A 5 lb largemouth and 4 lb smallmouth caught on Pickwick Lake. This week’s column comes to you from the Shoals Marriott Resort in Florence, Alabama. Earlier this year, I earned a slot in the B.A.S.S. Nationals, a bass fishing tournament held (in 2018) on Pickwick Lake in Alabama. Well, I say “Alabama,” but the
Ever since I began writing this column almost 19 years ago, I have tried to convince you to keep your fishing tackle, cold weather gear, and even your boats ready for late fall fishing. I know that many of you use the first of October as the drop-dead date to store and winterize most of
Sometimes (even though I feel like people are tired of my rants on assorted topics) I must once again dedicate a very pointed column to the importance of “allowing” the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR) to do their jobs regardless of our personal opinions as to their effectiveness. Please allow me to explain. Starting
Without a doubt, (in rivers, streams and even reservoirs in Utah) fall brings the brown trout spawn with some incredible fishing (catching) opportunities. Let’s discuss this important time of year and highlight some of the ways to enjoy catching quality fish while protecting the areas in which they spawn. Brown trout or commonly known as
Early in October, a family reunion brought our only daughter, Kara, back to Utah for a few days, and one Friday she joined me for a father-daughter trip to Strawberry Reservoir to catch cutthroat trout on jerkbaits. Having just taught a seminar earlier that week at Sportsman’s Warehouse in Provo, I was very excited to
Lake Powell is a fantastic fishery and fall brings incredible opportunities with less fishing and boating pressure on the sprawling reservoir. After Labor Day, two things happen that improve the overall fishing. One, water levels generally drop which this year is an understatement. The reservoir is dropping nearly two feet a week which (when considering
While fishing Strawberry Reservoir last week and seeing hundreds of bright-red kokanee salmon schooling near the areas we fished, I realized that the whole idea of having kokanees in some of our reservoirs in Utah is having a positive effect on overall fishing excitement. People love to catch salmon. Kokanee salmon have been offering great
Water levels in most reservoirs in Utah are in free fall with the exception of Flaming Gorge which is holding steady at around 90 percent of full. How can you take advantage of lower water levels and catch quality fish now and in the future? In Utah, it is inevitable that reservoirs will rise and
On Saturday, July 14th, many tributaries of reservoirs all over Utah opened to fishing. “The second Saturday in July” is the phrase (from the 2018 Fishing Guide Book published by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources), to describe when anglers can legally fish specific streams closed earlier each year due to their importance as spawning
Among the proposed changes in the fishing regulations under consideration by the RAC (Regional Advisory Councils) around the state this month is one that would allow corn to be used as bait in all Utah waters. For a few years, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR) has conducted an experiment to see if corn
