# upper and lower Kents Lakes near Beaver



## Jeremy28 (Dec 1, 2007)

I've only been to the Kents lakes once in 2007 and was inticed by the huge brown pics they have at the pawn shop in Beaver...I didn't do very well but remember some big fish around splashing the surface with what was for surely big fish but not even a bite on my fly rod. Anyway, I want to make another trip and was wondering if anyone knows anything that would make my fishing trip a little better? PM me if you want. I also wrecked my tacoma a couple years ago and only have a car now so is the snow all melted away yet and Ican't remember if you have to drive on a dirt road to get there from beaver? (I can't remember the road conditions very well but it seemed like I had to drive a little ways on the dirt to get there?) Thanks for the tips (if any).


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## tye dye twins (Mar 8, 2011)

The road passed Little Res is dirt from what I saw 2 years ago. I hope the snow aint melted yet! I have a backcountry skiing trip planned there next week! Might do a bit of fishin too. When you going? I only ask so that if I come back before you go I can update you.


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## Irish Lad (Jun 3, 2008)

It is probably 2 or 3 miles of maintained dirt road past Lil Res. Check the weekly DNR fish report for when the gates are open for access. I've had good luck with CD Rapalas there. Good luck.


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## Jeremy28 (Dec 1, 2007)

Thanks for the responses...I was thinking that the snow might be melted already since its been such a light winter but come to think of it, there is probably quite a bit of snow left in that area. Im thinking that being in a car wouldn't be too good of an idea for another month or so right? Tye Dye...I would probably go up ASAP if I knew my carwould make t up there and it was open (I didn't know they close and open it up on a certain date?...I thought you could go whenever you wanted as long asyou could get there in whatever you are driving but from what you're saying, they close it off?) Let me know if you haveany updates on it and if you want to go up there sometime PM me and let me know.


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## Flyfish4thrills (Jan 2, 2008)

*Grandpa's Monster from Beaver Mountain*

If you are hunting for trophies on Beaver/Tushar Mountain, you will have a hard time finding them. You should go to Beaver for the beautiful scenery. Unfortunately, outdoorsman from neighboring states have discovered the place and really flooded the mountain in the last decade. On a summer weekend, 3/4 of the plates are from Nevada, and the roads are covered with ATV's and dust. I don't blame them for wanting to get out of the heat and desert to come to such a beautiful place. I just lament the changes that have resulted. The place has really changed for the worse. It really angered me that I once hiked into one of the lesser known lakes off the main road using a steep, poorly kept footpath using a topo map and gps, only to get there to find out there was an ATV trail leading directly to the lake and the farmers? had blown out the dam. 
The pics of huge browns you saw were likely from Little Res. It has 10 pounders gill netted or caught every 5 years or so, but the majority of the time, you will catch moss, tiny planters, and have to dodge the casts from the many anglers lining the bank (it is a small lake and gets fished very heavily). My grandfather caught a 35" brown out of there in 1950 using a fly he tied himself and had it hanging on his wall. Sadly, he passed away this week. I am posting a pic that I scanned today from his history for the funeral. (sorry if I'm a little nostalgic and long winded). Supposedly my grandfather's fish would have been a record, but he unwittingly gutted it before realizing his error. I found it interesting that at that time fishing was only allowed from June 17 - Oct 8 (I feel lucky being able to fish every day of the year.) and the limit was 7 lbs of fish up to a maximum of 12 fish up to that weight. Fishing was closed from 9pm to 5am, and licenses were $3. Here are the regs from 1950. http://utah.ptfs.com/awweb/awarchive?ty ... item=29995 With the lakes closed 8 months out of the year, a lower Utah population, the area being unknown, and the general public not traveling very far to fish back then, fish had a chance to get enormous on Beaver Mountain. Today, the average catch at Beaver is a small planter. There are some ok tigers in Kents and some pretty brookies and cutts in the other lakes, as well as some grayling in LaBaron (assuming they survive and are not fished out). If you want to catch something big, head to Panguitch or Minersville. Go to Beaver to catch some beautiful vistas.


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## tye dye twins (Mar 8, 2011)

Jeremy28 said:


> Tye Dye...I would probably go up ASAP if I knew my carwould make t up there and it was open (I didn't know they close and open it up on a certain date?...I thought you could go whenever you wanted as long asyou could get there in whatever you are driving but from what you're saying, they close it off?) Let me know if you haveany updates on it and if you want to go up there sometime PM me and let me know.


I never saw a gate up there. The year I did it there was snow right at the road past Little Res. I am going to call the rangers about it soon and I will update you. We'd love to fish with you. We live in slc so we are just gonna make the one time trip down there. Thinking of leaving tuesday for beaver.


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

Jeremy -- you realize that Kent's Lakes (upper, kent's, and lower) sit at nearly 9,000 ft. elevation, don't you? Access to the lake might be a little while yet.

Big Flat is still showing 40" of snow (with the possibility of adding more over the next few days). I don't think I'd be driving a car up there any time soon. Even if the snow depth were less, you'd still have mud to contend with. I would think that maybe by the end of May you _might_ be able to get there with a 4x4.

If you decide to chance it, please take a coat, a shovel, and a blanket with you.


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## martymcfly73 (Sep 17, 2007)

*Re: Grandpa's Monster from Beaver Mountain*



Flyfish4thrills said:


> If you are hunting for trophies on Beaver/Tushar Mountain, you will have a hard time finding them. You should go to Beaver for the beautiful scenery. Unfortunately, outdoorsman from neighboring states have discovered the place and really flooded the mountain in the last decade. On a summer weekend, 3/4 of the plates are from Nevada, and the roads are covered with ATV's and dust. I don't blame them for wanting to get out of the heat and desert to come to such a beautiful place. I just lament the changes that have resulted. The place has really changed for the worse. It really angered me that I once hiked into one of the lesser known lakes off the main road using a steep, poorly kept footpath using a topo map and gps, only to get there to find out there was an ATV trail leading directly to the lake and the farmers? had blown out the dam.
> The pics of huge browns you saw were likely from Little Res. It has 10 pounders gill netted or caught every 5 years or so, but the majority of the time, you will catch moss, tiny planters, and have to dodge the casts from the many anglers lining the bank (it is a small lake and gets fished very heavily). My grandfather caught a 35" brown out of there in 1950 using a fly he tied himself and had it hanging on his wall. Sadly, he passed away this week. I am posting a pic that I scanned today from his history for the funeral. (sorry if I'm a little nostalgic and long winded). Supposedly my grandfather's fish would have been a record, but he unwittingly gutted it before realizing his error. I found it interesting that at that time fishing was only allowed from June 17 - Oct 8 (I feel lucky being able to fish every day of the year.) and the limit was 7 lbs of fish up to a maximum of 12 fish up to that weight. Fishing was closed from 9pm to 5am, and licenses were $3. Here are the regs from 1950. http://utah.ptfs.com/awweb/awarchive?ty ... item=29995 With the lakes closed 8 months out of the year, a lower Utah population, the area being unknown, and the general public not traveling very far to fish back then, fish had a chance to get enormous on Beaver Mountain. Today, the average catch at Beaver is a small planter. There are some ok tigers in Kents and some pretty brookies and cutts in the other lakes, as well as some grayling in LaBaron (assuming they survive and are not fished out). If you want to catch something big, head to Panguitch or Minersville. Go to Beaver to catch some beautiful vistas.


Sorry to hear about your grandfather. Pretty cool pic and story.


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## Jeremy28 (Dec 1, 2007)

Even thoug Im from St. George, I've only been to the beaver lakes once in 2007 and I thought the Kents lakes were no too far from beaver so I was thinking that the snow would be melted sooner around that area...didn't realize/remember the lakes the lakes being at such a high altitude so I guess I won't be making the trip for a couple months...when I was at the pawn shop i Beaver a few years ago, the guy working there told me the big 10-12ish pound Browns were from Kents but maybe he was just blowing smoke up my butt and they were really from Little res who knows? He also said they were caught a few years back from then which would be no more than 8 or 10 years ago from now. The Kents lakes are super small so if they get fished by Nevadans alot then there probably isn't too many big ones in there but ya never know. Minersville is my favorite lake of all time and the fishing this year is finally starting to get good again after the big drought in 2008. I've heard people say that they've caught some 26-28 inchers out of there this year but I won't belive that until I see a pic with some sort of reference like a tape measure in the background. What do you think of the fish in Minersville right now PGH? I know you know the lake well so do you have any concrete stories of any good fish coming out of there this year? I went there last week and caught a few 18-19 inchers and they were pretty fat but im thinking that the lake still has a couple years until it gets as good as it was in 2007 what say you? You think there is any 25+ inchers in there? Again, I hear stories down the grape vine but I tend not to believe fish stories without any proof. If there were any huge trophies in there then they would have had to survived the big drought and im sure alot of fish did so its possible.


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## Kingfisher (Jul 25, 2008)

geez people... you know its easy to get snow data... the snotel sites up beaver canyon are big flat and merchants valley. big flat... as of today... still has 40 inches of snow, 10,300 feet. merchant valley has 17 inches of snow, 8700 feet. driffeted areas and areas in shade will have deeper snow.
Big flat
http://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/nwcc/sntl- ... 7&state=UT

merchant valley
http://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/nwcc/sntl- ... 7&state=UT

if you dont know the name of sites... here is a clickable map.

http://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/snotel/Utah/utah.html

no excuse for not knowing how much snow is left anywhere.


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

Jeremy -- There is no reason to think that there are not any 25"+ trout in Minersville. Consider that for the last couple years trout population numbers have been relatively low, which means high-growth rates for those trout. Like you, I have not seen any pictures to validate rumors of large fish -- but I don't have any reason to think that there are not any 25" trout in there. People were catching 20" trout last summer, and Minersville historically has shown very good growth during winter months...

I hate to brag Minersville up too much, because I hate fishing with crowds, but I do think that this will be a very good summer out there.

Big Flat: Change in snow depth from 4/11 - 4/12 = 2". 42" total. Most likely gain more today, tomorrow, and Saturday...

http://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/ftpref/dat ... 12l07s.txt


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## Catherder (Aug 2, 2008)

PBH said:


> I hate to brag Minersville up too much, because I hate fishing with crowds, but I do think that this will be a very good summer out there.


PBH, what do you know about some petition being pushed down there to change Minersville back to general regs? I just heard some rumor myself, but if it is going to be an "item" with the upcoming fishing meetings, the UWC would like to run the question past its members for their opinion and possible disapproval/support.

(Personally, I hope it stays the same myself)


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## Fishrmn (Sep 14, 2007)

That rumor is only 20 years old. It AIN'T gonna happen. If every licensed angler, every registered voter, and every illegal alien in Beaver County signed a petition to make Minersville subject to statewide fishing regulations, it wouldn't happen. All of the issues that contributed to making Minersville AFL regulations still exist: 
The cormorants still make their annual visit.
The Utah Chubs are still there.
The DWR fish hatchery at Beaver is no longer owned by the UDWR.


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## Catherder (Aug 2, 2008)

Fishrmn said:


> It AIN'T gonna happen. If every licensed angler, every registered voter, and every illegal alien in Beaver County signed a petition to make Minersville subject to statewide fishing regulations, it wouldn't happen.


It depends, if the Beaver county folks had someone sympathetic to their viewpoint on the wildlife board, like the Panguitch folks did, it would get changed in a New York minute. The same also was said about Kolob. -Ov-



Fishrmn said:


> All of the issues that contributed to making Minersville AFL regulations still exist:
> The cormorants still make their annual visit.
> The Utah Chubs are still there.


I always felt that it was made AFL in spite of the chubs. While Bear lake cutts have been put in from time to time, the main attraction of Minersville and the main stocked fish has been the rainbow. Hardly an effective chub controller. (Thats also why the DWR tried smallies and now wipers in there to deal with the chubs) As for the cormorants, the stocking time was adjusted, which helps that, but that would help Minersville if it was either a trophy pond like now, or another run of the mill put-grow-take fishery like the locals seem to want.

As for the 20 year rumor, you are right. And if this year, they are no more organized than in the past, then no biggie. If they are actually planning on doing something this time, then it would be good for the UWC to at least be ready to have some info to present to its members.


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

There have been attempts to remove the AFL and harvest restrictions on Minersville since the inception of those management practices. There will probably be attempts to remove them as long as they are in place. It will be a constant battle.

However, I believe that the introduction of wipers to Minersville could possibly benefit the lake in numerous ways:
1. better control of chubs (look at New Castle as an example -- you can't hardly find a golden shiner at this point)
1a. better control of chubs = better quality trout
2. wipers provide an alternate sport species for anglers to target, which means more use for more anglers
3. wipers would provide anglers with a fish that would not fit under the trout size regulations. Anglers could keep a couple wipers to take home and eat.


The DWR had to work closely with Beaver County to put wipers in Minersville. I don't think you'll see the County pushing to change things this soon. That doesn't mean individuals are not pushing for a change -- but I think you'd have to have the County, the DWR, the RACs, and the WB all in favor of a change before it ever happens. I don't see it happening any time soon. Especially looking at the current usage it is seeing -- lots of people are fishing it right now, and having very good success. Who can argue that a change needs to be made when anglers are excited about it's current situation?


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## LOAH (Sep 29, 2007)

Jeremy, for the record, one of our members caught a 23" rainbow out of there last spring. It's doubtful that it was the biggest fish in the lake, so catching a 25" thug is quite possible.

And the SNOTEL site is great. I love seeing that one of my favorite spots is down to 1" of snow.


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## Fishrmn (Sep 14, 2007)

In order to have a 4 trout limit at Minersville, or anywhere else, you have to be able to stock enough trout to allow that harvest. That means one of two possibilities. One, plant trout that are big enough to harvest, or two, plant fingerling and allow them to grow to a catchable size in the body of water. Neither of those options would work at Minersville. There isn't enough demand, money, or hatchery capacity to accommodate raising catchable trout to allow a 4 trout limit. And planting fingerling trout at Minersville is just an expensive way to feed cormorants. Add Wipers to the list of predators that would dine on fingerling trout. 

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, while expecting different results. Minersville has been poisoned, planted with trout, and managed with normal statewide regulations 4 times. Each and every time the fishery lasted about 4 or 5 years. The AFL regulations have been in place for almost 20 years, and are very effective. I don't see it changing soon.


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## tye dye twins (Mar 8, 2011)

Kents is still unreachable. The road goes about 1.5 miles till there is 6inches of ice. A cabin owner I talked to on Friday told me so and that the snow is un-driveable beyond that about 2 miles from the start of the ice sheets.

It is warm tough. The snow on the upper elevations was melting at 6 to 12 inches a day!

The camprounds (mahogany cove and little res.) are open. Little cottonwood is not open. The road closures are not too bad above mahogany cove as they have a piolet car to guide you through. 

CHECK OUT PUFFER!!! Ice out is super close and I hear from the locals that you cannot beat the action for brookies up there at that time.


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## Jeremy28 (Dec 1, 2007)

thanks tye dye twins...Im planning on making it up there but it looks like it will be a month or so yet...thanks for the update


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