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THE GREAT OUTDOORS — Ice fishing season is here. There's just one problem: the ice isn't!
Strawberry Reservoir is still mostly open water, as is Fish Lake. These are two of the most popular ice fishing destinations in Utah, and this warmer-than-usual weather doesn't show any signs of helping our reservoirs ice over anytime soon.
If you're serious about ice fishing, however, and don't want to drive to Idaho or Wyoming to find the hard deck, these places in Utah will scratch that ice fishing itch.
Unless otherwise noted, standard ice fishing lures, baits and jigs work well at these lakes. Most ice anglers have their own bait systems, and they should all work well on these waters.
Koosharem Reservoir
Located by Fish Lake off Highway 24, Koosharem Reservoir is currently sporting 6-8 inches of ice, according to recent reports, and big fish. It's overlooked because Fish Lake is another half hour away, and you'll usually have quicker fishing there than Koosharem.
What Koosharem offers, though, is far less room for the big fish to hide. Every year reports trickle out of Sevier County about anglers hooking into 5-plus pound trout in Koosharem. Ice fishing season is one of the best times of year to find those fish for yourself.
You'll likely end up with a cutthroat or rainbow trout on your line, though if you're lucky, a brook, tiger or splake trout may show up.
Mill Meadow Reservoir
The southern part of the state boasts more ice than along the Wasatch Front, so we'll stick down there for the second underrated ice fishing destination. Mill Meadow is an average-sized lake situated in a gorgeous little valley just 17 miles east of Fish Lake. If you visit Koosharem and the fishing is too slow, you can easily hit Mill Meadow on the same day — and vice versa.
The upper end of the reservoir currently has 8-10 inches of ice, according to a Utah Division of Wildlife Resources fishing report.
The fish aren't known for being as consistently big at Mill Meadow as they are in Koosharem, but the brown trout population in Mill Meadow isn't anything to sneeze at. Rainbow trout, perch, tiger trout and splake are all possible catches too, as is the odd cutthroat.
Yankee Meadow Reservoir
If you have ATVs or snowmobiles available, this is a great little fishery to visit in the winter. Its relative seclusion means it sees far fewer ice anglers, and it's a great fishery because of it.
Yankee Meadow is managed to provide a scenic trout fishing setting not too far off I-15 near Parowan. It's stocked annually, though during the winter fish reach decent sizes.
To get there, take Highway 143 southeast of Parowan until you see a sign for a turnoff that heads north. The fish here include brook trout, cutthroat and rainbow. Enough of each species swim in the lake that you have a legitimate shot at catching all three.
Ice fishing in Utah may not see a long, productive season this year like it did last year, but some of the state's lesser-known waters will be excellent ice fisheries this year. The trick is driving a bit farther than normal to get to these places.
