Conditions Right Now
Your Loadout 🎣 Stock Up on Gear
Tackle + Bait Slots
Cat kit: 2/0 circle hooks + liver after dark.
Why Fish Here
Tawa is two ponds rather than one, upper and lower, and the fishing guidebook lists both alongside Tawa Ponds (UDWR community fishery)s. That label carries real rules with it: two fish a day, and the water is open only while the park around it is open. The upside of a St. George pond is that you can fish it comfortably in a fleece in January. The tradeoff is midsummer, when you switch to bluegill and catfish.
How To Fish It
Best rigs: Bobber + worm (trout in winter, gills in summer)
Bait and lures: Worms, PowerBait, mealworms
Best time: Winter middays, summer evenings. Season: All year
Local tip: Dixie's community fisheries flip the calendar: trout stocked in the COOL months.
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.
Largemouth Bass
Rig: Texas-rigged worm near weeds; wacky rig Senko
Bait: Senkos, jigs, frogs over pads, topwater at dawn
When: Dawn topwater, evenings; pre-spawn (April-May) is prime
Look for submerged brush, tules, and shade lines.
Bluegill & Sunfish
Rig: Worm under a small bobber, size 10 hook - that's it
Bait: Worms, mealworms, tiny jigs
When: All day long, all summer
THE kid fish. Pelican Lake grows bluegill the size of dinner plates.
Channel Catfish
Rig: Carolina/sliding-sinker rig on bottom, circle hook
Bait: Nightcrawlers, chicken liver, hot dogs, stink bait, carp meat
When: Evening into night; hot summer nights are best
Utah Lake is a catfish factory - 30-fish nights happen.
Getting There + Nearby
Nearby adventures: Snow Canyon State Park (State Park, 10 mi) · Hidden Pinyon Overlook (Hike, 10 mi) · Sand Hollow State Park (State Park, 10 mi) · Sand Hollow Reservoir (Fishing, 10 mi)
Quick Answers
- What fish are in Tawa Ponds?
- Rainbow Trout, Largemouth Bass, Bluegill & Sunfish, Channel Catfish.
- What is the best bait at Tawa Ponds?
- Worms, PowerBait, mealworms
- When is the best time to fish Tawa Ponds?
- Winter middays, summer evenings. Season: All year.
- Why fish Tawa Ponds?
- Because these are among the few Utah waters where a winter afternoon is prime fishing time rather than a consolation prize. Tawa's upper and lower ponds and nearby Tawa Ponds (UDWR community fishery)shery rules, which cap you at two fish per day. Mealworms and small worms cover almost everything here.