Spring is in the air at Falcon’s Ledge Lodge. The ice has melted off many of the lakes and the mild afternoons are great for getting outside and catching some nice trout. As the sun continues to warm up the ice-cold water through the month of March the fish will get more and more active, and the fishing will get faster as the water temperatures get closer to 50 degrees in late March and April. If you are going to get out and fish in March here are a few Utah spring fishing tips for the cold water of March.
During March the water is ice cold near the surface, so most trout are spending much of their time near the bottom of the lake where the water is closer to 50 degrees. Fish are also spending time near the bottom of the lake to feed on the blood worms, crayfish, and leeches living on the bottom of the lake. March is a great time to use a sinking line and fish deep with woolly bugger and leech patterns. It also helps to drop a wire worm or red copper john off the back of your woolly bugger about two feet. These will often pick up fish that are feeding on blood worms on the bottom of the lake.
Fish move a little slower in March due to the cold water. This is a good time of year to practice techniques that move your flies slow or keep your flies stationary. Fish tend to like an easy meal that is not moving very fast when the water is cold in March and fishing slow will usually produce more fish. We like to fish with a sinking line and slowly roll the line through our fingers as we retrieve for a slow retrieve. The other technique we have found effective is to fish a floating line with a strike indicator and a long leader. We will often use a 10-foot leader and hang a balanced leech or blood midge at the end of the leader and let it sit about 10 feet below the strike indicator.
We hope to see you soon at Falcon’s Ledge for some Utah spring fishing!
