Conditions Right Now
Your Loadout 🎣 Stock Up on Gear
Tackle + Bait Slots
Winter loadout: auger, ice cleats, short jig rod, insulated bibs.
Why Fish Here
Otter Creek has been holding water since 1897, and the state park on its south end at 6,350 feet is one of the better fishing bases in central Utah: boat ramp, showers, campsites with and without hookups, and a pair of small rental cabins. Summer rentals cover boats, canoes and paddleboards if you did not tow anything. Note that the feeder stream above the reservoir closes from January 1 until the second Saturday of July, so the lake is the year-round option.
How To Fish It
Best rigs: Troll spoons/pop gear; shore slip-sinker rigs
Bait and lures: PowerBait, crawlers, spoons
Best time: Morning & evening. Season: April-Nov; good ice
Local tip: Rainbows grow FAST here. The state park corner is stocked heavily.
Species Playbook
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.
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.
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.
Getting There + Nearby
Nearby adventures: Otter Creek State Park (State Park, 0 mi) · Piute Reservoir (Fishing, 14 mi) · Piute State Park (State Park, 14 mi) · Boulder Mountain Lakes (Fishing, 27 mi)
Quick Answers
- What fish are in Otter Creek Reservoir?
- Rainbow Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Smallmouth Bass.
- What is the best bait at Otter Creek Reservoir?
- PowerBait, crawlers, spoons
- When is the best time to fish Otter Creek Reservoir?
- Morning & evening. Season: April-Nov; good ice.
- Why fish Otter Creek Reservoir?
- Because it is a productive trout reservoir with a full-service state park right on the shore, which is rare in this part of Utah. You can fish from a boat or from shore within walking distance of camp, and the ice season here is a real one. The state park lists browns and wipers alongside the trout and smallmouth.