I am planning to go up to flaming gorge next week and spend a night up there with a couple friends. None of us have been there, so I was wondering if I could get some advice here. First off, where are some good camping spots? Preferably free. Also, we will most likely be fishing from the shore (wading). I have no idea where some good spots from the shore are, so any help would be much appreciated. We want to catch as many different species as we can, so any and all advice for bait/lures for any species is welcome. Hoping for some good pointers here, because we are making the trip kind of blind as we have never been there before and would really like to get into the fish. Thanks in advance.
If you want to fish the WY end of the reservoir, shoreline camping is almost unlimited up there. Buy a Flaming Gorge map so you can see all the roads heading down to the lake shore. There are primitive areas like that in UT also, just much more limited because of the canyon terrain. You could try Antelope Flat, Spring Creek, and Jug Hollow, all of which are identified on a map.
Shore/wade fishing will likely produce smallmouth bass and rainbow trout. Both are fishing good right now. If you’re a spin fisherman, try jigs (crayfish colors) and crankbaits for smallies and the occasional bow. Flyfishing is also productive. Depending on where you go, there are also a lot of flying ants on the lake and the bows are hitting the surface all day. I’ve also caught a few smallies packed with them. Could be fun.
Hope it helps some and good luck.