'In the Boat'
March 1, 2026

March 1, 2026 - Small Water Report for Scott's Pond and Echo Canyon Reservoir

Water Temp: 49°F

Conditions: Air temp lows in the 20s to highs in the 60s, calm and sunny this day, but will be windy most days from here into April

Species caught: Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Yellow Perch, Rainbow Trout 

March arrived with open water and willing fish. With the big reservoirs still shaking off winter, I turned my attention to some smaller bodies of water in the area.

Largemouth are active and catchable at Scott's Pond. Nothing about March bass fishing is glamorous, but working slower presentations along the edges has been rewarding. The trout fishing on these smaller waters is too easy — a sign that fish have been recently stocked.

At Echo Canyon Reservoir, I managed a nice crappie and one of the better yellow perch I've ever seen. Slab perch don't get the credit they deserve. Hopefully the lake will be able to maintain healthy populations of crappie and perch with so much pressure from farmed trout. I could clearly see balls of juveniles on my sonar being pushed around by packs of trout. The crappie were not suspended in their deep holes as usual.

And that is the real story at Echo Canyon. The reservoir has been heavily stocked. Getting a bait to the bottom is nearly impossible — every drop was intercepted by a stocker rainbow. It's comical unless you're trying to target bass and you've released your sixth trout in ten minutes. The trout are all in the 1lb. class. We landed only one short largemouth at Echo this trip, which is concerning to say the least. I'm not sure these trout make good meals for the bass because they are so feisty and frantic. Hopefully the 40 or so we released will slow down enough to get eaten.

If you're heading to Echo Canyon and trout are your target, you will not be disappointed. Bring a cooler, because those fish are hungry and they are everywhere. The state/feds have put a lot of money into them, and they want you to eat them. You are allowed 4 trout per person per day at Echo Canyon. It's also a great time to get the kids out there with a little crappie jig or crankbait, as it's almost every cast in almost every part of the lake.

Small-water bass fishing will only get better as we push deeper into March. Water temps are still cold, but fish metabolism is ramping up. Be prepared for extreme wind from now into April, and keep an eye on afternoon windows when the sun has had time to work. A few big ones are already making beds.