Academy Mill Reservoir Fishing near Ephraim, Utah

• Overview

  Look for Academy Mill Reservoir in Sanpete County, Utah. The surroundings are mixed forest. Surface area runs to about 5 acres — small enough to read in one session. Start from Ephraim, 13 miles down the road. Provo sits 68 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Academy Mill Reservoir

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. Look for where the old bank line still shows under the surface. Held water runs deepest at the wall and shallows back to the inflow. Species logged across Sanpete County include rainbow trout, brown trout, Atlantic salmon, black-spotted cutthroat trout and brook trout. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. The near bank of Academy Mill Reservoir is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 59°F at the top of summer and 21°F at the bottom of winter. Hard water is a season in its own right here. Once it clears, about early May, the fishing comes on quickly. The lid tends to go about early May and return around mid November. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. The season on Academy Mill Reservoir follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. You can camp about 0.9 miles away, going by the mapping. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Grass Flat Reservoir sits 0.6 miles off and takes the overflow. For Academy Mill Reservoir, the notice at the access point is the final word.