Fish Reports

The lake is almost to capacity and fishing for keeper crappie has been fair to good. The road is rough so care should be taken driving here. Crappie should be in the shallows among the flooded willows and shrubs though you will lose some gear. Anglers report catching crappie in the rocks fishing a small white plastic grub under a bobber.

The road to Wilson has been graded and tout fishing here has been good while bass fishing has been fair to good. The lake is no longer spilling over the spillway. The water in the lake is clearing and fishing conditions are good. Trout were averaging 13 to 16 inches in the lake and a bit smaller below the spillway. Expect similar

The water level is up making shore access difficult in many areas due to brush. If you have a float tube, kayak or canoe it will definitely help out. Bait anglers have seen fishing slow as aquatic insects are coming out, though fly fishermen are finding fishing very good. Fly rodders have had success using small elk hair caddis, hopper

There is road construction south of the state park headquarters so those wanting to access the west side of the lake will need to go in through Twin Bridges. Expect this to continue throughout the summer. The surface water temperatures have climbed into the 70’s and trout fishing has slowed considerably due to this. Boaters and float tubers are starting to have

Nothing has really changed here as fishing has been good for 10 to 12 inch fish using worms or cheese baits under a bobber. Small spinners are also effective. For fly rodders: hare’s ears, pheasant tail nymphs, prince nymphs, small crystal buggers and Cave Lake specials are all good flies. The surface water temperatures are in the mid 60’s and there are

Fishing is good for both trout and largemouth bass. Chironomids, scuds and small nymphs (size 16 to 20) fished either right above the bottom or just under the surface appear to be working. Small dry flies are also working mid-morning and late afternoon.. This lake was recently stocked with approximately 2000 rainbow trout.

Fishing is fair to good here with good water levels. The usual worms, PowerBait or mealworms should all work. Small spinners and spoons should be good for spin fishermen. The usual black and olive wooly buggers, small chironomids, hares ears and pheasant tail nymphs are good starting points for fly rodders. Illipah was stocked with approximately 18,000 fish this spring.

Though temperatures are only hitting into the low nineties the heat has put the fish off during the heat of the day. The crappie and bass bite have been the best, but a few trout are still baiting early in the mornings and evening hours. Small jigs for the crappie have been working in a variety of colors, with bass hitting the jiggs

The lake’s water level is low as usual for mid-summer, with the aquatic vegetation getting thicker along the shore line. The best fishing action still remains early morning and after sundown for the bass and crappie with a few trout still taking baits, small lures spinning lures.

The lake is warming up. With warmer weather comes fishing for warm water fish. Largemouth and smallmouth bass are more active at points with vegetation reaching out into the water. Some fishermen are having success from kayaks and fishing for striped bass using anchovies or swimbaits. One angler caught a 33-pound striped past this past weekend outside Willow using a topwater lure. Most fishermen

The striper bite is steady on the lake. Anglers have had success fishing the cove entrances for the striped bass in the early morning and then switching to deep diving lures once the heat of the day has warmed the surface waters. Trolling with shad has worked for many through Las Vegas Bay area and outside Boulder Beach.

The south end of the lake has been productive with anglers catching stripers from the dam. Anchovies and swimbaits are fooling striped bass outside of Katherine Landing. Anglers fishing out of Cottonwood Cove are finding good fishing for catfish and black bass in coves. Vegetation is getting thick along some shorelines and providing cover for game fish. Work submerged brush in the coves for sunfish.

Anglers fishing during the night time hours are finding fast action for striped bass and catfish. Try anchovies, live shad or jigging spoons beneath a submersible light. Fishing is sluggish during the day, but there are some quality fish coming in at sunrise and just before dark. Black bass are biting on poppers and swimbaits. Work your baits in areas with vegetation for black

The water level has been up to capacity then down a little over the last couple weeks. A few reports for shore anglers on the east side of the lake in the county park. They have done fair early morning and evening with Powerbait. Trollers have been using flashers and a night crawler in deeper waters for average sized rainbows.

Trout action has slowed down some over the past week. The arrival of warmer air temperatures isn’t helping, but bass and crappie are still biting throughout the day. Lures have been working better than baits for most anglers, with brown colorations working best.