Fishing at Bench Lake, Summit County, Utah

• Overview

  Summit County, Utah, is where Bench Lake sits. The country here is pine and birch. The whole thing is a single swim; walk it in a minute. Our Summit County list holds plenty of bigger water. Head to Kamas, 30 miles away, for anything you forgot. Provo sits 60 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Bench Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Reported across Summit County: brown trout, rainbow trout, cutthroat trout, brook trout and Utah sucker. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. Treat Bench Lake as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 53°F and December at 17°F. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around early June. Climate figures give an open season running early June to early November. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Bench Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. No slipway, car park or made path shows up nearby in mapping, so treat access as rough. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. State or provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. If the gate is shut, Reconnaissance Lake at 0.6 miles is the nearest alternative. The position on Bench Lake is worth confirming on the day.