Northern Region Fishing Report

Big Brown Caught on the Ogden River

BEAR LAKE: (June 03) Biologist Scott Tolentino is excited because rainbow trout are being stocked in the lake, which will provide anglers with a new summertime opportunity. If the results are comparable to other waters where catchable-sized trout were stocked, stocking may continue in the future.

BIRCH CREEK RESERVOIR: (June 03) Dedicated Hunter Wes Grose reports that the reservoir is not quite full and the water is clear. Anglers had some success catching tiger trout with pink glow bugs tipped with worms, and rainbows with size 0 Mepps spinners.

BLACKSMITH FORK RIVER: (June 03) Hardware Ranch Manager Dan Christensen reports fair success with midge patterns. Some anglers have reported success with stonefly adult fly patterns.

BOUNTIFUL LAKE: (June 03) Anglers report fair fishing. Bountiful Lake is a great place to take someone that has never been fishing before.

CAUSEY RESERVOIR: (June 03) Dedicated Hunter Wes Grose reports the water is high and murky. Anglers report some success catching rainbows and tiger trout with salmon eggs and worms.

CUTLER RESERVOIR & MARSH: (May 20) The water level is high. The weather is warming, which should improve fishing. Access is good. This is a really fun place for kids. I recommend bringing a canoe and just drifting through the marsh. Try standard riggings with nightcrawlers if you're fishing for catfish or crappie.

EAST CANYON RESERVOIR & STATE PARK: (June 03) Anglers report good fishing for fat rainbows. Shore angling is slow but successful. There is a lot of fishing pressure. The northeast cove seemed to be the best fishing spot; anglers reported catching the best size of fish in the cove. Try lime green PowerBait.

ECHO RESERVOIR: (June 03) The water level is high. The water has backed up over the banks and is flowing through the willows at the inlet. Try trolling with shad raps and crankbait at a depth of 25 to 30 feet. Shore angling is very slow.

HOLMES CREEK RESERVOIR: (June 03) Angler Marleen Stanley reports that she and her husband fish this small urban pond a couple of times a week. She says that the rainbows like PowerBait, but they are excellent at stealing it off the line. Most of the fish that Marleen catches are small.

HYRUM RESERVOIR & STATE PARK: (June 03) Anglers report good fishing for fat rainbows.

JENSEN NATURE PARK POND: (May 20) Catfish stocking has started at many community fishing waters. Remember, there's a two-fish daily limit at the pond and all other community fisheries.

LITTLE CREEK RESERVOIR: (June 03) Dedicated Hunter Wes Grose reports fair success for 10- to 14-inch rainbows with green and red PowerBait.

LOGAN RIVER: (June 03) Gene Jones of Sunset, Utah caught a 30.5-inch, 15.5-pound brown trout fishing First Dam on May 30. The fish was just over eight inches wide and had a girth of 21 inches. Jones caught the fish with a worm and 8-pound test line.

LOST CREEK RESERVOIR: (June 03) Lost Creek is one of the better fishing spots right now. Anglers report catching one or more fish with lime-green, chartreuse PowerBait between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. Try fishing around the dam.

MANTUA RESERVOIR: (June 03) Trout fishing has been good all spring. If you want to catch a fat rainbow, try traditional baits, lures and flies.

MIRROR LAKE: (June 03) Conservation Officer Bruce Johnson reports that Smith Morehouse is open and fishing is good. UDOT announced that Mirror Lake Highway should open by 5 p.m. on June 3. But be careful, there are still slushy, icy areas. The lakes along this scenic route are still frozen and covered with snow. It will be another couple of weeks before fishing is possible. There is still 2 or three feet of snow in some areas.

NEWTON RESERVOIR: (June 03) Tiger muskie fishing is slowly improving. Anglers report catching one or two, and seeing a lot of big muskies.

OGDEN RIVER: (June 03) Some anglers report that the stonefly hatch has started on the South Fork. The main branch of the river below is running high and fast.

PINEVIEW RESERVOIR: (June 03) Anglers report slow fishing.

PORCUPINE RESERVOIR: (June 03) There are a few reports of success for brown trout. Overall, fishing is slow.

ROCKPORT RESERVOIR: (June 03) Anglers report fair success for rainbows by trolling pop gear. Shore fishing with PowerBait or worms is very slow. Fishing for bass is fair. One group caught a two-pound smallmouth within 45 minutes.

WEBER RIVER: (June 03) Conservation Officer Bruce Johnson reports good fishing between Wanship and Coalville. Water levels have increased this last week. The water quality is still good. Biologist Paul Thompson reports that the river is up and down right now. The rain and melting snow means that the water flows and water clarity will fluctuate. Your best bets for fishable flows and decent clarity are between Echo and Rockport Reservoirs, and in the Peterson area. Try using zebra midges, hare's ear or San Juan worms around 9 a.m.

WILLARD BAY RESERVOIR: (June 03) There are anglers regularly reporting good wiper fishing, but a few are still reporting slow fishing.

Northern Region Fishing Report

Photo Courtesy Big Fish Tackle

BLACKSMITH FORK RIVER: (April 15) Conservation Officer Matt Burgess reports that you'll find good fishing for browns on the river and at the dam. Use worms or spinners.

BOUNTIFUL LAKE: (April 15) Although the fishing at Bountiful Lake has been slow, you'll find fair to good fishing at some of Davis County's other community fisheries. Conservation Officer Brandon Baron reports that fishing is fair at Maybe, Jensen and Kaysville ponds and good at both Steed and Farmington. Remember, there's a two-fish limit at all community ponds.

CAUSEY RESERVOIR: (April 20) Conservation Officer David Beveridge reports that the ice is coming off fast. The North Arm has open water, there is some open water off of the dam and the Skull Crack side is opening up too. Anglers report good fishing on the Skull Crack arm with standard baits.

EAST CANYON RESERVOIR & STATE PARK: (April 20) The lake ice is melting and Park Ranger Jeff Dale reports seeing signs of open water. There are more shore anglers, although the fishing is hit or miss. The mouth of the Weber River, Taylor Hollow and Dixie Hollow have all been popular. (Winter day use fees apply to the Dixie Hollow park area.) Dedicated Hunter Jeremy Willden reports success fishing the bottom 20 to 40 feet off shore with yellow and green PowerBait and worms. Floattubers are seeing great action next to the dam. Conservation Officer Jonathan Moser recommends trolling with popgear and a worm for rainbow trout. There is a lot of litter in many of the popular fishing and parking areas as the snow melts, please pack out your trash. If you're fishing from a boat, don't forget to fill out the Aquatic Invasive Species checklists that are on the boat ramp.

ECHO RESERVOIR: (April 20) Dedicated Hunter Jeremy Willden reports light pressure. One angler caught a 16-inch rainbow.

HYRUM RESERVOIR & STATE PARK: (April 20) Park Ranger Steve Bullock reports the Hyrum State Park courtesy boat dock is in and the reservoir is at capacity. Anglers report slow fishing but are catching good-sized Rainbow Trout at the east and west ends of the reservoir.

LOGAN RIVER: (April 06) Conservation Officer Matt Burgess reports that fishing is slow at the Logan River First Dam. Anglers are catching a few trout from the docks.

LOST CREEK RESERVOIR: (April 20) Conservation Officer Jonathan Moser reports that the ice is almost off. Only a few large ice sheets are left. After a few more days and some windy weather, Lost Creek should be open to boating. Shore anglers report success near the dam with different colors of PowerBait. Try your favorite color. If you're fishing from a boat, don't forget to fill out the Aquatic Invasive Species checklists that are on the boat ramp.

MANTUA RESERVOIR: (April 15) Biologist Ben Nadolski reports that boats can launch and fish the southern and western portions of the reservoir for rainbow trout. There should be many rainbow trout left over from when we stocked the reservoir last fall.

NEWTON RESERVOIR: (April 15) Conservation Officer Matt Burgess reports that the reservoir was still frozen around most of the lake as of April 8. Some areas have opened on the edges.

OGDEN RIVER: (April 15) Biologist Ben Nadolski reports that the water flows are pretty low, which makes the fish skittish. Fishing has been fair for browns, using small dry flies like blue wing olives (size 18 or 20 works well). You'll also have success with small nymphs like Copper Johns, pheasant tails and hare's ears (size 18 or 20).

PINEVIEW RESERVOIR: (April 20) Dedicated Hunter Jeremy Willden reports light pressure.Try using worms and marshmallows. One angler caught-and-released three bullheads.

PORCUPINE RESERVOIR: (April 15) Conservation Officer Matt Burgess reports that the edges are open around the reservoir.

ROCKPORT RESERVOIR: (April 20) Dedicated Hunter Jeremy Willden reports great fishing. He used a variety of PowerBait colors and fished on the bottom from 15 to 30 yards out. The ice should melt by the weekend; the water temperature is between 25 and 30 degrees. The peak fishing times at Rockport are between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., and in the evenings between 4–5 p.m. Rainbows are averaging 14 to 18 inches. Conservation Officer Bruce Johnson reports the boat ramp is accessible and that all of the shorelines have fishable water. The water levels are rising slowly. If you're fishing from a boat, don't forget to fill out the Aquatic Invasive Species checklists that are on the boat ramp.

WEBER RIVER: (April 20) Biologist Paul Thompson reports that, between Echo and Rockport reservoir, the water clarity improves as you move upstream toward Rockport. The water is cloudy near Coalville, which may make it more difficult to catch fish. From Echo Reservoir downstream to Morgan, flows are low and the water is mostly clear, so fishing should be good. Brown trout are extremely aggressive in the Weber this time of year. Try using darker colors like black, olive or brown. Conservation Officer Jonathan Moser reports that the water is cloudy downstream from about Morgan.

Please notify the Division if you see any violations or problems. Also, remember to please pack out your garbage. Not all the garbage on the river is due to anglers. Garbage gets dumped by many who are just traveling through. However, if every anglers took a few minutes to pick up and pack out garbage, it would certainly improve the area.

WILLARD BAY RESERVOIR: (April 20) Mike Bolinski reports that fishing is slow, but anglers are beginning to catch a few black crappies and wipers. The water temperatures have risen to 55 but have been fluctuating with the weather. Fishing pressure has increased significantly. Anglers are lining the shores of the north marina and several boat anglers are fishing the inside and outside of the marina. Try targeting black crappie with small jigs and bait underneath a float. A very slow retrieve has been the most effective method. Some anglers report limited success targeting wipers along the dykes. Try working crank baits erratically. Fishing may slow down this week because of the upcoming cooler weather.