How to catch walleye in Utah

Utah's best-eating gamefish. Starvation, Willard Bay, Utah Lake, and Yuba all hold strong walleye populations that turn on at dusk and after dark.

Behavior & tendencies

Light-shy structure fish that hug the bottom and feed in low light. Daytime walleye stack on points, humps, and channel edges; dusk pushes them shallow to hunt. Utah's best-eating gamefish, and the state's most technique-sensitive bite.

Seasonal patterns

The March–April spawn stacks fish on rocky shorelines at Starvation, Willard, Yuba, and Utah Lake — the easiest window. Early summer is bottom-bouncer season. Dog days mean night fishing or deep edges. Fall walleye feed up shallow again at dusk.

What they bite

Perch, shad (Willard), minnows, crayfish, and nightcrawlers.

Recommended presentations

• Jig + nightcrawler or minnow dragged on the bottom
• Bottom bouncer + worm harness trolled along contours
• Crankbaits at night over rocky flats in spring/fall
• Slow-death rigs in summer heat

walleye by region

Best months for walleye

15 waters holding walleye

Sorted by how they’re fishing right now.

• Adams ReservoirGood — Davis County
• Cutler ReservoirFair — Cache County
• Moon LakeFair — Duchesne County
• Provo Delta Community FisheryFair — Utah County
• Willard Bay ReservoirFair — Box Elder County
• Dmad ReservoirFair — Millard County
• Big Sandwash ReservoirTough — Duchesne County
• Gunnison Bend ReservoirTough — Millard County
• Lake PowellToughBlue Ribbon — Kane County
• Deer Creek ReservoirWarning — Wasatch County
• Starvation ReservoirWarningBlue Ribbon — Duchesne County
• Utah LakeDanger — Utah County
• Carbon County Pond — Carbon County
• Willow Creek Pond — Utah County
• Yuba Reservoir (Sevier Bridge) — Juab County