panguitch

[cat-tech]

Is Panguitch lake fishable now heading up that way to hunt wondering if I should bring my poles with me ?
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[wiperhunter2]

We sure don't get many reports about that lake but at 8,209' elevation, I'd say there is a good chance there is ice on it, at least around the edges. Even if that is the case, you should be able to fish the stream coming out of it.
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[PBH]

I haven't heard anything to suggest it is frozen yet. Seems a little early still. I'm guessing there is still open water.
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[wiperhunter2]

I know we are getting ice fishing report above 8,000 ft in Northern Ut so I figured it is likely that panguitch has some ice even if it hasn't capped. Have you ever fished the stream going out of the lake? If so, is it any good or not worth the effort?
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[cat-tech]

ok great I was not sure because of the bloom.
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[PBH]

[quote wiperhunter2]Have you ever fished the stream going out of the lake? If so, is it any good or not worth the effort?[/quote]

Depends. Since they have fixed the outlet structure they can clamp down on the water pretty good, so flows get very low this time of year. Most of the sections directly below the res can be pretty tough. Further down you start getting private property. But there are a few stretches that are accessible that might be worth a shot.
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[wiperhunter2]

With lower flows comes shallow water and that makes it easier for the fish to see you but on the plus side, it puts the fish in a smaller area with less food to eat, so it isn't all bad. Thanks for the info.
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[wiperhunter2]

I doubt the bloom this late in the season would be a problem.
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[Freakyfisherman]

I have a feeling Echo will be frozen before Christmas. I went on a perch search there this morning from the float tube. Water is murky. Caught some small ones and one at 9 inches working a jigging rap. That water was 40 degrees. Those guys finding ice must be tight lipped cause I haven't seen any ice reports.

Gabe
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[gofish435]

My son fished it last weekend from his float tube and said there wasn't any ice yet. He said most of the fish that he caught were within casting distance from shore.

If you go this weekend you might see him down there again in is his Fish Cat.

Good luck!
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[cat-tech]

Great thanks for the info if I catch any I will post some pics.
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[PBH]

[quote wiperhunter2]With lower flows..[/quote]

There is a difference between lower flows, and no flows.


There is still plenty of open water up there, but ice will start forming along the edges very soon -- probably this week.
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[wiperhunter2]

Wow, it's that bad huh, no minimum stream flow there I guess.
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[PBH]

you still get some groundwater that keeps the stream with some water directly below the reservoir. It isn't much. It also stays pretty cold, and the fish just don't stay in that water. You can get further downstream, which gets better, but then you start running into private property. Some of the land owners don't care, but some do.

Some minimum stream flows would do wonders for this stream. One of the best fishing years I remember was when the outflow was broken, and they couldn't shut it off. Water flowed all winter, and into the next summer. That was a great year of fishing. Since then, the outflow gate has been repaired, and they can shut it down tight..
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[Dirty42]

I fished Panguitch lake around the 3rd of November and yesterday (21 Nov). I'd say about 60-70% of the lake has a thin sheet of ice on it. Definitely not something I'd be trying to stand on for a while. Levels are pretty low from what I remember, but its been over 10 years since I've stopped there and my memory could be a little fuzzy. Places near the highway and North shore road still have shore access, but there didn't seem to be many great spots to fish.

Both trips I settled on a spot near the dam (corner of highway and north shore rd.) and had lots of success. The first trip was better since there was no ice and I could kinda just go to where the fish were hitting the surface. It was much colder yesterday and I feel like they had a little less fight in them. That could also have been due to the spawn though. Looks like it still might be going on too.

Both times I fished in 5-7 feet of water. Since I was wanting to put food on the table, I ran two poles. One off the bottom using an 18" flouro 6lb leader a floating jig head, some packing foam soaked in garlic smelly jelly, and packed completely inside a 3" white tube jig. With the other rod, I used a 1/16oz jig inside a 2" or 2.5" speckled white tube with an orange mouse tail sticking out the end. (kinda like an overgrown version of those atomic teasers at the store) tied to a 2' leader, then to a weighted swivel that was about 1/4oz, under a slip bobber with a stop that I varied from 6"-24" above the bobber. I used it to bounce the lure up and down while bringing it in. Sometimes just letting it sit was better too.

On the first trip, I had a limit of FAT rainbows in about 15 minutes. Just over 18" for the smallest and slightly under 24" for the big one. I also caught one beauty of a cutthroat that was about 21" and released it. Only got one on the flig tube. caught the rest on the floating rig. Yesterday it was the opposite. Very few bites on the floating rig, but once I got the depth right on the flig tube, they were hitting it left and right. No need to do anything but throw it in and wait for a bite. Since I've got some other meats in the freezer right now, I only kept the one in the pictures here.

Looks like that lake will be covered in a sheet of ice pretty soon. If you want some shore action, I'd suggest you do it in the next few days.
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[troutgass]

Thanks for the info. I would like to make a last run up there before the ice sets in? Anyone been up there in the last week. Looks like tomorrow is the last day of nice weather, but I'm afraid it might already be iced over.
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[Hookinup]

Im curious as well..... Anyone?????
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