Catching Fall's Rainbows (Trout)

There's some mighty good fishing going on right now in Utah streams and reservoirs. Trout in particular are feeding aggressively, as if they know they need to fatten up because lean winter days are just ahead.

I enjoyed great success at Fish Lake last weekend, catching a mess of beautiful, fat, hard-fighting rainbows. I had hoped to catch a few large lake trout but we only managed to hook one pup. But the quality of the rainbow fishing made the trip very enjoyable.

This is a great time to be out in Utah's mountains. Fall colors are almost gone at the high elevations, but they are brilliant in our valleys and lower canyon areas. Our Indian summer weather has been perfect - lately we've been getting storms mid-week and then mild, sunny weekends.

Many people think fishing is a summer sport. When fall comes, they put away their rods and turn their attention to school, football, hunting and other activities. That's fine. Some of our best fishing occurs during fall and it is nice not having as many people out on the water.

The weather should be nice this weekend and so I'll be heading out. I think I'll fish Strawberry, going after big rainbows and cutthroats. Flaming Gorge, Bear Lake, Jordanelle and many other reservoirs should also be good. The Green, Provo and other rivers should also fish well.

See our weekly fishing report for more ideas.

Wish me luck.

- Dave