Any fishing is good. Better fishing, however, starts, oh, somewhere around Labor Day. What a coincidence.
The recent string of little storms that have passed through Utah in recent weeks have cooled things off. Which means the gap between fish and fishermen will start to narrow. Fish generally don't like warm water, so they slow down and go deep. When waters cool, the fish become more active and move into the shallows.Cooler temperatures also trip their dinner bell. Somehow, fish know they've got to eat a lot before the water freezes. They're a lot less finicky about what's put before them.
This, too, is recognized as the best time of the year for fly fishermen.
And, most major waters have been stocked heavily for the Labor Day holiday. This will be the last major stock of catchable trout for 1994.
So, all considered, this is a great time to toss a lure or bait at fish.
Where are some of the hot spots?
Kokanee salmon are starting to school in anticipation of the annual run at Strawberry, Flaming Gorge and Porcupine reservoirs. At the Gorge, for example, fishermen have been doing well trolling pop gear or jigging vertically with 1/4 to 3/8 ounce Maribou jigs.
Smallmouth bass fishing has been fast at both the Gorge and Lake Powell. Anglers are using crayfish-colored plastic grubs off submerged structure. At Lake Powell, fishermen are going to the deep side of islands, where water colors start to change, casting towards shore and bouncing the grub off the bottom a couple of times.
Lake trout are starting to move up in the lake at the Gorge. Some of the larger ones, 10 to 20 pounds, are being caught by trolling and vertical jigging.
The flow on the Green River below the dam has picked up, which has bumped fishing up a notch or two. Fly fishermen are doing well throwing grasshopper patterns in the morning and scuds in the afternoon.
Float tubers are starting to pick up a few rainbows on Strawberry in Indian Creek Bay using a floating line and small nymph patterns, like Hare's Ear and Matt's Fur. Trollers are catching some cutthroats on the Soldier Creek side of the reservoir in 20 to 25 feet of water using downriggers and lead-core line with small pop gear, triple teasers and needle fish. Most of the fish are running 10 to 11 inches on up to 1 to 11/2 pounds.
Scofield continues to be a hot spot for both bank fishermen and boaters. Here, too, they're trolling pop gear tipped with a worm, triple teasers and needle fish. Fly fishermen are doing well with a Wolly Worm and Wolly Buggers in green, brown or black.
The water levels in Otter Creek and Piute are low and fish are concentrated. Anglers have been doing well with Power Bait.
Fish Lake has been good for boat fishermen, but not so good for shore fishermen. There's still too much moss around the shoreline. Boaters are catching some nice rainbow on the east side of the lake. And, if things aren't going well at Fish Lake, just down the road is Johnson, where fishermen are picking up some nice cuts.
Pineview has been good for crappie and yellow perch out in the deeper waters. Boaters have been doing well dropping plastic jigs in 20 to 30 feet of water near the dam.
East Canyon has been good for boaters trolling in 30 feet of water with dark triple teasers or bait fishermen using Power Bait at 25 to 30 feet.
The fact that the Uintas will be heavily stocked for the weekend will make this area popular. A bubble and a fly is one of the best methods for fishing the high lakes.
Striped bass fishing at Powell has been slow. Those people who've lucked into one of the now-famous boils have done very well. Others are having trouble finding the fish.
Typically, fishing starts to pick up around Labor Day and continues to improve through September and into October.