Mirror Lake Highway awash in great fishing options

The very popular and scenic Mirror Lake Highway — U-150 out of Kamas — is open, as are the popular roadside lakes that make up one of Utah's most-fished places in the summer.

All of the lakes along the highway have recently been stocked with fish. They'll continue to be stocked, most of them weekly, through the summer.

Varieties being stocked into the lakes range from the popular rainbow trout, brook trout and tiger trout to the very visible albino rainbow trout.

The most popular fishing spot is the picturesque Mirror Lake. A trail for those with physical challenges runs around the entire lake and allows fishing access that isn't usually available at most lakes.

Along with fishing, wildlife viewing is another popular activity. Rocky Mountain goats can be seen on Bald Mountain. There are also a number of osprey in the area.

Trial Lake also has physically challenged access that allows vehicles to pull to the water's edge.

Fishing is the main reason people come to these roadside lakes. Ted Hallows, supervisor of the Kamas fish hatchery, provides some information that will help make your next fishing trip more enjoyable:

• Both novice and seasoned anglers fish these regularly stocked lakes, and a lot of them do really well using PowerBait and worms during the middle of the day. If you fish early in the morning or during the evening hours, you can also enjoy some exceptional fishing using flies and lures.

• Some of the lures that work best are Panther Martins, Jake's Spin-a-Lures and small Rapalas. The flies that Hallows prefers are Grayhackle Yellow, Mosquito, Adams, Renegade, Elk Hair Caddis, Royal Wulff, Pheasant Tail Nymph and a Gold Bead Prince Nymph.

• With a fly rod, try using two flies, with the top fly being fished dry and used as a strike indicator and the bottom fly fished as a nymph. This combination works well, but you can also catch a lot of fish, especially those that are out in the middle of the lake, using a spinning rod with a fly and a bubble.

• Those fishing with PowerBait or other baits, and releasing fish, might consider switching to flies and lures. Even though they seem to swim away fine, many of the fish caught on baits will die soon after release. Those caught on flies and lures have a much higher survival rate.

PowerBait is an excellent choice for novice anglers, but there are many other ways to fish that are challenging and fun and better for fish that are released.

• Those who put fish on a stringer need to realize that those fish are part of the limit and cannot be released. Utah law requires that anglers keep any fish put on a stringer, since fish put on a stringer will usually die soon after release.