Southern Utah Trout?

[BillyH]

Hey everyone, live in Vegas heading to southern Utah to get away from sin city for the weekend. Looking for a good trout lake that doesnt require a boat and isnt covered with ice or snow. Taking a small child (9 months) so trying to make it comfortable for the family.

Looking at Baker reservoir as an option. I have fished all over the area for bass but not for trout. Also considering Quail, never really had any luck there in the past though. I recently had to sell my bass boat so we are shore fishing for sure.

Any suggestions on a low elevation lake that worth the drive for?
[signature]

[Jazzperch1]

newcastle or tropic reservoir has trout in it, dont know how the fishin is or if there is any ice on them i wouldnt think so since weve had warmer weather and sme of the lake up here in salt lake are getting soft or havnt even froze yet.


tightlines
[signature]

[utahduckhunter]

new castle is ice cap, baker is half frozen, quail creek will be your best bet,
[signature]

[riverdog]

I second Quail Creek as long as you won't be too disappointed if you hook into a sluggish bass by mistake [laugh]. My only other thought besides trying Baker is to try the community ponds in Washington County http://wildlife.utah.gov/hotspots/detail...1234394636
Fishing stillwater for trout isn't always that good this time of year. I'll be down as well for the weekend but will spend most of my time mountain biking and hiking, not sure if I'll bother to fish. Zion NP is uncrowded this time of year if you haven't spent much time there before.
[signature]

[PBH]

tropic reservoir sits at nearly 8,000 feet elevation, which is higher than places like Otter Creek, Koosharem, Minersville, etc. -- all of which are currently being ice-fished. Further, tropic res typically get's drawn down multiple times during the winter, which makes it a bad place to ice-fish. I'd scratch it and save it for summer.


Really, the request for good trout fishing on open water in southern Utah during January (winter months) is a pretty darn hard request to fill.

Quail Creek Reservoir does offer very good trout fishing in the winter months, and fishing from shore could be OK -- although a boat would be much better.

Alternatively, if I were you, I'd drive a little bit further, and drive to Kolob and fish it through the ice. With the lack of snow we've had in southern Utah, I think you can still drive to the lake via Virgin. Buy yourself an auger at BassPro, and go hit the hard-deck with your kids.
[signature]