Yellow Lake, Utah: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  You will find Yellow Lake in Garfield County, Utah. Country round the bank runs to mixed forest. Small at around 4 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. The closest town, Panguitch, is 34 miles away. The nearest city of size is Provo, 159 miles away. Round about: Blue Lake near enough 0.1 miles, Flat Lake (0.2 miles), Joe Lay Reservoir near enough 0.4 miles, Lower Barker Reservoir (0.7 miles) and Barker Reservoir near enough 0.9 miles. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Yellow Lake

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Across Garfield County, recorded fish include brown trout, rainbow trout and brook trout. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. On Yellow Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 56°F on average, January about 20°F. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. Count the season from break-up, usually early May. Expect the water usable from around early May until roughly mid November. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Yellow Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. There is a jetty half a mile off, worth knowing on a busy day. Mapping shows a campsite some half a mile from the water. There is a toilet block some half a mile out. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Blue Lake, 0.1 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. The position on Yellow Lake is worth confirming on the day.