2023 Duncan Family Camping Trip

Fishing Time: July 13-17, 2023

Weather: Hot, breezy, T-100s

Moon Phase: 15% Moon

Location: Wide Hollow Reservoir (near Escalante)

Best Baits: Texas rigged creature baits and senko’s (green pumpkin), and whopper plopper for topwater

Who Went: Charlene Duncan, Jessica Duncan, Mike Kraus, Cari Duncan, Devin Duncan, Addison Duncan, Dayton Duncan, and Dunc

We rented a trailer and went on our annual Duncan family camping trip this year at a place we have been before but love it so much we decided to go back.  Petrified Forest State Park Campground is located five minutes from Escalante and adjacent to Wide Hollow Reservoir.  It has great hiking, fishing, camping, and it’s less than an hour from Bryce Canyon National Park.  It’s also not very busy and we saw one motorboat on the lake the entire trip.  The lake is full of largemouth bass and blugill and can make a novice fisherman feel like they know what they are doing.

We rented kayaks and paddle boards for the few days we were there, and the boys lived on the kayaks fishing for largemouth.  The fishing wasn’t as hot as the last time we were there, but they caught plenty of bass and a couple nice ones to keep it interesting.  The lake has a lot of grass, so we found our best baits were Texas rigged creature baits and senko’s.  We also had some decent topwater action in the mornings and evenings.

We also went to Bryce Canyon National Park for one day and rode horses down into the bottom of the hoodoo canyons.  The kids had a blast and now want a pet horse (yeah right).  The whole trip was an adventure from catching a bunch of fish, riding horses, and even an emergency room visit an hour away in Panguitch at 1:00 in the morning to treat an infection on Addi’s leg. 

Deer Creek Family Fishing

Fishing Time: 6:30 am to 11:00 am

Weather: Hot, calm wind, T-90s

Moon Phase: Full Moon

Location: Deer Creek Reservoir

Water Temp: 59-60 degrees

Best Baits: Mid-Deep diving crankbaits

Who Went: Cari Duncan, Devin Duncan, Addison Duncan, Dayton Duncan, and Dunc

Devin wanted to hit the lake and for once no one else in the family had conflicts, so the entire family came out for a morning of fishing.  The wake-up call was early, but the sunrise and cool air made it more than worth it.  I could not believe how much water was in Deer Creek Reservoir.  I have never seen the brush that high up covered by water.  Due to the runoff the lake was still cold with water temps in the high 50s, so the bass didn’t seem all that active.

We tried pounding the shorelines in Wallsburg bay for an hour but came up empty handed.  The kids were starting to get restless so I told them we should troll around for a bit and see what happens.  It ended up being the ticket when we caught two chunky rainbows right off the bat.  We went back to trolling and this time it was the smallmouth that started biting.  Put quite a few in the boat, but nothing with any size.  On our troll back towards Wallsburg Dayton reeled in a good little walleye and we boated a couple more trout.

By now the ski boats were getting relentless and the sun was hot, so we called it a day early.  It turned into a successful trip and the kids had fun with a multi species haul.