DISCLAIMER: I am gathering information about ice conditions from a few different sources but mainly from reports posted here on Big Fish Tackle. This is intended mainly to let everyone know about safe places to ice fish. I don't post anything about the quality of the fishing, species targeted or caught, bait or methods used, etc. Please search out the individual reports if you are looking for that information. And remember that my digest here is only as accurate as the reports I gather. No one should venture out onto any ice without checking it carefully. We would rather hear FROM you than ABOUT you! [
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These waters have been reported having thick-enough ice now (12/29/18):
High Uintas lakes
Boulder Mountain lakes
Tony Grove
Huntington (Mammoth)
Cleveland
Scofield
Mill Hollow
Smith and Morehouse
Firehole to Confluence + Sage Creek on Flaming Gorge
Little Creek Reservoir
Woodruff Reservoir
Echo
Mantua
Birch Creek Reservoir
Otter Creek
Big Sand Wash
Matt Warner
Sheep Creek Lake
Mill Meadow
Forsyth
Electric Lake
Strawberry/Soldier Creek
Currant Creek (middle still has some open water)
Causey (around dam)
Panguitch
Feel free to post any additions or corrections here. Or you can PM me.
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Nice job Craig we really appreciate what you're doing here and know it takes a ton of work to keep it up to date... The warmer temps are putting a hurting on the ice, I'd recommend not trying those that were marginal before.. I was on one last night that had had just over 4 inches before the warm up and now it's lost about a half inch off the bottom and the top part has deteriorated, so even though it looks like 4" it's probably more like 3" of good ice making it just in the safe ish zone. I think the temps are turning back downhill, so hopefully the current conditions will start to hold instead of get worse. But yes it's still in the be very careful zone. With the changing ice condition due to melting remember the black ice rules go out the window, don't expect the same strength out of the current ice layers... Also it cracks and breaks different at these conditions so when it starts to go, it may not stop like it did last week when I had two close calls that were only saved because the ice didn't keep pushing through... Use extra caution now for sure... Hopefully in a week those extra cold temps forecast will lock us in for a good season after that... Later J
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Thanks for the kind words. It isn't too much work when I keep up with it every day. I only worry that I might make a wrong call and get someone into trouble on the ice. I try to stay away from predictions and stick to current actual reports. I must be doing some good as I have had over 3700 hits so far. I think there are 20 lakes on the list so far, so anybody should be able to find safe ice close by. No need to attempt marginal spots and tempt fate. I guess I'll keep at this until Utah Lake, Fish Lake, Starvation and Flaming Gorge are all safe. Then I can actually go fishing until things start going the other way toward spring. I just hope we don't have another one like last year with the temperatures jerking us all around.
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Sounds good and I think everyone realizes this is just a reference and we are all responsible for our own ice safety. Thanks again. Jeff
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Have we heard of any changes in Scofield? I have a crew going with me tomorrow including my little 5 year old buddy doing his first ice fishing trip... Thanks for your reports.
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I haven't heard any reports lately, but conditions usually stay about the same when we don't get any reports otherwise. But it will hit 40 degrees today so there might be a little melting. Wish I could be more helpful; hopefully someone with more specific info will chime in. I know that we plan to fish it Saturday. I should have a report after that.
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Back on 12/12/18 the DWR Fishing Report showed hot fishing under 10" of ice at Matt Warner.
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Scofield should be fine. We fished it last Saturday on 8"-9" of Ice.
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Electric lake has 7-8” on the south side. Didn’t’t Take the sleds to try the north end.
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With that much ice on the dam end, the north end would certainly have even more, because the north end is the first to freeze.
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I added it to the fishable list. Thanks for the good intel.
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I'm going to go ahead and call Strawberry open for business. But keep closer to shore and test as you go. Should be 4" of ice.
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Scofield has about 12" of good ice in Madsen Bay under a couple inches of snow.
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Currant Creek Reservoir has 6-8" ice around the edges and is being fished. The middle is still open water so if you go stay close and check carefully.
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Correction: Per the latest report the edges are still soft and a plank is necessary to get out onto the ice. I guess it's a day-by-day deal, or even hour-by-hour. 12/24 pm Check carefully, assume nothing.
The edges at Echo are frozen up again with the colder nights, and should stay that way with the cold spell we're heading into.
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Thanks for keeping up on this.....
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Causey has 5 1/2 or 6 around the dam
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Panguitch lake has safe ice. 9-10 in the coves 6-7 as you move out farther.
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Thank you Hawky and fshnfwl for your recent reports. And thank you everyone else who has contributed.
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That's great. Thanks for the update. How was the fishing?
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