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.