Rockport Recon

[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.