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Flaming Gorge Reservoir, located in southern Wyoming and northeastern Utah is one of the West’s best kept secrets. Most anglers go to the “Gorge” on a pilgrimage for trout. Lake Trout to 52 Pounds haunt these waters in abundance. Rainbows and Kokonees abound as well. And, the Green River, below the dam is considered one of the finest trout streams in the world.

While most seek out trout, the secret of Flaming Gorge is the absolutely prolific smallmouth bass population. Many local anglers claim, “the gorge has some of finest smallmouth fishing in the world.”

Flaming Gorge Reservoir was formed by damming the Green River. The Green river eventually empties into the Colorado and is responsible for some of the water in Lake Powell. While the Dam is in Utah, the majority of the water in Flaming Gorge lies in Wyoming. The lake stretches to just under 90 miles in length and has water depths to over 380 feet.

Sitting at an average of 6200 feet above sea level, the growing season for bass is relatively short — 5 to 6 months. The lake freezes over most winters and provides winter enthusiasts the opportunity to ice fish.

Because of the short growing season, the smallmouth bass action can be absolutely fantastic.

Springtime

The waters of Flaming Gorge first begin to warm in the shallow flats and bays around the Utah/Wyoming State Line and northward. The first active fish of the year will be found in a prespawn mode around the end of April and the beginning of May. Before that time, the fish are very sluggish and can be very difficult to catch.

At times, by concentrating on large boulders and other underwater structures fish can be found in 20 to 40 feet of water. Areas from Buckboard Crossing Marina down to Lucerne Valley Marina have countless deep and shallow cuts, submerged boulders points, humps and very stereotypical smallmouth habitat.

Scott Nielsen, a long-time “Gorge” angler and Utah Federation State Team member, has found smallies up in the ends of creeks in 42-degree water. “Some of the best smallmouth fishing I’ve experienced was in cold, off-colored water. Those fish were looking for just a little warmer water — one or two degrees — and they found it at the mouth of a creek. I fished Yamamoto grubs and caught quality fish.”

One problem with this part of the lake is learning to find concentrations of fish. Much of the area looks so good, many anglers have a tendency to fish what “looks” good rather than finding actual fish. As a result, many hours can be spent fishing less-productive water. It is sometimes hard to predict where the fish will be.

A safe bet during the early spring and into the middle of May is to find structure in 15 to 30 feet of water near a typical-looking spawning flat. There are many gravel-bottom flats in the northern lake area and by locating structure in deeper water adjacent to these locales, concentrations of smallies can also be found on a consistent basis. Late Spring/Early Summer By the third week in May, in an average year, the water temperature has risen to the mid-50s and the change from early prespawn to prespawn/spawn begins in earnest. First the smaller fish enter the spawning flats followed up by the larger females. Rhett Fornoff, a Utah Federation State Team member has fished Flaming Gorge for six years. “When the fish move onto their beds,” says Fornoff, “I like to throw a Yamamoto Grub in a Watermelon/Pumpkin color. The smaller fish bed in 4 to 6 feet of water, while the larger fish make their beds in 8 to 12 feet.

“The main forage is crawfish,”continues Fornoff, “of course, as the year progresses there are minnows that show up, but crawfish make up the bulk of the diet.”

Areas around Antelope Flats, Spring Creek, Anvil Point, Buckboard Bay and Linwood Bay all have excellent smallmouth spawning habitat. Kim Wootten, owner of Pepper Jigs and long-time Flaming Gorge angler advises, “smallies like to spawn in protected areas. Look for them away from the main channel. They need deep water close by, but will use the entire flat to spawn.” Weather on any high-elevation lake is both predictable and dangerous. In the early summer, thunderstorms build like clockwork each afternoon. The wind around the storms can be fierce, but the lake is narrow and one can usually find a cove or other protected areas while the frequent but fast-moving squalls cross the lake.

When at Flaming Gorge in the early summer, be prepared for temperatures from the 40s to the 90s. Jackets might be worn in the morning and then lost by 10:00 A.M. On the other hand, you could be bundled up all day long.

Summer/Late Summer

As the females spawn and the postspawn period extends into July and August, the fish move out again to the points and structure in deeper water. They still frequent the spawning flats because those flats still hold the forage they need. These fish seem to always be active feeders this time of year.

The difficulty is finding concentrations of quality fish. After the spawn, the fish spread out and so naturally you have to cover a lot more water to find the larger fish. This time of year, folks fish from the dam all the way up to the top of the reservoir.

The overall size of the fish tends to be smaller during this time of year, but the numbers of fish caught actually increases substantially. Families plan their vacations at this time and don’t worry about catching smaller fish. They get lost in Flaming Gorge’s many hideaways and they swim, fish and play to their heart’s content.

Summertime is topwater time. Usually around the middle of July, a topwater window opens each morning and evening. If clouds rule the day, the topwater bite can extend all day long. Once again, the fish will be found on feeding shelves and flats close to deep water. When the topwater bite dies, grubs, tubes, and other plastics are the go-to baits. Scott Nielsen gives anglers a great piece of advice when fishing Flaming Gorge. “The biggest mistake people make on this lake is not moving their baits. The fish here want a swimming bait. You can’t be successful by letting your bait sit on the bottom.”

Rhett Fornoff believes wind should possibly change the choice of baits. “Flaming Gorge smallies love crankbaits in the wind. Any crawdad-looking crankbait can be awesome.

“When it’s not too windy, I like to throw a splitshot rig or a Carolina rig, but when the wind blows I move to a crank.”

The size of smallies in Flaming Gorge average around a pound, but the lake record is 4 pound, 6 ounces. This would suggest a smaller-than-normal average, but in reality, many fish in the 3-pound class are caught on a daily basis.

Fall and Winter

Kim Wootten, another Utah Federation Team member loves fishing in the fall on Flaming Gorge. “I’ve caught good fish all the way to the middle of December. In fact, I’ve caught a few smallmouths in February.”

Kim fishes steeper walls and points in the fall with grubs and jigs. For the most part, the fall fishing tapers off during the month of October, with the smallies adding young-of-the-year chubs, rainbows, carp and other baitfish to their diet. There are no shad in Flaming Gorge and crawdads are the staple, but minnow-like crankbaits, grubs and jigs can be very effective in the fall. Getting There

From Colorado, the best way is to take highway 40 west to Vernal, Utah. Then travel north on highway 191 to highway 44 west. That road takes you to Manilla, Utah and the Lucerne Marina Area. Several small motels and resorts are located in Manilla.

From Idaho, angle your way across Wyoming to reach Green River, Wyoming on I-80. Then take highway 530 south to either Buckboard Marina or continue south to Manilla, Utah.

From the west and south, Take I-80 East from Salt Lake City, Utah to the Fort Bridger exit 35 miles east of Evanston, Wyoming. Then take highway 410 south to Mountain View. Once in Mountain View, take the left fork in the road which will put you on highway 414 which at the Utah/Wyoming border changes to Highway 43.

For more information call Rainbow Inn (435-784-3117)