Southeastern Region report

Information compiled by Brent Stettler
DWR Southeast Region 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 May 7

BENCHES & BOULGERS RESERVOIR: These small ponds remain hidden by snow and ice.

CLEVELAND RESERVOIR: This reservoir remains completely frozen. Further ice fishing is not recommended.

ELECTRIC LAKE: The lake remains frozen. Please stay off until the spring thaw.

FAIRVIEW LAKES: Both lakes are covered by snow and ice.

Zachariah Zobell of Springville holds his 5 lb. 13 oz. albino trout, taken from the Gigliotti Pond on May 4.

Photo by Randall Stilson

GIGLIOTTI POND: A fair number of large albino trout may still be seen. The bright yellow torpedo-like fish are easy to spot in the water column. Kids have been having the time of their lives, trying to entice the behemoths to their bait. Randall Stilson conducted a creel survey and reported rainbow PowerBait to be the best fish-getter. Next best was nightcrawlers. The best lure was a Jakes Spin-a-Lure. It's best to fish in the morning. By early afternoon, the wind picks up, and angling success falls off.

HUNTINGTON CREEK: The creek is open from top to bottom. Patches of snow still linger along the shoreline at higher elevations. The water is picking up color, due to increasing runoff. Fly fishermen should try a #10 beadhead Montana. Nightcrawlers and PowerBait are recommended for baitcasters. Most trout are 11- to 14-inch browns. Lower elevation campgrounds are starting to open, although the higher elevation grounds remain snowed in.

JOE'S VALLEY RESERVOIR: The reservoir is ice-free. Aquatics Biologist Darek Elverud fished last Saturday and Sunday. He landed 25 fish in the two days. Most were small splake between 10 and 14 inches with the occasional larger trout. His biggest fish was a 21-inch cutthroat. Darek recommends chub meat or jigs tipped with chub meat. Crankbaits can also be effective. Darek fished by the dam, at the mouth of Seely Creek and north of the creek and caught fish at all locations. Joe's Valley Reservoir has special regulations. Please refer to the 2008 Fishing Guidebook.

LAKE POWELL: Visit www.wayneswords.com for the latest fishing report, provided by Wayne Gustaveson, DWR project leader. The above link reports on the multi-agency effort to keep quagga and zebra mussels from populating the lake.

LASAL MOUNTAINS: Conservation Officer TJ Robertson reports that Ken's Lake fishing is picking up, and was good in the past few days with an assortment of baits. Darek Elverud fished Ken's Lake on May 6. In two hours, he landed 9 largemouth and 4 sunfish. All bass were less than 11 inches. He used gray or orange plastic worms.

Hidden Lake is now accessible and angler success was fair to good with nightcrawlers and salmon eggs. Don's Lake is only accessible by 4-wheeler, due to lingering snow drifts, which could melt this next week. Medicine Lake and Dark Canyon remain inaccessible. The gates to Oowah and Warner are closed.

LOWER FISH CREEK: Early in the week, Tom Ogden fished the lower stretches from the confluence with the White River, upstream to the first railroad bridge. The water was fairly clear and a chilly 39 degrees. In 3.5 hours, Tom caught 3 tigers, 1 cutt and 6 browns. All fish ranged from 13 to 16 inches. Tom used floating line and a size 14 hares ear nymph. The water below the confluence is unfishable, due to heavy run-off.

HUNTINGTON (MAMMOTH) RESERVOIR: This water remains covered with multiple layers of thick rotten ice and several feet of snow. Ice fishing is definitely not recommended. Please wait for ice-off.

MILLSITE RESERVOIR: No recent report. Rainbow PowerBait has worked well in the recent past. Trout range from 11 to 13 inches.

SAN JUAN COUNTY: Conservation Officer Paul Washburn reports that both Monticello and Foy reservoirs are ice-free. Fishing success was fair at Foy and at Blanding 3 and 4, where marshmallows seem to be the best bait. Fishing was slow at Recapture, where the inflow of cold water has kept water temperatures low.

Janet Grace of Tooele holds up a 3-lb. rainbow taken from the dam cove at Scofield Reservoir last Sunday. She used a marshmallow and crawler to creel the fish.

Photo by Randall Stilson

SCOFIELD RESERVOIR: The ice cover is receding day by day and a lot of open water is available for shoreline angling. All of the angler reports indicate excellent fishing with egg sacs. With the possible exception of minnows, other baits don't perform nearly as well. Fly fishermen have been most successful with trout egg imitations. Frank Atwood of the Division of Parks and Recreation indicates that the campgrounds are not open yet, but will be by next weekend. Ramps are expected to open in a week or so. Frank announced a fishing tournament taking place at Scofield on May 17. For information on the tournament, call: 435-448-9449 or 435-686-2491.

Bob Olson interviewed anglers on May 6 and reported good fishing from boat or shore for 16- to 18-inch trout with a few measuring over 20 inches. Successful anglers were using dead minnows or egg sacs.

Randall Stilson conducted a creel survey on May 4. The west side was muddy and fishing was slow. The dam cove and east side offered excellent fishing for a mix of tiger and rainbow trout from 1 to 3 pounds. Randall ranked egg sacs as number 1, followed by minnows.

Lieutenant Carl Gramlich and Conservation Officer Ben Riley visited the reservoir last weekend and reported good fishing with heavy angler pressure. Due to dam spillway reconstruction, traffic delays of several minutes can be expected around the dam cove. Anglers are reminded that Scofield tributaries are closed to fishing until the second Saturday in July.