May 9 - Backcountry Utah

LAKE POWELL: Visit www.wayneswords.com for the latest fishing report, provided by
Wayne Gustaveson, DWR project leader. The above link reports on the multi-agency effort to
keep quagga and zebra mussels from populating the lake.
LASAL
MOUNTAINS:
Conservation Officer
TJ Robertson reports
slow fishing at Ken's
Lake. Mountain lakes
and reservoirs remain
inaccessible. The
gates to Oowah and
Warner are closed.
LOWER FISH
CREEK: A localized
fish kill occurred a
little more than two
weeks ago, apparently
due to an abrupt
release of oxygendepleted
water and
sediment, incident to
spillway
reconstruction. The fish kill appeared to extend from the dam for 1/2 mile downstream.
Oxygen depletion can occur after a prolonged ice cover, which inhibits light penetration and all
but stops photosynthesis. Oxygen production comes to a halt and its concentration in the water
dips to levels below the tolerance level required for sustaining life for a trout.
MILLSITE RESERVOIR: Tom Ogden reported slow fishing on April 22. He fished from a
tube with a #8 beadhead black leech at the end of sinking line and in 15 feet of water near the
dam. Rainbow PowerBait is recommended for bait fishermen. Trout range from 11 to 13
inches.
SAN JUAN COUNTY: Conservation Officer Paul Washburn reports that both Monticello and
Foy reservoirs are ice-free. Fishing success was fair at Foy and at Blanding 3 and 4, where
marshmallows are the recommended bait. Fishing was slow at Recapture, where the inflow of
cold water has kept water temperatures down.
SCOFIELD RESERVOIR: The dam arm continues to open, and shoreline angler pressure
was intense. Tom Ogden counted 17 vehicles around the dam last Saturday morning at 8:30
a.m. He described the scene as "combat fishing." The north and south ends of the reservoir are
opening, where the water is shallow. However, as a whole, the reservoir's shoreline remains