This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Expect most small waters to be heavily stocked with rainbow trout for what promises to be a busy July 4th weekend at fishing spots throughout Utah.
That said, the hot weather and warming water could slow fishing at lower elevation waters. High mountain lakes such as those in the Uintas may be the best, though there are some exceptions.
Lake Powell, for example, has been decent as water levels have begun to risen covering up some new habitat. Though there is some surface action, fishing deep with bait for stripers can produce some nice catches.
According to the latest Division of Wildlife Resources fishing report, which can be found at http://www.wildlife.utah.gov/hotspots/, anglers are reporting great fishing at most Uinta lakes. Dry flies, nymphs and small spinners are working well.
Strawberry has been hot, with two and three inch tube jigs in chartreuse or white tipped with night crawlers working well. Fly fishers are doing well with olive-colored leeches near the Soldier Creek Dam. Spinners seem to be working as well.
At Flaming Gorge, smallmouth fishing has. Experiment with different lures and baits. Top-water poppers early and late in the day can offer a lot of fun.
The spring runoff is over and most rivers are running clear, meaning this is generally a good time to hit places such as the Provo and Weber Rivers.
The one downside may be crowds. This is one of the busiest holiday weekends of the season. Camping spots will be difficult to find and boat launching waits could be common. So be ready to be patient.