Gone fishing? East Canyon Reservoir is really biting for boaters, shore anglers

Gone fishing? East Canyon Reservoir is really biting for boaters, shore anglers

(Brad Kerr)


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THE GREAT OUTDOORS — As anglers have begun to look forward to ice season, there are still fish to be caught in open water in northern Utah.

East Canyon Reservoir has been a hot spot recently for boaters, float tubers and kayakers, as well as shore anglers. The rainbow trout are really biting and standard approaches are all doing well.

Here are some specific bait and techniques that are currently proving to be successful for fishing at East Canyon:

Boaters

For boaters, trolling monofilament line or a few colors of lead-core line, is currently working well. Rapalas in blue, black and silver, and white with a red head have all been productive for fishing at East Canyon. Countdown, or sinking Rapalas, will help you get your minnow imitation down into the strike zone. Experiment with depths until you find abundant schools of fish.

Rebel crawfish crankbaits are also catching trout; try shades of green with orange bellies. Spinning lures such as Rooster-Tails, Mepps and Blue Fox in silver have been a good old standby approach for catching active rainbow trout. Don’t forget your Kastmaster spoons, as a slow retrieve with the occasional quick jerk can trigger fish into hitting your lure.

Float tubes and kayaks

Float tubes and kayaks offer anglers an approach to the water that you don’t get while bank fishing. Kayakers especially can troll with lures to attract fish, but casting while moving to search for active trout also works well. Again, the standard lures and techniques listed above for boaters also work well with kayakers or anglers using float tubes.

Some will prefer to cast nightcrawlers or PowerBait in pursuit of a bite, and this is also currently effective. But casting and trolling lures allows you to feel that sudden strike we all enjoy so much, and these rainbows at East Canyon are aggressive right now.

Shore anglers

Shore anglers who like to kick back and relax while waiting for a bite may stay rather busy, as the trout, by word-of-mouth reports, have been steady right now. Casting Rapalas and crawfish crankbaits is a great option to bait fishing. Casting along shorelines, too, and not just out into deeper water is currently effective for fishing at East Canyon. Trout cruising the edges will readily take a lure or bait, as the trout seem to be everywhere of late.

So don’t put away your open water gear just yet. Good numbers of fish, enough to meet your limit and then some, are being caught right now at East Canyon Reservoir. Hopefully, we can anticipate a good bite to continue even after the lake freezes over.

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