Rockport Recon

[perchinski]

Ramp was still launch-able last Thursday when I was there, tho my buddy & I in the Crestliner didn't do nearly as well as I did shore-fishing
a few times the week before.  Had been getting keeper perch and 10-14" smallies throwing grubs & kuttails along the Three Fingers shoreline before the sun came up.  Water temps in the 71-73 range.  Was difficult to hook a smallie over 11", and nary a perch to be found.  No trouble 
at all pulling the boat out, tho there is a lot of sand on the remaining ramp.  Returning to the shoreline forays.

[wiperhunter2]

Thanks for the report and recon, would you say there is more water in Rockport or Echo? Glad to see you were able to get back on.

[gofish435]

Thanks for the report and recon, would you say there is more water in Rockport or Echo? Glad to see you were able to get back on.

Rockport is showing 37% and Echo is showing 29%.

Tea-Cup Diagrams | Water Operations | UC Region | Bureau of Reclamation (usbr.gov)

These water levels are getting scary.

[Jmorfish]

I was also there this past Thurs. A.M. trolling for a couple hours...out of my canoe..I like to do that 2 or 3 times a year, but may have to do it more this season, if the launch ramps get much worse...However, I may not be targeting Rockport again for awhile...What's going on there?? Is it just the warm and low water levels?? Is Rockport now basically a bass fishery? I've always caught some pretty nice rainbows or browns trolling here, but only caught bass here Thursday, on my typical rainbow/kokanee trolling gear..I talked to another guy when getting off the water, and he said he had anchored up somewhere and caught over 20 bass with his grandkids...Anyone else noticing this trend, or was I just having another odd day?

[wiperhunter2]

I was also there this past Thurs. A.M. trolling for a couple hours...out of my canoe..I like to do that 2 or 3 times a year, but may have to do it more this season, if the launch ramps get much worse...However, I may not be targeting Rockport again for awhile...What's going on there??  Is it just the warm and low water levels?? Is Rockport now basically a bass fishery? I've always caught some pretty nice rainbows or browns trolling here, but only caught bass here Thursday, on my typical rainbow/kokanee trolling gear..I talked to another guy when getting off the water, and he said he had anchored up somewhere and caught over 20 bass with his grandkids...Anyone else noticing this trend, or was I just having another odd day?

Hey Joe, not sure if you saw my report on Echo a little over a week ago but your experience at RP was the same as we saw there. Lots of bass up in the water column. It could be the heat that is causing this to happen, with there being more bass up high, the trout might be saying lower in the water column, where it is cooler. We did catch one bow early in the morning but other than that, the only other trout we caught, a brown, was just off the bottom.

[wiperhunter2]

Thanks for the report and recon, would you say there is more water in Rockport or Echo? Glad to see you were able to get back on.

Rockport is showing 37% and Echo is showing 29%.

Tea-Cup Diagrams | Water Operations | UC Region | Bureau of Reclamation (usbr.gov)

These water levels are getting scary.

Thanks, I need to bookmark that site.

[perchinski]

Returned to the scene of the crime this morning, tho boat-less.  Fished the NW corner by the dam, right below the pkg lot. 
The usual bass action in the 8-11" range, but had a few teen fish jump bail.  Carolina Rig the ticket, so you can get out a
tad deeper.  Also got a couple nice perch.  Bite seemed to quit around 9-ish.  Smokey, but at least that blocked the straight-on
sun in that corner.   Counted 9 boats on the water, all heavier than mine, so the ramp must still be okay.

[Joe_Dizzy]

I was also there this past Thurs. A.M. trolling for a couple hours...out of my canoe..I like to do that 2 or 3 times a year, but may have to do it more this season, if the launch ramps get much worse...However, I may not be targeting Rockport again for awhile...What's going on there??  Is it just the warm and low water levels?? Is Rockport now basically a bass fishery? I've always caught some pretty nice rainbows or browns trolling here, but only caught bass here Thursday, on my typical rainbow/kokanee trolling gear..I talked to another guy when getting off the water, and he said he had anchored up somewhere and caught over 20 bass with his grandkids...Anyone else noticing this trend, or was I just having another odd day?

I was wondering about this. There was something in the news 2 weeks ago about water being diverted from Weber drainage to Provo drainage... this to maintain Jordanelle and Deer Creek Reservoirs as high as possible for as long as possible. Echo and Rockport would be drained down to "conservation pool" levels.

When I lived back east, conservation pool was the absolute minimum level for a reservoir to retain a coldwater band for periodic releases into the river below. Enough to maintain the coldwater fishery - and we're talking surviving (not thriving). Not sure if conservation pool has the same definition here in Utah.

I have to assume that these levels coupled with the heat are shrinking the available coldwater refuge for the trout and they may already be in survive-not-thrive mode. Keep in mind that they can survive in water up to 67* F IF food options are available, but they prefer 55-60* F.

There seems to be no holding back on Deer Creek Reservoir by the way... lower Provo still blowing along at better than 570 CFS and the reservoir loses one (1) vertical foot of depth per week. That can't last with (what I assume is) nothing coming in from the Uintas and nothing left to steal away from the Weber drainage.

I've said it in many other threads here recently... it is going to be a very tough summer for the coldwater species.