Each year my siblings and I get together for a family camping trip. This year it was my responsibility to find the location. In the past it has been located in some rather dull locations....no water, no trees, etc. So this year, since it is my choice, I am going with what I like. Don't worry, they should all like it as well.
Looking through my Utah Camping Guide (Gaylen Webb,2000) I found the Smith & Morehouse area looked pretty good on paper. Since the book says that reservatons there fill up really fast I went ahead and made my reservation ([url "http://www.reserveusa.com"]www.reserveusa.com[/url] is an awesome website). I have paid the fees, etc and am pretty much stuck with the place and I know nothing about it.
Can anyone tell me what to expect? I know there are 2 campgrounds up there, Smith & Morehouse and Ledgefork. We will be in Ledgefork. I am planning on taking up my canoe and float tube. How is the fishing? How is the camping (shade, water, toilets, etc.), and what can I expect? I would take a drive up there and check it out but the ranger I called said it wouldnt be worth my time right now because of the snow.
Any information you can provide would be appreciated - Thank You
Rob
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Shhh! Dont tell everyone about my favorite spot[
]. S & M is a great place to bring a family. A canoe is perfect for the lake. The fishing really turns on as the sun goes down. You can get a fish every cast by using fly and a bubble and a SLOW retrieve. I know they do have bathrooms but cant remember about the showers. Once we were there and had a moose run right through our camp as we were getting the s'mores all ready.
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You will love Smith & Morehouse. It's a beautiful lake with good fishing for mostly planted rainbows. It thaws out a little earlier than most of the higher elevation lakes so it gets planted early. The campgrounds are in pines and are the typical Forest Service campgrounds(like others in the Uintas). The access to the lake is easy, roadside. Your canoe and flaot tube will be perfect up there. You can have boats with motors but the top speed is wakeless. There is a decent boat ramp. When the reservoir is full you would be hard pressed to find a prettier fishing hole. You made a great choice.
m
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hope this helps . .attached
sm
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The stream below can also fish well after runoff. But it carries a fast flow so you'll want to supervise kids around it.
You can also make Smith/Morehouse base camp and hike to several Uinta Lakes. It's a great area.
Dave W
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great choice. i love it up there. justremember that you will be at a high altitude and to pack and dress appropreatley, i remember packing for a sumemr in the city temp erature, and i was cold most of the time. good fishing too, if i remeber right, you can catch golden trout out of it too.
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If the campground that you picked is the one on the south side of the lake (you drive past the entire reservoir to get to it) it is one of the most beautiful campgrounds that I have had the pleasure of visiting in Utah. Rob, I think after your family visits Smith & Morehouse that they will put you in charge of picking the place for the family reunion every year!
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I haven't fished there in a long time but the time I did fish there it was great for planter or just barely larger size trout. I was with six or seven people and was the only person to catch that day. Remember, this was years ago so I don't know how much it has changed. Everyone else was using powerbait and I wanted to try something different so I put on a small size pink triple teazer lure. I still had on a full casting bubble with a small split shot, then my swivel, then two to three feet of leader with my triple teazer tied on. With that bubble on you can cast a mile and it gives you more time when retrieving. I ended up catching a fish about every four casts. That was the first time I had used a lure with a full casting bubble and have since used it at Tibble Fork, Silver Lake Flats, and Strawberry with fairly good success, better than the people around me using power bait. I haven't tried it for years but remember that Smith and Morehouse was a beautiful place. Sorry I can't offer more but you should have a good time.
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That's my favorite place in the world so far. It's a very popular campground, but there are so many trees that you'll almost feel alone. I've never stayed in the lower campground (smith and morehouse), but it's very nice. I always stay in Ledgefork, which is above the reservoir. There are vault toilets, and water faucets here and there. Fishing's usually pretty good, but I have been skunked a couple of times. The streams above the campground also hold fish. There is no electric or showers. There is a guard station which I believe has a pay phone, but I don't remember for sure. There's also a nice ATV trail just below the campground, which is a lot of fun in a 4x4. You can drive up the road a couple of miles and do some shooting.
Have fun.
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One other thing you can do near by is hike up to sand reservoir. (If you feel like a moderately strenuous hike.) Here you will find the incredibly unique arctic grayling. They are willing takers of typical dry fly techniques and look like something out of an aquarium. (in a positive way). Not bad eating either if you are so inclined. The trail up there is just up the road from Smith&Morehouse.
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 2]Hey Greenland,[/size][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 2]I just got done making my July 24th reservations for S&M. By far my favorite non-wilderness campground. I make several trips up there every year just because it is so beautiful. The camp sites are very well designed for travel trailers and well maintained. I too have seen moose walking through the meadows up near the Ledgefork camp area.[/size][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 2]With the boat speed being wakeless, it's a dream for tubers and canoers. It is one of those kinds of places that you can take kids and folks who don't do much fishing and they can have a great time catching their limit of small trout. Slow troll spinners like Blue Fox and Panther Martins and you won't be able to keep them off. Lots of folks use power bait up there. I have too but the little buggers tend to swallow the hook way deep every time so I don't use power bait any more. We always stay in the lower camp ground (Smith & Morehouse) because it is a little closer to the launch area. ATV's are off limit and quickly ticketed for using them there. I think they are trying to keep this place as quiet and tranquil as possible. This is really the only place that I lake (boat) fish for small trout … mostly cause it is so beautiful.[/size][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 2]Mrs. Coot just walked by as I am typing this. She said to write that the fishing stinks there and that the camp grounds are even worse. She said "don't let everyone in our best kept secret!"[/size][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 2]Attached are a set of instructions to get there from the Ogden area. Or check out this link (note … this link isn't quite as accurate as the attachment).
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[url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?post=58601"][font "Comic Sans MS"][size 2]http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?post=58601[/size][/font][/url]
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THANK YOU all so very much. I am really looking forward to my visit up there this summer. I think I'll head up there a few times before and check it out. I really do apprecite all the feedback and willingness to provide information on this area.
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Smith and Morehouse is a great place to take the entire family. It is my wife's favorite place to camp. We take our trailer up there almost every year. It is a great place for tubing, canoeing, or launching a pontoon. The fishing is great, although the fish are small. The restroom facilities are adequate, and the camping sites are great! However, it is a very popular place so it is hard to get sites that are not set aside for reservations during the weekends.
Lloyd
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