Fishing Upper Ottoson Lake in Duchesne County, Utah

• Overview

  Utah holds Upper Ottoson Lake, in Duchesne County. The setting is lake country bush. At 11 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. It is high ground by Utah standards. You are 34 miles from Kamas. Francis is 34 miles and Oakley 35 miles. Nearby alternatives: Lower Ottoson Lake roughly 0.4 miles, Crater Lake lies 1.2 miles on, Anderson Lake roughly 1.7 miles, Phinney Lake lies 1.7 miles on and Cleveland Lake roughly 1.9 miles. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Upper Ottoson Lake

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Fish documented in Duchesne County include brook trout, brown trout, rainbow trout and Arctic grayling. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Upper Ottoson Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between December at about 16°F and July at about 52°F, the water has a wide range to work through. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around mid June. Averages suggest open water from about mid June through to roughly early November. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. Expect Upper Ottoson Lake to follow that timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Local rules can differ across the county line, so check where you stand. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Lower Ottoson Lake, 0.4 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. For Upper Ottoson Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.