12-01-2007, 10:14 AM
[size 1]NORTHEASTERN REGION: Fishing report updated November 27, 2007
BIG SAND WASH RESERVOIR: No new reports. Likely lake is beginning to freeze. Should be good ice fishing when safe. Check ice carefully before going out. Also be careful as reservoir fills it lifts the ice up away from the edges allowing water to seep in.<br />
BULLOCK / COTTONWOOD RESERVOIRS: Cottonwood was drained to work on the outlet and is now being refilled. No new reports, water is murky due to refill. Remember tiger musky have a size limit; immediately release all fish under 40. We advise the use of heavy tackle and a steel leader to protect your line. Snagging is illegal. Reservoirs are located approximately five miles north of the town of Gusher.<br />
BROUGH RESERVOIR: No new reports for the last week. Old reports are of good fishing for a mix of large browns and rainbows. Likely some ice forming in the shallow bays and edges. The reservoir is managed under trophy catch and release regulations, please read proclamation. Note: use of heavier tackle to bring the fish in quickly and keeping the fish completely underwater when handling greatly increases odds of survival. Some water in the canal but it seems to be filling slowly and not murky as of two weeks ago. To get to Brough, take State Route 88 south from US Route 40 (Ouray Road). Turn west at the second dirt road past the high power lines. Follow this road approximately two miles staying to the left at each main fork. Road can be quite rutted.<br />
BROWNIE / SHEEP CREEK / SPIRIT LAKE: No new reports. Lakes should have ice and may be fishable. Roads to Brownie and Sheep Creek were open as of about 10 days ago. Spirit Lake roads were questionable. Area was receiving storms so access is questionable. Warning: whirling disease was found in this area, please do not clean fish or dump fish parts taken from one lake or stream to another. Also make sure to clean, dry and sterilize waders, live wells and other fishing gear before venturing to another water, as this will also move whirling disease.<br />
CALDER / CROUSE RESERVOIRS: As of Nov. 26, Calder had about a 50/50 mix of ice and open water while Crouse had roughly two to four inches of ice covering the entire reservoir. Remember, the new "trophy" regulation (flies and lures only) for Calder began January 1, 2007. Baits cannot be used, not even for ice fishing. Please read the proclamation for details on the new regulations.<br />
CURRANT CREEK RESERVOIR: No new reports. Likely reservoir is icing over. Last reports were roads are open and in good condition, however that can change at any time with winter storms. During the winter, the road is kept open to the dam. Please check with the ranger station at Strawberry for more current road conditions.<br />
EAST PARK / OAKS PARK: Lakes are likely frozen or nearly so. No new reports from anglers. Roads were open, however storms may make travel difficult so watch the weather.<br />
FLAMING GORGE RESERVOIR: Launching boats is possible on all ramps. Current surface water temp 46 to 50° F.<br />
Lake Trout Fishing: Fair to good fishing for small lake trout on most areas of the reservoir. Fish are in traditional areas on underwater humps and points and also closer to shorelines. Fishing for smaller lake trout (less than eight pounds.) from the river arms south in 40-100 feet was good. The canyon area in UT was producing limits of fish with very fast catch rates. Use downriggers to troll spoons and minnow plugs within 10 to 20 feet of the bottom or look for suspended fish 40 to 70 feet Good colors for spoons and plugs include chartreuse, orange and white. If fish are concentrated try jigging. Good jig colors are white, brown and chartreuse. Try tipping jigs with a small chunk of sucker meat if you can see them on your graph but can't get them to bite with a plain jig. If you are seeing fish near structure in 100 plus feet, these will probably be lake trout. Use no stretch line to feel strikes and set the hook better. Unlike their larger relatives, the smaller lake trout are excellent table fair with orange flesh and taste as good or better than a rainbow when cooked up on the grill. There's an overabundance of lake trout under 28 inches in the Gorge, so do your part to help the fishery by keeping a limit of eight fish. We've gotten reports of slow to fair fishing for larger fish. Larger fish are finishing the spawn, so fishing should pick up soon. For larger lake trout try trolling plugs on downriggers, steel or lead core in Jarvies, Sheep Creek, Linwood, Stateline, Antelope flat or Anvil Draw. Also jigging with three- to 10-inch jigs can work well. Big lake trout eat big food, so lures and jigs can be big also. Long-lining crankbaits also works this time of year. Remember, only one fish over 28 inches may be kept.<br />
Kokanee Fishing: All kokanee caught from Sept. 10 to Nov. 30 must be immediately released to protect spawning fish. Kokanee can still be caught and released.<br />
Rainbow Fishing: Fair to good fishing for rainbows on most of the reservoir. If fishing from a boat try trolling spoons or rapalas with downriggers or try long lining with at least 100 feet of line behind boat. Running planer boards close to shore also works well. The fish range from shallow water close to shore to 50 feet deep so try fishing in several depths if having poor luck. Most colors of spoons and minnow lures will work but go with lures in the one to two inch size. If fishing on bottom, try a worm and marshmallow combo to keep the bait slightly off the bottom. Casting spoons, spinners or smaller crankbiats from shore also works well. In the Utah portion, Sheep Creek, Jarvies, Linwood Bay, Mustang Ridge and off the dam visitor center are all good locations to catch rainbows from shore.<br />
Burbot Fishing: Reports of good fishing in the Lucerne area. Try fishing with jigs late in the afternoon, early morning or at night on points coming into reservoir. Use white or glow tube jigs 2 to three inches in size about 1/4 to 1/2 ounce. Tipping with sucker meat may help catch fish. These fish are fairly shallow (10 to 40 feet) in the Wyoming end of the reservoir. Reports of fast catch rates in 20 to 50 feet of water. Recent netting in the area north of Buckboard has shown a large increase in the number of burbot present. Larger fish are 30 inches and up to four or five pounds. These fish must be harvested if caught in Utah to help control their population as they were illegally introduced to the upper Green River drainage and could have a major impact on other fish species. They are an excellent eating fish with white, flaky flesh that is similar to a perch. They can be breaded and fried or boiled and dipped in melted butter.<br />
Smallmouth Bass Fishing: Smallmouth fishing is slow as smallmouth tend not to bite well at temps near or below 50 degrees. Use twist tail grubs on lead head jigs or small plastic worms, sinkos, twitch and crankbaits in about 5 to 30 feet of water off rocky shorelines and points. Crayfish imitation colors will work the best. Drop shot techniques will also work.<br />
GREEN RIVER: (upper) The flows on the river are currently 800 cfs. Due to low inflows into the reservoir in 2007, flows should remain steady at 800 cfs throughout the winter to conserve water. Good fishing on the river. The traffic on the river has dropped and fishing success has increased. Fishing will continue to improve through the fall and use on the river will continue to drop. Brown Trout are spawning so be aware of spawning redds when wading. Please remember the slot limit size range has changed from 13 to 20 inch to 15 to 22 inches to make regulations more consistent statewide. Dry fly fishing has slowed. Nymphing action was good to excellent. Flies to try include: midges and very small Baetis patterns. On occasion, Chernobyls and caddis have been good too. Nymphing with glo-bugs and San Juan worms with smaller nymphs trailering was the workhorse. Streamers are working well and have been extremely good some days. Size 2-4 buggers such as Goldilox and patterns in olive, pink and white. Check out FishGreenRiver.com for up to date fly info. Spin fishermen should try small rapalas (floating, countdown and husky jerk); small spinners; black, brown or olive marabou jigs; and small jigs. Please check to see that your plastic jigs contain no fish attracting scents or salts, as they are illegal to use in the river.<br />
GREEN RIVER: (lower) No new reports from anglers. Should be fair to good fishing for catfish, carp and other fish.<br />
MATT WARNER RESERVOIR: Roughly four inches of ice covering reservoir as of Sunday, Nov. 26th. No signs of anglers fishing but there were rocks out on the ice. Roads were dry and easily accessible from both Highway 191 and Diamond Mountain Road. Water level is holding up well considering the drought.<br />
MOON LAKE: No new reports. Likely lake has ice considering other reservoirs in the area are icing over. The lake contains a variety of trout and kokanee, should be good fishing through the ice.<br />
PELICAN LAKE: No angler reports. Ice is forming in the shallows and reed beds in some areas. Waterfowl hunters are using the area as there is a considerable a.m.ount of open water.<br />
RED FLEET RESERVOIR: Recent reports indicate good fishing for rainbows with an occasional brown trout. Bass and bluegill fishing was slow. No ice yet. Try fishing the shoreline areas with the most cover such as rocky points or submerged vegetation. The trout have moved back up into the surface waters and will often cruise the shorelines looking for minnows, crayfish and other prey.<br />
STARVATION RESERVOIR: Reports from anglers of slow fishing for yellow perch, walleye and bass. Brown and rainbow trout fishing has picked up due to cooler water temperatures. Trout will be found near rocky shoreline structures or along the weed beds looking for minnows and other prey. No ice yet.<br />
STEINAKER RESERVOIR: Anglers reported fair to good fishing for rainbows and slow for bass and bluegill. Try to find areas with cover such as rocks and submerged vegetation. The fish are moving into the shallows looking for minnows and other prey. No ice yet.<br />
UINTA MOUNTAIN LAKES AND STREAMS: Have heard of few reports other than anglers doing well fishing the larger streams for brown trout and whitefish. Browns are fall spawners and are active in many of the larger streams and rivers. Brook trout are also fall spawners and can be found in many smaller streams and mountain lakes. Try brightly colored lures or jigs, trout baits like worms and putty baits or flies by matching the insect hatch. Mid and high-elevation lakes are likely to have ice. Always go prepared for serious weather, as the Uinta Mountains are well known for frequent unexpected storms and high winds. Note: The Uinta Mountains have a four-trout limit with a bonus of four more brook trout - see proclamation for details. [/size]
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BIG SAND WASH RESERVOIR: No new reports. Likely lake is beginning to freeze. Should be good ice fishing when safe. Check ice carefully before going out. Also be careful as reservoir fills it lifts the ice up away from the edges allowing water to seep in.<br />
BULLOCK / COTTONWOOD RESERVOIRS: Cottonwood was drained to work on the outlet and is now being refilled. No new reports, water is murky due to refill. Remember tiger musky have a size limit; immediately release all fish under 40. We advise the use of heavy tackle and a steel leader to protect your line. Snagging is illegal. Reservoirs are located approximately five miles north of the town of Gusher.<br />
BROUGH RESERVOIR: No new reports for the last week. Old reports are of good fishing for a mix of large browns and rainbows. Likely some ice forming in the shallow bays and edges. The reservoir is managed under trophy catch and release regulations, please read proclamation. Note: use of heavier tackle to bring the fish in quickly and keeping the fish completely underwater when handling greatly increases odds of survival. Some water in the canal but it seems to be filling slowly and not murky as of two weeks ago. To get to Brough, take State Route 88 south from US Route 40 (Ouray Road). Turn west at the second dirt road past the high power lines. Follow this road approximately two miles staying to the left at each main fork. Road can be quite rutted.<br />
BROWNIE / SHEEP CREEK / SPIRIT LAKE: No new reports. Lakes should have ice and may be fishable. Roads to Brownie and Sheep Creek were open as of about 10 days ago. Spirit Lake roads were questionable. Area was receiving storms so access is questionable. Warning: whirling disease was found in this area, please do not clean fish or dump fish parts taken from one lake or stream to another. Also make sure to clean, dry and sterilize waders, live wells and other fishing gear before venturing to another water, as this will also move whirling disease.<br />
CALDER / CROUSE RESERVOIRS: As of Nov. 26, Calder had about a 50/50 mix of ice and open water while Crouse had roughly two to four inches of ice covering the entire reservoir. Remember, the new "trophy" regulation (flies and lures only) for Calder began January 1, 2007. Baits cannot be used, not even for ice fishing. Please read the proclamation for details on the new regulations.<br />
CURRANT CREEK RESERVOIR: No new reports. Likely reservoir is icing over. Last reports were roads are open and in good condition, however that can change at any time with winter storms. During the winter, the road is kept open to the dam. Please check with the ranger station at Strawberry for more current road conditions.<br />
EAST PARK / OAKS PARK: Lakes are likely frozen or nearly so. No new reports from anglers. Roads were open, however storms may make travel difficult so watch the weather.<br />
FLAMING GORGE RESERVOIR: Launching boats is possible on all ramps. Current surface water temp 46 to 50° F.<br />
Lake Trout Fishing: Fair to good fishing for small lake trout on most areas of the reservoir. Fish are in traditional areas on underwater humps and points and also closer to shorelines. Fishing for smaller lake trout (less than eight pounds.) from the river arms south in 40-100 feet was good. The canyon area in UT was producing limits of fish with very fast catch rates. Use downriggers to troll spoons and minnow plugs within 10 to 20 feet of the bottom or look for suspended fish 40 to 70 feet Good colors for spoons and plugs include chartreuse, orange and white. If fish are concentrated try jigging. Good jig colors are white, brown and chartreuse. Try tipping jigs with a small chunk of sucker meat if you can see them on your graph but can't get them to bite with a plain jig. If you are seeing fish near structure in 100 plus feet, these will probably be lake trout. Use no stretch line to feel strikes and set the hook better. Unlike their larger relatives, the smaller lake trout are excellent table fair with orange flesh and taste as good or better than a rainbow when cooked up on the grill. There's an overabundance of lake trout under 28 inches in the Gorge, so do your part to help the fishery by keeping a limit of eight fish. We've gotten reports of slow to fair fishing for larger fish. Larger fish are finishing the spawn, so fishing should pick up soon. For larger lake trout try trolling plugs on downriggers, steel or lead core in Jarvies, Sheep Creek, Linwood, Stateline, Antelope flat or Anvil Draw. Also jigging with three- to 10-inch jigs can work well. Big lake trout eat big food, so lures and jigs can be big also. Long-lining crankbaits also works this time of year. Remember, only one fish over 28 inches may be kept.<br />
Kokanee Fishing: All kokanee caught from Sept. 10 to Nov. 30 must be immediately released to protect spawning fish. Kokanee can still be caught and released.<br />
Rainbow Fishing: Fair to good fishing for rainbows on most of the reservoir. If fishing from a boat try trolling spoons or rapalas with downriggers or try long lining with at least 100 feet of line behind boat. Running planer boards close to shore also works well. The fish range from shallow water close to shore to 50 feet deep so try fishing in several depths if having poor luck. Most colors of spoons and minnow lures will work but go with lures in the one to two inch size. If fishing on bottom, try a worm and marshmallow combo to keep the bait slightly off the bottom. Casting spoons, spinners or smaller crankbiats from shore also works well. In the Utah portion, Sheep Creek, Jarvies, Linwood Bay, Mustang Ridge and off the dam visitor center are all good locations to catch rainbows from shore.<br />
Burbot Fishing: Reports of good fishing in the Lucerne area. Try fishing with jigs late in the afternoon, early morning or at night on points coming into reservoir. Use white or glow tube jigs 2 to three inches in size about 1/4 to 1/2 ounce. Tipping with sucker meat may help catch fish. These fish are fairly shallow (10 to 40 feet) in the Wyoming end of the reservoir. Reports of fast catch rates in 20 to 50 feet of water. Recent netting in the area north of Buckboard has shown a large increase in the number of burbot present. Larger fish are 30 inches and up to four or five pounds. These fish must be harvested if caught in Utah to help control their population as they were illegally introduced to the upper Green River drainage and could have a major impact on other fish species. They are an excellent eating fish with white, flaky flesh that is similar to a perch. They can be breaded and fried or boiled and dipped in melted butter.<br />
Smallmouth Bass Fishing: Smallmouth fishing is slow as smallmouth tend not to bite well at temps near or below 50 degrees. Use twist tail grubs on lead head jigs or small plastic worms, sinkos, twitch and crankbaits in about 5 to 30 feet of water off rocky shorelines and points. Crayfish imitation colors will work the best. Drop shot techniques will also work.<br />
GREEN RIVER: (upper) The flows on the river are currently 800 cfs. Due to low inflows into the reservoir in 2007, flows should remain steady at 800 cfs throughout the winter to conserve water. Good fishing on the river. The traffic on the river has dropped and fishing success has increased. Fishing will continue to improve through the fall and use on the river will continue to drop. Brown Trout are spawning so be aware of spawning redds when wading. Please remember the slot limit size range has changed from 13 to 20 inch to 15 to 22 inches to make regulations more consistent statewide. Dry fly fishing has slowed. Nymphing action was good to excellent. Flies to try include: midges and very small Baetis patterns. On occasion, Chernobyls and caddis have been good too. Nymphing with glo-bugs and San Juan worms with smaller nymphs trailering was the workhorse. Streamers are working well and have been extremely good some days. Size 2-4 buggers such as Goldilox and patterns in olive, pink and white. Check out FishGreenRiver.com for up to date fly info. Spin fishermen should try small rapalas (floating, countdown and husky jerk); small spinners; black, brown or olive marabou jigs; and small jigs. Please check to see that your plastic jigs contain no fish attracting scents or salts, as they are illegal to use in the river.<br />
GREEN RIVER: (lower) No new reports from anglers. Should be fair to good fishing for catfish, carp and other fish.<br />
MATT WARNER RESERVOIR: Roughly four inches of ice covering reservoir as of Sunday, Nov. 26th. No signs of anglers fishing but there were rocks out on the ice. Roads were dry and easily accessible from both Highway 191 and Diamond Mountain Road. Water level is holding up well considering the drought.<br />
MOON LAKE: No new reports. Likely lake has ice considering other reservoirs in the area are icing over. The lake contains a variety of trout and kokanee, should be good fishing through the ice.<br />
PELICAN LAKE: No angler reports. Ice is forming in the shallows and reed beds in some areas. Waterfowl hunters are using the area as there is a considerable a.m.ount of open water.<br />
RED FLEET RESERVOIR: Recent reports indicate good fishing for rainbows with an occasional brown trout. Bass and bluegill fishing was slow. No ice yet. Try fishing the shoreline areas with the most cover such as rocky points or submerged vegetation. The trout have moved back up into the surface waters and will often cruise the shorelines looking for minnows, crayfish and other prey.<br />
STARVATION RESERVOIR: Reports from anglers of slow fishing for yellow perch, walleye and bass. Brown and rainbow trout fishing has picked up due to cooler water temperatures. Trout will be found near rocky shoreline structures or along the weed beds looking for minnows and other prey. No ice yet.<br />
STEINAKER RESERVOIR: Anglers reported fair to good fishing for rainbows and slow for bass and bluegill. Try to find areas with cover such as rocks and submerged vegetation. The fish are moving into the shallows looking for minnows and other prey. No ice yet.<br />
UINTA MOUNTAIN LAKES AND STREAMS: Have heard of few reports other than anglers doing well fishing the larger streams for brown trout and whitefish. Browns are fall spawners and are active in many of the larger streams and rivers. Brook trout are also fall spawners and can be found in many smaller streams and mountain lakes. Try brightly colored lures or jigs, trout baits like worms and putty baits or flies by matching the insect hatch. Mid and high-elevation lakes are likely to have ice. Always go prepared for serious weather, as the Uinta Mountains are well known for frequent unexpected storms and high winds. Note: The Uinta Mountains have a four-trout limit with a bonus of four more brook trout - see proclamation for details. [/size]
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