Black Lake Fishing in Garfield County, Utah

• Overview

  Look for Black Lake in Garfield County, Utah. The surface lies 9,652 feet up. It covers about 5 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. Panguitch lies 50 miles from the water. It is 154 miles to Provo, the nearest city. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple. It is the kind of place people fish for years without exhausting.

• Where to Fish on Black Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Survey and observation records for Garfield County include brown trout, rainbow trout, brook trout and Arctic grayling. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. At Black Lake light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 55°F and January reads 20°F. The year runs cold to warm and back, with clear transitions. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough mid May. Climate averages put the opening at about mid May and the closing near mid November. Spring is short and heavy here; autumn is longer and steadier. That shapes the year on Black Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. Failing this one, try Dry Lake, 0.6 miles away. Rules at Black Lake are worth checking on the day.