Flaming Gorge Smallmouth Bass!
Named for its brilliant red rock face, Flaming Gorge reservoir stretches across the NE corner of Utah, into the NW corner of Wyoming. Home to some of the best Kokanee fishing in the West, Flaming Gorge is also home to an incredible smallmouth fishery. I got the opportunity to fish Flaming gorge for Pre- Spawn Smallmouth this past week.
Beautiful Flaming Gorge Reservoir
Flaming Gorge is a beautiful place to fish. The remote country is absolutely gorgeous, and is dotted with Antelope and Mule deer around every corner. At 6500 feet, the water of Flaming Gorge is cold and clear and full of Kokanee, Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Burbot and of course, big Smallmouth Bass. I really want to come back one day to fish for the big Kokanee, but this trip was all about the smallmouth.
Antelope and Mule Deer abound in the area
I was fishing with good friends Rick White and Todd Bruner. Rick knows the lake very well, and is a heck of a bass fisherman. We had been trying to coordinate a trip here for a long time, and luckily for me the stars finally aligned and we were able to hook up for this trip.
Rick with a Flaming Gorge SMB!
The day we arrived, water temps had dropped almost 8 degrees into the 40’s from a massive cold front that was moving through. The weather was definitely a factor. We were dealing with rain, sleet and 40+ mph winds. We were concerned that colder water temps would slow the fishing, but it did not seem to effect it at all. Luckily I brought my new Rapala Pro Rain Suit on this trip. We definitely put it to the test and I stayed completely dry and warm in some unbelievably bad conditions.
Todd with a nice Smallie caught on the Wakasagi Arashi Vibe!
My lure of choice was Storm Arashi Vibe in the new Classic Craw and Fluorescent Red Craw colors. Todd was fishing the same lure in the Wakasagi color. The Storm Arashi Vibe is 2 3/4” in length and weighs 9/16oz. The Arashi Vibe has a self tuning line tie that allows it to fish effectively at both very slow and fast speeds. It casts easily into the wind, can be fished from 0 to 20 feet of water. The Storm Arashi Vibe is a great pre-spawn smallmouth lure.
I was using the "Classic Craw" Arashi Vibe from Storm Lures
Fishing the Storm Arashi Vibe over long lake points, islands and sunken humps, the bites were few and far between, but when one hit was almost always a big one! We each caught at least 6 fish per day and they were all big beautiful smallmouth!
Another big Flaming Gorge Smallmouth Caught on the Storm Arashi Vibe
it wa an amazing trip, to an incredible western fishery and I hope to be back soon to fish it again!
Thanks for reading,
Bill