The cycle is up at Piute Reservoir for 2006. Fish weighing up to 5 pounds have been caught this year.
Piute is a 2,500-acre main-stem reservoir on the Sevier River about 35 miles south of Richfield along U.S. 89 in southwestern Utah.
There is a Division of State Parks and Recreation boat ramp and parking area at the reservoir, and primitive camping opportunities around the shoreline. The daily fish limit is four trout and six bass, without any special size restrictions.
Because of continually changing conditions, a modest allotment of about 100,000 of the 7-inch trout is stocked in the reservoir. If conditions aren't good at Piute, these fish are used elsewhere. If conditions are good, the full quota is used and additional fish are also sought for stocking.
In 2005, conditions at Piute were optimal and additional trout were stocked.
Starting in fall 2004, about 94,000 of the 7-inch rainbow trout were stocked into Piute Reservoir as part of the normal planned quota. A total of about 96,500 extra 3-inch fingerling rainbows were added in June 2005 and 2,000 more 5-inch fingerlings in August.
The normal allotment of about 97,000 of the 7-inch rainbows was stocked again in October 2005, and a final excess allotment of 40,000 of the 5-inch rainbows was planted in early December.
Because of this varied stocking, trout ranging up to 5 pounds are now available in Piute.
Rainbow trout are normally planted, but anglers can also catch browns and cutthroats in Piute. The browns and cutthroats are sometimes extra fish that are stocked in the reservoir, or they can also be fish that migrated downstream from the East Fork of the Sevier River where both browns and cutthroat are plentiful.
In addition to the trout, 3,000 smallmouth bass fingerlings and 155 adults were introduced in May 2005 to jump start the reservoir's bass fishery. There's a good chance that the adult bass spawned shortly after they were stocked. Expect the bass to start showing up in another year or two.
Anglers are finding the best bass fishing near the dam at the north end of the reservoir. Look for bass in rocky shorelines that provide cover, and don't pass up the rip-rap on the face of the dam.
Trout fishing from boats is a good way to fish this large reservoir, but bait fishing from the bank is also popular. Road access is available along most of the west shoreline.
Mornings are the best time to fish from a boat. Summer afternoon winds can make boating uncomfortable, or even dangerous. Mornings are often calm, with the wind not picking up until about 10 a.m. or 11 a.m. The wind often calms down again in the evening.
For more information about fishing at Piute Reservoir, call the DWR's Southern Region office at 435-865-6100.