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Utah fishing in September

Fall stocking begins, cooling water brings trout back shallow.

September is the turn. Nights cool, reservoir surface temperatures drop back through the 60s, and trout that spent August deep come back into reach from the bank. The DWR's fall stocking program starts — September is the fourth-busiest month, with well over a thousand plants — and the community ponds get their first fall rainbows. Rivers are low and clear with the year's best dry-fly fishing on tricos and blue-winged olives, and brown trout begin feeding hard ahead of the spawn. The kokanee run peaks at Strawberry and Flaming Gorge.

Where to go in September

Strawberry (cutthroat and kokanee), Jordanelle, Deer Creek, Scofield, Fish Lake, the Middle Provo and Weber for browns, Uinta high lakes until the first snow, Flaming Gorge.

Species in season

What the DWR stocks in September

Historically September is the #5 stocking month in Utah — about 10% of the year’s plants (1,356 recorded events across 449 waters). These are the waters stocked most often in September:

• Strawberry Reservoir — 33 plants over 5 years · 782,887 fish · Wasatch Co.
• Otter Creek Reservoir — 26 plants over 3 years · 309,582 fish · Piute Co.
• Sandy Community Fishery — 23 plants over 5 years · 14,820 fish · Salt Lake Co.
• Salem Pond — 19 plants over 5 years · 21,822 fish · Utah Co.
• Spanish Oaks Pond — 18 plants over 5 years · 7,940 fish · Utah Co.
• Fish Lake — 17 plants over 4 years · 151,202 fish · Sevier Co.
• East Canyon Reservoir — 17 plants over 5 years · 67,541 fish · Morgan Co.
• Rockport Reservoir — 16 plants over 5 years · 44,658 fish · Summit Co.
• Riverton Pond — 16 plants over 4 years · 9,697 fish · Salt Lake Co.
• Logan River — 16 plants over 4 years · 9,278 fish · Cache Co.
• Smith Family Park Pond — 15 plants over 5 years · 9,525 fish · Weber Co.
• Strawberry R, Upper — 14 plants over 5 years · 377,029 fish · Wasatch Co.
• Mantua Reservoir — 14 plants over 5 years · 94,834 fish · Box Elder Co.
• Kaysville Stake Pond — 14 plants over 5 years · 14,914 fish · Davis Co.
• Willow Park Pond — 14 plants over 4 years · 10,333 fish · Salt Lake Co.

River flows in September

Across Utah’s gauged rivers, September flows typically run about 79% of each river’s year-round median (period-of-record USGS data). Low, clear water: wade carefully, fish early, and watch water temperature.

• Lower Provo River — typically ~35 cfs (24% of annual median)
• Upper Provo River — typically ~68 cfs (36% of annual median)
• Upper Weber River — typically ~77 cfs (41% of annual median)
• South Fork Ogden River — typically ~45 cfs (47% of annual median)
• American Fork River — typically ~24 cfs (50% of annual median)
• Beaver River — typically ~24 cfs (55% of annual median)
• Duchesne River — typically ~86 cfs (57% of annual median)
• Mammoth Creek — typically ~20 cfs (58% of annual median)
• Logan River — typically ~121 cfs (62% of annual median)
• Upper Sevier River — typically ~67 cfs (72% of annual median)
• Ashley Creek — typically ~57 cfs (73% of annual median)
• Blacksmith Fork River — typically ~89 cfs (81% of annual median)

September tips

• Streamers for browns in the Provo and Weber — the pre-spawn aggression starts now.
• High lakes can freeze any night after mid-month; the window is closing.
• Fall stockings hit the community ponds in waves — the stocking page and instant alerts catch them.

← August · October →