Why Target Them
Lake trout are the biggest fish in Utah's cold water. The state record, 53 pounds 15 ounces and just over 44 inches, came from Flaming Gorge in 2020. The Gorge rules push you to keep the small ones: no limit at all on lake trout 28 inches or under, and only one fish over that per day. Bear Lake runs the other direction with a 2-trout daily limit, so read the rules for the water you are on before you fill a cooler.
How To Catch Them
Where: Flaming Gorge, Bear Lake, Fish Lake
Go-to rig: Vertical jigging: 3-4 in white tube jig on heavy jighead, 40-90 ft
Best bait and lures: Tube jigs tipped with sucker meat, big spoons, downrigger trolling
Best time: First light; winter & spring for giants
Gorge 'pups' (under 25 in) are tasty and plentiful - jig the humps.
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Tackle + Bait Slots
Also works: big spoons · downrigger trolling
The all-round reservoir kit: enough backbone for wind and depth.
Where To Catch Them (3 waters)
Quick Answers
- How do you catch Lake Trout (Mackinaw) in Utah?
- Go-to rig: Vertical jigging: 3-4 in white tube jig on heavy jighead, 40-90 ft Best bait: Tube jigs tipped with sucker meat, big spoons, downrigger trolling
- Where can I catch Lake Trout (Mackinaw) in Utah?
- Flaming Gorge Reservoir, Bear Lake, Fish Lake.
- When do Lake Trout (Mackinaw) bite best?
- First light; winter & spring for giants
- Why fish for Lake Trout (Mackinaw) in Utah?
- Because nothing else in Utah gets that big. Lake trout hold deep and cold in Flaming Gorge, Bear Lake and Fish Lake, so this is a boat and jigging game rather than anything you do from shore. Newcomers underestimate how much a depth finder matters, and how far down the fish actually sit.