Woodruff Reservoir - 02/22/2019

[RavenBlackbird]

Where: Woodruff Reservoir

As much as I hate the cold weather on the weekdays, I am so happy that the ice fishing season has extended beyond what it was last year! I wanted three more trips before the season ended; one more to Woodruff Reservoir, back to Flaming Gorge, and a late Strawberry visit. Yesterday I played hooky from work and made it to Woodruff Reservoir and it was an absolute banner of a day. There was a TON of snow and it is absolutely a snowmobile in only destination. Our ride in was exciting in that sometimes we couldn't even tell where the road was. We saw so many deer, elk, rabbits, and bald eagles. Really neat ride in.

When: 12:30 PM - 4:30 PM

Group's Fish Caught: 30+

Between 2 of us we caught fish after fish (Cutthroat). Action was between hot and medium hot! We marked fish on our fish finders 95% of the time and were able to entice a lot of bites. Most fish were between 14-16" with a few smaller ones mixed in. We fished in 24 feet of water.

Baits/Lures: Green jig heads with green glow tube jigs and gizzilla crazy glow bugs. We tipped with worms.

Ice Condition: 4" Snow on top, 2 inches of ice, 6 inches of slush, and 12" of ice. Because of the slush layer, I did not drive my snowmobile on the ice. The last thing I wanted was to get stuck on the ice 4 miles in from the nearest house, no cell signal, in mid teen temperatures with my 10 year old boy. I did notice that the reservoir level was up significantly from the last time I was there (Dec 2018).

Weather: Mid teens all day, beautiful skies, and very little wind. I didn't even put up my tent.

Company on the Ice: 0 We were the lone fisherman all day. As you may know , this is a very small reservoir and doesn't any have the infrastructure like parking to handle more than 1-2 trucks at a pull off on a private road when you can't drive up to the dam. When you can get to the dam, anymore than 5 trucks is pretty crowded.

2-23-2019 Update:
I posted two photos. Fish in the sink ready for filleting and then the results of the catching and filleting - delicious fish tacos. Best I have had.
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[catchinon]

Thanks for the great report. It really helps to get all the details you provide. It's a little frustrating to read a report like this: "Went fishing somewhere and caught some fish. On worms. Try the bays." I'm sure we all appreciate the various reports, but I hope more people emulate you and others who load us up with info. And this information lives on. Maybe next year or the year after someone will want to go to Woodruff and searches out your report. It will be good for them to know the parking situation and the other stuff you have included.
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[wyoguy]

Sounds like a fun trip, always great to get little ones out and catching fish. It has been a great snow year, makes it tough to get around, but we should have some water to float out toys this summer Thanks for the report!
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[L-D-R]

Congratulations on your great trip sounds like it was fun
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[dubob]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000][size 3]Ya done good Steve. Sorry I couldn't join you.[/size][/#800000][/font]
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[remo_5_0]

Nice report, such a great ice fishing place. Fishing is always good (I think) and the long haul in keeps the pressure low. I will miss fishing around there this summer.
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[RavenBlackbird]

[quote dubob][font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000][size 3]Ya done good Steve. Sorry I couldn't join you.[/size][/#800000][/font][/quote]

Next time!
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[RavenBlackbird]

[quote catchinon]Thanks for the great report. It really helps to get all the details you provide. It's a little frustrating to read a report like this: "Went fishing somewhere and caught some fish. On worms. Try the bays." I'm sure we all appreciate the various reports, but I hope more people emulate you and others who load us up with info. And this information lives on. Maybe next year or the year after someone will want to go to Woodruff and searches out your report. It will be good for them to know the parking situation and the other stuff you have included.[/quote]

Glad to give details! If you catch some fish and no one knows about it did it really get caught?[]

Really, I am appreciative of all the contributors on the forum. I gain a lot from them. I just want to do my part. My dad wasn't much of a fisherman (amazing at many other things), so everything I know I have learned from all of you. Also, I get to hear about a lot of new potential places to try. I am starting my list of bodies to visit like Fish Lake, Cascade Lake, and Yuba (for some Pike.) Without this forum, I would never have even thought of fishing at these places.
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[SkunkedAgain]

Yup better be careful hanging out around here, it’s bound to make you an addict. Thanks for a great report. Really enjoyed reading it and that sounds like a fun trip. I love sledding into places to fish. Later J
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[RavenBlackbird]

[quote SkunkedAgain]Yup better be careful hanging out around here, it’s bound to make you an addict. Thanks for a great report. Really enjoyed reading it and that sounds like a fun trip. I love sledding into places to fish. Later J[/quote]

I am already in the throws of a full blown addiction. Can't hardly rip myself away from thinking and planning to fish. My house and yard are in need of Spring attention, but I am going to have to fit that in between my fishing schedule!
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[catchinon]

I'm glad you have your priorities sorted out[]. Some people just don't understand how important fishing is. Great opportunity to pass our culture on to another generation.
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