Panguitch Lake
Toxic algae bloom at Panguitch Lake
- Keep dogs out of the water — blooms can be deadly for them
- Don’t swim, and steer clear of scum when wading or boating
- Don’t drink the water
- Keeping fish? Discard the guts and rinse fillets in clean water
- Southeast ShoreWarning
- Norheast Boat RampWarning
- Panguitch Creek Below Panguitch DamHealth Watch
Today’s report
Panguitch Lake is under a Warning advisory today. The advisory is for a harmful algal bloom at 3 monitored sites and replaces the fishing rating until it’s lifted — keep dogs out of the water and check habs.utah.gov before you go. The stored pool above the natural lake was 7% full as of September 30 (the operator posts a month-end level, not daily) — that's the irrigation storage, not the lake itself, but a drained pool pulls the shallows out of play. The DWR last stocked rainbow trout (18,400 fish) on September 30. This Afternoon's forecast: sunny, 57°F.
- Warning advisory posted (algal bloom) — it replaces the fishing rating until it’s lifted
- stored pool nearly drawn down (7%) — the lake is near its natural bed; the shallow east and south shore is out of play, fish the deep water off the west shore and the dam
- stocked 17 days ago
- calm, fishable weather
Fishing Panguitch Lake: what to know
Panguitch Lake is a 1,250-acre natural lake at 8,200 feet in the pines above Panguitch in Garfield County, three hours south of Provo and an easy trip from Cedar City. Rainbows, cutthroat, and tiger trout grow fast on a rich food base, and the lake has a reputation for fat fish; there's a small town of cabins and lodges, several ramps, and shore access all the way around.
Ice-out in April is prime from shore; May through June fishes well trolling and from the bank. Summer mornings and evenings are good, midday slow. Fall brings the tigers and cutthroat shallow again. Panguitch ices over by December and is southern Utah's best ice-fishing lake through March, with a well-attended ice derby most winters.
Shore: worms and PowerBait, or a fly rod with a leech or damsel nymph on a sinking line. Trolling: pop gear and a worm, needlefish, small crankbaits. Ice: jigs tipped with a nightcrawler or meal worm in 10–25 feet. Panguitch has trout limits with a size restriction on cutthroat and tigers to grow big fish — see the regulations section.
Current conditions
Stocking
Last stocked Sep 30, 2026 — rainbow trout (18,400 fish).
| Date | Species | Quantity | Avg length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 30, 2026 | rainbow trout | 18,400 | 6.79" |
| Sep 29, 2026 | rainbow trout | 17,955 | 7.35" |
| Sep 28, 2026 | rainbow trout | 17,735 | 7.35" |
| Aug 11, 2026 | brook trout | 50 | 3.23" |
| Aug 11, 2026 | tiger trout (brown × brook hybrid) | 2,802 | 3.37" |
| Aug 11, 2026 | splake (lake × brook trout hybrid) | 7,976 | 3.14" |
| May 26, 2026 | tiger trout (brown × brook hybrid) | 10,081 | 3.18" |
| May 26, 2026 | tiger trout (brown × brook hybrid) | 10,002 | 3.25" |
Best time to fish Panguitch Lake
The DWR has stocked Panguitch Lake 111 times over the last 6 seasons, and 68% of those plants landed in May, June, October — the freshest fish and the easiest bite usually follow within a week or two of a stocking.
Species
Location
Nearby waters (within ~25 mi):
Guides & shops for this water
From our independent directory — no booking relationship.
Regulations
- Limit 4 trout (a combined total).
- No more than 2 may be cutthroat or tiger trout under 15 inches, and no more than 1 may be a cutthroat or tiger trout over 22 inches.
- All cutthroat and tiger trout from 15 to 22 inches must be immediately released.
- Trout may not be filleted and the heads or tails may not be removed in the field or in transit.
- Any trout with cutthroat markings is considered to be a cutthroat trout. To learn how to identify cutthroat trout in this water, see the graphic on page 49 and the description of a Bear Lake cutthroat trout on page 52.
Special rules from the 2026 Utah Fishing Guidebook. Statewide daily limits apply to anything not listed. Rules change — always verify in the current guidebook before you fish.