Flaming Gorge Fishing Report!

[dremarysol]

[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]Jason and I went on a guided fishing trip to Flaming Gorge at the Cedar Springs Marina, in Utah. The trip as a whole was an interesting one from the beginning. The drive was about 7 to 8 hours one way from Colorado Springs and we left in the evening. I routed our trip there and back with gas stations and food areas. There is approximately an 80mile span between Laramie and Rawlins, Wyoming. The internet shows 3 to 4 gas stations in that area but we found out that all of them have been shut down and closed. So, you guessed it, we ran out of gas. We were stranded near mile marker 245, which is about 20min from Sinclair and 30min from Rawlins. Sinclair was the closest gas station from where we were and that is really all that is there in that location. We got in touch with the highway department that only offered a tow truck to bring us gas for about $300, so we hitch hiked. I flagged down a trucker and we got a ride to the Sinclair gas station, which is a truck stop and restaurant. I bought a gas can, we filled it up, and the trucker that dropped us off found someone heading the other way to drop us at our truck. All of this took about 2 ½ hours and we still had about a 3 to 4 hour drive ahead of us to Flaming Gorge. We got back on the road at about 1AM and arrived at the Flaming Gorge Resort around 4:30AM. The resort is really the only place to stay in that area that is close to the marina. Just a side note for anyone planning to go there, if you arrive late at night and the office is closed, do not worry. They leave a note with your last name and room number posted on the office door with the room open and the key inside. It took us a while to figure that one out. We slept for about an hour and then got on the boat at 6:30AM. The first catch was caught by the guide, but was reeled in by myself. It was a 15lb 34in Mackinaw Lake Trout caught with a tube jig. [url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/videos/Trout_Fishing/Flaming-Gorge-101.html"]Click here![/url] To watch the video. [/size][/font]
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[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]The fish were not biting very much all day and I am not sure if it was the chosen day or if it was due to the locations the guide was taking us. Although, other people we spoke to seemed to be having better luck than we were. The next spot we fished at was an isolated area next to the rocks, where we caught about 3 or 4 Rainbow Trout at about 7 to 8in weighing in at 1 to 2lbs, with tube jigs as well in approximately 65ºF. We took two back with us. This was around 10:30-11:00AM and as the day went on that was the last action we saw until about 5:00PM when the guide called it a day. The guide was very informative and didn’t mind answering all of our questions but we felt that might have held back on us. Some examples of this notion were the amount fishing action in comparison to other people, the spots were narrowed to about 4 places and he also fished at the front of the boat. Even so, the trip was eventful and the location of Flaming Gorge is beautiful on a lake of about 90 miles. [/size][/font]
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[tubeN2]

Nice job on the BigFish. Very nice video too. Thanks for sharing it with all of us.[cool]
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[Saberfish]

[black][size 3]Good Report, Real nice job on the video. Glad that you had a good time.[/size][/black]
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[size 3]Now that you have caught some of those, you will be hooked. I see many more trips for you to Flaming Gorge.[/size]
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[bkidder]

That was a great report! Thanks a lot for sharing it with us. I haven't heard much about the Cedar Springs guides, but next time look into Kyle Edwards of Conquest Expeditions. He will show you a good time and will not hold anything back. I have never seen his clients not happy. I've also had the chance to hear him speak at seminars and he is a great teacher in my opinion. I've actually been surprised at how detailed of information he is willing to give out. He will get you into more fish, I promise! [url "http://www.conquestexpeditions.com/"]http://www.conquestexpeditions.com/[/url]

If you want to learn how to be a master jigger, and are willing to do the work to learn... check into Jim Williams. It isn't easy to fish with Jim, but he will teach you how to catch the big ones. But, don't expect him to hook them for you. He'll show you how to do it yourself. (which is far more valuable anyways) [url "http://www.fishflaminggorge.com/"]http://www.fishflaminggorge.com/[/url]

Also, there are hotels in Manila Utah which is near Lucerne Marina where both of these guides operate out of.

Good luck, and thanks for the report!
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[Flycasting]

Nice report.

I second what bkidder said about Jim Williams. The fish he puts his clients on are amazing. [cool]

I am headed to Cedar Springs the 2nd of June myself. No guide tho! []
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[dremarysol]

[font "Baskerville Old Face"][size 3]Well I will look into that for sure because I really want to catch one of those trophy fish!! The one on the video, I didn't really catch myself, he handed me the rod. There is just something about catching the fish yourself that makes you feel proud. I think so anyway. Jason and I are trying to schedule another trip out there so we'll let you know how it goes when we do. Flaming Gorge is actually in Dutch John, Utah and there really is no place to stay other than the Flaming Gorge Resort. Some other near by places that are about 15 to 25 min away from Cedar Springs Marina are Red Canyon Lodge, which is pretty expensive and Spring Creek Ranch. [/size][/font][url "http://www.cedarspringsmarina.com/lodging-campgrounds.htm"][font "Baskerville Old Face"][size 3]Click here[/size][/font][/url][font "Baskerville Old Face"][size 3] for a list of places with the phone numbers in that area. Let us know how it goes![/size][/font]
[font "Baskerville Old Face"][#000080][size 3]~Dre'[/size][/#000080][/font]
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[bkidder]

Flaming Gorge is a big lake! Dutch John is just one of the towns on the Gorge. Manila Utah, which is the Daggett county seat, has plenty of hotels to stay in and is very near Lucerne Marina... which is the launching point for the guides I mentioned. Manila also has a KOA where you could stay. Manila is on the Utah/Wyoming border on the West side of the lake. If you want to fish the far North part of the lake you can also stay in Green River Wyoming, or Rock Springs Wyoming. Plenty of hotels. In addition to the towns there are campgrounds all around the lake. My favorites are at sheep creek, but that puts you about 20 minutes from the guides at Lucerne. The Lucerne campground is alright but has very few trees. I hope this helps give you more options for next time!

Again, thanks for the report!
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[Wyobraz]

[font "Tempus Sans ITC"][#808000][size 3]Like everyone has said Jim Williams is the best guide for the Gorge. He will get you on fish and you catch them yourself. He does not even fish he is all about you catching the fish. I have never fished with him but he is well known around the area for his quality of guiding. His type of fishing is the most intense and mentaly draining type of fishing there is, thats why its hard to fish with Jim, but you would not be disapointed if your dedicated. I live right around the Gorge so if you ever need any info concerning accomodations or what not let me know I am more than willing to assist you.[/size][/#808000][/font]
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[font "Tempus Sans ITC"][#808000][size 3]Later[/size][/#808000][/font]
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[dremarysol]

[font "Baskerville Old Face"][size 3]Thank you so much! I guess from everybody's posts and recommendations, it looks like Jim Williams is the guide to go with!![/size][/font]
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