Big Lake Fishing near Maeser, Utah

• Overview

  Utah holds Big Lake, in Uintah County. The bank is 8,724 feet above sea level. Some 16 miles away sits Maeser, the nearest settlement. Vernal follows at 17 miles, then Naples at 19 miles. Close by you have: Oaks Park Reservoir a shade over 5.6 miles, East Park Reservoir lies 5.8 miles on, Stauffer Chemical Tailings Pond North a shade over 7.8 miles, Lily Pad Lake lies 9.9 miles on and Red Fleet Reservoir a shade over 10 miles. Local rules may differ a few miles either side of here.

• Where to Fish on Big Lake

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Survey and observation records for Uintah County include rainbow trout, channel catfish and common carp. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. The shape of Big Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate records put July near 58°F and January near 19°F. The middle months are generous; the ends are demanding. The lid usually goes in early May, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Break-up sits around early May on average, with the water closing again about mid November. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. That is the shape of the year on Big Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. Overnight stays are possible about half a mile out, where camping is mapped. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. State or provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. For a change of water, Oaks Park Reservoir is 5.6 miles distant. Where Big Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.