Late Fall Fishing in Salt Lake: Trout, Bass, and More on the Move

Good morning anglers, Artificial Lure here with your Sunday, October 19th fishing report for Salt Lake City and the surrounding waters. We started off with a brisk 44 degrees around sunrise at 7:42 AM, but you can expect it to warm up to the mid-60s through the day under partly cloudy skies. With rain pushing through northern Utah earlier in the week, water levels are steady in most reservoirs, and a light north breeze is expected—all great for late fall fishing. Sunset tonight comes at 6:44 PM, so get your casts in before the chill settles back in. No tides to report here in Salt Lake, but the weather keeps things interesting. Fish are on the move as water temps start to drop into the 50s and 60s. Trout, bass, and wipers are extra active with this cool snap, and early birds have already reported catches coming in strong. Rivers like the lower Provo and the Weber are flowing clear after last week’s showers, and trout are off the banks chasing streamer patterns—think olive and black Woolly Buggers or brown sculpin imitations. Folks drifting nymph rigs with a size 18 Zebra Midge below small indicators have been having luck in the deeper runs as well. Over at Utah Lake, the white bass bite is hanging on late this year. Anglers tossing small jigging spoons and curly tail grubs in chartreuse or white near Lindon Boat Harbor are filling buckets with mostly 8–11-inch fish, perfect for a fish fry. Catfish are hitting nightcrawlers and chicken liver on the bottom, especially in the evening hours. Jordanelle Reservoir has been putting up solid rainbow trout and a few nice smallmouth. The key has been early-morning trolling with silver-and-blue Rapalas, or casting jerkbaits along steep rocky points. Bank anglers using PowerBait in garlic yellow are seeing consistent strikes from rainbows near the Rock Cliff area. A look further north at Bear Lake—always a classic Utah spot—has fishing heating up for cutthroat and lake trout. According to Family Destinations Guide, Bear Lake is home to unique species like the Bonneville cisco, but this week’s best action is coming to those vertical jigging white tube jigs or trolling with flatfish in 30–60 feet of water. As for bait, you can’t go wrong with a classic nightcrawler or a fathead minnow, especially if you’re after bigger perch or walleye on Willard Bay. Folks shore fishing Willard have also reported luck using shrimp-scented soft plastics in murky water. Best lures this week: small Rapala suspending jerkbaits, white or chartreuse curly tail grubs, and 3/8 oz. silver spoons have all moved fish. Don’t put away those streamers yet—trout are aggressive as we move deeper into fall. Hot spots for this weekend: - Utah Lake near American Fork Boat Harbor for white bass and channel cats. - Jordanelle’s main boat ramp points for nice rainbows and surprise smallies. - The Provo River below Deer Creek Dam is turning up quality browns on small nymphs and streamers. As always, please double-check local regulations, This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.