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Why Fish Here
What makes Boulder Mountain different from any other Utah high country is the sheer count. More than 80 lakes and ponds sit on top of one plateau, many of them a walk or a rough drive from the nearest road. Fishing from a boat with a motor is against the rules everywhere up here except Wide Hollow Reservoir, Pine Lake and Lower Bowns, which keeps the whole mountain quiet. The state record brook trout, 7 pounds 8 ounces, came off this mountain in 1971.
How To Fish It
Best rigs: Bubble-and-fly, small spinners packed in
Bait and lures: Wooly buggers, worms, small spoons
Best time: All day at 10,000+ ft. Season: June-September
Local tip: 80+ lakes on one mountain; Utah's biggest brook trout. Bring a map and a sense of adventure.
Species Playbook
Brook Trout
Rig: Ultralight spinner or bubble-and-fly rig
Bait: Small spinners, worms, ants/attractor dry flies
When: All day at altitude; evenings best in summer
Aggressive and gorgeous. Boulder Mountain grows Utah's biggest brookies.
Cutthroat Trout
Rig: Strawberry: white tube jig 15-30 ft; Bear Lake: troll minnow-profile lures
Bait: Tube jigs, dead minnows (where legal), dry flies in creeks
When: Morning bite is king; ice-off is legendary
The Bonneville cutthroat is Utah's state fish. Strawberry slot: release cutts 15-22 in.
Tiger Trout
Rig: Casting spoons or worm on slip-sinker
Bait: Jake's Spin-a-lure, Kastmaster, nightcrawlers
When: Early morning; excellent through the ice
Brown × brook hybrid - mean, striped, and hard-fighting.
Getting There + Nearby
Nearby adventures: Singletree Campground (Camping, 10 mi) · Anasazi State Park Museum (State Park, 12 mi) · Lower Calf Creek Falls (Hike, 20 mi) · Calf Creek Campground (Camping, 20 mi)
Quick Answers
- What fish are in Boulder Mountain Lakes?
- Brook Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Tiger Trout, Arctic Grayling.
- What is the best bait at Boulder Mountain Lakes?
- Wooly buggers, worms, small spoons
- When is the best time to fish Boulder Mountain Lakes?
- All day at 10,000+ ft. Season: June-September.
- Why fish Boulder Mountain Lakes?
- You go for brook trout that actually get big, plus tiger trout, Colorado River cutthroat and Arctic grayling in the same country. Two routes get you in: the dirt Boulder Top Road off Highway 24 near Bicknell for the remote lakes, or Scenic Byway 12 between Torrey and Boulder for the easy ones.