# Yankee Meadows open & clear.



## elkfromabove (Apr 20, 2008)

Friday, late afternoon, I went up to Yankee Meadows to check on my deer blind site and found it to be just as I left it, no sign of the burn or aftermath. The fire never got that far south or west.

I also decided to take my poles up, just in case the reservoir was in good shape. What I found was that it was clear and free of debris as it ever was and the fish were jumping all over the pond. I'm not a very good fisherman, but I caught my limit of trout (4 at 12" to 15") in about 2 hours.

I don't know yet who's responsible for the clean-up or even if there was any, but the Brian Head fire hasn't damaged the reservoir as much as I (and many others) thought it would. It's in great shape!

I'll check the Paragonah (Red Creek) Reservoir on Monday and give you a report.


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## neverdrawn (Jan 3, 2009)

Was the gate open above the reservoir? I had heard they were going to leave it, the gate above second left hand and the gate at the end of sidney valley closed through May.
Paragonah looks to be a total loss to my eye. In two trips hunting the area I never seen so much as a swirl.


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## elkfromabove (Apr 20, 2008)

neverdrawn said:


> Was the gate open above the reservoir? I had heard they were going to leave it, the gate above second left hand and the gate at the end of sidney valley closed through May.
> Paragonah looks to be a total loss to my eye. In two trips hunting the area I never seen so much as a swirl.


I don't know about those other gates, but I'll check tomorrow after I check out Paragonah.


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## elkfromabove (Apr 20, 2008)

elkfromabove said:


> I don't know about those other gates, but I'll check tomorrow after I check out Paragonah.


I checked out Paragonah/Red Creek Reservoir and it looks bad. There's still lots of debris on the inlet end and some on the shore all over.

There, I met 2 California fishermen, father and adult son, who had fished it yesterday and only caught 1 fish and were just packing up after fishing it today with no bites. I asked them if they had tried Yankee Meadows, but they said they didn't even know about it (nor did they know about the fire). I told them about my day on Friday and offered to take them there which they accepted. They followed me to the mouth of First Left-hand Canyon which is the paved road up to Yankee where I gave them some info about the gorgeous drive up, the fire and what to expect when we get there. They decided to fish near me near the boat ramp and I gave them a bottle of the bait that had worked for me on Friday (Zeke's Sierra Gold Corn) and wouldn't you know it? They limited out in about 2 hours while I got about 6 or 7 sorry bites! (I ended up with 2 fish, so at least I didn't get skunked.) In any case, the reservoir is in good shape even though the immediate scenery sucks and you can no longer camp there.

Also, the gate beyond the pond is closed and chained, so I guess you deer hunters who like hunting that area are in for a long walk or will have to find another place.


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## wyoming2utah (Sep 12, 2007)

It is great that Yankee hasn't been damaged too badly yet...but, we are far from out of the woods on the potential damage (no pun intended!). The thing with fires is that the siltation that flows into the reservoir comes after every hard rain and every spring for some time. I think we will have a better idea of the potential and long-term damage this coming spring and summer.


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

That place was so beautiful. 
I got lost on a deer hunt in Sydney Valley (Dark Hollow) one year. I walked all day and came out at the Thunder Ridge Scout Camp at dark. I bet with the fire burn it would be hard to get turned around there now. I'm sure you can see every trail for miles. My wifes folks are lifetime residence in Parowan, and all the years I have been going down there I still have never caught a fish out of the Yankee.:-x I guess I'm trying Zeke's Sierra Gold Corn next time!:grin:


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## wyoming2utah (Sep 12, 2007)

elkfromabove said:


> I checked out Paragonah/Red Creek Reservoir and it looks bad. There's still lots of debris on the inlet end and some on the shore all over.


The scary thing about Paragonah is that the fire could destroy the spawning grounds. It was one of the few reservoirs around where natural reproduction of rainbow trout existed and the majority of the population in the reservoir consisted of wild fish. Damage done to the watershed could potentially impact spawning habitat for a very long time. We are still really early in the stages of finding out what the true impact of the fire is on both Yankee and on Paragonah...not to mention Panguitch. Sediment load in all of these reservoirs could lead to a lot of future problems....watersheds will dumping a lot of ash an silt into all three in the future that otherwise would not have!


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## plottrunner (Apr 3, 2008)

Fowlmouth said:


> That place was so beautiful.
> I got lost on a deer hunt in Sydney Valley (Dark Hollow) one year. I walked all day and came out at the Thunder Ridge Scout Camp at dark. I bet with the fire burn it would be hard to get turned around there now. I'm sure you can see every trail for miles. My wifes folks are lifetime residence in Parowan, and all the years I have been going down there I still have never caught a fish out of the Yankee.:-x I guess I'm trying Zeke's Sierra Gold Corn next time!:grin:


Double Renegade fly...;-)


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## backcountry (May 19, 2016)

wyoming2utah said:


> The scary thing about Paragonah is that the fire could destroy the spawning grounds. It was one of the few reservoirs around where natural reproduction of rainbow trout existed and the majority of the population in the reservoir consisted of wild fish. Damage done to the watershed could potentially impact spawning habitat for a very long time. We are still really early in the stages of finding out what the true impact of the fire is on both Yankee and on Paragonah...not to mention Panguitch. Sediment load in all of these reservoirs could lead to a lot of future problems....watersheds will dumping a lot of ash an silt into all three in the future that otherwise would not have!


Definitely early but the impact 6 weeks ago was devastating. It could recover like other natural fisheries in Utah after fires but it could also never be the same. Time will tell. Was really bummed as I had just rediscovered it for fly fishing.


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## hondodawg (Mar 13, 2013)

Fowlmouth said:


> That place was so beautiful.
> I got lost on a deer hunt in Sydney Valley (Dark Hollow) one year. I walked all day and came out at the Thunder Ridge Scout Camp at dark. I bet with the fire burn it would be hard to get turned around there now. I'm sure you can see every trail for miles. My wifes folks are lifetime residence in Parowan, and all the years I have been going down there I still have never caught a fish out of the Yankee.:-x I guess I'm trying Zeke's Sierra Gold Corn next time!:grin:


I lived in Cedar for nearly 10 years. Never could figure out that lake. I hear monster Brookies do come out.

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## hondodawg (Mar 13, 2013)

And I wanna say to the OP you really went above and beyond to help out that father and son to catch some fish. We need more people like you. 


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## elkfromabove (Apr 20, 2008)

hondodawg said:


> And I wanna say to the OP you really went above and beyond to help out that father and son to catch some fish. We need more people like you.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Thanks, I appreciate the compliment. It was fun watching them pull those big fish in.


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## provider (Jan 17, 2011)

Congrats on a good trip. Thanks for the report. Check your pm.


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## elkfromabove (Apr 20, 2008)

provider said:


> Congrats on a good trip. Thanks for the report. Check your pm.


I've checked for a couple of days, but no pm from you shows up on my list and neither does the pm I sent you. I don't know if there's a problem on my end or yours, but you can email me at [email protected] if you like.
Lee


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## elkfromabove (Apr 20, 2008)

12/02/17 - Yankee is still open and clear and the fish are still taking Zeke's Yellow Corn though it's a little slow. (My limit of 4 in about 3 hours.) It's getting cold and windy up there so dress appropriately. And the road has ice in spots.


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