Late Fall Trout and Carp in Salt Lake City's Waterways

Good morning, anglers. This is Artificial Lure reporting from Salt Lake City, Utah, and here’s your local fishing update for November 24, 2025. We started out with a brisk autumn morning, air hanging cool and a little foggy in the valleys, with temps expected in the low 40s early climbing to around 55 by the afternoon—classic for this late-fall stretch in the Wasatch Front. Winds are light today, and that should help out, whether you’re casting a fly or soaking bait. According to solunar data, sunrise was at 7:10 AM and sunset will be at 7:52 PM, so you’ll get a good long day on the water before it gets dark. Though Salt Lake proper doesn’t have ocean tides, fish activity follows moon phases and today we’re sitting at about a 15% waxing crescent moon. The major feeding windows are pegged for 3:08 to 5:08 AM and again this afternoon from 3:38 to 5:38 PM, with a minor uptick between 8:20 and 9:20 AM. Plan your sessions around those for your best chance at some bites, though the day rating is listed as ‘average’ by Solunar Forecast. The Farmers’ Almanac also calls today a fair fishing evening, adding you might have to work for your fish but persistence usually pays off. Waters around Salt Lake City are running mostly clear, with the rivers lower than normal for the time of year—a result of drier-than-average conditions reported by Coyote Gulch in recent months. That’s got trout a little wary and holding tight to deeper pools and undercuts. At the Jordan River and canal systems, the bite has slowed some, with morning fog keeping things quiet early, but active fish have been taken mid-morning and again late day, per Fishbox’s local forecast. Let’s talk recent catches. Up in the creeks and small reservoirs like Little Dell, anglers are reporting rainbow trout in the 12–16 inch range, plus the occasional cutthroat, most coming on smaller spoons, jigged soft plastics, and nymphs fished slow. Spin anglers are finding success with Panther Martins and small gold Kastmasters. The community ponds—Willow, Liberty, and Sugarhouse—produced stocked rainbows over the weekend on PowerBait in chartreuse or garlic, and on salmon eggs fished close to the bottom. The best baits right now are natural: worms, nightcrawlers, and the ever-reliable single salmon egg for trout. For those casting lures, stick with downsized gear: silver and gold spinners, small Rapalas in brown trout pattern, and soft plastics in motor oil or earth tones. Fly anglers are still pulling in fish with Zebra Midges, Brassies, and small Pheasant Tails under indicators. If you’re looking for a hot spot, the stretch below Big Cottonwood confluence on the Jordan River has been a steady option, especially for carp and catfish—shrimp and dough baits work best there. For trout, heading up to Red Pine Lake (as praised on Tripadvisor) not only gives you a beautiful hike but also the chance at some fat alpine trout eager for a late autumn meal, especially if you throw a dark wooly bugger or a flashy s This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.