Flaming Gorge Reservoir fishing

DWR says recent fishing reports describe great lake trout fishing, with the best results around Antelope Flat, North Skull, Jarvies, Sheep Creek and Buckboard. Smaller lake trout are being taken by trolling and jigging in 20 to 80 feet of water on flats that sit next to deeper water, cliffs and ridges, while bigger fish are found 60 to 100 feet down, out near the main channel along cliff edges and similar structure; fish that are suspended tend to be the most aggressive. DWR recommends mornings and evenings for lake trout and suggests jigging spoons, rap baits such as jigging Raps and Tikka minnows, and jigs of 1/4 to 1/2 ounce or 3 to 4 inches, tipped with a little sucker or chub meat; trophy lakers call for bigger lures. In the reservoir's southern open water, trolling small spoons, dodger and squid rigs or crankbaits can also work. Colors worth trying are chartreuse, glow, orange, white and pink. Fishing for rainbow and cutthroat trout has been good from boats and from shore, in 15 to 50 feet of water at the inner ends of coves and bays; the fish are often suspended and take small trolled spoons and dodger and squid rigs, or small jigging spoons with a piece of bait on the hook. Smallmouth bass are up shallow at the inner ends of bays and coves, where DWR suggests crankbaits or ned rigs fished around boulders, weeds or woody debris. DWR had no recent burbot reports; its advice is to fish rocky points and shorelines at night in 30 to 40 feet of water with lures that glow in the dark, tipped with sucker or chub meat.

Keeping kokanee is prohibited statewide, starting Sept. 10 and running through Nov. 30. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is releasing extra water from Flaming Gorge, and DWR says fish may be in different places this year because of the drawdown, as in 2022. The Horseshoe Bend cut can no longer be used, DWR warns of unexpected submerged hazards, and it says all of the Utah boat ramps should remain usable through the fall. Every burbot caught must be killed.

Our summary of the Utah DWR fishing report dated Sept. 14, 2026, in our own words. Read the original on DWR Fish Utah.