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Deep jigging setup: 30 lb braid + tube jigs. Trolling: dodger + pink squid, corn-tipped. Winter loadout: auger, ice cleats, short jig rod, insulated bibs.
Why Fish Here
The Gorge straddles the Utah and Wyoming line, so the rules change under your boat, and a reciprocal permit is what lets you fish the whole thing on one license. Utah puts no limit on lake trout 28 inches or under and lets you keep just one above that, because biologists want the small ones out so the survivors get fat. Burbot are invasive here and every one you catch must be killed immediately. Linwood Bay closes to night fishing in late fall.
How To Fish It
Best rigs: Vertical jig white tubes 40-90 ft for lakers; dodger+squid for kokes; ned rig on rocky points for smallies
Bait and lures: Tube jigs + sucker meat, pink squids, green-pumpkin plastics
Best time: Dawn for lakers/kokes; all day for smallmouth. Season: May-Sept open water; epic ice fishing for pups & burbot
Local tip: Fish over 91 miles long. Smallmouth on every rocky point in summer - a kid can catch 30. Night burbot jigging with glow lures is a whole subculture.
Species Playbook
Lake Trout (Mackinaw)
Rig: Vertical jigging: 3-4 in white tube jig on heavy jighead, 40-90 ft
Bait: Tube jigs tipped with sucker meat, big spoons, downrigger trolling
When: First light; winter & spring for giants
Gorge 'pups' (under 25 in) are tasty and plentiful - jig the humps.
Kokanee Salmon
Rig: Troll pink/orange squid behind a dodger, 25-60 ft down
Bait: Pink squids tipped with white shoepeg corn
When: Crack of dawn - bite dies mid-morning
CLOSED to harvest during fall spawn (check dates). Turn bright red in September.
Rainbow Trout
Rig: Slip-bobber or sliding sinker rig, 4 lb mono line, size 8-10 baitholder
Bait: PowerBait (rainbow/garlic), nightcrawler, small spinners (Panther Martin, Jake's)
When: Early morning & last 2 hours before dark
Utah's #1 fish. If a pond got stocked this week, cast anything shiny. Perfect first fish for kids.
Smallmouth Bass
Rig: Ned rig, drop shot, tube jig on rocky structure
Bait: 3 in green-pumpkin plastics, crawfish crankbaits, topwater early
When: Morning & evening in summer; all day spring/fall
Count to the bottom, drag it slow over rocks. Fights way above its weight class.
Brown Trout
Rig: Fly: sow bug/zebra midge under indicator; Spin: single-hook Rapala or spinner
Bait: Flies (sow bugs, streamers), Rapalas, worms after rain
When: Dawn, dusk, and overcast days; fall (spawn season) fires them up
Wary and smart. Downsize line to 4 lb fluoro on clear days.
Getting There + Nearby
Nearby adventures: Mustang Ridge Campground (Camping, 1 mi) · Dripping Springs Campground (Camping, 4 mi) · Green River (Section A) (Fishing, 6 mi) · Lucerne Valley Campground (Camping, 10 mi)
Quick Answers
- What fish are in Flaming Gorge Reservoir?
- Lake Trout (Mackinaw), Kokanee Salmon, Rainbow Trout, Smallmouth Bass, Brown Trout.
- What is the best bait at Flaming Gorge Reservoir?
- Tube jigs + sucker meat, pink squids, green-pumpkin plastics
- When is the best time to fish Flaming Gorge Reservoir?
- Dawn for lakers/kokes; all day for smallmouth. Season: May-Sept open water; epic ice fishing for pups & burbot.
- Why fish Flaming Gorge Reservoir?
- For the variety in one reservoir. You can jig lake trout deep, troll kokanee, and work rocky points for smallmouth in the same day, with a separate winter burbot fishery on top. Utah caps you at four trout or kokanee combined, lake trout excluded, plus three bass, and dead lake trout and burbot are legal bait.