# Fish Lake



## brittonpoint (Oct 24, 2007)

Trying to put together a annual Fish Lake trip. I called the Lodge and she said it usually ices over the last week of December. Will the ice be safe in another 3 weeks?


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## Bhilly81 (Oct 18, 2009)

i would think that you should be good i have heard that mill meadow is frozen already so it shouldnt be to much longer i dont think


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## brittonpoint (Oct 24, 2007)

I heard the same thing. lady at lodge said it still hadn't capped. Weird weather year though.


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## Grandpa D (Sep 7, 2007)

brittonpoint said:


> Trying to put together a annual Fish Lake trip. I called the Lodge and she said it usually ices over the last week of December. Will the ice be safe in another 3 weeks?


How about combining your party with the one that the Forum is trying to host?
Get with Saturn_Guy if interested.


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## hockey (Nov 7, 2007)

It was 52 degrees at the Hwy turnoff this afternoon. Might be awhile for ice


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## wyoming2utah (Sep 12, 2007)

I have NEVER seen Fish Lake ice over before Christmas (in over 20 years of ice fishing it)...and it has always provided ice fishing by New Years (in over 20 years of ice fishing it).


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## brittonpoint (Oct 24, 2007)

Jeez...that's no help at all! After talking with the crew we are going to hold off. The cabins are a little pricey to risk booking and sitting in the cabin because the ice is unsafe. We fish it a couple times a year but with the warm weather lately who knows?


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## HighmtnFish (Jun 3, 2010)

> wyoming2utah said:
> 
> 
> > I have NEVER seen Fish Lake ice over before Christmas (in over 20 years of ice fishing it)...and it has always provided ice fishing by New Years (in over 20 years of ice fishing it).


Last year I ice fished it the day after Christmas on 6 inches of ice, but last year was an exceptionally cold year. Wyoming2utah is right, Fish Lake almost always freezes over between Christmas and New Years.


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

brittonpoint said:


> .. but with the warm weather lately who knows?


We do.

People have been ice-fishing Fish Lake for quite some time now. All we have to do is look at the past to predict the future. As W2U mentioned, in the past 20 years the lake has consistently had open water prior to Christmas, and fishable ice by New Year's. During those 20 years, there have certainly been "weird" weather patterns, with some years being exceptionally cold and other years exceptionally warm. The one constant? Fishable ice by New Year's weekend.

If you plan on going prior to Christmas, you are certainly taking a chance of not being able to fish where you want to.

The best thing you can do is wait for Christmas, and pray for 1 or 2 cold windless nights.


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## brittonpoint (Oct 24, 2007)

We went down 3rd week of jan. last year and ice was plenty thick.But it wasn't 52 degrees in December either. The cabins are all prepay only this year, after 44 days to your reservation you loose all the money you paid up front. Not worth loosing a grand.


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## wyoming2utah (Sep 12, 2007)

brittonpoint said:


> We went down 3rd week of jan. last year and ice was plenty thick.But it wasn't 52 degrees in December either. The cabins are all prepay only this year, after 44 days to your reservation you loose all the money you paid up front. Not worth loosing a grand.


Our family has been staying at cabins at Fish Lake over New Year's weekend for over 25 years straight. We have NEVER been unable to ice fish over New Year's weekend. We feel safe with the money we pay up front...and have not been burned yet.

My brother ice fished another favorite lake of ours just yesterday that is also in the same general area...the warm days have not changed its ice status.


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## HighmtnFish (Jun 3, 2010)

wyoming2utah said:


> We have NEVER been unable to ice fish over New Year's weekend. We feel safe with the money we pay up front...and have not been burned yet.


Our family also has ice fished Fish lake on New Years weekend for the last 15 years or so. On cold years and on warm years there has been fishable ice on January 1st. Fish Lake is not a shallow reservoir like Strawberry or Schofield. It's a deep natural lake and the water temperature is not affected by day to day temperatures as much as shallower lakes are. If Fish lake gets one cold, clear night around Christmas time, it will freeze over and I will be ice fishing it New Years weekend.


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## brittonpoint (Oct 24, 2007)

Any ice yet?


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## brookieguy1 (Oct 14, 2008)

Is it really that hard to get a cabin at Fish Lake that you need to reserve them weeks in advance? I stayed there one January weekend a few years ago and we called a couple nights ahead and got one no problem.


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

brookieguy -- that depends on when you want it. If you want one for New Year's weekend, then yes -- you need to book one early. Sometimes months in advance. Especially if you want one of the larger cabins (Mackinaw, Moose Hollow), or one of the newer cabins (the "Berries").


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## brookieguy1 (Oct 14, 2008)

PBH said:


> brookieguy -- that depends on when you want it. If you want one for New Year's weekend, then yes -- you need to book one early. Sometimes months in advance. Especially if you want one of the larger cabins (Mackinaw, Moose Hollow), or one of the newer cabins (the "Berries").


Gotcha.


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## brittonpoint (Oct 24, 2007)

So anyone know about the ice? Cabins really are usually available. Getting a large cabin usually needs to be booked in advance.


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## FishlakeElkHunter (Sep 11, 2007)

Right now you can not even get into Fishlake! The road has been closed since Wed. Morning. My parents are up at our Cabin and snowed in. Just txted me a picture of them standing my the speedlimit sign...and there is only about 1' of it showing!

They have crews working their way in, but not expected to even have the road open to Lakeside until this evening sometime!


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## brookieguy1 (Oct 14, 2008)

FishlakeElkHunter said:


> Right now you can not even get into Fishlake! The road has been closed since Wed. Morning. My parents are up at our Cabin and snowed in. Just txted me a picture of them standing my the speedlimit sign...and there is only about 1' of it showing!
> 
> They have crews working their way in, but not expected to even have the road open to Lakeside until this evening sometime!


Good to hear FLEH! (not your parents snowed in, but water for the Boulder)


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

road opened up at 4:00 on Friday (31st). Wind could easily close it up again temporarily at any time. There is a lot of snow up there right now...

We ventured out Friday evening for an hour before dark, and immediately started catching fish. Continued to catch fish throughout the weekend. Nothing new here.

ATV's? Forget them. Leave them at home, unless you have tracks on them. Access is pretty much negative for wheeled vehicles this year. Parking is going to be a mess, unless UDOT decides to start plowing some parking areas - which they hadn't done as of this weekend, with the exception of a couple pull-offs near Lakeside, and Mackinaw campground -- Bowery also had room for about 6 vehicles.... If you have a trailer, be advised NOT to drive to the end of the road (Bowery) and expect to be able to turn around. Get there early if you want a spot to park...


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

Update on parking: UDOT has now cleared the parking areas at both Lakeside Marina and Twin Creeks. People can now park somewhere other than on the road.


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## FishlakeElkHunter (Sep 11, 2007)

I will be going on Friday...

PBH...was was working good last week?


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## wyoming2utah (Sep 12, 2007)

We caught loads of splake, a few lake trout, and an occasional rainbow using jigs tipped with sucker meat. We fished in water ranging from about 25-90 feet. The key was moving around if fishing got slow. At times, the action was fast and furious.


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## brittonpoint (Oct 24, 2007)

great report! We will be up there in a couple weeks. How thick is the ice?


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## FishlakeElkHunter (Sep 11, 2007)

Thanks W2Ut.....I will go give it a shot on Friday....


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