As Memorial Day weekend approaches, many Utahns are looking forward to getting outside and starting the summer. The first three news releases below will help people get the most from their fishing and turkey hunting experience while helping them stay safe in black bear country!
Enjoy solitude and family fishing on Memorial Day
If you’re like a lot of Utahns, you’re ready to get outside, enjoy some sunny weather and catch some fish.
As you make plans for Memorial Day weekend, biologists with the Division of Wildlife Resources have some “inside information” to share about fishing waters you might want to consider visiting.
Randy Oplinger, sport fisheries coordinator for the DWR, says Utah has literally hundreds of fishing waters. “It can be challenging to pick a water that best meets what you’re looking for,” he says. “Fortunately, our biologists know these waters like the backs of their hands. And they’re happy to provide direction.”
Oplinger says many anglers are looking for one of two things: a close-to-home water that provides them and their kids with a good chance to catch fish, or a water that provides good fishing in a peaceful and quiet setting.
From Memorial Day weekend through the end of June, the following waters should be the very best waters to fish in Utah this year. Oplinger places the waters into two categories: “best family fishing waters” and “places to fish and get away from it all.”
Best family fishing waters
“Early summer is the perfect time to get outside and fish with your family,” Oplinger says. “And it doesn’t matter if you’re an experienced angler and members of your family are just getting started. Many lakes in Utah provide fishing opportunities that can be enjoyed equally by anglers with various levels of experience.”
Oplinger says many of these waters are near some of Utah’s largest cities. That makes them great places for a quick afternoon trip. “Other waters have campgrounds,” he says, “which makes them a great place for a weekend getaway. Several of the best, family-friendly waters have nice fishing piers, restrooms and boat ramps.”
So, which waters are the best waters to consider taking your family to from Memorial Day weekend through early summer this year? Here’s Oplinger’s picks, along with some brief information about each one:
· Mantua and Willard Bay reservoirs (Northern Utah)
· Lakes on the Manti Mountains (North-central Utah)
· Brown’s Draw, Cottonwood, Currant Creek, East Park and Steinaker reservoirs (Northeastern Utah)
Mantua and Willard Bay reservoirs are north of Salt Lake City. They’re among the closest places to the state’s capitol to catch bluegill and channel catfish.
Oplinger says Mantua provide should provide great bluegill fishing during early summer this year. “Bluegill are a great fish for kids to catch,” he says. “They’ll take just about any bait or lure. And, if you find a school of them, you can catch a lot of fish.”
Oplinger says channel catfish numbers appear to be up at Willard Bay this year. “I think this will be a great year to fish for channel catfish at Willard,” he says.
The Manti Mountains are nestled east of the Sanpete Valley in central Utah. The small lakes on the mountain are great places to catch colorful brook trout. “The lakes aren’t heavily fished, either,” Oplinger says. “Those who fish them find privacy, good scenery and lots of great fishing. Several all-terrain vehicle trails are also located in the area. If you have an ATV, consider bringing your fishing gear with you and enjoying time at one of the lakes.”
If you live in northeastern Utah, you have quick access to five of the best family fishing waters in the state. “These five waters are great family-fishing waters because they’re places where everyone, regardless of their fishing experience, can catch fish,” he says. “Experienced anglers and new anglers can have a great time catching fish together. Both bait and lures work at these waters, and shore anglers can catch a lot of fish.”
The species available to catch also vary greatly among the five waters.
“Depending on where you go,” he says, “you and your family might catch trout, bass, bluegill and even tiger muskie.”
Places to fish and get away from it all
While some Utahns will be looking for a close-to-home place to take their family, others will be looking to beat the crowds and find solitude while enjoying the early-summer weather in Utah’s backcountry. Oplinger says some of the best, most scenic, least crowded waters in Utah include the following:
· Lost Creek Reservoir and lakes on the Uinta Mountains (Northern Utah)
· Long Park Reservoir, Flaming Gorge Reservoir and Spirit Lake (Northeastern Utah)
· Navajo Lake and lakes on the Boulder Mountains (Southwestern Utah)
Lost Creek Reservoir, located near Morgan, is less than 90 minutes from Salt Lake City. It’s not heavily fished, and lots of large cutthroat and rainbow trout are available to catch.
The Uinta Mountains are also a great place to take a hike and catch trout in beautiful, high-country lakes.
Ironically, Flaming Gorge is one of Utah’s most popular reservoirs, but it’s also a place where you can find solitude. “If you have a boat,” Oplinger says, “it’s easy to motor out into the reservoir and get away from everyone else. May and June are great months to catch rainbow trout, lake trout, kokanee salmon and smallmouth bass at Flaming Gorge.”
Two other waters in northeastern Utah—Long Park Reservoir and Spirit Lake—also provide solitude and plenty of rainbow trout to catch.
Down south, Navajo Lake and lakes on the Boulder Mountains are Oplinger’s top picks for southern Utah.
“Navajo Lake is about 45 minutes east of Cedar City,” Oplinger says. “Fishing for splake—a cross between a lake trout and a brook trout—can be great at the lake in June.”
The Boulder Mountains are another place to visit this summer. “The Boulders offer three things: colorful brook trout, beautiful scenery and very few anglers,” he says.
Oplinger says some of the waters on his list are close to home while others are perfect places for a weekend trip.
DWR website
As you scanned through the list, you may have noticed waters you’re not familiar with. You can learn more about them at www.wildlife.utah.gov/hotspots.
When you arrive at the webpage, click on the water you’re interested in. In addition to receiving a fishing report, you’ll also receive information about the water itself, including how to reach it, the type of facilities you’ll find and the fish you’ll likely catch.
In addition, four of the waters on the list—Currant Creek, Flaming Gorge, Steinaker and Willard Bay—are Blue Ribbon waters in Utah. You can get detailed information about them by visiting the DWR’s Blue Ribbon page at www.wildlife.utah.gov/hotspots/blueribbon.php. Once you arrive at the page, click on any of the waters.
Visiting www.wildlife.utah.gov/hotspots is also a great way to stay up-to-date on fishing at the waters. If you’d like to receive the fishing reports via email, that’s possible too. You can subscribe to them at www.wildlife.utah.gov/about-us/subscribe-to-updates.html.
Two additional websites—bigfishtackle.com and utahwildlife.net—also provide current fishing information for waters across Utah.
Fishing basics
If you’re new to fishing, you can learn the basics online. One of the best websites to visit is Take Me Fishing.org. To learn how to fish, or brush up on your skills, visit www.takemefishing.org/how-to-fish/how-to-catch-fish.
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Bear safety tips
More people in Utah’s backcountry means more encounters with bears
You might be surprised to learn how simple it is to avoid a negative encounter with a black bear. If you remember two simple things—and then do those things in the outdoors—you’ll greatly reduce the chance that a black bear visits your campsite or cabin area:
· Keep the area clean. Don’t toss food scraps and trash around. Instead, put it in trash bags, and store it in a place where a bear can’t get to it. When it’s time to go home, take your trash home with you.
· Store your food in an area where a bear can’t get to it.
Darren DeBloois, mammals coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources, says black bears have an amazing sense of smell. And they have no problem eating the same type of food people eat.
“Even though they’re incredibly strong and surprisingly fast,” DeBloois says, “like most wildlife, black bears will typically do everything they can to avoid people. When a bear finds food, though, that all changes. Once it finds food, a bear will often become aggressive towards anything it perceives as threatening the area where it found the food. That includes people.”
DeBloois says keeping your campsite or cabin area clean lessens the chance that a bear will smell food and trash, and be lured to your camp. And, if a bear does find your camp, if it isn’t rewarded with food, it will often move on.
DeBloois provides the following tips to keep both you and the bears safe:
Safety tip 1 - Store your food and items that are scented, such as deodorants and tooth paste, in an area where a bear can’t get to them. Storing them in a locked trailer, or locking them in the trunk of your car, are good choices. Storing food and scented items in these areas will reduce the chance that a bear smells them. And, if a bear does makes its way to the area where you’re staying, if it isn’t rewarded with food, it will likely move on.
Safety tip 2 - Keep your cooking grill clean. After you’re through eating, clean utensils and anything else that was used to prepare or eat the food. Also, don’t dump oil or grease from pots or pans onto the ground. Put the oil or grease in a container, and take it home with you.
Safety tip 3 - Don’t toss food scraps and other trash around your campsite or cabin area. Instead, put it in trash bags, and take it home with you. Keep your campsite or cabin area clean.
Safety tip 4 - Never feed a bear.
More tips on staying safe in bear country—including what to do if you encounter a bear while hiking—are available from Wild Aware Utah at www.wildawareutah.org/utah-wildlife-information/bears. The DWR also provides tips at www.wildlife.utah.gov/dwr/learn-more/bear-safety.html.
A video about bear safety is also available on the DWR’s YouTube channel. The video shows what a bear will do if it finds a campsite that isn’t clean. You can watch the video at http://bit.ly/26U1Q7S.
You’ll be helping the bears too
In addition to keeping yourself safe, you’ll be helping others who camp in the area after you. And, you’ll help the bears too.
DeBloois says a dirty campsite can attract bears long after you’ve left. “If a bear visits the area after you leave,” he says, “and then someone comes into that area to camp, you’ve created a potentially dangerous situation.”
Once a bear loses its fear of people, wildlife biologists and officers are left with something they dread: having to euthanize an animal to keep people safe.
“We got into the wildlife profession because we love wildlife,” DeBloois says. “We enjoy managing and protecting animals so Utahns can get outdoors and enjoy them. Having to euthanize an animal—because someone didn’t do something as simple as keeping their campsite clean and storing food in a secure area—is tough. Please don’t put us in that situation this year.”
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Still time to hunt turkeys in Utah
If you’ve been itching to hunt turkeys in Utah’s backcountry this spring, but you haven’t made it out yet, there’s still time to buy a permit and head afield.
Utah’s general statewide turkey hunt runs until May 31. Hunting permits are available until the hunt ends.
Jason Robinson, upland game coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources, says hunters are reporting good success this season.
“The weather has been up and down, though,” Robinson says, “making it a bit harder to pattern birds. We’ve had snow and extra warm temperatures, all in the same week.”
Robinson encourages you to spend a lot of time looking for birds. “If you don’t see turkey sign or hear birds,” he says, “keep moving. Turkeys move around a lot this time of year. Be prepared to go where the birds are.”
If you hear a gobble, Robinson encourages you to work that bird immediately. “If you don’t,” he says, “by tomorrow, he might be in a different area.”
How to get a permit
If you’d like to get in on the action—and hunt turkeys right away—buy your permit from a hunting license agent or a DWR office
If you buy a permit at www.wildlife.utah.gov, you won’t be able to hunt until your permit arrives in the mail. It will probably take a few days for your permit to arrive.
Basic tips and tricks
Tips and tactics to help you take a turkey—including videos that cover the basics of turkey hunting—are available at www.wildlife.utah.gov/turkeys.
More information about hunting turkeys in Utah is also available in the 2017 – 2018 Utah Upland Game and Turkey Guidebook. The free guidebook is available at www.wildlife.utah.gov/guidebooks.
“There’s still time to get into the backcountry and hunt turkeys this spring,” Robinson says. “May is a great month to be outdoors with your family and friends. The weather is nice, and there are plenty of turkeys to hunt.”
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Women’s trap shooting clinic coming to Green River
DWR to host free clinic on May 19
Green River -- Trap shooting is a fun way to become more familiar with guns while enjoying time with friends. It’s also a sport enjoyed by many women throughout Utah.
The Division of Wildlife Resources will host a free Women’s Trap Shooting Clinic on Saturday, May 19, in Green River. The clinic will include introductory hands-on tutorials on shotguns, as well as time at the shooting range. It’s a perfect opportunity for women who have little or no experience at trap shooting as well as those who want to take their shooting abilities to the next level.
“Shooting clay pigeons out of the sky can be challenging. But, with the right form and a little practice, everyone has what it takes to get good at it,” says Walt Maldonado, the DWR’s Wildlife Recreation specialist in southeastern Utah.
The classroom portion of the clinic will be held from 10 a.m. to noon at the Green River City Hall, 460 E. Main St. After lunch, you can put your skills to the test at the Green River Shooting Sports Park, east of town. Guns and ammunition will be provided, but if you have a shotgun and ammunition, feel free to bring it.
Participation is limited to the first 20 women, ages 12 or older, who register online at http://bit.ly/womens_trap. Participants must provide their registration tickets at the door. For more information, call Maldonado at 435-820-8147.
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Fishing reports - available at http://wildlife.utah.gov/hotspots .North-Central Utah
Utah students releasing trout raised in the classroom
What: Back in early January, DWR biologists and Trout Unlimited volunteers delivered trout eggs to more than 30 Utah schools as part of the Trout in the Classroom program. Those eggs hatched, and students at every age level have had a firsthand view of the growing trout while learning about fish biology and wild ecosystems. It is now time for the fish to be released, and you are welcome to join the students at release sites across north-central Utah.
When: Now through the end of May
Southern Utah
Help survey fish populations at Fish Lake
What: Few Utah waterbodies are more aptly named than Fish Lake. Known for its huge lake trout, this southern Utah fishery is also home to splake, yellow perch, brown trout, rainbow trout, kokanee salmon and even a few tiger muskies. (The muskies traveled to Fish Lake from Johnson Reservoir, which is about seven miles downstream.) In a couple of weeks, DWR biologists will visit the lake to conduct their annual gillnetting survey. As the heavy, fish-filled nets come over the side of the boat, the biologists should see a variety of species — and some really big fish! Then, the biologists will sort, weigh, measure and record data about each fish. It’s a sampling process that provides valuable information about how the lake’s sportfish populations are doing. You are invited to join and interview the fisheries biologists as they conduct the survey.
When: May 22 at 9 a.m. (call contact to arrange a meeting time and location)
Where: Fish Lake (southeast of Richfield)
Northeastern Utah
Help survey the Flaming Gorge fishery
What: DWR biologists are taking a close look at the fish populations in one of Utah’s most popular recreation spots. Next week, biologists will boat across Flaming Gorge Reservoir — pulling nets at multiple sites — to check on the fish populations. There are some enormous lake trout in the Gorge, and there’s a good chance of finding fish more than two feet long! You are invited to go out on the boat, see some great fish, and interview the biologists who will use the gillnetting data to manage this blue-ribbon fishery.
When: May 14–17 (Sheep Creek on May 14–15 and Jarvies Bay on May 16–17). The biologists will set the nets an hour before sunrise and are usually done by early afternoon.
Where: Flaming Gorge
Spring fishery survey at Joes Valley Reservoir
What: Next week, DWR biologists will use gill nets to survey fish populations in Joes Valley Reservoir. As they net fish and collect data, the biologists will compare the results to their findings from previous years. They’ll be able to see trends in population growth and trends in the sizes of sampled fish. Joes Valley is home to huge tiger muskies, which can grow to more than four feet long. (See a photo here: https://www.utahwildlifephotos.com/Fish-fishing/Fish/i-PCFXsnJ/A) You are invited to join the survey crews, see some great fish, and interview the biologists who manage the reservoir.
When: May 16
Where: Joes Valley Reservoir
Contact: Calvin Black, 435-650-5106 or Morgan Jacobsen, 435-609-9589
