Southern Utah Trip, Lake 1

Well, on a spur of the moment idea, I decided it would be a great idea to take a trip to the warmer end of the state and get some fishing done. A whole bunch of reservoirs, lakes, and rivers await down here, and most of them have minimal pressure.

Every time I'm down here, I always here amazing things from friends about Sand Hollow and Quail Creek reservoirs. However, every time I pay those places a visit, I come away empty handed. Also, I'm not much for bass fishing. I prefer trout, so I tend to not spend as much time on water that has a larger population of bass, like Sand Hollow and Quail Creek do.

Anyways, I started out my fishing on a small, out of the way reservoir that's fed by the Santa Clara river. I've always had some great luck down here for really big browns (we're talking 4-8 pounders every time I visit, I promise I'm not exaggerating) but all I caught this trip was rainbows.

I think that any browns living in this reservoir died when it froze solid. This reservoir rarely freezes, but we had such a cold winter this year it ended up being a solid sheet of ice. Browns aren't the greatest species of fish to survive a freeze like the one this reservoir experienced.

I started out using a small green tube jig, throwing it about 20 feet off the shore. I didn't have any action on it whatsoever, so I switched to my favorite Kastmaster lure.

This Kastmaster has served me well over the years, and about ten minutes after tying it on, I had a hit. The fish took it so hard, I didn't even have to really set the hook. My drag was tightened up pretty good, but this fish just pulled it out. I let the fish tire itself out for a while, and started pulling it back towards shore. It jumped a couple of times, and I was surprised at the fight I was getting. 

I finally landed the fish - it was a rainbow, and I'd guess it was about 18 inches long. I didn't get a chance to measure it or take a picture before it flopped out of my hands back into the water.

I kept fishing for another three hours, and pulled in this good-sized rainbow. Even though it was a planter, it put up a great fight. It was a little over 16 inches long. 

I also got this little guy on a worm. The action slowed down on spinners, and I had to send a few emails for work, so I threw a worm out into the water for a sec while my attention was diverted elsewhere. But I still managed to get a nice little fish out of it. 

It looked absolutely gorgeous out there yesterday. I had a great time, and I'm going to try and get to at least two different waters today. I'll be chasing a trophy size cutthroat! 

Local Lake

The ice finally came off a little local lake that I frequent. It's stocked with rainbows every year, but there's also a population of stunted brook trout in this lake as well. (Yes, DWR, I'm upset with you for thinking that rainbows and brookies could live together without the brookies becoming stunted.)

I like this lake because it's close by, but manages to feel remote at the same time. The thick forest around it makes me feel like I'm up in the Uintas.

The gates to the road leading up to this lake are still locked, meaning if you want to get in and fish, you're in for a hike. The hike is beautiful though, and very worth it. 

Once you've hiked in, you'll come out facing the lake from the east. I've always found the best fishing to be on the southwest corner, near the dam. Also, as you walk along the lake you'll notice a stream flowing in and a bridge crossing it. If you fish the inlet at the right time of day with a wooly bugger or a small panther Martin, you're sure to catch brook trout after brook trout. The bigger ones usually hang out here at the inlet, and swim along in the beds about 10 feet off the shore. I've very rarely ever caught a brook trout from the middle of this lake. 

The fishing when I went was slow - much slower than usual. I hike into this lake every year before the gates open, and never fail to catch at least 50 fish in a few hours. I only pulled a few in, the most notable being this one right here. 

I love me some small brook trout! They're always very pretty fish. I hope to make it back up there soon and see if there's any monsters waiting to be caught.