It was, in the beginning, a perfect winter for ice fishing. Cold temperatures and limited snow cover created ice caps that were solid and thick, even on some waters — like Deer Creek and Jordanelle — that often never freeze solid.
Then came the warm temperatures, a little melting and runoff and suddenly there's a little glitch — getting from shore to solid ice. Some reservoirs have stayed solid. At others, however, open water and thin ice have made the jump from land to ice difficult. Some anglers are taking boards to bridge the gap. Others are taking the leap.
Once on the ice, fishing has been good this winter and is expected to remain good for a long time because of the thickness of the ice. Depths range from one to two feet.
As cooler temperatures and more snow moves into Utah this week, conditions could change.
Looking at individual waters, fishing has been good at Strawberry, especially in the early morning hours. Fish are moving into shallow water, anywhere from 10 to 15 feet deep, then moving into deeper water — 30 to 35 feet — in the afternoon.
Access to ice on Rockport, Pineview and Deer Creek has been a problem in some places.
There are reports of good fishing for perch at Pineview and for crappie around the dam.
Perch fishing at Jordanelle has been good, but the fish have been on the smaller side. According to Byron Gunderson of Fish Tech Outfitters, fishermen are reporting that for every 10 fish hooked, between two and four are keepers. The perch at Pineview are larger, but fishing is a little slower.
Earlier in the year the perch fishing at Rockport was good but has slowed considerably. The best fishing has been for rainbow.
There have been reports of browns in the 17- to 19-inch range being caught near the inlet to Deer Creek by Charleston.
Bear Lake has been giving up a lot of lake trout and white fish this winter.
Flaming Gorge has been good for small lake trout or pups, as they're called, and small rainbow.
One of the secrets to winter fishing is to remember that fish get cold and aren't as anxious to move quickly in very cold water, so often when they do bite it's more of a halfhearted attempt to tease. Sometimes it's impossible to detect a real bite from a gust of wind. The shorter winter fishing rods help, as do little tricks like holding the line on the index finger.
With fish being less willing to swim about, it sometimes becomes necessary for the angler to move to the fish. In these situations, a fish finder is priceless. If a locator isn't available, the rule is after 15 to 20 minutes of listening to the ice crack, and there's no action, move to another spot.
There are, of course, certain advantages to winter fishing. For those who don't own a boat and can't get to areas offshore in the summer, the frozen surface allows them to walk to their catch of the day.
Also, ice fishing doesn't require a big investment in tackle. A few small ice flies, spoons, wax worms and pieces of sucker or perch meat and all of it can be carried about easily in a 5-gallon bucket, which doubles as a handy seat.
The only piece of specialized equipment is an ice auger needed to cut a hole in the ice.
And, to find the best fishing, the best way is to watch where others are fishing or, if there's no one around, to follow old tracks. Crowds always congregate over fish.
Following is the latest report from the fishing hotline of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
BLACKSMITH FORK RIVER: The Blacksmith was surprisingly good given the cold temperatures. Prince nymphs, pheasant tails and Copper Johns were taking the brown trout. Leech patterns are still a good bet in the deeper holes. There is some ice, especially in shady sections.
HYRUM: Fishing is good. The lake is covered with 8 to 14 inches of ice. One angler caught 12 rainbows in four hours. The largest fish measured was a 3.6-pound, 18-inch rainbow. Most of the fish caught are rainbow trout with an occasional 8-inch perch. There are numerous 4-inch perch on upper end. White ice jigs tipped with mealworms or a piece of a salad shrimp seems to be working the best.
STRAWBERRY RESERVOIR: Success varies from slow to very good. Most anglers are fishing in about 30 feet of water, but even shallower water is producing trout. Tube jigs tipped with a worm remain the most popular technique.
JORDANELLE RESERVOIR: Some ice safety issues on the Rock Cliff arm. Fewer anglers are venturing there. Some open water and thin ice accompany ice that can be up to 10 inches thick so use caution. Success has been considered fair. Most anglers are using smaller, bait-tipped jigs and jigging every 30 to 60 seconds or so to attract the fish.
DEER CREEK RESERVOIR: Access onto the ice can be difficult. Though there is still some thicker ice once accessed, the shoreline ice can be thin. Some anglers are still risking it and reporting fair success for ice fishing. Walleye limit has been increased this year to 10, but only one over 24 inches may be kept.
PROVO RIVER: Warmer weather has led to some good dry fly fishing. Try blue-winged olives or parachute Adams in smaller sizes. Several nymph patterns will work. Try bead-head nymphs, gold-ribbed hares ear and pheasant. Good fishing reported on all stretches of the river.
CURRANT CREEK RESERVOIR: Lake has ice and several reports of good fishing. Check ice edge thickness carefully before venturing out. Area received more snow this week. The road was kept open to the dam.
FLAMING GORGE: Ice covers almost the entire reservoir. The lower canyon area has yet to freeze solid, but Mustang and Cedar Springs boat ramps are frozen with thin ice. Ice ranges from 10 to 18 inches. Anglers continue to report burbot being caught near Firehole and Lost Dog. Most fish being caught between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. Use glow jigs or spoons tipped with sucker or chub meat. Try fishing in 20 to 25 feet of water along rocky areas that may hold crayfish. Lake trout and rainbow being caught through the ice near Buckboard, Current Creek, Big Bend and Anvil Draw. Ice fishing for rainbows in the upper end was fair to good. Sheep Creek, Swim Beach, and Linwood Bay are also producing rainbows. White, brown or chartreuse 3-inch tube jigs on 3/16-ounce or 1/4-ounce jig heads tipped with meat have been particularly effective for small lake trout. Fish in depths from 50 to 90 feet. Also look for suspending fish over deep structure and use your graph to put a jig or lure right in front of them.
PELICAN LAKE: Ice roughly 18 inches. Anglers reporting fair to good fishing for bluegill, slower for bass. Try small brightly colored jigs tipped with bait such as a mealworm or piece of a night crawler.
RED FLEET RESERVOIR: Reservoir ice more than a foot thick. Should be good fishing for rainbows. Bass and bluegill continue to be much harder to find.
JOES VALLEY RESERVOIR: Fishing fair in 10 to 70 feet of water. Catching mostly smaller fish under and inside the slot limit. The bite is very light. Use small spoons or jigs tipped with chub meat.
SCOFIELD RESERVOIR: Fishing good. Use 1/16-ounce chartreuse ice fly tipped with a piece of night crawler.
FISH LAKE: 15 inches of ice over most of the lake. Fair to good fishing for perch and splake, though success can vary from day to day. Perch are being caught both in the weed beds and just off the weed line with small jigs tipped with perch meat or bait. Splake have been running up to 15 inches and are being caught just off the weed line in 20 to 45 feet of water. Try jigs or spoons tipped with perch or sucker meat fished near the bottom. Lake trout fishing has been fair.
MINERSVILLE RESERVOIR: The recent warm weather has been impacting ice conditions. The ice is still about 15 inches thick, but it is starting to get soft. The main problem is getting out to the thicker ice. Ice has thinned and melted around the shoreline, getting further out each day of warm weather. Ice fishing is not expected to be possible much longer.
NEWCASTLE RESERVOIR: Ice is 12 inches thick. Pressure is light. Fair success on ice-fly or jig tipped with night crawler or mealworm. Fish sometimes caught 5 to 10 feet down and sometimes only a couple of reel cranks from the bottom.
OTTER CREEK RESERVOIR: Pressure is high on weekends and lower on weekdays. Fishing has slowed somewhat but remains fair to good. Trout are between 1 and 4 pounds, with the average rainbow being about 1.5 pounds. Fish are being caught all over the lake, but in 15 to 30 feet of water. While most anglers are using white jigs, others have done just as well with any color. Tip the jig with mealworm or night crawler.
PANGUITCH LAKE: New regulations now in effect. The limit is four trout, which must be less than 15 inches or more than 22 inches. Fishing is fair for rainbows up to 15 inches, with an occasional larger rainbow or cutthroat. Try jigging ice flies and light-colored jigs tipped with mealworms or night crawlers.