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Utah fishing in December

Ice-up, early ice, and winter tailwaters.

December is the ice-up month. Strawberry, Scofield, Fish Lake, and the other high reservoirs cap through the month, and the first safe early ice — often the best ice fishing of the year for cutthroat and perch — arrives late December. The lower reservoirs may stay open into January. Stocking is almost nil. Tailwaters are steady and clear, fishing well on midges and small nymphs through the short warm window, and the Green is uncrowded and beautiful. Check ice reports and never trust early ice without drilling test holes.

Where to go in December

Early ice: Strawberry, Scofield, Fish Lake, Panguitch, Otter Creek. Open water: the Green, Provo, Weber, Deer Creek and Jordanelle until they freeze, southern Utah reservoirs.

Species in season

What the DWR stocks in December

Historically December is the #12 stocking month in Utah — about 1% of the year’s plants (98 recorded events across 16 waters). These are the waters stocked most often in December:

• Deer Creek Reservoir — 13 plants over 3 years · 19,674 fish · Wasatch Co.
• Towa P, Upper — 11 plants over 5 years · 6,425 fish · Washington Co.
• Skyline Pond — 11 plants over 5 years · 4,472 fish · Washington Co.
• Towa P. Lower — 11 plants over 5 years · 3,881 fish · Washington Co.
• Virgin River Park Pond — 11 plants over 5 years · 2,998 fish · Washington Co.
• Stratton Pond — 10 plants over 5 years · 5,042 fish · Washington Co.
• Razor Ridge Pond — 10 plants over 5 years · 3,745 fish · Washington Co.
• Fish Lake — 8 plants over 3 years · 41,937 fish · Sevier Co.
• Otter Creek Reservoir — 4 plants over 2 years · 18,247 fish · Piute Co.
• Strawberry Reservoir Tribs — 2 plants over 1 year · 120,000 fish · Wasatch Co.
• Flaming Gorge Reservoir — 2 plants over 2 years · 97,962 fish · Daggett Co.
• Panguitch Lake — 1 plant over 1 year · 4,246 fish · Garfield Co.
• Jackson Flat Reservoir — 1 plant over 1 year · 1,265 fish · Kane Co.
• Beaver Creek — 1 plant over 1 year · 571 fish · Summit Co.
• Red Fleet Reservoir — 1 plant over 1 year · 321 fish · Uintah Co.

River flows in December

Across Utah’s gauged rivers, December flows typically run about 56% of each river’s year-round median (period-of-record USGS data). Low, clear water: wade carefully, fish early, and watch water temperature.

• Lake Fork River — typically ~0 cfs (0% of annual median)
• Diamond Fork — typically ~26 cfs (19% of annual median)
• Ogden River — typically ~11 cfs (23% of annual median)
• East Fork Sevier River — typically ~15 cfs (26% of annual median)
• Upper Weber River — typically ~58 cfs (30% of annual median)
• Upper Provo River — typically ~57 cfs (30% of annual median)
• Ashley Creek — typically ~25 cfs (32% of annual median)
• Lower Weber River — typically ~133 cfs (32% of annual median)
• American Fork River — typically ~16 cfs (33% of annual median)
• Mammoth Creek — typically ~12 cfs (34% of annual median)
• South Fork Ogden River — typically ~36 cfs (38% of annual median)
• Beaver River — typically ~19 cfs (43% of annual median)

December tips

• Early ice at Strawberry: cutthroat cruise the shallow bays under 6–10 feet of water; jigs tipped with a piece of nightcrawler.
• Tailwater trout hold in the slow, deep runs — fish under an indicator with a size 20 midge and a split shot.
• Community ponds stocked in late fall still hold fish; on warm afternoons they bite.

← November · January →