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Fishing in the Wasatch: Ice Fishing Report for Salt Lake City Area
Published 3 months, 3 weeks ago
Description
Hey folks, Artificial Lure here with your Salt Lake City area fishing report.
No tides to worry about along the Wasatch Front — we’re inland — but water levels and temps are driving the bite. The National Weather Service is calling for a cold, high-pressure winter pattern: morning temps in the teens and 20s, highs around freezing, light winds, and mostly clear skies. Sunrise is right around 7:50 a.m., sunset just after 5:20 p.m., so your prime windows are late morning warm‑up and that last hour of light.
Around town, ice is setting up on the community ponds and mid‑elevation reservoirs. Utah Division of Wildlife Resources updates and local shop chatter point to 3–6 inches of ice on most small waters in the valleys, with some of the bigger reservoirs still mixed with open water and edges refreezing overnight. Always check thickness with a spud bar as you go.
Fish activity is classic mid‑winter: slower starts, then a solid mid‑day bite once the sun has been on the ice a while. Anglers have been reporting good numbers of stocked rainbow trout, a few chunky cutts, plus perch and the odd walleye from the usual haunts.
Recent catches, based on DWR creel checks and local boards:
- Community ponds like **Bountiful Lake** and **Community Fisheries at Willow Park**: limits of planter rainbows on small jigs and PowerBait, with a few brood‑stock rainbows mixed in.
- **Jordanelle** and **Rockport**: perch schools producing fast action when you stay mobile, with the occasional trout cruising through.
- **Willard Bay** is slower but still giving up a few walleye and crappie off deeper structure for the patient folks working spoons tight to bottom.
Best lures and baits right now:
- For trout under the ice: small tungsten jigs in white, chartreuse, or pink tipped with waxworms or mealworms; or a plain hook with chartreuse or rainbow PowerBait fished 1–2 feet off bottom.
- For perch: 3–4 mm tungsten in glow or metallic colors, tipped with a single spike or tiny piece of worm. Downsizing and subtle jiggles are outfishing aggressive moves.
- For walleye and bigger trout: 1/8–1/4 oz spoons in gold or glow, lightly jigged near bottom at dawn and dusk. A minnow head or strip of perch belly can make a big difference where legal.
If you’re more into soft water, the **Jordan River** through Salt Lake County stays open. Slow‑rolling small inline spinners or 1/16 oz marabou jigs in darker holes has turned up the occasional brown trout and carp for folks willing to walk and explore. Think slow and low.
Couple of local hotspots to circle for this weekend:
- **Rockport Reservoir**: Good ice, classic perch factory. Start in 20–35 feet near the main points, drill a grid, and chase the marks. Great place to get kids on fish.
- **Bountiful Lake**: Easy access, consistent winter trout. Fish 10–15 feet of water near the aerators and let those small jigs dead‑stick between twitches.
General tips: light line (4 lb fluoro or mono), tiny presentations, and give each hole 5–10 minutes before you move. Most bites are just a slight up‑tick on the rod tip, so watch that spring bobber or indicator.
Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a local fishing update.
This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
This episode includes AI-generated content.
No tides to worry about along the Wasatch Front — we’re inland — but water levels and temps are driving the bite. The National Weather Service is calling for a cold, high-pressure winter pattern: morning temps in the teens and 20s, highs around freezing, light winds, and mostly clear skies. Sunrise is right around 7:50 a.m., sunset just after 5:20 p.m., so your prime windows are late morning warm‑up and that last hour of light.
Around town, ice is setting up on the community ponds and mid‑elevation reservoirs. Utah Division of Wildlife Resources updates and local shop chatter point to 3–6 inches of ice on most small waters in the valleys, with some of the bigger reservoirs still mixed with open water and edges refreezing overnight. Always check thickness with a spud bar as you go.
Fish activity is classic mid‑winter: slower starts, then a solid mid‑day bite once the sun has been on the ice a while. Anglers have been reporting good numbers of stocked rainbow trout, a few chunky cutts, plus perch and the odd walleye from the usual haunts.
Recent catches, based on DWR creel checks and local boards:
- Community ponds like **Bountiful Lake** and **Community Fisheries at Willow Park**: limits of planter rainbows on small jigs and PowerBait, with a few brood‑stock rainbows mixed in.
- **Jordanelle** and **Rockport**: perch schools producing fast action when you stay mobile, with the occasional trout cruising through.
- **Willard Bay** is slower but still giving up a few walleye and crappie off deeper structure for the patient folks working spoons tight to bottom.
Best lures and baits right now:
- For trout under the ice: small tungsten jigs in white, chartreuse, or pink tipped with waxworms or mealworms; or a plain hook with chartreuse or rainbow PowerBait fished 1–2 feet off bottom.
- For perch: 3–4 mm tungsten in glow or metallic colors, tipped with a single spike or tiny piece of worm. Downsizing and subtle jiggles are outfishing aggressive moves.
- For walleye and bigger trout: 1/8–1/4 oz spoons in gold or glow, lightly jigged near bottom at dawn and dusk. A minnow head or strip of perch belly can make a big difference where legal.
If you’re more into soft water, the **Jordan River** through Salt Lake County stays open. Slow‑rolling small inline spinners or 1/16 oz marabou jigs in darker holes has turned up the occasional brown trout and carp for folks willing to walk and explore. Think slow and low.
Couple of local hotspots to circle for this weekend:
- **Rockport Reservoir**: Good ice, classic perch factory. Start in 20–35 feet near the main points, drill a grid, and chase the marks. Great place to get kids on fish.
- **Bountiful Lake**: Easy access, consistent winter trout. Fish 10–15 feet of water near the aerators and let those small jigs dead‑stick between twitches.
General tips: light line (4 lb fluoro or mono), tiny presentations, and give each hole 5–10 minutes before you move. Most bites are just a slight up‑tick on the rod tip, so watch that spring bobber or indicator.
Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a local fishing update.
This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
This episode includes AI-generated content.