I headed to Panguitch Lake today. Ice was about 3-4 inches on north shore side. I slept in so I got there around 11:30. Fishing was slow for about an hour, but once 12:30 hit it got hot. Caught about 20 rainbows, average size was about 15 inches. Most of them were going for a green paddlebug tipped with a mealworm.
I had the most luck catching fish about 10 feet down. Going deep didn't seem to work. A few times I caught fish about a foot away from my hole, pretty cool to watch them take it.
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Thanks for the post. Gotta love those paddle bugs. That color seems like it always catches fish for me, too.
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[quote KarlTime]Caught about 20 rainbows, average size was about 15 inches. [/quote]
Thanks for the report. I used to love ice fishing there when I lived closer to the lake.
One word to the wise, and it may not matter if you were releasing everything, but I'm pretty sure that the fish in your pictures are cutthroats, not rainbows. The bright orange pelvic and anal fins are a giveaway as well as their overall coloration. Remember, that cutts have a slot there and any between 15 and 22 inches must be released. Apologies in advance if you knew that and just pictured cutts but caught rainbows at other times.
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Fish in pics were definately cutts.
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My bad! They were all cutts then, I was just glad to be catching fish and sometimes I just don't look closely enough at them, I release all the fish I catch nowadays. I used to like trout until I ate fish every day for a week one time. Thanks for the clarification
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Sounds like a great time on the ice. I've never fished Panguitch Lake but the more videos, pictures and posts I see about it really make me want to drive down from Salt Lake and try my luck out. I've watched a great video on youtube of SouthernUtahAngler slamming the fish all day long. The Cutts look very healthy and they look like great fighters. As for paddle bugs, they're a Cutthroats worst nightmare. Those are what I use at Strawberry Reservoir to catch all the Rainbows and Cutts. They're deadly and any Trout angler needs to have some in his/her box. Great post, awesome pictures.
Holy crap, Mr.Rojoneck finally decides to join the forum! Never thought I'd see the day
haha jk.
Thanks for the report, I agree, that looks like a lake I need to try out this year.
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Thanks MrRojoNeck. I've subscribed to your videos on youtube and have seen you dominating on Strawberry, I'll have to head there once my finals are over.
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I'm here and i have no idea how to get around this site but I'll figure it out soon hopefully. Goof to hear from you again Jordan, we have to meet up sometime this season. It looks like Santa is bringing me a Marcum LX-6 flasher which is awesome. We need to find some jumbo Perch and Crappie so let me know when you find them and I'll do the same.
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Let me know if you come up and we can head up to the Berry for a few hours. Earlier in the week works best for me and maybe a saturday here and there (work graveyard weekends). Panguitch and Strawberry appear to be very similiar to me both in species and size of fish so i dont know if a trip up north just to fish Strawberry is worth it but you never know, you might just snag a 8-10lb Rainbow.
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That LX-6 will be awesome! We will have to meet up for sure, maybe do a video collaboration.
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Is the ice safe at Panguitch yet? I'm planning a trip up there but I'd like to hear there is at least 6 inches of ice before going out on the ice.
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I know a handful of guys that fished Panguitch yesterday. They didn't say much about ice conditions -- other than they went out and caught a bunch of fish.
The temperature when they left was above freezing. The mountains have been warmer than the valleys lately. But, I don't really see any issues with the ice up there -- it should be on and growing until spring...
if you have concerns, you could call the southern region DWR office and ask the aquatics guys what the ice conditions were as of yesterday...
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I need to talk to the right people at the DWR. Last winter I called them and they said Enterprise had ice there. I didn't believe them and when I got there in early March the ice was gone. Should I ask to talk to the aquatic guys that are in touch with the conditions? Those in the office don't have a clue as to the conditions on the lakes.
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[quote Trout_lover]I need to talk to the right people at the DWR.
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Should I ask to talk to the aquatic guys that are in touch with the conditions? [/quote]
Would you ever ask the receptionist at the Doctor's Office concerning alopecia areata? Or, would you prefer to get an answer from the doctor directly?
It was the aquatic guys that walked on the ice and drilled the holes yesterday -- so: YES. If you need a specific question answered then I would ask to speak with someone from the department that deals directly with the question you have.
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Finally got in touch with the right people. Today's receptionist was more helpful and so was the guy she referred me to.
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I went fishing there today... for the third day in a row. It was about 4.5 inches thick. I get sketched out when its under 2 inches, I am a pretty light guy. We had a few people next to us and it looked like they only caught 3 the time we were there. My roommate and I both caught in the double digits. Good luck, and have fun catching!
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KarlTime, you look pretty handsome in that picture; are you single?? That's a big fish...and you're a keeper. Meet me at Panguitch Lake?
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Sorry hound_hunter, I am taken. I'm married to fishing.
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