Conditions Right Now
Your Loadout
Tackle + Bait Slots
Deep jigging setup: 30 lb braid + tube jigs. Trolling: dodger + pink squid, corn-tipped. Winter loadout: auger, ice cleats, short jig rod, insulated bibs.
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 line, size 8-10 baitholder hook
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.