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Ideal Fall Fishing on the Wasatch Front - Jordanelle, East Canyon & GSL Hotspots - Sept 20 Report
Published 7 months, 1 week ago
Description
Artificial Lure here with your Salt Lake City fishing report for Saturday, September 20, 2025, and folks, we've got some prime fall conditions setting up along the Wasatch Front and the valley waters.
First off, **sunrise hit at 7:08 AM and we'll see sunset at 7:54 PM tonight**, giving us a nice twelve-and-three-quarter-hour window to work those lines. The moon’s in a waxing crescent at 25%, with moonrise at 9:35 AM, bringing decent light for those early risers. The best bite windows—what solunar charts call “major periods”—are from **5:12 to 7:12 AM and again from 5:43 to 7:43 PM**. So your prime shots at aggressive fish are right around breakfast and dinner. We've got a stable weather pattern: cool mornings in the 50s, highs climbing to the mid-70s by afternoon, and mainly clear skies with a slight west breeze, which always helps to stir up the bite.
Tide-wise, for the Salt Lake area, we're fishing in reservoirs and coldwater lakes—so no true tides, but those lunar periods still get fish moving. Now, let’s talk fish activity:
**Jordanelle Reservoir** is holding steady as a top hotspot. Anglers have been pulling in good numbers of *rainbow trout* and *smallmouth bass* right off the points and along deeper weed edges. Early morning trolling with flashy silver and blue spoons, or chartreuse crankbaits, has been money for rainbows. As day breaks, switch to spinners or Ned rigs along the riprap for smallies. The bass have moved deeper—to about 12-18 feet—so focus around submerged structure and bouy lines. Best baits in the box right now? Berkley Power Worms in green pumpkin, Trout Magnets for the panfish, and live nightcrawlers for bonus trout.
Up at **East Canyon Reservoir**, folks are reporting plenty of *cutthroat trout* early on a combo of PowerBait (especially orange or chartreuse) and small gold Kastmasters. As water temperatures cool overnight, trout are cruising shallows near shore, especially where creeks feed in.
For those up for a unique scene, the marinas and causeways at the **Great Salt Lake** itself have been active for *carp* and some *channel catfish*. Dough baits and corn kernels are favorites here. Expect less crowding, wide scenery, and the odd chance for a big channel cat as evening sets in.
Keep an eye on *local streams* like Big Cottonwood and Little Cottonwood creeks. Lower flows and clear water mean spooky trout, so use 4x tippet and smaller nymphs or dries—Parachute Adams and #18 hare’s ears have deceived wary browns and cutthroat this week, especially in shaded pocket water.
Recent creel reports from Utah Division of Wildlife Resources note a steady string of catches for rainbows (14–18 inches) and a resurgence of smallmouth in the main lakes, with a few walleye showing up at Rockport and Echo around dusk. Larger walleyes have been hitting deep-running crankbaits in perch and firetiger colors—try leadcore if you can reach 25-30 feet off main lake points.
As for **hot spots**:
- The *Jordanelle Hailstone boat launch cove* is a reliable bet at dawn for fast trout action.
- The *Rockport Reservoir dam cove* always seems to hold a few bonus walleye and perch when others slow down.
- For those urban angling, the *Jordan River below 3300 South* in Salt Lake is seeing active carp and the occasional channel cat, especially on warm afternoons.
The bites have relied on classic, natural presentations as the water cools. Early fall is often one of the best times for size and numbers in Utah—so grab your jigs, spinners, and classic PowerBait, but don’t overlook a live nightcrawler or half a crawler on a slow-drifted rig. For lure anglers, blue-silver Kastmasters, Rapala Countdowns, and Ned rigs in green pumpkin are staples right now.
Thanks for tuning in to your Salt Lake City fishing fix! Don’t forget to subscribe—whether you’re a bank angler on the Jordan, a troller on Jordanelle, or pitch
First off, **sunrise hit at 7:08 AM and we'll see sunset at 7:54 PM tonight**, giving us a nice twelve-and-three-quarter-hour window to work those lines. The moon’s in a waxing crescent at 25%, with moonrise at 9:35 AM, bringing decent light for those early risers. The best bite windows—what solunar charts call “major periods”—are from **5:12 to 7:12 AM and again from 5:43 to 7:43 PM**. So your prime shots at aggressive fish are right around breakfast and dinner. We've got a stable weather pattern: cool mornings in the 50s, highs climbing to the mid-70s by afternoon, and mainly clear skies with a slight west breeze, which always helps to stir up the bite.
Tide-wise, for the Salt Lake area, we're fishing in reservoirs and coldwater lakes—so no true tides, but those lunar periods still get fish moving. Now, let’s talk fish activity:
**Jordanelle Reservoir** is holding steady as a top hotspot. Anglers have been pulling in good numbers of *rainbow trout* and *smallmouth bass* right off the points and along deeper weed edges. Early morning trolling with flashy silver and blue spoons, or chartreuse crankbaits, has been money for rainbows. As day breaks, switch to spinners or Ned rigs along the riprap for smallies. The bass have moved deeper—to about 12-18 feet—so focus around submerged structure and bouy lines. Best baits in the box right now? Berkley Power Worms in green pumpkin, Trout Magnets for the panfish, and live nightcrawlers for bonus trout.
Up at **East Canyon Reservoir**, folks are reporting plenty of *cutthroat trout* early on a combo of PowerBait (especially orange or chartreuse) and small gold Kastmasters. As water temperatures cool overnight, trout are cruising shallows near shore, especially where creeks feed in.
For those up for a unique scene, the marinas and causeways at the **Great Salt Lake** itself have been active for *carp* and some *channel catfish*. Dough baits and corn kernels are favorites here. Expect less crowding, wide scenery, and the odd chance for a big channel cat as evening sets in.
Keep an eye on *local streams* like Big Cottonwood and Little Cottonwood creeks. Lower flows and clear water mean spooky trout, so use 4x tippet and smaller nymphs or dries—Parachute Adams and #18 hare’s ears have deceived wary browns and cutthroat this week, especially in shaded pocket water.
Recent creel reports from Utah Division of Wildlife Resources note a steady string of catches for rainbows (14–18 inches) and a resurgence of smallmouth in the main lakes, with a few walleye showing up at Rockport and Echo around dusk. Larger walleyes have been hitting deep-running crankbaits in perch and firetiger colors—try leadcore if you can reach 25-30 feet off main lake points.
As for **hot spots**:
- The *Jordanelle Hailstone boat launch cove* is a reliable bet at dawn for fast trout action.
- The *Rockport Reservoir dam cove* always seems to hold a few bonus walleye and perch when others slow down.
- For those urban angling, the *Jordan River below 3300 South* in Salt Lake is seeing active carp and the occasional channel cat, especially on warm afternoons.
The bites have relied on classic, natural presentations as the water cools. Early fall is often one of the best times for size and numbers in Utah—so grab your jigs, spinners, and classic PowerBait, but don’t overlook a live nightcrawler or half a crawler on a slow-drifted rig. For lure anglers, blue-silver Kastmasters, Rapala Countdowns, and Ned rigs in green pumpkin are staples right now.
Thanks for tuning in to your Salt Lake City fishing fix! Don’t forget to subscribe—whether you’re a bank angler on the Jordan, a troller on Jordanelle, or pitch