As of last Friday (June 4th) the Mirror Lake Highway is open to cars. Has anyone taken a drive up there? What does the ice look like? I would think that the edges would be starting to pull away with the 80's and 90's we've been having. I'm looking to head up there as soon as the lakes are fishable.
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The very high lakes usually aren't readily accessible until all the snow is gone off the front. Some of the roadside lakes will be ready a little sooner, but I wouldn't plan on fishing open water lakes for another couple weeks.
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My son's been sick but as long as he's better we'll be checking it out in 2 or 3 days. I'm willing to bet I find open water. According to Snotel highs where in the 60 and 70's up there yesterday at 9-10,000 and the snow is receding fast. If I go I'll try to remember to post.
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I went up there today with one of my best friends that works for the DNR to check out the winter kill on the fish. On what we could see the winter kill is really really bad due to the lakes being frozen for so long with the water levels low when they froze. I would not count on any good fishing even when the lakes thaw until the DNR stocks them again.
Some of the road lakes on the lower end are starting to recede the ice away from the banks a little not much though. I would be willing to bet that by this Friday (June 11) that there will be open and fishable water on some lakes. BUT the lake that are up a little higher, Moosehorn, Mirror, Pass, Butterfly and the like are still all frozen.
I still could not believe how much winter kill we could see just in the 4 or 5 feet of open water we found on the few lakes that had it. It really is awful.
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Are you allowed to name the lakes that you witnessed severe winter kill?
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That's not what I wanted to hear. That is where I spend the majority of my weekendcamping throughout the summer. Say it isn't so......
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Fished Lost this afternoon with my son. Acres of open water and Trial was similar when I took a look. Took 15-20 minutes to find the fish but once we did strikes came every couple minutes. Missed a lot until switched to a smaller hook. Other than ice starting to come off a couple days later than normal typical fishing before it's stocked. Lots of small brookies and an occasional rainbow. Fish didn't look overly skinny. No grayling today. Had solitude, temps in the mid 60's, only a few sprinkles without lightening and the surrounding mountains where beautiful with some snow remaining. About all you could ask for in an afternoon fishing in the Uintas.
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