Northern Utah

July 21, 2010 — Hello Phil Douglass

Please e-mail your fishing reports on Northern Region waters to PhilDouglass@utah.gov.

ATTENTION: Quagga and zebra mussels are a major threat to Utah waterways. Learn more about these destructive mussels and how to decontaminate your boat.

BEAR LAKE: (July 21) Hotter temperatures seem to be sending fish and fish chasers to deeper water. Downriggers seem to be the norm right now Check the recorded message after 6 p.m. at 435–946-8501.

BIRCH CREEK RESERVOIR: (July 21) Conservation Office Jade Sumsion reports Birch Creek not many people fish this reservoir.

BLACKSMITH FORK RIVER: (July 21) Caddisfly dries are plentiful and the flows are just perfect. I talked to anglers at the dam using nightcrawlers who were having success for rainbows. I also talked to a couple of fly fishermen just coming off the river and they had fun catching browns on caddisfly and mosquitoe patterns. Further up the road, try Rock Creek and Curtis Creek near where they meet up with the Blacksmith Fork. These are heavily brushed streams and are challenging to fish, but there is some nice pocket water that holds beautiful cutthroat trout.

BOUNTIFUL LAKE: (July 21) Few anglers fishing out on the lake today. Anglers said that fishing was very poor and only saw a few fish taken early in the day. REMINDER: REMINDER: There is a two-fish limit at urban fisheries.

CAUSEY RESERVOIR: (July 15) Dedicated Hunter Scott Houston reports the fishing continues to be slow. Some anglers reported success catching rainbows using worms and Power Bait near the inlet by the Boy Scout camp.

CUTLER RESERVOIR & MARSH: (July 15) Fishing continues to be good for mudcats and channel cats.

EAST CANYON RESERVOIR & STATE PARK: (July 21) Anglers report good fishing for rainbows in 30 to 40 feet of water.

ECHO RESERVOIR: (July 15) Conservation Officer Rustin Nielsen reports fishing has been fair for trout. Shore fishermen have had success fishing with worm, marshmallow or power bait off the bottom. Fishing has been best early morning or late evening. Boat fishermen have had success trolling for trout near the bottom. Bass fishing has been fair along the east side of the reservoir from boat. Fishermen have been catching bass on a variety of tackle from rapalas to plastic worms.

FARMINGTON POND: (July 21) Very few anglers all day. Due to high temperatures fishing was very poor.

HOLMES CREEK RESERVOIR: (July 21) No fishing pressure is observed when I check this water during the week, yet there are always fish raising when I check this water.

HYRUM RESERVOIR & STATE PARK: (July 21) I talked to a couple of guys who were fishing from float tubes over the weekend. They showed me a 15-inch rainbow they had caught using worms.

KAYSVILLE PONDS: (July 21) Anglers experienced very poor fishing. Hot temperatures kept many fishermen away from the ponds. REMINDER: There is a two-fish limit at urban fisheries.

LITTLE CREEK RESERVOIR: (July 21) Conservation Officer Jade Sumsion reports Little Creek would be a good place to go for rainbows. The wind does kick up in the evening but dies down during the night and morning hours.

LOGAN RIVER: (July 21) Conservation Officer Matt Burgess reports Logan Canyon 1–3 Dams had been slower than usual. Power Bait, salmon eggs worms have been working. The upper Logan opened last Saturday and the cutthroat trout are in good shape and biting on spinners and flies. Further up the canyon, Beaver Creek is good for spinners and flies as well.

LOST CREEK RESERVOIR: (July 15) Dedicated Hunter Jake Barben reports fishing along the dam is good. Most anglers are using baits like spinners, KastMaster – Silver and Blue, PowerBait, and worms. Anglers on the north side of the lake are doing well with flies and fly rods. One angler reported catching his limit of rainbow trout in one hour a week prior using a small spoon painted like a minnow rainbow trout.

MANTUA RESERVOIR: (July 21) An angler I talked to at Mantua over the weekend thought that bass seem to be seeking cover as water temperatures rise. He caught three bass using streamers. Look to fish open holes in the vegetation. Fly fishing with damsel fly patterns can be fun this time of year. Spinnerbaits can also be an effective way to trigger explosive strikes from bass hiding under vegetation. See my little video on bass fishing spots at facebook.com/video/?id=100000734104644

MIRROR LAKE: (July 21) Conservation Officer Bruce Johnson reports fishing success has slowed down a bit along the Mirror Lake Highway. Anglers are still having success with Power Bait. Worms are also a possibility. Anglers remember the fish limit is four fish per person, per day. All campgrounds are open. Smith Morehouse is receiving a lot of angler pressure. Fishing success is slowing down also. PowerBait seems to be the best bait to use.

NEWTON RESERVOIR: (July 21) Conservation Officer Matt Burgess reports Newton Reservoir has been providing a few muskies using fire tiger colors and brown trout Rapals. Some bass and perch are also being caught.

OGDEN RIVER: (July 21) Cool morning and evening hours are the best times to fish the Ogden, especially in the warmer sections.

PINEVIEW RESERVOIR: (July 21) Good small fishing is reported to be found around the entire reservoir. Larger fish can come from larger lures Structure such as old trees can provide good fishing for crappie.

PORCUPINE RESERVOIR: (July 21) Conservation Office Matt Burgess reports the fishing has been good for Kokanee by using pop gear and a worm harness. 27 to 30 feet deep has been the best.

ROCKPORT RESERVOIR: (July 21) Anglers report fair fishing for trout in deeper water

WEBER RIVER: (July 21) Biologist Paul Thompson reports the Weber River is fishing great right now. "Water releases from Echo are still making it a little turbid and somewhat difficult to fish downstream through Morgan. Water levels have dropped between Echo and Rockport and water clarity is great. Water levels are also low downstream from Morgan. Golden stoneflies and midges are coming off right now and my best fly over the weekend was a smaller (size 16) pheasant tail nymph. I am amazed at the number of larger brown trout currently in the Weber River as I landed four fish between 19 and 21 inches over the weekend," Thompson noted.

WILLARD BAY RESERVOIR: (July 21) Trolling rapallas in the evenings seems to be the ticket. Check out the Hooked On Utah television program featuring Gary Winterton and his recent outing to Willard Bay to chase Wipers at: YouTube.com/user/HookedOnUta