Panguitch Lake rebounds as a trout haven

A year ago, Panguitch Lake was cleared out of all fish.

This year, the report is that the fish planted after the treatment are fat and healthy and that anglers can expect some of the best fishing at the lake in decades.

"It's an amazing turnaround that shows the natural productivity and potential of Panguitch Lake," said Chuck Chamberlain, special aquatics project biologist for the Division of Wildlife Resources.

"We've gone from a declining fishery that was almost totally dominated by chubs to an outstanding trout fishery in one year's time. And it should only get better from here."

Recent gill-net sampling and fishing reports indicate lots of 13- to 15-inch trout. Anglers fishing from boats and from shore have had good success using bait and lures. Some of the best lures to try include Jake's lures and flatfish, preferably those with some orange coloring.

Trolling with pop-gear and a worm has worked well, as has fishing with PowerBait.

The lake is 14 miles southwest of Panguitch in the Dixie National Forest.

Lodging and boat rentals are available at the lake.

The lake's recovery is tied into a long-range plan. The first step was to remove the chubs. This was followed by a restocking of trout.

This involved stocking more predator fish, such as the Bear Lake cutthroat, which was put in Strawberry for the same reason and has worked well.

New regulations allow anglers to keep four trout, but all trout between 15 and 22 inches must be immediately released.