Fishing Fern Lake in Duchesne County, Utah

• Overview

  Set in Duchesne County, Utah, this is Fern Lake. The bank is 9,892 feet above sea level. Small at around 19 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. The closest town, Francis, is 27 miles away. Provo is the closest city, 53 miles away. Nearest other option: LaMarla Lake at 0.6 miles, Lodgepole Lake out at 1.2 miles, Red Cliff Lake at 1.4 miles, Docs Lake out at 1.6 miles and Grandaddy Lake at 1.7 miles. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Fern Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Public occurrence data for Duchesne County names brook trout, brown trout, rainbow trout, Arctic grayling and black-spotted cutthroat trout. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. The shape of Fern Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 55°F on average, December about 18°F. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from early June. Average temperatures cross freezing around early June in spring and again near mid November in autumn. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Fern Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  We hold no note on access for this one. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. The nearest alternative is LaMarla Lake, 0.6 miles out. Nothing here settles the position at Fern Lake for certain.