This is Artificial Lure checking in with your Salt Lake City area fishing report.
We’re locked in a classic Wasatch late‑fall pattern: cold, clear mornings around the mid‑20s in the valleys, a light north breeze, and highs pushing into the upper 30s to low 40s this afternoon. Local forecasters are calling for high clouds but plenty of sun, with sunrise right around 7:45 a.m. and sunset just before 5 p.m. That short window puts the bite squarely around the late‑morning warmup and the last hour of light.
No tides to worry about on our freshwater lakes, but barometric pressure is stable and that usually means a steady, if not crazy, bite. Utah DWR’s latest updates note that stocking numbers are a bit lower this year because of drought, but most of our close‑to‑town waters are still well‑padded with catchables and holdovers.
Around town:
• **Jordanelle Reservoir** – Fishing like the star of the show. Folks this week have been sticking good numbers of rainbow trout in the 12–16 inch range from both shore and kayak, plus a few smallmouth and the odd brown. The hot setup has been small spoons and spinners in gold or copper, 1/8 oz size, slow‑rolled just off the rocks. If you’re bait fishing from shore, chartreuse or pink PowerBait on a 3–4 foot leader has been producing, especially once the sun hits the water. Trollers should run small Rapala‑style minnows in natural perch or brown trout patterns 10–20 feet down.
• **Utah Lake** – She’s cold and a little off‑color, but still worth a swing if you’re itching for walleye or white bass. Anglers this past week have reported light action but decent quality: a handful of 18–22 inch walleye and plenty of white bass when you land on them. Best bet is jigging a 1/8–1/4 oz chartreuse or white jighead tipped with a minnow or nightcrawler along the edges of the channels and rockpiles. Low‑light is king here: first light and the last 45 minutes before dark.
• **Strawberry Reservoir** – If you’re willing to drive a bit, the Berry is still the big‑fish ticket. Recent reports mention cutthroat in the 18–22 inch class and rainbows 14–18 inches, mostly from tubes and boats. Tube jigs in white, pearl, or glow, 1/8–3/8 oz, tipped with a tiny piece of nightcrawler, have been the go‑to. Work them close to the bottom on points and drop‑offs. Shore guys are doing well with classic marshmallow‑and‑worm rigs or PowerBait on long leaders.
• **Local community ponds** (Kaysville, Bountiful Lake, Willow, and the Salt Lake community fisheries) – With lighter stocking this year, you need to work a bit more, but there are still plenty of planter rainbows and some broodstock surprises. Small silver spinners, 2‑lb test, and a slow retrieve have outfished bait at a lot of these spots lately. If you’re taking kids, a simple slip bobber and nightcrawler piece 3–4 feet down is still tough to beat.
Hot lures and baits right now:
• For trout: 1/8 oz Kastmaster‑style spoons in gold/blue, small Panther Martin or Rooster Tail spinners, #4–#6 inline size. PowerBait in garlic chartreuse or salmon egg red, and nightcrawlers on light line.
• For walleye/white bass: 1/8–1/4 oz jigheads with 2–3 inch curly tails in chartreuse, white, or shad; minnows or nightcrawlers as tipping bait.
Couple of **hot spots** if you’re heading out today:
• The Rock Cliff and Hailstone areas at **Jordanelle** – fish the rocky banks and points once the sun hits and the surface ice, if any, melts back.
• The **American Fork Boat Harbor and Lindon area on Utah Lake** – work the channel edges for a bonus walleye and steady white bass when you mark schools.
Bundle up, keep your fingers warm, and don’t be afraid to fish slow and small; the fish are there, just a bit sluggish.
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