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SCOFIELD, Carbon County — A section of a popular fishing and hunting spot nearly 700 yards below Scofield Dam is no longer open to the public for fishing or hunting, state wildlife conservation officers announced Wednesday.
The closure impacts the Lower Fish Creek area. A lot of land by the creek is owned by private owners, but the land has traditionally not been posted as off-limits, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Lt. Roger Kerstetter explained. The owners of a section of about 700 yards closest to the dam alerted the agency in August that they were posting “no trespassing” signs and asked it to enforce trespassing laws in that area.
The agency chose to publicly announce the change in access now because the fishing season is about to pick up again, and it was nearly over at the time of the change last year. Kerstetter said the property has markings that hunters may know as off-limits but that those who only fish may not recognize.
"We’re just trying to get the word out," he said. "It’s a popular place for fishermen. A lot of them come down from the Wasatch Front to fish that stream. It's a Blue Ribbon Fishery stream."
The stream is a popular spot for catching brown trout and for hunting ducks and elk, according to the DWR. People must receive written permission from a landowner to fish or hunt on the land that is marked private. Anyone caught in the section of land may be cited for trespassing, which is a class B misdemeanor.
As of Wednesday, none of the other private properties along the creek had posted no trespassing signs.
"You can still access quite a bit of stream," Kerstetter added.
There are about 5.5 miles of Lower Fish Creek open through the agency’s Lower Fish Creek Wildlife Management Area. That area can be reached from U.S. Highway 6 at Colton Bridge, which is located northeast of Scofield State Park. The road takes you to a spot about 2 miles south of the reservoir to the 7,547-acre wildlife management area.
