Blacksmith Fork River is a great place to catch fish in the winter said Division of Wildlife Resouces official.

Hyrum —There is more to winter fishing than sitting on a frozen pond and drilling a whole through the ice. The Blacksmith Fork River is one of three rivers the Utah Division of Wildlife Services highlighted as great places to catch fish during the winter.

With rain/snow mix conditions around the state some anglers may think there are no opportunities to catch fish, but there is. Even in the winter streams and rivers can provide great fishing experiences. The Blacksmith Fork River is the first on the list for being a nice, small stream that is easy to wade in and a great place to sink some bait.

The Blacksmith Fork is not heavily fished and is well stocked so anglers can catch a lot of fish. Sportsmen can find cutthroat trout (Bear River subspecies) for the Utah Cutthroat Slam or a hard-fighting brown trout. There is currently an overabundance of brown trout in Blacksmith Fork River, and the current fishing regulations allow anglers to keep an additional four brown trout caught there.

The river has brown trout, Bear River cutthroat trout, mountain whitefish and rainbow trout, depending on what stretch of the river you are fishing.

Water levels and clarity are great on the river right this time of year, and there isn’t much ice currently. There is not a bait restriction on the river, so anglers can have success using nightcrawlers in pools and along the bank.

Anglers should dress for the conditions. Wear layers when fishing during the winter, and be prepared for very cold conditions, particularly early in the morning. Always be extremely careful when fishing along streams with deep snow or icy conditions. Access can also be more of an issue during the winter, particularly if there is a lot of snow in the area. DWR recommends checking with the relevant land-managing agencies to see if the parking areas have been plowed, particularly if it has snowed recently.

Fishermen should watch their fishing pole guides if they start to freeze up after a while (particularly on really cold days), so make sure you have gloves on hand to remove the ice.

Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Northern Region Assistant Aquatics Manager Clint Brunson wants to remind fishermen when fishing in a river during the winter, there are a few things anglers should keep in mind.

A fish’s metabolism slows during the winter, so they will often spend time in slack water areas to help them conserve energy,” he said. “Targeting pools and areas along riverbanks is often a good place to find the fish during winter months.”

Different lures that often work well during the winter months include are Panther Martins, Bluefox or Mepps, and small crankbaits in trout patterns. In areas where bait is allowed, jigs with a piece of nightcrawler can often be successful. For fly fishermen they can often find success using small nymphs like Hare’s Ear, pheasant tail, prince, sow bugs and zebra midges. One key is to get those nymphs near the bottom because fish in the winter aren’t as willing to swim or dart as far for food as they are when it is warmer.

“There is less for the fish to eat during the winter, but there are still bugs, so making sure you are using small flies and lures and getting them right in front of the fish will help you have more success,” DWR Sportfish Coordinator Trina Hedrick said.

If you want to release freshly caught fish there are a few tricks that can help decrease stress to the fish and increase survival. It’s best to remove gloves, that typically have absorptive fabric that can remove the protective slime coat from a fish’s skin. Wet your hands when handling the fish and use a rubber net to more easily land the fish, so you can keep it in the water while removing the hook.

“Every second the fish is out of water is a second that it can’t really breathe, so it’s good to think about getting it back to the water and swimming freely as quickly as possible,” Hedrick said. “With cooler temperatures, the fish will typically have less stress from the experience, but expediency is still key.”

Other rivers mentioned in the release for catching fish in the winter were the Lower Part of the Provo River and the Duchesne River.







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