Northeastern Region report

Information compiled by Ron Stewart
Northeastern Region Conservation Outreach Manager

ATTENTION: Quagga and zebra mussels are a major threat to Utah waterways. Read how you can help keep them out of Utah.

Updated April 23

Warning: Whirling disease was found in the Northeastern Regional area. Please make sure to clean, dry and sterilize waders, live wells and other fishing gear before venturing to another water. Also do not clean fish or dump fish parts taken from one water into another lake or stream as this could also move whirling disease organisms.

Note: Ice on lakes and reservoirs is melting rapidly. There is still ice on most higher elevation waters, which may be fishable, but check ice conditions carefully before venturing out.

BIG SAND WASH RESERVOIR: Reservoir is ice-free and filling. Several anglers reported good fishing as the ice came off.

BROUGH RESERVOIR: Reservoir is ice-free and is almost full. Water is slightly murky. Fishing was slow but the fish are nice sized. To get to Brough, take State Route 88 south from US Route 40 (Ouray Road). Turn west at the second dirt road past the high power lines—it should be signed. Follow this road approximately two miles following the signs. Road can be quite rutted.

BROWNIE / SPIRIT LAKE: No new reports. Check ice condition carefully before venturing out. Roads closed, accessible by skis or snowmobile. Warning: Whirling disease was found in this area. Please make sure to clean, dry and sterilize waders, live wells and other fishing gear before venturing to another water. Also do not clean fish or dump fish parts taken from one water into another lake or stream, as this will also move whirling disease.

BULLOCK / COTTONWOOD RESERVOIRS: Anglers report of fair to good fishing for rainbows and slow for other fish. Both reservoirs are now ice-free and they are being filled. Reservoirs are located approximately five miles north of the town of Gusher.

CALDER / CROUSE RESERVOIRS: No new reports as several big drifts keep anglers out. No road access yet due to snow drifts and mud. Calder regulations include: flies and lures only, no baits; all fish under 22 inches must be released immediately; bag limit is one fish over 22 inches.

CURRANT CREEK RESERVOIR: Lake has ice, but no recent reports. Older reports were fair to good fishing. Check ice edge thickness carefully before venturing out. Area received more snow last week. The road was kept open to the dam.

EAST PARK / OAKS PARK: No new reports, roads are closed so access by skis or snowmobile. Reservoirs likely have ice. Check ice edge condition carefully before venturing out as reservoirs are likely being filled.

FLAMING GORGE: Launching boats is possible at Cedar Springs and Mustang ramps. The canyon up reservoir is mostly frozen from about Skull Creek. The Sheep Creek, Antelope and Lucerne areas have open water but be aware of large and small chunks of floating ice making navigation difficult and dangerous. In Wyoming, ice appears to be weaker and is melting around the edges but it may still be a while before boats are able to launch.

Lake Trout Fishing: As ice conditions deteriorate there will be good fishing for 16- to 24-inch lake trout on most areas near the ice. Look for continued good fishing for smaller lake trout in the Confluence, Buckboard, Marsh Creek, Current Creek, Anvil Draw, Skunk Cliffs and any other locations in 30 to 70 feet of water near the old river channel. As the areas open up, try trolling or jigging from boats.

Use tube jigs in white, chartreuse, glow or brown tipped with a small chunk of sucker or chub meat. Airplane jigs and jigging spoons also work. Fishing is usually best early in the morning or later in the afternoon. Use no stretch line to feel strikes and set the hook better. A graph helps to see suspended fish and put your jig in their face. Unlike their larger relatives, the smaller lake trout are excellent table fair with orange flesh and taste as good or better than a rainbow when cooked up on the grill.

There's an overabundance of lake trout under 28 inches in the Gorge so do your part to help the fishery and keep a limit of eight fish. Larger lake trout should be good from Big Bend south to Anvil Draw and Swim Beach. Remember, only one fish over 28 inches may be kept. Use larger tube jigs, spoons and other lures through the ice or trolling. Big lake trout can eat big food so lures and jigs can be big also.

Kokanee Fishing: Ice fishing for kokanee is almost always slow if they can be found at all so fishing will improve as the ice melts.

Rainbow Fishing: Before poor ice conditions started there was good fishing for rainbows on most of the reservoir. After ice out, look for larger rainbows around boat ramps. Older fish return to areas where they were stocked in an attempt to spawn. Fish as large as 24 inches can be caught. Shore anglers will have the best fishing of the year from ice out until mid-May as rainbows will be shallow and close to shore searching for food. Anglers can use marshmallows and worms, flies such as wooly buggers, minnow imitation plugs, spinners and jigs to catch fish from shore. If fishing from a boat, try casting to shore using the same types of lures or long line lures while trolling shallow. Planer boards also work well to get lures close to shore without spooking fish with the boat.

Burbot (Ling) Fishing: Ice fishing for burbot may still be possible in the Wyoming end of the reservoir but be careful of ice conditions. After ice out, fishing should continue to be good for burbot as long a water temps are cool in shallow water. Fishing from a boat, at night in water from 10 to 30 feet using glow jigs should work well for high catch rates. Areas like Firehole, Lost Dog, Sage Creek, Confluence, Buckboard, Holmes Crossing, Anvil Draw, Skunk Cliffs and Marsh Creek are good places to try.

If you can still fish from the ice, locate flats and points near the old river channel. (Fishing out of a boat should be good after ice out with similar techniques as ice fishing.) Try fishing with jigs late in the afternoon, early morning or at night on points coming into reservoir. Use glow tube or curly tail jigs two to three inches in size about 1/8 to 1/4 ounce in weight. Jigging spoons and jigging rapalas also work well. Tipping with sucker or crayfish meat will help catch fish. Use of smelly jelly or similar scents in crayfish seem to help. These fish are in depths from 20 to 70 feet but seem to be caught most recently in 40 to 60 feet mostly in the Wyoming end of the reservoir. Some reports of fast catch rates.

If fishing in Utah try rocky points on Antelope Flat, Linwood Bay or Sheep Creek. November netting in the area north of Buckboard has shown a large increase in the number of burbot present. Larger fish are 30 inches and up to four or five pounds. Burbot activity increases under the ice as these fish spawn in winter.

These fish must be harvested if caught in Utah to help control their population as they were illegally introduced to the upper Green River drainage and could have a major impact on other fish species. There is no limit on burbot but you cannot waste the burbot in the Wyoming end of the reservoir and they can be released there. However, please don't release any of these fish as they have been eating large amounts of crayfish and are also consuming kokanee salmon, smallmouth bass and other critical food sources for other fish species. They could have an extreme impact on the reservoir fishery and should be removed by fishermen.

Burbot are an excellent eating fish with white, flaky flesh that is similar to a perch. They can be breaded and fried or boiled and dipped in melted butter. You can use six lines on the ice in Wyoming so take advantage of tip-ups and harvest some burbot. By law, be sure you have your name on your tip-ups and tend only your lines if you are fishing in a group.

Smallmouth Bass Fishing: Smallmouth fishing is slow, as smallmouth tend not to bite well at temps near or below 50 degrees. Use twist tail grubs on lead head jigs or small plastic worms, sinkos, twitch and crankbaits in about 5 to 30 feet of water off rocky shorelines and points. Crayfish imitation colors will work the best. Drop shot techniques will also work. Launching boats is possible at Cedar Springs and Mustang ramps.

GREEN RIVER: (upper) The flows on the river are currently 800 cfs. Due to low inflows into the reservoir in 2007, flows should remain steady at 800 cfs throughout the winter to conserve water. Visit the Bureau of Reclamation Web site for the latest information on flows.

Fishing on the river was picking up and midge hatches are occurring as air temps warm. Nymphing is still probably the best technique but streamers are also working. Watch for baetis hatches as they usually occur in April. Please remember the slot limit size range has changed from 13 to 20 inches to 15 to 22 inches to make regulations more consistent statewide.

Nymphing with glo-bugs and San Juan worms with smaller nymphs trailering was the workhorse. Small midge patterns work some days. Streamers are working well and have been extremely good some days. Try size 2-4 buggers such as Goldilox and patterns in olive, pink and white. Spin fishermen should try small rapalas (floating, countdown and husky jerk); small spinners; black, brown or olive marabou jigs; and small jigs. Please check to see that your tube jigs contain no fish attracting scents, as they are illegal to use in the river. New Zealand Mudsnail densities have dramatically increased in several localized areas near Little Hole, and have been documented in most areas of the river. Please thoroughly clean mud and vegetation from waders, boats and fishing gear; and if possible, completely dry equipment before leaving the area. A hot water bath (120° F) will kill mudsnails, and spraying equipment with 409 or a similar soap solution before drying will increase effectiveness.

GREEN RIVER: (lower) Water level is low and the river is ice-free. No reports from anglers.

MATT WARNER RESERVOIR: No new reports as large drifts block access.

MOON LAKE: No new reports. Should be good fishing as observed at lakes at similar elevations. Check the edges carefully as the water level should be rising.

PELICAN LAKE: Ice is off but cold weather and high winds have kept the lake waters from warming. Anglers reporting a few early bass, bluegill are few and far between. As the water warms, fishing will pick up. Pelican did not have a severe winterkill as some anglers have reported. Division biologists were one of the first groups out on the reservoir as they watched the ice out carefully. They did see some dead fish along the shoreline but do not believe it is because of a major die-off. Their reports on the fish kill is more inline with angling mortality and possibly a few lethal pockets, which are common for Pelican.

RED FLEET RESERVOIR: Reservoir open although there may still be a few ice chunks floating around. Anglers have reported good fishing for trout as the ice melted.

STARVATION RESERVOIR: Reservoir is ice free and near full. Anglers report good fishing for trout including several larger browns being taken

STEINAKER RESERVOIR: Reservoir is ice-free and being filled. Anglers report good fishing for rainbows and a few browns also being taken. No reports of bass or bluegill yet.

UINTA MOUNTAIN LAKES AND STREAMS: No new reports. Lakes and streams have ice but check it carefully before venturing out. Fishing success on mountain lakes and streams can be spotty so if one isn't producing try moving to another. With over 400 managed fisheries on the South Slope alone, it's easy to find a new place to fish. Always go prepared for serious weather, as the Uinta Mountains are well known for frequent unexpected storms and high winds. Note: The Uinta Mountains have a four-trout limit with a bonus of four more brook trout — see proclamation for details.