S. Utah offers great smallmouth bass fishing

Otter Creek is a relatively new location for smallmouth. Since its elevation and climate is similar to Piute Reservoir, this should be a location to watch in the near future.

Crayfish provide a basic food source for bass at all these locations, so the forage is not limiting. Some of the lakes also contain sunfish and bluegill.

Largemouth and smallmouth bass both spawn in May and June. Spawning is later than commonly thought because of cold inflows that come into the reservoirs from high elevation streams.

For smallmouth bass, watch for the bite to turn on when the water temperature reaches 60 degrees, which usually happens this month.

For early spring largemouth, fish deep and slow. Big smallmouth are often taken deep, while smaller fish are most often found in shallow waters.

An exception to fishing deep in the summer is using a surface plug in the late evening near schools of bait fish.

For more information about bass fishing in southwestern Utah, check out the weekly Southern Region fishing report at wildlife.utah.gov or call the DWR's Southern Region office at 435-865-6100.