Fishing Reports

Mirror Lake Highway:

At this point in the year, those afternoon thunderstorms are subject to show up and some of them can get pretty wild! Pack appropriately with rain jackets, a warm layer and extra socks if you're heading deep out there and be prepared to hunker down if need be. Otherwise, it's a lovely time of year to get a hike in or spend the night on the edge of a high mountain lake with the place to yourself.

Nothing new or revolutionary to note in regards to the high country other than that the Upper Provo is still quite low and anglers should tread lightly and monitor water temps, or avoid these low water stretches all together. For those fishing the lakes, many locations will fish very similarly, and the main factors are going to be how far do you want to hike, and what species are you after. There is so much information online about the different hikes, trailheads and lakes so it would be futile to try and replicate that here. Being said, grab a map and dig around online (trip reports, hiking forums, etc...) and find somewhere that looks nice, and a place that meets your desires for a day out on the trail.

Fly selection up here is pretty simple: Terrestrials, attractor style dry flies, damsel flies, callibaetis mayflies, balanced leeches, and small streamers should all do the trick. I'm usually going to start by looking for fish sipping and cruising the edges to throw dry flies at, and then switch to a small leech or streamer if I can't spot anyone.

Check our our Frequent Angling Questions - High Country for a crash course in getting after it up there.

Small Streams:

Most of our major hatches have come and gone on these streams, and with heat of the "Dog Days of Summer", many of the small freestone streams are getting too warm to fish after 2 PM or sooner. So if you're trying to get some fishing on these waters, bring a thermometer, and get off the water when temps hit 66+ degrees. Our smaller tailwater fisheries north and east of SLC are in better shape than the freestones and a few of them are offering some fantastic hopper fishing and decent hatch activity. Look for fish up on PMD's, Caddis, some remaining Yellow Sallies and don't hesitate to prospect around with ants, beetles, terrestrials and attractors. If one was inclined to drop a little beadhead behind their dry fly, jig style nymphs (#16-#18), Frenchies (#16-#18), Caddis nymphs (#16-#18), Stonefly nymphs (#14-#16) and otherwise will move fish.

Stillwater:

Both Scofield and Strawberry Reservoirs are fishing ok during the mornings, evenings, and cloudy/stormy days with a variety of flies and techniques.  Fishing a variety of dry-dropper rigs, streamers, balanced leeches, Midge Pupa patterns (i.e. Chironomids), and slowly stripping larger soft-hackles can be effective during the late-mornings and afternoons-especially if there is a breeze. The "Dog Days of Summer" are also prime for chasing carp, bass, and sunfish as the water and weather warm up. So if you want to try something a little different, fishing for "warmwater" species is a great way to have some fun with a fly rod.

The Rocky Canyon Fire is still active in the East Canyon Reservoir area and may not be the best option for fishing at the moment. If one was inclined to go look for some Smallmouth, Rockport Reservoir would be a better option.