Upper Bailey Reservoir in San Juan County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Upper Bailey Reservoir stands in San Juan County, Utah. The surface lies 7,178 feet up. Small at around 5 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. 4.8 miles away sits Monticello, the nearest town. Further out sit Blanding (22 miles) and Moab (45 miles). Near neighbours: Gordon Reservoir 1.9 miles off, Keller Reservoir at 3.5 miles, Monticello Lake 5.3 miles off, Race Track Reservoir at 6.2 miles and Camp Jackson Reservoir 10 miles off. Rules here are straightforward: one county, one set of rules.

• Where to Fish on Upper Bailey Reservoir

  We hold no depth figure for this one. Held water runs deepest at the wall and shallows back to the inflow. Points where the flooded channel swings in are the reliable ones. Across San Juan County, recorded fish include rainbow trout, brook trout, green sunfish, black bullhead and brown trout. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. Read Upper Bailey Reservoir for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 69°F on average, January about 24°F. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. Ice-out usually falls in mid March, and the weeks after it fish hardest. The open-water window runs from around mid March to about early December in an average year. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. Plan any trip to Upper Bailey Reservoir around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Ownership and access are not documented in what we hold. Public data shows nothing built here, so treat the whole approach as informal. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Gordon Reservoir at 1.9 miles is the sensible second choice. Signs at Upper Bailey Reservoir carry more weight than any list.