They like cold, clear water and cannot tolerate water above 80 degrees. They do not require woody cover like the largemouth bass but prefer rocky shorelines, which makes them an ideal fish for so many of Utah's rocky reservoirs like Starvation, Lake Powell and Flaming Gorge. Smallmouth like to stay close to shore, which makes them a good fit for these waters along with trout, which prefer to cruise in open water.

Most smallmouth range from 1 to 2 pounds. Fish up to 4 pounds are considered trophies.

The bluegill is not a large fish, but at one time Utah was recognized as having some of the largest in the country in a small lake near Vernal called Pelican Lake.

Most fish caught are under a pound, and those over a pound are prize catches. Those caught in Pelican in the late 1980s and early 1990s were commonly close to 2 pounds.

It was first introduced into Utah in 1890 with a mixed group of sunfish that were planted in the Weber River and Utah Lake.

Like the largemouth bass, bluegill relate to cover. They do best in weedy-pond type environments. Bluegill love to spawn, hide and feed in cattails and other similar shoreline and pond-bottom weeds.

They are found in Huntington, Hyrum, Lake Powell, Newton, Mantua, Pineview, Quail Creek, Red Fleet reservoirs and Pelican Lake. Bluegill can also be found to lesser degrees in Utah Lake, Gunnison, Dmad, Wide Hollow and most of Utah's community fisheries.

Another of the popular warm-water game fish is the yellow perch.

Most of those caught weigh less than a pound. A 2-pound perch is a good catch, and anything larger is rare.

Yellow perch can tolerate a wide range of water quality from low and murky to high-elevation and clear. In Utah, perch have found their way into many of the midelevation reservoirs and lakes. Deer Creek Reservoir is perhaps Utah's best-known perch fishery. Other waters with perch populations and Pineview and Fish Lake. Other waters include Rockport, Starvation, Hyrum, Echo and Jordanelle reservoirs. Other fisheries with good perch populations are Newton, Gunnison Bend and Mantua reservoirs and Utah Lake.

Fishing for warm-water fish require a different equipment, different lures and different techniques, which, in part, accounts for their growing popularity.