Wasatch Fishing Forecast: Late-Fall Action Heats Up on Jordan River, Little Dell and Bear Lake

Good morning anglers, Artificial Lure here with your Salt Lake City fishing report for Wednesday, November 19, 2025. It’s a classic late-fall morning along the Wasatch Front. We’ve got a crisp 38°F at sunrise with visibility clear and winds light from the southeast—ideal conditions if you’re itching for one more cast before the serious chill sets in. Sunrise was at 7:16 AM, and sunset’s coming up at 5:07 PM, giving us just under ten hours of solid fishing light. Salt Lake and the surrounding valley don’t get coastal tides, but don’t let that fool you—the barometric shifts ahead of a weak cold front tonight have the fish a touch more active during the mid-morning through early afternoon. According to yesterday’s on-the-water chatter and reports out of Watson Lake, East Millcreek, and Causey Reservoir, anglers are landing a mixed bag. Trout species are still hot: healthy rainbows up to 15 inches, some late-season cutthroat, and a couple of surprising big browns up to 20 inches spotted closer to dusk. The best action right now is on the lower Jordan River stretches, just outside Salt Lake City’s urban core, and the accessible levee points along Little Dell Reservoir. Folks working slow-retrieved spinners—especially gold-bladed Rooster Tails and olive Panther Martins—are out-catching traditional dough baits two to one. For fly folks, nymphing is king: Pheasant Tails and Zebra Midges suspended about 18 inches off the bottom are drawing aggressive strikes, with the takes coming in softly, so keep your eyes sharp. Bass action has slowed with cooling water, but some persistent anglers tossing Northland’s Rumble B crankbait along south-facing riprap at Utah Lake are still finding a few lingering largemouths, mostly in the 1.5–2-pound range. Soft plastics—green pumpkin tubes and Ned rigs—are getting picked up tight to submerged structure where the sun keeps things a tick warmer. As for bait, it’s a chilly-morning classic: waxworms or nightcrawlers for the trout bite, especially at Farmington Pond and even up at Bear Lake if you make the trip. For Bear Lake, which sits higher up and always runs colder this time of year—the surface temp was 50.5°F at the State Park Marina this morning—slip bobbers tipped with cut bait are producing decent numbers of cutthroat and the odd lake trout. Locals are gearing up for the ice season, though it’ll be a couple more weeks before hardwater is safe for walking. Speaking of Bear Lake, it’s absolutely worth a mention as a hotspot right now. That signature turquoise water is still open, the crowds are gone, and anglers moving around Cisco Beach are reporting some of the best solitude and late-fall trout action of the season. Closer to town, try the deck at Little Dell just east of the city, where the cold water keeps trout feeding actively before winter sets in. Overall, the word from local bait shops and the Utah DWR creel surveys is that numbers are solid—average catch rates are about three trout per angler at Little This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.