# Scofield - half full or half empty?



## TOgden (Sep 10, 2007)

A friend from American Fork and I took our tubes to Scofield this morning and launched on the east side across from the island. We got there about 7:30 and fished until 3:30 using our usual fly tackle, sinking lines, leeches, buggers, and soft hackles, mostly in darker colors. I was surprised that there is already a lot of algae in the water column. We picked up two small tiger trout, three rainbows all about 14", five chubs, and a good number of cutthroats from 10" to 19" long. Most of the cutthroats were in the 14" to 16" range

The water temperature was 59-71 degrees and the visibility in the water was about 3' because of the algae. The reservoir level is at 50% and dropping. On a normal year the level would be rising until at least the middle of the month.

The weather was great until the afternoon then it got downright hot. There are more people fishing at Scofield again but it's still nothing like it used to be. We only saw a couple of boats but there were quite a few people in the State Park campgrounds.

Every year there are more and more pelicans.


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## Catherder (Aug 2, 2008)

Thanks for the report. Wish there was a little more meat on the bones of those fish. 

I wonder if Scofield will get drained this year, like some of the other lakes?


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## utahbigbull (May 9, 2012)

It is going to be a VERY interesting year in regards to water levels for sure!! Willard never rose and it’s already dropped a foot. South marina channel is reading max 8’ deep in my boat and I’m only drafting 4-5” deep. The deep v hulls may have some issues getting out of the south marina before this summers over.


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## TOgden (Sep 10, 2007)

Catherder said:


> Thanks for the report. Wish there was a little more meat on the bones of those fish.
> 
> I wonder if Scofield will get drained this year, like some of the other lakes?


Scofield has an 8,000 ac./ft. conservation pool and the present volume is about 32,000 ac./ft. There is a certain amount of dead storage (can't get to it to drain it) so hopefully it will make it if the water temperature and algae blooms don't get it.


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## Catherder (Aug 2, 2008)

TOgden said:


> Scofield has an 8,000 ac./ft. conservation pool and the present volume is about 32,000 ac./ft. There is a certain amount of dead storage (can't get to it to drain it) so hopefully it will make it if the water temperature and algae blooms don't get it.


I didn't know we had a C pool there. That helps some. 

There is a line of thinking that a massive fish kill at Scofield would be less of a catastrophe than it would be in other fisheries.


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## toasty (May 15, 2008)

My vote is take it to 8000 ac-ft (or less if allowed) and treat it and start over.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

On a hot bright day, park a boat and fish worms dead stick in the shadow of the boat about 10ft below it. Those dumb tigers come up and sit in the shadow. I figured that out by accident once setting down half rigged poles while landing other fish, bait sat in shadow and immediately hooked up. Pretty soon thats all we were doing. The 3 of us had a 50 fish day until we ran out of worms.

Tigers are fun fish, but they love to hang out in a boats shadow on a bright day.

-DallanC


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## Ray (May 10, 2018)

I was out there last Sunday, had a similar experience as far as fishing action goes, water has to be down about 30’ maybe more


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## taxidermist (Sep 11, 2007)

With this heat wave we have this week, along with evapotranspiration, calm winds and shallow water levels, I think the Algal blooms will be earlier this year.


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## legacy (Sep 30, 2007)

Scary how low it is! We were there over Memorial weekend. I've never seen it this low this early in the year. Managed to catch 47 fish between the 3 kids and I (let all of them back). Pray for rain!


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

TOgden said:


> Every year there are more and more pelicans.


Pelicans aren't dumb. They know the stocking reports as well as the human fishermen. They know that in May the DWR will dump in thousands of 10" trout. Smorgasbord!!

Those pelicans will sit on the inlets. The cutthroat will then run up the creek, and the pelicans will then trap them, and have a fest!


Places like Minersville intentionally stock in the fall to avoid migratory birds like pelicans and cormorants. This is also why they stock 10" trout -- and by spring those 10" trout will hopefully be large enough to help avoid predation by the birds.

There are a lot of lessons to be learned by looking at other successful fisheries across the state. It's too bad Scofield wants to re-learn everything.

this would be a very good year to look at a rotenone treatment....


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## DIRTYS6X6 (May 19, 2021)

heading over sunday. hopefully get into some good ones.


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## backcountry (May 19, 2016)

Sucks to see another low reservoir and the full impact of this drought.

Hopefully the managers get smart and consider changing up stocking routines but I love seeing these birds use the reservoirs. It's bound to happen so I'll enjoy their presence. 

I actually miss seeing the white face ibis but their presence on the SUU campus was a fluke when we moved here.


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## eric27 (May 24, 2021)

Thanks for the report


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