Boulder Mtn. - Upper & Lower Barker Reservoirs, Dougherty Basin Reservoir (report)

[southernman]

[left]Boulder Mtn. - Upper & Lower Barker Reservoirs, Dougherty Basin Reservoir Sept 20-23[/left] [left]I was so impressed with this beautiful area the first couple times there, 9 lakes, 4-5 different types of trout, and hiking at 10,000 - 11,000 feet, i had to go for 3-4 days and really try it out. I got in to my campsite at the Barkers campground, there was one other tent and no camp host. I was by myself this trip, a week vacay from work. I set up camp about 4pm and went up to the upper barkers reservoir[/left] [left][/left] [left]at about 10,000 feet, this is so beautiuful, and receives very little fishin' pressure . . [/left] [left][url "http://www.fs.fed.us/dxnf/fishing/reservoirs/barkers.htm"]http://www.fs.fed.us/dxnf/fishing/reservoirs/barkers.htm[/url][/left] [left][/left] [left]i walked along the trail on the far side of the lake, taking the trail, jumping the babbling brook, i noticed it was a little more damp than when i had been there in july, then plop, i went knee deep into the bog . . yuck . . fished for hour and a half, nuthin . . .lots of vegetation growth, tough to fish, couldn't get closer than 8 feet to the shoreline cause id be ankle deep in black funk . .the sun went down, the temp dropped 25 degrees in 20 minutes (or so its seemed), i took a little longer way to get back, skipping the wading this time . . .and enjoyed a campfire and some stargazing my first night . . .temperatures ranged from low 30's at night to low 80's during the day![/left] [left]Started off Sunday morning again at upper barker, but went around the other side, which is the trailhead to get [size 1]to Joe Lay Reservoir, Flat Lake, Blue Lake, and Yellow Lake, where i hear theres some great brook trout fishing . . .[/size][/left] [left][size 1]I caught a dozen rainbows from 14-17 inches that first morning . .[/size][/left] [left][size 1][/size][/left] [left][/left] [left][/left] [left][size 1]i had a plan all laid out of what lures, flies i would use, but i never got past rainbow crave and nightcrawlers, one every 10-15 minutes, regular as clockwork . . .nice jumpers . . hoping to get a brookie outta there, the first time i was there i caught a 1-1/2 pounder . . not this time . . .[/size][/left] [left][/left] [left][/left] [left][/left] [left]i released all of the fish . .. brought plenty of food . . quit fishing about 12:30...[/left] [left]that evening about 4pm i figured i'd try the lower barker reservoir, i hadn't even seen it before . . [/left] [left][/left] [left]its just 100 yards or so from the parking area . ., over a dell, not quite as big as the upper reservoir, but really beautiful ! hey and it had a small fishing dock with a couple big logs to sit on! what comfort![/left] [left][/left] [left]a couple guys were fishing near the dam when i got there, they waved, then hauled it in, and had as nice stringer full of rainbows . . . we exchanged pleasantries and i started fishing with worms and crave/powerbait mix again . . bam here were go again . . caught about 10 rainbows in 2 hrs . . .[/left] [left][/left] [left][/left] [left][/left] [left]i tried some of those brown power natural worms, caught 2 of the bows on them, tried a jig, snagged . . .a ton of moss growing from the bottom, tried a gold panther martin . .caught 1 on that before leaving at 6pm . .[/left] [left][/left] [left][/left] [left][/left] [left]a doe led its yearling to water . .awesome . .[/left] [left][/left] [left]the next day i decided to hike into dougherty basin reservoir . . .they had brookies and yellowstone cutthroats(ed. WRONG - THEY WERE COLORADO CUTTHROATS, see post below sm) . .a species i hadnt caught before . . .its closed to fishing every year till july 12th, and artificial only . .you cant keep any cutters, but you can keep 4 brookies . . .[/left] [left][/left] [left]well its a long 3/4 of a mile, almost totally uphill, not too steep, but you feel like you've accomplished something let me tell ya . . . i thought id see it around about 5 bends and switchbacks before:[/left] [left][/left] [left][/left] [left]oh man, it was gorgeous, by the way i didnt see anyone else on the trail, and no one fishing there either, it was my own little mtn lake! yeeeeeeeeeeee haaaaaaaaaa[/left] [left][/left] [left]it was a lot of tougher hiking around this lake, it had a trail, but a steep slope on both sides and tons of downed trees blocking the path, lots of crawling over and under . . .[/left] [left]so i tied on the same panther martin and started casting, and pow! I was hoping for a brookie, but got a beautiful 16 inch yellowstone cutthroat trout ! my first![/left] [left][/left] [left]another 5-6 casts, and pow another![/left] [left][/left] [left]nothing for an hour , switching lures, jigs, spoons . . caught one smaller cutter on a yellow jig, then an 18 incher on a silver spoon that shook the lure as i tried to get it outta the water . . .[/left] [left][/left] [left]about 10:30am the fish quit hitting, so after 2 hrs of nothing, i hiked pleasantly downhill most of the way back to the trailhead . . .[/left] [left][/left] [left]this is the view of upper barkers from the trail to dougherty . . . the leaves are changing folks! prob 2 weeks or so away now of peaking . . [/left] [left]Went to lower barkers again that evening, caught another dozen from the dock, great fishin . . . even caught one rainbow on a countdown rainbow trout rapala! [/left] [left]the night before some other people camped with some hound dogs, they might have been hunting, but man this ole dog started howling at 5 am the next two mornings . . .ohhhhhhhhh just shut up!@!!@!@! i got about 8 hrs sleep in 3 days . . .man it gets cold up there fast, caught a sniffle, lipburn too . .. really strong sun in the day, but a nice cool breeze . .first night had 20 mph gusts all night long . . .so i took off back for civilization, a hot shower, and the last week of the regular baseball season ( GO CUBS! WE'RE IN FIRST PLACE!)[/left] [left]i would defintely recommend this area for the next 3-4 weeks or so until the snows come, i never got to round and long willow bottom, where theres more cutters and splake! [/left] [left]sm[/left]
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[cat_man]

Wow Southernman that's an awesome post! Full of detail, description, and best of all -- photos! I'm glad you had so much fun. I've fished a lot in the Uintahs, but only once down the way of Beaver Mtn. Lakes, and it was at Huntington (Mammoth) Reservoir by Electric Lake. I'd love to go down there some time!
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[polokid]

Great report and great pictures, a couple of those I might have to save to my desktop!!!!
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[BEARCLAW]

Now that's what I call a post! Great photos and beautiful scenery. Looks like you had a rather pleasant vacation. Sorry to hear about the dogs, but if you can't sleep what better to do than fish. Thanks for sharing..
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[southernman]

thanks alot cat man, appreciate it !

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[southernman]

thanks polokid - i can send you originals if you want . . .I just wish we had more southern utah people on da board that could use some of this info . ..

by the way, does anybody know what kind of cutthroat are in long willow bottom res ?

thanks again!

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[MisterCompletely]

Holy cow, Southernman, does that ever bring back memories! I've made several trips to that area and fished all the lakes you mentioned. My buddy and I were packing float tubes and using various nymphs with sinking line and caught plenty of really nice fat brookies, especially late May just after ice-off. Bait fishing only brought rainbows, and I think you pretty much have to go with the flies for the brookies. I made a trip there by myself for a few days when I first bought my float tube and had a ball catching those brookies. We even had a small bear walk right through our camp one afternoon, and we were trying frantically to get to the camera in the back of the SUV, but it was locked and by the time we got it out the bear had wandered off. Thanks for bringing back some great memories, especially with those nice pictures. Makes me want to go again. It really is heaven on earth, especially for float tubers.
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[southernman]

hey MisterCompletely love the name, yah never gotta round to some buggers and nymphs maybe next time . . did you hump your tube to anywhere besides the barkers? that would be a pack-in bigitme~!

been to the willow reservoirs? what kind of cutters are in long?

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[Hellsangler69]

Nice report and photo essay !! Never been there but looks like a place I would like to try .
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[MisterCompletely]

We used big packframes that we used to use for packing out elk quarters, and tied the inflated tubes to them and hiked to most of the lakes that way, with those big old tubes on our backs. The trails are pretty wide so it never was a problem with brush. I can't remember catching cutts, only brookies. Except in Lower Bowns, and I don't know what kind of cutts those were. We tried Long Willow once, and it was a pretty lake (which one isn't?) but didn't catch any there.
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[davetclown]

outstanding report.[cool][cool][cool]

I see you have a picture of evry thing but the beaver dam.[angelic]

that lake sure is a buittie. I love fishing on the waters when it is still like glass. them trout look like fryers to me[]

I would be tempted to move there and live if it were for the fact that a bunch others would want to do the same and ruin the estic value of the pond.[crazy]

Keep up the good work....[cool][cool][cool]
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[southernman]

thanks man, maybe they were sons of sons of planters, like the jimmy buffet song?

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[RipNLips]

Aaaaaaaah... Brings back memories of when I lived in Vegas for 7 years and headed for Boulder quite regularly. Beautiful country, wildlife, and fishin'! Thanks for the memories SM.

If you can bust through the snow drifts to get into Barker (or others), Memorial Day is "the" time to go. Those fish grow significantly during the winter, and there aren't any bugs on the water for your lure/bait to compete with that early.
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[Xman]

cool report southern,

wish i could have been on that trip. no brookies it looks like. ill have to run down there with ya next time and see if we can tie into some of them.
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[southernman]

thanks hellsangler69, love to have you and some buds come down sometime . .

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[PBH]

Southernman, sounds like you had a great trip! I didn't see any pictures of Brook Trout, did they elude you? They can be tuff some times! Anyway, to answer your question, both long and round willow bottome have Colorado River cutts in them. Dougherty Basin also has Colorado River Cutts. Those fish you caught were colorado's, not yellowstones. If there are yellowstones in Dougherty, then the DWR has some major problems. Dougherty is the Colorado River Cutthroat brood stock lake. They are a beautiful fish (as we can all see from your pictures!) Long Willow Bottom had Yellowstone cutts in it before the DWR poisoned it and restocked it with Colorado's. Round had a healthy pop. of stunted Brook Trout, which also got poisoned and restocked with CRC's.



Anyway, looks like you had a great trip. Keep the reports coming!



Here is a quote from the minutes of a RAC meeting in 2001:

"Dale (Hepworth) mentioned that they have been running two spawning traps (Manning Meadow, Bonneville cutthroat trout; and Dougherty Basin; Colorado River cutthroat trout) for Southern Utah native cutthroat trout. They operate these traps for 2-3 weeks in the spring, while the fish are running, and they hope to get 225,000 eggs..."
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[southernman]

thanks for the clarification man, i get em , im still learning all this stuff . .i looked it up and finally found a mention that they were colorado river cutts . . now online it says that round willow is planted with splake ? guess ill have to make the hike and find out for myself! yah no brookies this trip, i was going to go to joe lay, blue lake ect. . but left a day early, and i never got around to buggers and nymphs . . .id still like to try up there one more time before the snows come . . . so as far as you know theres no yellowstone or bonneville cuts up there in that group of lakes?

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[PBH]

Southernman, I will have to do some checking on the Splake in RWB. It did have Splake before it was poisoned. I'm not sure that the DWR put any back in when it was restocked. I will see what I can find out and let you know. As far as Yellowstone cutts (or Bonneville's) in the area, there shouldn't be any.
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[southernman]

thanks alot bearclaw!

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[PBH]

When Round Willow Bottom was restocked, splake were not put back in. It now has the CRC's and Tiger Trout. What online source are you looking at to see what fish are in it?
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