide Hollow at Escalante State Park: Launch Ramp OPEN/51 degrees
Great Salt Lake State Marina: Launch Ramp OPEN/63 degrees
Gunlock State Park: L...

I doubt you need an excuse to get out and fish more, but just in case you do Cabela's has kicked off its annual Fish For Millions national contest.
It's easy. You go online and register and if you catch a tagged fish you win money or prizes. If you download the Cabela's app and are lucky enough to catch the $1 million tagged fish you automatically win $2 million.
I had to register myself to find out which waters were eligible, so I guess I will be paying attention to the fish I land when visiting the following Utah waters: Utah Lake; Starvation Reservoir; Joes Valley Reservoir; East Canyon Reservoir; Lake Powell; Paragonah Lake; Gunnison Bend Reservoir (really?); Rockport Reservoir;...

Shaping up to be a great year at Lake Powell. Find a way to get there and enjoy some tight lines.

Lake Powell Fish Report – April 30, 2013
Lake Elevation: 3596
Water Temperature 58-67 F
By Wayne Gustaveson of Wayne's Words

Spring Fishing Peak! Now is the time to catch any of the Big Six sport fish in Lake Powell.
In Alphabetical order:

Catfish: Hitting bait at night on the sandy beach near camp where the boat is parked.

Crappie: These schooling fish are a bit lost without brush. While males are making nests in the dirty water at the backs of canyons and coves, many more crappie are schooling in open water in the back of canyons. ...

I spent three days on the Green River below Flaming Gorge Reservoir filming a segment for the KUED production I'm doing called "The Utah Bucket List". The show will air in August on KUED-Channel 7. We floated all 30 or so miles from the dam to the Colorado state line. It was an awesome trip with a lot of big fish landed, a ton of wildlife to see and some great company along the way. You can see some of the great shots by Tribune photographer Francisco Kjolseth on the new "The Utah Bucket List" page on Facebook. I caught most of my fish on a Sex Dungeon streamer while floating the B and C sections. Picked up a couple on dries on the A section. Among the man highlights was watching Steve Schmi...

Catfish tend to get little respect here in Utah. Personally, some of my earliest memories of fishing involve whiskerfish at Utah Lake and later some big cats on the Bear River. Maybe the state's new catch and release record will earn catfish some respect, but I doubt it.
In mid-April John Konzelman landed a 36-inch channel catfish at Cutler Reservoir. His catch beat the existing record by 2 inches.
For comparison's sake, the Utah caught-and-kept record was 39 3/4 inches long and weighed 32 pounds and 8 ounces.
Now that's a big kitty....

Here's the Utah State Parks reservoir conditions report for the week of April 29:

Bear Lake State Park Marina: Launch Ramp OPEN/41 degrees
Bear Lake First Point: Launch Ramp OPEN/41 degrees
Bear Lake Rainbow Cove: Launch Ramp OPEN/41 degrees
Bear Lake Rendezvous Beach: Launch Ramp CLOSED FOR SEASON- LOW WATER
Deer Creek State Park: Launch Ramp OPEN/44 degrees
East Canyon State Park: Launch Ramp OPEN/43 degrees
Wide Hollow at Escalante State Park: Launch Ramp OPEN/51 degrees
Great Salt Lake State Marina: Launch Ramp OPEN/53 degrees
Gunlock State Park: Launch Ramp: OPEN/52 degrees
Huntington State Park: Launch Ramp OPEN/45 degrees
Hyrum Lake ...

Lake Powell Fishing Report – April 24, 2013

Lake Elevation: 3597

Water Temperature 53-60 F

By: Wayne Gustaveson from Wayne’s Words

It’s a typical year as bass move on nest sites as the water warms and then pull off as water cools. If the home cove is protected from wind it stays warm and bass spawn. If strong wind cools water then spawning is delayed until the next calm period.

The big selling point for coming sooner rather than later to fish for spawning bass is lake level. The lake is stabili...

Anglers have long known the "value" of fishing in Utah. Unfortunately, the quality of life and aesthetic values of the sport mean basically nothing to politicians. Dollar signs, on the other hand, raise eyebrows.
There have been some basic economic reports searching for the economic value of fishing in Utah and some national reports that have been applied to the Beehive State, but nothing comprehensive and reliable.
That changed when Utah State University researchers released a report. You want dollar signs? How about $259 million of them? And that is very conservative estimate.
I applaud the Blue Ribbon Fisheries Advisory Council for seeking the report. They obviously realize t...

UDWR Green River/Flaming Gorge Project Leader Ryan Mosley sent in this report of the second night of the annual electrofish sampling from Thursday night. This makes me even more stoked for next week's trip to film for the Utah Bucket List. Here's his report.

We completed our rescheduled electrofishing at Little Hole last night. The weather was clear, breezy at times, with subfreezing temperatures that laid a thin sheet of ice on the deck of the boat. The cold temperatures didn't put a "chill" on either the work ethic of the crew or the catchability of the fish, and the results were impressive.

We sampled a total of 369 fish, composed of rainbow trout, brown trout,...

Ryan Mosley, Green River/Flaming Gorge Project Leader for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, sent in this report from the annual electrofishing spring sample survey. It's a cool program I've been lucky enough to do a handful of times. Make sure to check out the video for a feel of how it all goes down. Here's the report from Ryan.

Luckily Mother Nature gave us a break in the action last night [Monday] so we could perform our spring electrofishing on the Green River just below Flaming Gorge dam. It snowed most of the day in Dutch John, but about the time we were loading gear to head down to Spillway Launch to set-up, the clouds opened up, the snow ceased, and we even saw a gli...

Lake Powell Fish Report – April 17, 2013
Lake Elevation: 3597
Water Temperature 53-63 F

By: Wayne Gustaveson from Wayne's Words

As this report is written the wind is howling keeping water temperature down in the low 50s. Don’t be discouraged. The wind will stop before the weekend allowing the temperature to rise. Warming water will usher in the annual bass spawn. If sight fishing for bass is high on your list then the fun begins as the water calms and continues into the first part of May.

Largemouth bass will be searching for some structure, like an old tree stump or submerged tumbleweed before sweeping a nest site. Smallmouth will be fine nesting on a ro...

The trout have been tagged and the 2nd Annual Tagged Fish Classic starts Saturday at Hyrum State Park. Anglers who catch one of the 130 tagged fish between April 20 and August 31 can trade them in for cash and prizes donated by local businesses. Prizes will also be presented Saturday for anglers turning in the longest and heaviest fish, tag or no tag, caught between 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. State fishing regulations apply for peopel fishing at Hyrum, but no registration is required to enter the contest. Visit the Hyrum State Park website or call 435-245-6866 for more information....

Here's the Utah State Parks reservoir conditions for the week of April 15:
Bear Lake State Park Marina: Launch Ramp OPEN/37 degrees - watch for ice chunks
Bear Lake First Point: Launch Ramp OPEN/37 degrees - watch for ice chunks
Bear Lake Rainbow Cove: Launch Ramp OPEN/37 degrees - watch for ice chunks
Bear Lake Rendezvous Beach: Launch Ramp CLOSED/ice
Deer Creek State Park: Launch Ramp OPEN/44 degrees
East Canyon State Park: Launch Ramp OPEN/40 degrees
Wide Hollow at Escalante State Park: Launch Ramp OPEN/48 degrees
Great Salt Lake State Marina: Launch Ramp OPEN/53 degrees
Gunlock State Park: Launch Ramp: OPEN/49 degrees
Huntington State Park: Launch ...

Otter Creek Reservoir Trend Net Survey – April 11, 2013 as reported by UDWR aquatics biologist Mike Hadley.

During the annual trend net survey at Otter Creek Reservoir on April 11, 2013, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources found an exciting variety of fish species. As always, lots of fat and healthy rainbow trout between 12 and 20 inches were observed. Although Utah chubs were abundant in the catch, the rainbows still appear to be doing great thanks to good water levels in recent years. We also caught several cutthroat trout, a few small wipers, and two nice smallmouth bass. But the highlight of the day were three large brown trout,...

Many anglers have watched as larger fish have chased a fish they have hooked to the boat or to shore. This angler was kayaking off of Hawaii when the larger fish made a surprise appearance. Nothing like having shark break the water and steal your catch to get the adrenaline going. You have to love his reaction when things settle down.
...

UDWR aquatics biologist Scott Tolentino sent in this report

Bear LakeWednesday, April 10, 2013
Bear Lake Conditions & Fishing Report:
The strong winds earlier this week blew the ice off the lake and it is now open water. However, there is still a considerable amount of floating ice on the surface and it is piled up along the east shoreline. Boats can be launched at the Utah State Park marina but all other ramps are inaccessible due to ice along the shoreline. The Bear Lake valley received about a foot of new snow this week too, but the roads are clear and the marina ramp has been plowed. There is no fishing report since anglers have not been able to access to the lake the...

Lake Powell Fish Report ­ April 10, 2013
Lake Elevation: 3598
Water Temperature 53-63 F
By: Wayne Gustaveson of Wayne's Words

Stripers are still running along the canyon walls in the southern lake. They spilled into the main channel three weeks ago and have been eager to hit bait offered by anglers ever since. I have heard they are chasing boats begging for anchovies. Well that may be a bit much but if you pass over some hungry stripers please stop and feed them!

Glen Canyon dam still holds the majority of the fish but many are behind the barricade out of casting range. The Chains parking area offers good shore fishing near the dam. It may be easier to consi...

Thanks to Ryan Kelly of Flaming Gorge Resort for providing such an informative and fun Green River fishing report again this year. Least I forget the most important part, the fish porn.

Green River Fishing Report for April 9th, 2013
Flows remain steady around 800
Hatches: Lots of Midges and BWO's

The BWO hatch continues to get bigger each day. They are not river wide yet, but there are a lot of BWO's on the lower A and upper B. There are plenty of rising fish in the afternoons, especially when there is cloud cover. I have not noticed a lot fish up on midges, but there are some. Most of the fish are still keyed on emergers. Remember, if you see splashy rises those ...

UDWR Bear Lake Project Leader Scott Tolentino sent in this report.

Thursday, April 04, 2013

Bear Lake Fishing Report:

Ice fishing is over with on Bear Lake for this year. The shoreline areas have melted enough that you can no longer access the ice. However, you cannot launch a boat on the lake since the lake is still 99% covered with ice. The marina has thawed so as soon as the lake is ice free boats will be able to launched. There is no fishing report since there is no lake access at this time. If the warm weather and wind continues the ice could come off in a matter of 1-2 weeks.

Garden City Community Fishery Pond
Water has been drained for...

Michael Hadley, an aquatics biologist with the UDWR in southern Utah sent in this report from the Minersville Reservoir Trend Net Survey held April 2, 2013

During the annual trend net survey at Minersville Reservoir near Beaver, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources biologists observed lots of healthy rainbow trout from 12 to 20 inches. The largest rainbow caught measured 24 inches and weighed 5.5 lbs. We also saw a few nice smallmouth bass and a couple small wipers. Fishing for rainbow trout from shore is good to excellent right now with nymphs and streamers. Trout fishing remained good throughout the summer last year – this ...

Michael Hadley, an aquatics biologist with the UDWR in the Southern Region, sent in this report from the Upper Enterprise Reservoir Trend Net Survey held April 3, 2013.

Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and US Forest Service personnel observed lots of fat, healthy rainbow trout during a trend net survey at Upper Enterprise Reservoir in southwest Utah. Most rainbows were between 12 and 14 inches, but a number of 15- to 16-inch fish were also caught. The largest trout we saw measured 20 inches and weighed 3 pounds – a real treat at Enterprise. We also found several smallmouth bass, including two bruisers that weighed in at 3...

Lake Powell Fish Report – April 4, 2013
Lake Elevation: 3598
Water Temperature 54-65 F
By: Wayne Gustaveson of Wayne's Words

Stripers in the southern lake that have been on fire for the past two weeks are still HOT! But there are always subtle changes. The newest hotspots are a bit further up lake. Fishing with bait near the dam is still very good each day. It seems the best time to catch fish at the dam is from first light to 9 a.m. after which it slows down before firing up again in the late afternoon.

That is not bad news though as it seems the channel up lake gets better from 9 a.m. to noon. Recent hot spots include the south wall at Buoy 3 and the first...

I can't count the number of memories I have associated with the Yellowstone River. From watching a family of otters swimming yards away from a boar grizzly to a white wolf chasing a duck to my son in a tree pointing out holding Yellowstone cutthroat trout in the river for my father-in-law to cast his fly toward.
And that is just inside Yellowstone National Park. I've long wanted to explore the river once it leaves the park. Now I have a chance to do so without leaving Salt Lake City.
"Where the Yellowstone Goes" is an award-winning documentary tracking people during a 30-day fly fishing float from Gardiner, Mt., to the Yellowstone's confluence with the Missouri River....

Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Flaming Gorge Project Leader Ryan Mosley has spent some time on the reservoir lately. Here is his report.

The daytime temps are climbing, ospreys are showing up and rebuilding nests, insects are hatching, and rainbow trout are getting even more active on the reservoir. Spring is definitely here. It's a great time of year to fish, especially when you pick those special days when the air temps are comfortable, the wind is calm, and the fish cooperate.

We fished a couple of times last weekend and were happily rewarded with all the above. Reservoir surface temperatures in the canyon region are still around 40F in the main channel, but are ab...

Three years ago while floating the B section of the Green River below Flaming Gorge Dam I spotted a cruising fish that was so long it took my breathe away. I also noticed all the fish rising in the moments before it appeared had slunk down into the moss beds out of its sight. We watched the fish for a a few minutes, it was about 150 feet away, when I suddenly realized I was looking at a northern pike. It was my first sighting of a pike on the Green and it filled me both with wonder, concern and immediate desire to catch the thing. Today's story in the Salt Lake Tribune points out that more and more of the toothy beasts are being spotted on the Green. Keep an eye out for bass, walleye and ...

The Utah State Parks reservoir conditions report for the week of April 1:

Bear Lake State Park Marina: Launch Ramp CLOSED/ice
Bear Lake First Point: Launch Ramp CLOSED/ice
Bear Lake Rainbow Cove: Launch Ramp CLOSED/ice
Bear Lake Rendezvous Beach: Launch Ramp CLOSED/ice
Deer Creek State Park: Launch Ramp OPEN/43 degrees
East Canyon State Park: Launch Ramp OPEN/38 degrees
Wide Hollow at Escalante State Park: Launch Ramp OPEN/48 degrees
Great Salt Lake State Marina: Launch Ramp OPEN/54 degrees
Gunlock State Park: Launch Ramp CLOSED FOR SEASON
Huntington State Park: Launch Ramp CLOSED/ice is unsafe- open water along edges
Hyrum Lake State Park: La...

In a perfect world I'd be at Lake Powell right now on the invite to speak at the American Fisheries Society Utah Chapter meeting, but work got in the way of fishing again. If I had been able to make it, and I'm sure I will hear from those who did, it looks likeI would have found some easy striped bass fishing.

Here'e the report from the guru of Lake Powell, Wayne Gustaveson.

Lake Powell Fish Report – March 27, 2013
Lake Elevation: 3599
Water Temperature 51-55 F
By: Wayne Gustaveson of Wayne's Words

Striped bass near Wahweap and Antelope Marinas have made the move from the back of

canyons, where they spent the last 5 years, to the deep main cany...

Scott Tolentino, Bear Lake Project Leader with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, sent in this report

Bear Lake Fishing Report:

Ice on Bear Lake is 10-14” thick at this time and is still in good shape. There might be a few soft spots along some shoreline areas, but as of this morning it was frozen hard. There is very little snow on top of the ice. Fishing for cutthroat trout and lake trout has been fair to good for anglers using tube jigs tipped with cisco or sucker meat. Best colors have been white, yellow and glow-in-the-dark. The best spots have been all along the west side of the lake at the rockpile/Gus Rich Point area south to the rest area. Also try alon...

The long awaited "kind-of" ruling has come in on the Utah Stream Access Coalition's suit against HB141.
The judge took a long time to decide not to make a decision and said the court must consider further evidence.
It is a small victory in what is shaping up to be a grand war surely destined for the Utah Supreme Court.
Or as Craig Coburn, who represented USAC in case told the Salt Lake Tribune: It’s first and goal with just inches to go. But the state contends it has a powerful defensive line....

Green River Fishing Report from Ryan Kelly of Flaming Gorge Resort

Flows: 800

Hatches: Lots of Midges, Some BWO's

Fishing remained good this week despite copious amounts of wind and a few inches of snow. The wind blew so hard at times it was picking up water and shooting it up the canyon walls. It was a sight to behold, but very hard to fish in. Fortunately, this weeks forecast looks fantastic. We saw solid midge hatches and a few more Blue Wings on the water. Dry fly fishing still remains fair as pods of rising fish remain spotty. If you get into a good pod it can be pretty good. It takes some hunting though. Nymph fishing has been strong with larger mi...

Lake Powell Fish Report – March 20, 2013
Lake Elevation: 3600
Water Temperature 50-57 F
By: Wayne Gustaveson of Wayne's Words

Stripers have spilled into the main channel. It is time for Mid March Madness, Lake Powell style.

In early spring food for all Lake Powell predators is at the annual low point. Predator fish survive by hunkering down in the cold water and waiting for warming. Warmwater fish don’t use much energy in cold water and can subsist for a month or two waiting for shad to spawn and forage to become more plentiful.

Stripers are moving toward the channel following canyon walls and penstock current hoping to find food. They find a fe...

Ryan Kelly with Flaming Gorge Resort sent in this report from the Green River below Flaming Gorge Dam.

Flows: Low around 800

Hatches: Few Midges, few BWO's.

Streamers have continued to be the most productive fishing. I have found the most success dead drifting the streamer below an indicator on A section and upper B. Below Red Creek and on C section the fish preferred some movement. Smaller streamers worked best on A section, with moderate sizes on B above red creek and large articulated streamers below red creek working best. Nymph fishing has been good as well. A section midges have been small thus far, while some of the midges on B have been up to a size 16....

When Wayne Gustaveson suggests you drop everything and head to Lake Powell you really should consider doing so. Here's his report.

Lake Powell Fish Report – March 13, 2013
Lake Elevation: 3600
Water Temperature 48-57 F
By: Wayne Gustaveson of Wayne's Words


This weekend will be the very best time to visit Lake Powell so far in 2013 due to the wonderful warm weather that has finally arrived. It seems to have been a very long, cold winter but that is now changing. Lake surface temperature has now climbed above 50 degrees during the day, although it still cools to the high 40s at night. By next week 40 degree temps will be a thing of the past.

W...

One of the must useful fishing clinics of the year is put on annually by Rocky Mountain Anglers in partnership with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and it is coming up soon.

The 21st Annual Utah Walleye Seminar is being held March 19 at 7 p.m. at the Utah Department of Natural Resources auditorium, 1594 W. North Temple, in Salt Lake City.

The free seminar features tips from some of the best walleye anglers in the West and details about current walleye populations at Utah water from state fisheries biologists.

...

Please find below, Utah State Parks current reservoir conditions for March 11:

Bear Lake State Park Marina: Launch Ramp CLOSED/ice

Bear Lake First Point: Launch Ramp CLOSED/ice

Bear Lake Rainbow Cove: Launch Ramp CLOSED/ice

Bear Lake Rendezvous Beach: Launch Ramp CLOSED/ice

Deer Creek State Park: Launch Ramp CLOSED/ice with open water along edges

East Canyon State Park: Launch Ramp CLOSED/ice

Fly tiers have been asking when the next Curtis Fry video tutorial will appear as the Salt Lake Tribune's Fly of the Week. I regret to say it isn't going to happen any time soon. Curtis and his good buddy, Clark Pierce, have launched the Fly Fish Food webpage featuring video tying tutorials, product reviews and online fly tying classes.
"We have all these ideas and flies floating around in our collective brains and wanted to create an outlet that could document the craziness and maybe give a few people something to enjoy online," Curtis said. "We've gotten a crazy amount of positive feedback so we think that it's been a win-win. We have a lot of stuff planned going forward."
The guy...

It's time to start paying extra attention to ice conditions if venturing out for an ice fishing trip. Soft spots and rising water may spell danger for anglers.

The Utah State Parks reservoir conditions report for the week of March 4:

Bear Lake State Park Marina: Launch Ramp CLOSED/ice
Bear Lake First Point: Launch Ramp CLOSED/ice
Bear Lake Rainbow Cove: Launch Ramp CLOSED/ice
Bear Lake Rendezvous Beach: Launch Ramp CLOSED/ice
Deer Creek State Park: Launch Ramp CLOSED/ice with small amount of open water
East Canyon State Park: Launch Ramp CLOSED/ice
Wide Hollow at Escalante State Park: Launch Ramp CLOSED/soft ice
Great Salt Lake State Marina: Lau...

Most high and mid-elevation Utah reservoirs still have enough ice for ice fishing. But always use caution.

Here's the Utah State Parks reservoir conditions report for the week of Feb. 25

Bear Lake State Park Marina: Launch Ramp CLOSED/ice
Bear Lake First Point: Launch Ramp CLOSED/ice
Bear Lake Rainbow Cove: Launch Ramp CLOSED/ice
Bear Lake Rendezvous Beach: Launch Ramp CLOSED/ice
Deer Creek State Park: Launch Ramp CLOSED/ice with small amount of open water
East Canyon State Park: Launch Ramp CLOSED/ice
Wide Hollow at Escalante State Park: Launch Ramp CLOSED/ice
Great Salt Lake State Marina: Launch Ramp OPEN/24 degrees
Gunlock State Park: ...