Flaming Gorge 2/8 - 2/9

[EyLayo]

Took my maiden voyage to Flaming Gorge on Fri and Sat with a couple of BFTers. I accepted an invite from Catchinon and Joatmon, met them at Echo to carpool the rest of the distance. Made it to Buckboard around 1:30. Weather was cloudy and chilly. Negative temps and a slight breeze when I was getting dressed. Access and sled pulling was fairly easy. Solid edge, no slush, and a small amount a frozen snow on top to keep it from being real slick. Ice was 13-16 inches where I checked. My goal for the trip was to catch my first lake trout and first burbot. Fishing that evening started slow. Only saw a few fish and missed a couple bites. Finally decided to get setup for the night. No wind when I put up the shack, but I staked it down well anyway so I didnt have to wake up if the wind did come. Caught my first burbot around 8, which I was happy with. Now I could try and sleep instead of focusing too hard on catching throughout the night. Didn't care much for catching large quantities this trip. Sleeping turned out sort of rough. My heater kept shutting off due to frozen propane. I'm not sure if it's normal for Flaming Gorge, but that is the loudest ice I've been on. It was continually cracking and popping. So between my heater issues and noisy ice, I didn't sleep as much as planned. On a side note, I still slept better than Craig and Brett. Those 2 are crazy. Woke up for good a little bit before the sun did. Tried one more time for burbot and caught 1 more little guy. Sat morning started slow for me. I moved spots and started graphing more fish. Finally connected with my 1 and only laker. Mission accomplished. Fished for a little longer with little showing on my screen. Walk back out was easy and the drive home almost went well. I nearly donated some gear to Joatmon after switching vehicles. Had to backtrack a small distance to track him down before he got too far away. It was a great trip. I appreciate receiving the invitation and letting me tag along. Learned alot and looking forward to returning.
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[Mooseman75]

Sounds like a great trip. Glad you got your first laker and burbot that’s awesome. Craig and Brett are great company and good people.
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[catchinon]

EyLayo, joatmon and I have similar goals this ice season. We joined the contest so we could get out and catch new species and fish in new and different places. So far it has worked out pretty well. FG was a first for each of us, all rookies. We evidently watched the same videos because each of us said, " Oh yeah, I heard that, too," whenever someone shared some info. Anyway, both EyLayo and I evidently have the same goal: to post the most species on the contest board. Darn it, he has 11 and I trail at 10 (as far as I know, but the board hasn't been updated yet). All of us in the contest automatically have the goal of winning the whole shebang and I think EyLayo must be in first place now, plus he has a lot of inches posted, too. If I hadn't done an "early release" on my one nice laker I would have raised my score by about 6-10". With my giant 13.5" burbot I climbed a little at least.

We learned a lot in our first time there. I'll try to list it all in a separate post.
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[catchinon]

Aw, shucks [blush], you're nice. You too. Without you I wouldn't have known the first thing about catfishing.
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[joatmon]

Thanks for coming along. A few specifics that might help other Flaming Gorge “rookies”. We bought our reciprocity stamps in Evanston at the Walmart and our BLM recreation pass in Green River at the Ace Hardware store. We parked at Buckboard boat ramp and walked out south and east from there, just off the point at Buckboard South (we found out later the Buckboard South road was passable and we were able to drive right to the edge of the ice to load up when we were done). Fished Friday afternoon in 75 fow, marking a few fish, but no takers. I caught my one and only burbot (17”) at 4:00 am Saturday in about 30 fow on a white glow Yamamoto curly tail grub with a chartreuse glow jig head, tipped with sucker meat. After sunup, we moved back out to deeper water to try and get some laker pups. Set up again in 75 fow and started seeing fish at the bottom, but also regularly at 40-55 feet. Caught my first pup, a 20-incher, on a 3.5” Radical Glow white tube jig tipped with chub meat at 55 feet. Lots of lookers but no takers during the rest of the morning. I always leave one line in the water as I’m cleaning up. This time it actually worked and I caught my second/last pup on my last rod at 70 feet just as I was reeling it in to go. Nice chunky 18.5” lake trout. Good trip with a couple of great guys!
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[EyLayo]

Man, I forgot to post a few details. I fished 75 -80 fow for lake trout, saw several on bottom and caught the one at 35 ft down on 4" green and white tube with sucker meat. 25 fow on bottom for burbot. Used glow jig with a chunk of sucker
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[Brighamfish]

Thanks for the great post. Nothing like first hand info to help those planning on getting out. Hoping to get up there this week myself.

Was there enough snow on the roads to run a snowmobile or drag a sled on? Just debating if the access roads are best traveled by 4 wheeler or snowmachine.
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[catchinon]

The roads aren't bad at all and any four wheel drive can easily make it. We saw snowmobiles on the ice. The snow goes right down to the ice.
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[EyLayo]

We only traveled the road that was south of buckboard marina. There had been several trucks that had passed on it before us. It was snow packed and Joatmon's SUV handled it without a problem. Either of your machines would have worked for access. I saw a few trucks parked near the ice north of the marina. Several snowmobiles, 1 wheeler, and 1 UTV on the ice. With this passing storm I'm sure conditions will be a little different. Have fun and good luck




*Must be a slow writer, Catchinon answered your question while I was replying
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[Brighamfish]

Are the roads snow covered (packed or soft) so you could run a snowmobile on them without grinding the skis in the dirt? Sorry for all the questions, my truck is only 2x so I usually park out a ways and take a 4 wheeler or snowmachine in to the lake.
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[Brighamfish]

Thank you so much! Been scratching my head all week as to what to take. I love getting up there but the 3.5 hour drive makes it a bit daunting to plan properly for a good trip sometimes. Knowing a little about the road and ice conditions makes all the difference.

Good to hear you guys managed a few slime rockets and lakers!
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[catchinon]

Yup, nice hard pack. Smooth sailing.
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[EyLayo]

Just doing our part to help save the fishery. [cool] I would take the snowmobile if given the choice
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[Fishbouy]

I have a heavy pickup with truck camper that makes it all that much worse, 4wheel drive but lots of weight, would it be nuts coming in to buckboard off I-80. I'm usually fairly adventurous but when I have the camper on I like good solid roads.

Sounds like it may be a trip made best with out the camper??

I'm hoping to get out to the Gorge over Presidents day.
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[EyLayo]

There was a full size truck with a nice camper in the bed parked on the beach near the ice Friday night.
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[pinks]

If I was taking a snowmobile on the ice, I would park at the Buckboard boat ramp parking lot. Paved all the way. You'll need a Gorge access pass to park there, $5/day. If you go down the #8 road to S. Buckboard, you won't need a pass, but it is dirt and if the snow starts blowing, it may drift on you. You only need the pass at the improved sights, boat ramps and swim beaches, not the whole reservoir.
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[Wyo82939]

If you go down road #8, with the outhouse down there, doesn't that make it an "improved area", which would mean you need a permit for there also. I don't know the answer to this but thought that was how it worked. If anybody know's for sure, please let us know.
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[L-D-R]

Congratulations.... on your laker and burbot . Both fun fish the chase .
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[catchinon]

Forgot to mention the pit toilet. Comes in real handy when the cold weather... well, tmi.
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[catchinon]

The following displays poorly but if you can follow it it says that the passes are required for parking at High Impact Recreation Areas. Buckboard Crossing is listed as one of the areas. A number of improvements and facilities are mentioned which may be present for an HIRA. The marina and campground area are obviously one such area. However, it is ambiguous as to whether the next road to the south with a toilet would be a part of it or would stand alone or not qualify at all. I intend to call and find out for sure. I'll post what I learn.

RECREATION PASSES
Flaming Gorge Passes
A Flaming Gorge Pass is required for parking at High lmpact Recreation Areas (HIRA) on the Flaming Gorge
National Recreation Area. Congress passed the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (REA) replacing
the Recreation Fee Demonstration program. The new REA program extends fee authority for 10 vears while at
the same time refines where the fees can be charged.
REA has been implemented in areas (known as "corridors") that have improvements, services, and facilities
that benefit the recreating public. For example, restrooms, fish cleaning stations, courtesV docks, divider
docks, picnic areas, paved parking areas, garbage service, multi-lane boat ramps, interpretrve services, securitv
services, and developed beaches.
The following explains where a recreation use fee is reouired.
Each location is termed a High lmpact Recreation Area (HIRA) and will include a r/4 -mile corridor surroundins
the access road from the highway to the lake or river access pornt.
Boat Launch
with %-mile
co rrid or
Picn ic Site Access Road with
%-mile corridor
Swim Beach
Antelope Flat X X
Anvil Draw X X
Bu ckboard Crossing X X
Cedar Springs X X
Firehole Canyon X X X X
Green River* X X X
Brin ega r Ferry Crossing
aka (Holmes Crossing)
X X
Luce rne Valley X X X
M ustang Ridge X X x**
Sh eep Creek X X
*Facilities at Spillway and Little f{ole
**Sunny Cove Day Use Area
Parked vehicles in a High lmpact Recreation Area that do not display a valid Flaming Gorge pass are subject to
a citation of $75. America the Beautiful Senior, Access, Annual, and Volunteer passport holders as well as
Golden Age and Golden Access holders, are not required to purchase a Flaming Gorge pass. The majority of
the revenue remains in the area where it is collected. The money is used for repair and rehabilitation of
recreation facilities and for improved visitor services. Passes can be purchased at the Forest service offices in
Green River, Manila, and Vernal, at the l:laming Gorge Dam and at Red Canyon Visitor Center. Local vendors
also sell passes.
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