Current Southern Region Fishing Reports
Here are this weeks fishing reports. Make sure to visit often as these reports are usually updated weekly. You can click on a region in the map or on a link to jump to the fishing report for that region. Looking for fish stocking reports? Click here instead.
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Southern Region Fishing Report
Baker Reservoir
Slow
Catchable-sized rainbow trout have been stocked. The reservoir is full but murky due to recent storms. (02-13-19)
Barker Reservoirs (North Creek Lakes)
Fair
The Willow Bottom reservoirs are closed to fishing until April 20. Lakes should have safe ice, but snow is making it difficult to access the area. (02-13-19)
Beaver Mountain Lakes
Fair
The lakes should have safe ice, but snow is making it difficult to access the area. (02-13-19)
Beaver River, Lower
Slow
Surface ice often makes winter fishing difficult. (02-13-19)
Beaver River, Upper
Slow
Anchor ice makes winter fishing difficult. (02-13-19)
Boulder Mountain
Fair
Several Boulder Mountain lakes are closed to fishing until April 20. Check the Utah Fishing Guidebook to see which lakes are closed. Most lakes have safe ice, but the snow is deep. You'll need a snowmobile or an ATV with tracks to access the area. (02-13-19)
Clear Creek
Fair
Bonneville cutthroat trout are abundant throughout Clear Creek and its tributaries. The stream is clear and mostly ice-free in Fremont Indian State Park. Ice is making fishing more difficult upstream of the narrows. An angler recently reported good fishing using small woolly buggers and copper johns in the deeper runs and pools in the state park reach. (02-13-19)
Corn Creek
Fair
Snow is making it difficult to access the creek. (02-13-19)
Duck Creek Pond / Aspen Mirror Lake
Slow
Thin ice covers most of Duck Creek Pond. (02-13-19)
East Fork Sevier River in Kingston Canyon
Slow
Surface ice often makes winter fishing difficult. The slow-moving runs have less oxygen in winter, so target stretches with fast-moving water in between deep pools. Call the Circle Valley Anglers fly shop at 435-577-2168 for up-to-date conditions and fishing reports. (02-13-19)
East Fork Sevier River, Black Canyon
Fair
Black Canyon usually remains ice-free in the winter due to spring inflow. Flows are a little murky but not unfishable. The slow-moving runs have less oxygen in winter, so target stretches with fast-moving water in between deep pools. Call the Circle Valley Anglers fly shop at 435-577-2168 for up-to-date conditions and fishing reports. (02-13-19)
East Fork Sevier River, Upper
Slow
Snow is making it difficult to access the upper reaches of the river. We have begun work to restore native Bonneville cutthroat trout in this drainage. Blubber and Upper Kanab creeks were recently treated with rotenone to remove non-native fish. Fishing opportunities will be limited in those streams until cutthroat trout are established in the next three to four years. (02-13-19)
Enterprise Reservoir, Upper
Slow
Access is good to the top of the boat ramp. The ice is about eight inches thick, although there are some soft spots due to occasional thawing. Use caution. There's not much fishing pressure, and the water level remains low. (02-13-19)
Fish Lake
Hot
The Fish Lake Perch Tournament will be held on Feb. 23, 2019. The contest is free, but we request that you register online ahead of time. The ice is currently 15 to 18 inches thick. Fishing pressure is heavy on the weekends. Fishing is fast for perch and small trout just outside the weeds in 12 to 20 feet of water. Use small jigs, ice flies or jigging spoons and tip them with mealworms, nightcrawlers or perch meat. Perch stay within a couple feet of the bottom, trout can be found on the bottom or suspended. If you want to catch a lot of perch, focus on the north and south ends of the lake. The sections through the middle have fewer perch due to a more narrow weedline. Trout fishing has also been slower lately between Lakeside and Bowery. To increase your trout catch and average size, move out to depths of 20 to 40 feet and increase your jig size. You can also catch rainbows and splake suspended about 20 to 40 feet down over deeper water. Anglers are also catching the occasional kokanee salmon. For lake trout, head out to deeper water (50 to 100 feet) and fish large tube jigs tipped with cut bait (chub, sucker or perch) on the bottom. A good fish finder is essential to spot lake trout and react to their behavior. A heavy dose of patience is also required. It's typical to catch several pups and hook an occasional large lake trout. It's also common to see a lot of fish swim by and look without biting. Before you head to the lake, call the Fish Lake Lodge at 435-638-1000 to check on current conditions and get up-to-date fishing reports. (02-13-19)
Forsyth Reservoir
Slow
Anglers report 12 inches of ice. Fishing is very slow, and pressure is minimal. It appears that fish numbers were significantly reduced by low water last year. (02-13-19)
Fremont River
Slow
The road from Mill Meadow Reservoir to Johnson Reservoir is not plowed. The Quiet Fly Fisher fly shop reports slow to fair fishing using midge patterns. Ice cover makes fishing a little difficult on the colder days. (02-13-19)
Gunlock Reservoir
Slow
Visit the Gunlock State Park website for boat ramp hours. The fish re-stocked after the 2015 treatment to remove smallmouth bass have experienced exceptional spawning and growth. Look for conditions to continue to improve at Gunlock over the next year. (02-13-19)
Gunnison Bend Reservoir
Fair
There haven't been any reports of ice at Gunnison Bend and DMAD reservoirs. Anglers report fair fishing for white bass, yellow perch and walleye at the reservoir outlets. (02-13-19)
Iron County Community Fisheries
Slow
The Lake at the Hills fishery is closed during the winter due to unsafe ice. (02-13-19)
Johnson Reservoir
Slow
Access roads are not maintained during the winter. Call the Quiet Fly Fisher fly shop at 435-616-2319 for up-to-date conditions and fishing reports. (02-13-19)
Kolob Reservoir
Slow
The reservoir was mostly drained and treated with rotenone in the fall of 2018 to remove illegally stocked yellow perch, green sunfish and bluegill. Trout will be re-stocked as early as possible this spring. (02-13-19)
Koosharem Reservoir
Slow
The reservoir was completely drained in 2018 for irrigation use and dam repairs. The reservoir is starting to fill now, but trout will not be stocked until spring. (02-13-19)
Lower Bowns Reservoir
Slow
There haven't been any recent reports on access or ice. Call the Quiet Fly Fisher fly shop at 435-616-2319 for up-to-date conditions and fishing reports. (02-13-19)
Mammoth Creek
Slow
Be aware that private land in Hatch Meadow has been posted closed to trespassing, so Mammoth Creek is not accessible there. Expect surface ice on lower Mammoth Creek, lower Asay Creek and the upper Sevier River near Hatch. (02-13-19)
Mill Meadow Reservoir
Slow
The ice is safe. Anglers report slow to fair fishing for small rainbows, browns and perch. Call the Quiet Fly Fisher fly shop at 435-616-2319 for up-to-date conditions and fishing reports. (02-13-19)
Minersville Reservoir
Unstable ice
The ice was recently blown off by wind, and then the reservoir re-froze. The ice is not safe to access. Access to open water is currently not known but fly fishing was fair for some nice rainbow trout when the ice was gone. (02-13-19)
Monroe Mountain Lakes
Slow
Access is not maintained during the winter. (02-13-19)
Navajo Lake
Slow
The ice is safe. Access is limited to snowmobiles. Slush is pretty heavy on top of the ice. Anglers report slow to fair fishing for small rainbows and splake. Larger splake are also present, but they can be pretty tough to catch. (02-13-19)
Newcastle Reservoir
Slow
There haven't been any recent reports, but the reservoir is likely ice-free. (02-13-19)
Otter Creek Reservoir & State Park
Slow
The ice is 8 to 10 inches thick. Fishing has been mostly slow, although many of the fish caught weigh more than two pounds. Your best bet for success is to get out early and move away from crowds and heavily fished areas. One group recently found fair success tipping their jigs with wax worms. (02-13-19)
Panguitch Lake
Fair
The ice is up to 18 inches thick. Snowstorms have hit the area hard lately, so you can expect to find more than a foot of snow and slush on top of the ice. Hwy. 143 from Brian Head to the Mammoth Creek road remains closed due to snow and wind. The best way to find consistent fishing is to get away from the crowds. Heavy fishing pressure in the popular areas (in the shallows) pushes active fish to the middle of the lake. Fishing is fair to good for trout (rainbows and cutthroats) in depths of 10 to 15 feet on the south and east parts of the lake, but remember to walk past all the people ringing the shoreline. You can also go out to deeper water (25 to 40 feet down) and catch plenty of fish in the top 10 to 15 feet of water. There haven't been as many fish on the bottom in deep water, which may be due to lower oxygen levels. You can get to deep water fairly close to the north shore, but you should go further out to get away from the heavily pressured spots. A fish finder can be very useful in deep water. Light-colored (especially glow) jigs tipped with raw shrimp or chub meat are producing most consistently. Bites have been fairly light. (02-13-19)
Paragonah Reservoir
Good
Access is limited to snowmobiles and maybe ATVs. The ice should be more than 12 inches thick by now. Fishing is very fast for tiger trout up to 16 inches long, although most are 10 to 11 inches. Anglers are also catching a handful of cutthroat trout. Jigs tipped with nightcrawlers or chub meat are working well. Starting Jan. 1, the trout limit was reduced to four fish — the same as the statewide limit. The tiger trout stocked after the fire have survived very well, however, so feel free to take a limit to help cut down on competition and improve growth. (02-13-19)
Pine Lake
Fair
There haven't been any recent reports on access. Ice fishing is typically good if you can reach the lake. (02-13-19)
Piute Reservoir
Slow
The reservoir was mostly drained in 2018 for irrigation needs. (02-13-19)
Quail Lake
Good
Catchable-sized rainbow trout have been stocked and are providing fair to good fishing from shore and boats. See the Sand Hollow report for cold-weather bass fishing tips. (02-13-19)
Sand Hollow Reservoir
Slow
Bass activity slows down as the water cools in the winter, but a few nice fish are still picked up every year during the colder months. The keys are to fish deep (20 to 30 feet down) and use a slow presentation. Finesse baits like Senkos, swimbaits and drop shot rigs are very conducive to a slow presentation. Slow-rolling spinnerbaits can also be effective. (02-13-19)
Sevier River in Marysvale Canyon
Fair
The flow is up to 100 cfs. This flow should remove ice and make fishing easier. (02-13-19)
Thousand Lake Mountain
Fair
The lake should have safe ice, but snow is making it difficult to access the area. Call the Quiet Fly Fisher fly shop at 435-616-2319 for up-to-date conditions and fishing reports. (02-13-19)
Tropic Reservoir
Slow
The reservoir should have safe ice. Access is possible with a four-wheel-drive vehicle. Rainbow trout often don't overwinter well, but there are a few nice brown trout you can catch through the ice. (02-13-19)
Washington County Community Fisheries
Fair
Trout are stocked periodically throughout the cold months and provide fair to good fishing. Brood-size rainbow trout were recently stocked in all ponds and should provide some exciting action. (02-13-19)
Wide Hollow Reservoir
Unstable ice
The ice is unsafe. There's little to no fishing pressure. We began introducing black crappie in 2017 in order to establish a new population for anglers to target. If you catch any crappie, we encourage you release them so that they can spawn. (02-13-19)
Yankee Meadow Reservoir
Fair
Access is limited to snowmobiles and ATVs. Ice fishing is typically fair to good if you can reach the area. (02-13-19)
