Conditions Right Now
Your Loadout
Tackle + Bait Slots
Winter loadout: auger, ice cleats, short jig rod, insulated bibs.
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 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.
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.