Central Utah Fishing Report

BURRASTON PONDS: (May 21) Stocked every week with trout. Most anglers are using traditional baits and lures. Fishing success is considered good.

CANYON VIEW PARK POND: (May 21) Officer Shawn Bagley reports good success by anglers. Open water and stocked weekly with trout.

DEER CREEK RESERVOIR: (May 21) Just pulled gillnets. The results included a lot of trout and walleye. A luncher large mouth bass was pulled yesterday. One brown trout had 13 small perch in its belly! Many anglers report very good success from shoreline or boat for trout. Water level is high. Walleye success is still slow to fair.

DIAMOND FORK RIVER: (May 21) Water is running a little high and murky but anglers are reporting good success with shiny spinners or worms.

GRANTSVILLE RESERVOIR: (May 21) Stocked. Fair to good success by using traditional baits and lures.

HIGHLAND GLEN PARK: (May 21) Two fish limit. Stocked every week with trout.

JORDANELLE RESERVOIR: (May 21) Open water. Fishing success is considered good by using all methods from boat, tube or shoreline.

KIDNEY POND: (May 21) Two fish limit. Stocked weekly with trout.

MIDAS POND: (May 21) Two fish limit. Stocked weekly with trout.

MILL HOLLOW RESERVOIR: (May 21) Highway 35 is down to a single lane but you can only drive about a mile up the Mill Hollow turn off. Can't access the lake yet.

NINE MILE RESERVOIR: (May 21) Angler Alexander reports fishing has been slow in the evenings. There seems to be some good success coming from float tube and boat anglers casting at the shore. Most success some from fish ranging from 13 to 17 inches. Fish chase spinners and kastmaster-type lures.

PALISADE RESERVOIR & STATE PARK: (May 21) Angler Alexander reports fair fishing in specific areas. The bite is best at first light in the morning and an hour or so before sunset in the evening. Fish are hitting spinners near the shallows and power bait and marshmallows in the deeper water. Some carp have been spotted moving near the dam.

PAYSON LAKE: (May 21) Road is not plowed to Payson Lake. Officer Shawn Bagley reports that Maple Lake is accessible but road to Payson lakes are not open. Road is usually plowed and open for Memorial Day.

PROVO RIVER, LOWER: (May 21) Tributaries west of I-15 opened up on May 1, 2010. Good success with small (size-20 or smaller) midge imitations above I-15 and up to Deer Creek Dam. Sow bugs are a good pattern as well.

PROVO RIVER, MIDDLE: (May 21) Midges (size-20 or smaller), sow bugs and small, dark-colored nymphs also work well. Special regulations on much of the Provo River. Please read proclamation.

SALEM POND: (May 21) Two fish limit. Stocked every week. Traditional baits and lures are working well.

SETTLEMENT CANYON RESERVOIR: (May 21) Good fishing reported for recently stocked trout. Use traditional baits and lures.

SPANISH OAKS RESERVOIR: (May 21) Two fish limit. Stocked weekly with trout. Regional Aquatics Manager Mike Slater reports his family doing very well by using worms or wooly bugger fly patterns. Officer Bagley reports other anglers are having good success with baits and lures.

SPRING LAKE: (May 21) Stocked on weekly basis with trout.

STRAWBERRY RESERVOIR: (May 21) Strawberry Project leader Alan Ward reports that Strawberry is now ice-free. Access is good. Lots of floating ice so use caution if using float tubes or boats. Try a white tube jib or various other baits and lures until you find the right one. Move around and try different lures and baits if success is not good. Main regulations state limit four trout or kokanee salmon in the aggregate, no more than two may be cutthroat trout under 15 inches and no more than one may be a cutthroat trout over 22 inches. All cutthroat trout from 15 to 22 inches must be immediately released. Trout or salmon may not be filleted and the heads or tails may not be removed in the field or in transit.

TIBBLE FORK RESERVOIR: (May 21) Open water. Fair success by using traditional baits and lures.

UTAH LAKE: (May 21) Many species of fish are being caught right now, especially white bass and catfish. Walleye success is considered slow to fair.

VERNON RESERVOIR: (May 21) Stocked. Success is considered good with traditional baits and lures.

VIVIAN PARK POND: (May 21) Two fish limit. Fair fishing success. Stocked.

WILLOW POND: (May 21) Two fish limit. Angler Alexander reports "I managed to make it to Willow Park Pond this weekend. Fishing pressure was high but everyone seemed to be catching at a steady pace. Fish were biting on yellow powerbait and lures. I tried my luck at some catfish and managed to haul in an 8-pound 19-inch catfish caught with dip bait. These holdovers are quite big and will fight hard."

YUBA RESERVOIR & STATE PARK: (May 21) Open water. Success is slow to fair but northern pike and walleye success should begin to pick up any time now. Cast in the shallow water for the northern pike (5–10 feet).

Central Utah Region fishing report

DWR Biologist Jordan Nielson shows the huge northern pike biologists found in gillnets during survey work at Yuba Reservoir on April 14. After taking a couple of photos, the pike was released back into the reservoir.

Photo courtesy of Scoot Root, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources

BURRASTON PONDS: (April 16) The pond is stocked weekly with trout and fishing is good. Most anglers are using traditional baits and lures.

CANYON VIEW PARK POND: (April 16) There is open water. The pond is stocked weekly with trout.

DEER CREEK RESERVOIR: (April 16) There is open water and the water level is high. Walleye success should pick up in near future. Trout success is fair.

DIAMOND FORK RIVER: (April 16) Anglers report slow to fair success. You can use bait, but most anglers prefer using flies.

GRANTSVILLE RESERVOIR: (April 16) The reservoir was recently stocked. Anglers report good success with using traditional baits and lures.

HIGHLAND GLEN PARK: (April 16) The pond is stocked weekly with trout.

JORDANELLE RESERVOIR: (April 16) There is open water. Fishing success is fair with any method from a boat, float tube or the shoreline.

KIDNEY POND: (April 16) The pond is stocked with trout every week.

MIDAS POND: (April 16) The pond is stocked with trout every week.

MILL HOLLOW RESERVOIR: (April 16) Highway 35 may still be closed or unplowed. If you can access the reservoir, please use caution and check the ice.

NINE MILE RESERVOIR: (April 16) Angler Perry Bunderson of Moore, Utah brought in a lunker 9-pound tiger trout a couple of weeks ago. Try using traditional baits and lures.

PALISADE RESERVOIR & STATE PARK: (April 16) Angler Scott Hansen reports that there is no ice on the reservoir, but there is still snow on the banks. It snowed while he was there and probably again this week. Scott caught two 15-inch tiger trout and his son caught one rainbow.

PAYSON LAKE: (April 05) Gate to canyon is closed for the season.

PROVO RIVER, LOWER: (April 16) The tributaries west of I-15 are closed to fishing until 6:00 a.m. on May 1st. Anglers report good success with small (size 20 or smaller) midge imitations above I-15 and up to Deer Creek Dam. Sow bugs are also a good pattern.

PROVO RIVER, MIDDLE: (April 16) Try using size 20 or smaller midges, sow bugs and small and dark-colored nymphs. There special regulations on much of the Provo River, read the Utah Fishing Guidebook for details.

SALEM POND: (April 16) Salem Pond is stocked with trout every week.

SETTLEMENT CANYON RESERVOIR: (April 16) The reservoir is mostly open water. Angler report fair success with traditional baits.

SPANISH OAKS RESERVOIR: (April 16) The reservoir is stocked with trout weekly. Anglers report fair to good success with baits and lures.

SPRING LAKE: (April 16) The lake is stocked with trout on weekly basis. Anglers report slow fishing for catfish.

STRAWBERRY RESERVOIR: (April 16) Anglers report that the ice is over two feet thick. But it's often a layer of hard slush that can have some wet slush underneath. Wear waterproof boots on warm days. Fishing success is fair. Several parking areas are plowed but you can't drive past the Strawberry Marina turnoff. Try bait tipped jigs or dead minnows. If you aren't finding success, move locations. Read the Utah Fishing Guidebook to learn about Strawberry's special regulations.

THISTLE CREEK: (April 16) Anglers report slow to fair success. You can use bait, but most anglers prefer using flies.

TIBBLE FORK RESERVOIR: (April 16) There is open water and fair success with traditional baits and lures.

UTAH LAKE: (April 16) Walleye anglers report slow success this week, but fishing should pick up again soon. The tributaries west of I-15 closed to fishing on March 1 and won't open again until 6:00 a.m. on May 1.

VERNON RESERVOIR: (April 16) Anglers report fair with traditional baits and lures.

VIVIAN PARK POND: (April 16) Anglers report fair success.

WILLOW POND: (April 16) Anglers report good success. Willow will be stocked on a weekly basis this year.

YUBA RESERVOIR & STATE PARK: (April 16) There is open water. DWR Biologist Jordan Nielson found—and released—a 43-inch, 17-pound northern pike in a recent gillnet survey. (That pike is still in the reservoir, so you still have a chance to catch him!) Other than Division biologists, there wasn't anyone else on the reservoir during the gillnet survey. The walleye and northern pike are very healthy looking. May and June are usually the best months to fish Yuba. Visit www.stateparks.utah.gov for current conditions.

DWR starts Utah’s third confirmed Otter Population near Provo River

The odds you’ll see a river otter in Utah just got better.

On Nov. 25, biologists with the Division of Wildlife Resources released a northern river otter into the Provo River between Jordanelle and Deer Creek reservoirs. (This stretch of the river is commonly referred to as the “middle Provo.”)

The otter, a young adult female, is the first of as many as 10 to 15 otters the DWR hopes to place into the middle Provo River in the next few months. The otter released on Nov. 25 was trapped by DWR biologists on the Green River in northeastern Utah.

Three-year study

Releasing river otters into the middle Provo will provide Utah with another river otter population. It will also provide biologists with valuable information about the habits of river otters in the state.

“Releasing this otter marks the beginning of a three-year study to learn more about otters in Utah,” says Justin Dolling, game mammals coordinator for the DWR.

The day before the otter was released, a veterinarian at Brigham Young University placed a small transmitter in the otter’s abdomen, just under its skin. The transmitter will allow Casey Day to track the otter. Day is a graduate student at BYU.

Transmitters will also be placed in other otters that are released into the river.

“The types of food otters eat, the distances they travel and how successful they are at reproducing are among the things Day will learn,” Dolling says. “The information we gain from his study will guide us in other river otter reintroductions we do in the future.”

UWIN provides funding

Utah Wildlife in Need (UWIN)—a new charitable foundation in Utah—is providing all of the funding for the project.

So far, the foundation has raised $66,000 for the project. That’s half of what’s needed to see the project through to the end.

“If you want to help otters in Utah, this project gives you the perfect chance,” says Bob Hasenyager, UWIN director. “The ALSAM Foundation has provided $66,000 to get the otter project up and going. Now we need other folks to step up and provide the funding needed to see the project through to the end.”

You can learn more about UWIN—and make a donation to the otter project—at http://www.uwin.org/.

Otters and trout

DWR biologists have heard from anglers who are concerned about the effect river otters will have on trout in the middle Provo River.

“Crayfish [also called crawdads] are an otter’s favorite food,” Dolling says. “But if they can’t find crayfish, they’ll turn to other sources, including frogs and fish. An adult otter eats about two to three pounds of food per day.”

Dolling says the middle Provo River has plenty of crayfish. But if the otters have any difficulty finding crayfish in the river, there are plenty of fish to eat. “Otters usually target slower-moving fish, such as sculpin, whitefish, carp and suckers,” he says. “Most of the fish they eat are between five and seven inches long.”

Dolling says the river otters will also eat trout. And that may not be a bad thing.

“This stretch of the river has an abundant trout population that’s dominated by brown trout,” says Roger Wilson, sport fish coordinator for the DWR. “Because there are so many fish in the river, the fish are having to compete with each other for food and space. The competition they’re having is reducing their growth rate and affecting their overall condition.

“Letting otters take some fish could actually improve fishing in the river,” Wilson says. “If otters take some fish, the fish that remain should grow to a larger size.”

Walt Donaldson, Aquatic Section chief for the DWR, says the middle Provo River is a blue ribbon fishery that’s known to anglers across the country. “We reintroduced otters into the Green River in 1989, and they’ve haven’t caused the fish in the river any problems,” he says. “After otters are placed in the Provo River, we’ll keep monitoring the fish population in the river. If we find the otters are causing the fish problems, we can take management actions to make sure fishing in the river doesn’t suffer.”

Those actions include stocking trout in the river and capturing and removing some of the otters.

Not only should the otters not cause problems for fish in the river, they might also add to the enjoyment anglers find while fishing.

“Many anglers who fish the Green River have enjoyed seeing the otters,” Donaldson says. “They say it’s a treat to watch a family of otters play while they’re fishing.”
Otter history

River otters were never abundant in Utah. But they were found in various parts of the state. Some of the biggest populations were in northern Utah.

River otters were doing fine until Utah was settled. Then over trapping started to take a toll. In 1899, the Utah Legislature closed the state to otter trapping.

Otters faced another challenge, though: the degradation of vegetation along steam banks, and agricultural and urban encroachment. Each of these factors affected water levels and water quality in the state. And that, in turn, that affected the otters’ food supply.

As their habitat and food supply declined, the number of otters declined too.

Bringing otters back

Management practices during the 1900s improved conditions along some of the state’s steam banks. That, in turn, improved water quality. By the 1980s, it was time to increase the number of river otters in Utah.

The DWR started expanding river otter populations in 1989 when biologists released nine otters from Nevada and Alaska into the Green River in northeastern Utah.

The DWR followed the 1989 release with several more otters releases in the area.

In 2005, Utah’s river otter population expanded more when three otters trapped by the DWR in ortheastern Utah were released into the Escalante River in southwestern Utah.

That release was also followed by several other releases in the river.

Learn more

More information about river otters and their future in Utah is available in the state’s River Otter Management Plan. The free plan is available at www.wildlife.utah.gov/pdf/otter_plan.pdf

Program Highlights for the July 25, 2009 Weekend Edition

Saturday’s Weekend Edition is now available for download. Check out the great lineup of guests and topics for July 25, 2009. You can hear it along the Wasatch Front from 10 a.m.-11 a.m. on AM 630 KTKK




Segment 1
Dr. Sancy Leachman with the Huntsman Cancer Institute is discussing Sunblock Safety.
http://www.huntsmancancer.org/ http://miles4melanoma.com/freddiehoffman/


Segment 2
Guy Perkins from Camp Chef is preparing for Deer Camp. http://www.campchef.com/


Segment 3
Rolayne Fairclough with AAA has some end of Summer Vacation Savings. http://www.aaa.com/discounts


Larry Dalton with the Division of Wildlife Resources has tips for decontaminating your watercraft to prevent the spread of Invasive Species. http://wildlife.utah.gov/mussels


Segment 4
Neil Jarman is Kayaking and Tubing on the Provo River with High Country Rafting. http://www.highcountryrafting.com/

Drivetime Audio Segments Now Available for July 27-31

Download this week’s drivetime programming at our Network Page at http://www.backcountrynetwork.com/Download/Download.htm . Check out the schedule below.



July 27, 2009
Monday Morning (Track 1) Limiting the spread of Quagga and Zebra Mussels—Larry Dalton, DWR
Monday Afternoon (Track 2) Boat Decontamination Requirements—Larry Dalton, DWR

July 28, 2009
Tuesday Morning (Track 3) Special Raft Rides on the Provo River—Neil Jarman, High Country Rafting
Tuesday Afternoon (Track 4) Kayaking and Tubing the Provo River—Neil Jarman, High Country Rafting

July 29, 2009
Wednesday Morning (Track 5) Great End of Summer Vacation Deals—Rolayne Fairclough, AAA
Wednesday Afternoon (Track 6) Prepare your Vehicle for Vacation—Rolayne Fairclough, AAA

July 30, 2009
Thursday Morning (Track 7) Understanding Sunscreen SPF—Dr. Sancy Leachman, Huntsman Cancer Institute
Thursday Afternoon (Track 8 ) Avoiding the Summer Burn—Dr. Sancy Leachman, Huntsman Cancer Institute

July 31, 2009
Friday Morning (Track 9) Miles for Melanoma—Dr. Sancy Leachman, Huntsman Cancer Institute
Friday Afternoon (Track 10) Preparing Your Deer Camp Menu--Guy Perkins, Camp Chef

Program Highlights for the Weekend Edition

Saturday's Weekend Edition is now available for download. Check out the great lineup of guests and topics for July 18, 2009. You can hear it along the Wasatch Front from 10 a.m.-11 a.m. on AM 630 KTKK


Saturday's Program Highlights

Segment 1
Desiree Larson is celebrating Ogden's Pioneer Days. http://www.ogdenpioneerdays.com/



Segment 2
Guy Perkins from Camp Chef discusses the growing fire hazards. http://www.campchef.com/



Segment 3
Casey Robertson with Robertson's Marine has a huge inventory clearance sale with rock bottom prices. http://www.robertsonsmarine.com/

Dr. Sancy Leachman is discussing several Skin Cancer safety Myths.
http://www.huntsmancancer.org/ http://miles4melanoma.com/freddiehoffman/



Segment 4
Neil Jarman is staying cool on the Provo River with High Country Rafting. http://www.highcountryrafting.com/

Drivetime Audio Segments Now Available for July 20-24

Download this week’s drivetime programming at our Network Page at http://www.backcountrynetwork.com/Download/Download.htm . Check out the schedule below.


Drivetime Lineup of Topics on Backcountry Utah

July 20, 2009
Monday Morning (Track 1) Celebrate the 75th year Anniversary of Ogden Pioneer Days—Desiree Larsen
Monday Afternoon (Track 2) Rodeo Fun as part of Ogden Pioneer Days—Desiree Larsen

July 21, 2009
Tuesday Morning (Track 3) Meet the Whoopee Girls—Desiree Larsen, Ogden Pioneer Days
Tuesday Afternoon (Track 4) Big Boat Savings in 2009—Casey Robertson, Robertson’s Marine

July 22, 2009
Wednesday Morning (Track 5) Invest in a new Boat—Casey Robertson, Robertson’s Marine
Wednesday Afternoon (Track 6) Discover Boating this Summer — Casey Robertson, Robertson’s Marine

July 23, 2009
Thursday Morning (Track 7) Tanning Beds and Skin Cancer—Dr. Sancy Leachman, Huntsman Cancer Institute
Thursday Afternoon (Track 8 ) Common Sun Safety Myths—Dr. Sancy Leachman, Huntsman Cancer Institute


July 24, 2009
Friday Morning (Track 9) Rafting the Provo River—Neil Jarman, High Country Rafting
Friday Afternoon (Track 10) Summer Fire Safety --Guy Perkins, Camp Chef