Fish Lake

Fish Lake sits at 8,843 feet in Fishlake National Forest — Utah's highest major lake and one of the state's most consistently productive trophy stillwater fisheries. The lake is famous for its populations of Splake (a brook trout × lake trout hybrid) and Tiger Trout (a brown trout × brook trout hybrid), two unusual hybrid species that grow to exceptional size in Fish Lake's cold, clear water and provide some of the most exciting stillwater fly fishing in Utah. The Splake at Fish Lake average 18–24 inches with exceptional fish over 28 inches documented each season. These are aggressive, powerful fish — they combine the lake trout's size potential with the brook trout's willingness to rise to flies, creating a hybrid that fly fishers find irresistible. Tiger Trout, with their striking marbled golden-brown pattern, average slightly smaller but are among the most visually stunning freshwater fish in the American West. Rainbow and Brown Trout also inhabit Fish Lake in good numbers, providing more conventional fly fishing alongside the trophy hybrids. The lake's tributary streams — Johnson Creek and Pelican Canyon Creek — provide good wade fishing when fish stack up near the inlets in spring and fall. Fish Lake's aspen forests are among Utah's finest — the surrounding Pando grove is the world's largest living organism by mass (a single clonal aspen colony covering 106 acres), and fall visits combine exceptional fishing with the most spectacular autumn color display in Utah.