Something happened today that I have never seen before and will probably never see again. I grew up in Evanston and spent my childhood in the Uinta Mountains. We spent many weekends camping and fishing Whitney Reservoir. When Cowboy and I got married we continued the tradition with our kids. Over the years we have seen the popularity of this beautiful area grow and the crowds followed. It has gotten progressively harder to find a camp spot. We gave up trying to camp on the lake years ago. We feel lucky when we can even squeeze in to fish. Decided today, Memorial Day, to take a drive up with some extended family and check out the reservoir and hope that somewhere on the mountain we could find a good picnic spot for the day. As we drove the few miles of dirt road we were amazed at the lack of trailers, or any kind of camp. I can count on one hand the amount of people we saw on the way up. And then, we reached the lake. Not one camp! ZERO. On Memorial Day! We found a perfect spot on the lakeshore for a picnic, some games and lots of fishing. We literally had the entire lake to ourselves most of the day. There were one or two fisherman that came and went on the other side from where we were. I am still pinching myself. My favorite mountains, my favorite lake, my favorite fishing hole, all to ourselves. I was giddy! And to top it off, the fishing was awesome. First cast with my favorite Jakes produced a nice bow. Cowboy's first cast was the same. Later in the afternoon we had my brother and his kids, along with Lance and I, catching bows and tigers as fast as we could throw lures. Anything silver and shiny. They seemed to be more aggressive than hungry as most of my were caught outside the mouth (under the mouth or behind the gill) They bumped a lot without hooking up. Wouldn't take any bait, only cast and retrieve with lures. The kids had a blast as we worked our way back and forth along a huge stretch of beach.
On another note, the lake is really, really low. I have never seen it so low, even in the fall after a summer of irrigation use. Not much left to melt and run off and fill it either. Could prove to be an interesting summer for fishing this year.
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Looks like a wonderful time and with the rarity that you guys had it to yourself to enjoy
(06-01-2021, 02:25 AM)CookiePirate Wrote: [ -> ]Something happened today that I have never seen before and will probably never see again. I grew up in Evanston and spent my childhood in the Uinta Mountains. We spent many weekends camping and fishing Whitney Reservoir. When Cowboy and I got married we continued the tradition with our kids. Over the years we have seen the popularity of this beautiful area grow and the crowds followed. It has gotten progressively harder to find a camp spot. We gave up trying to camp on the lake years ago. We feel lucky when we can even squeeze in to fish. Decided today, Memorial Day, to take a drive up with some extended family and check out the reservoir and hope that somewhere on the mountain we could find a good picnic spot for the day. As we drove the few miles of dirt road we were amazed at the lack of trailers, or any kind of camp. I can count on one hand the amount of people we saw on the way up. And then, we reached the lake. Not one camp! ZERO. On Memorial Day! We found a perfect spot on the lakeshore for a picnic, some games and lots of fishing. We literally had the entire lake to ourselves most of the day. There were one or two fisherman that came and went on the other side from where we were. I am still pinching myself. My favorite mountains, my favorite lake, my favorite fishing hole, all to ourselves. I was giddy! And to top it off, the fishing was awesome. First cast with my favorite Jakes produced a nice bow. Cowboy's first cast was the same. Later in the afternoon we had my brother and his kids, along with Lance and I, catching bows and tigers as fast as we could throw lures. Anything silver and shiny. They seemed to be more aggressive than hungry as most of my were caught outside the mouth (under the mouth or behind the gill) They bumped a lot without hooking up. Wouldn't take any bait, only cast and retrieve with lures. The kids had a blast as we worked our way back and forth along a huge stretch of beach.
On another note, the lake is really, really low. I have never seen it so low, even in the fall after a summer of irrigation use. Not much left to melt and run off and fill it either. Could prove to be an interesting summer for fishing this year.
Those rare trips when no one else is around are simlpy pefection. When my float tube is the only vessel on the lake Im fishing, nothing like it. All you hear is nature and hopefully the splashing of water signaling you caught a fish. What a wonderful trip.
Gabe
(06-01-2021, 12:52 PM)Bduck Wrote: [ -> ]I can see why this area holds good memories. Its great you found a spot on the shore and able to get into the fish. 
It truly sounds like a wonderful outing.
The one & only time I was at Whitney was in 04' on a deer hunt. Even in October when the trees had shed there leaves there was still a beauty that surrounded that area, however there was no snow on the peaks at that time. It seemed at that time it too was a popular area for the hunters. This trip I had made revealed a very serious issue with my health and I didn't know if I was going to make it back to camp. I was able to communicate with one of the fellow hunters in the party I went up with which turned into a rescue. It had changed the way I would hunt from then on. In 2010 was my last season tromping around the mountains and now I'm more devoted to fishing.
It is a very popular place during the hunting season as it has a lot of dispersed camping and lots of roads for access. Sorry to hear about the health issues but sounds like you had the right people along. Glad you can still enjoy the water. Nothing like getting outdoors.
Great report and pictures... Thanks Jeff