UINTA MOUNTAINS — When temperatures go up, fishermen follow. Fish, now, prefer to go down.
Which accounted for the fact that the high-mountain lakes in the Uintas were lined with fishermen in camp chairs over the weekend, intently watching for a flick of the bobber or wiggle in the line.
Judging from a random sampling of fishing groups, fishing was good, which is usually the story at this time of the year.
Hot daytime temperatures heat up lower elevation lakes and streams, forcing fish to swim deeper to find the cooler water, which takes them away from a comfortable cast from shore.
Even those in boats and tubes sometimes have difficulty getting baits and lures deep enough to attract fish.
Which is not always the case in the higher mountain lakes, where the water and air are cooler, sometimes even cold to the touch.
Add in the fact that several lakes are within a hundred yards of the main highways and it's easy to see why the Uintas are so popular during the hottest days of summer.
It also helps in replenishing of the fish supply. Being close to the highway makes it easier for the stocking trucks to regularly plant 10- to 12-inch catchable trout. During the summer peaks, the lakes receive a load of fish about every two weeks.
One of the fish often planted is the albino trout, which is sometimes called the Utah golden because of its golden color. The albinos grow faster than the more common strain of rainbow. Also, the light coloring makes them easy to see in the water.
Which was the case with Harvey Mobley of West Valley. An avid fly fisherman, Mobley had caught and released more than a dozen fish from Mirror Lake on Sunday.
The one that got away, he said, was a large albino "that followed my fly until it got close, then it saw me and just swam off."
Two weeks earlier, Mobley said he caught around 20 fish using dry flies. His best success has been with a black gnat with white wings and a small bumblebee.
Seth Farley, fishing from a canoe, caught a rainbow he said was "larger than I expected to catch in (Mirror) lake."
Dave Jones, fishing with youngsters Tayla and Jordan Schweikart, said they caught five, but released the three smallest in a couple hours of fishing.
Most of the anglers around the shoreline were using PowerBait.
At this time of the year, flies are an excellent choice, especially with those flies that imitate common hatches, such as with the midges, mosquitoes, caddis and mayflies. Most of these hatches occur in the late afternoon and, when the moon is full, well into the night.
Other popular flies at this time of year are those that look like common insects, such as ants, beetles and damselflies.
For those not proficient at throwing a fly line, there's the alternative of using a spincasting outfit and throwing bait, lures or a bubble with a fly below.
A good method of fishing any of the Uinta lakes is with a spincasting rig throwing a bubble and fly. This allows a fisherman to match hatches with flies and allows them to cast without snagging up on the thick vegetation usually found around the shorelines.
The secret here is to apply trial-and-error tactics. Start, for example, putting the fly the recommended distance of three to four feet behind the bubble. If there is no action, go shorter, even up to two feet. Then, start with the bubble half-full of water and floating, then work to where it's full and sinking. If there is surface feeding, obviously, then float the bubble, and if there's no sign of feeding, then sink the bubble.
Midday, lures work well. They, too, should be cast out and allowed to sink to different levels in order to find where the fish are holding.
Good lures to try include the Jake's Spin-a-Lure, preferably brass colored with red dots, and a Maise, and spinners like the Panther Martin.
Inlets are another place to concentrate attention. Incoming water brings food and fish know it.
Best fishing in the higher lakes is in the mornings and evenings, when shadows start to appear.
During the afternoon hours, try fishing around lily pads and on the shady side of fallen trees.
If the fishing slows in the afternoon, a good alternative is to fish the streams flowing into the lakes.
"The streams are often overlooked," said Byron Gunderson of Fish Tech Outfitter. "Because of the limited food supply in the streams, these fish need to feed all day, which can result in some good fishing."
Opportunities, of course, vary with time and interests.
There are those lakes that are very easy to reach, like Lost, Trial, Moosehorn, Teapot, Lilly and Mirror. Parking is less than a minute's walk to the shoreline.
There are those fishermen, however, who prefer to leave the pavement for hiking trails and solitude. For those, there are a number of lakes within an hour's hike.
Alexander Lake is a short drive off the main highway from the Spring Creek turnoff.
There are a number of lakes accessible from the Trial Lake Trail, like Blue, Hourglass, Haystack and Crystal.
Same is true over the Bald Mountain Trail. Along the trail are Clegg, Notch and Bench lakes.
All are within a few miles of parking and require little strenuous hiking for young and/or old to reach.
The Mirror Lake and Highline trails also lead to some beautiful and secluded lakes. Further north, about four miles west from the Hayden's Fork, is Whitney Reservoir, one of the larger waters in the Uintas.
Then, of course, for the more adventuresome, there are the more distant lakes, like Brown Duck, Black and Grandaddy.
The thing to remember is that those lakes near the highway get a high number of hatchery fish. These fish tend to be somewhat disoriented and are usually easier to catch. Unfamiliar with natural conditions, they hit anything that looks like a meal and pay little attention to time.
The longer the fish stay in the water, the more fish-like their habits become. They usually feed only in the mornings and evenings, when there are shadows to help protect them from birds, and they are usually more selective in what they'll take.
The DWR will continue to stock the Mirror Lake Highway lakes into September. What usually happens, however, is that as temperatures begin to drop, so does interest in fishing in the high country.
Fishing in the Uintas, however, tends to remain good well into September and October.
E-mail: grass@desnews.com