Fish Lake (Utah)

Fish Lake
Bowery Resort in the foreground and the Mytoges to the left
Location	Sevier County, Utah, United States
Coordinates	38°32′55″N 111°42′40″W / 38.54861°N 111.71111°W / 38.54861; -111.71111Coordinates: 38°32′55″N 111°42′40″W / 38.54861°N 111.71111°W / 38.54861; -111.71111
Primary inflows	2535.35
Basin countries	United States
Max. length	5 mi (8.0 km)
Max. depth	175 ft (53 m)
Surface elevation	8,848 ft (2,697 m)

Fish Lake is a high alpine lake (elevation approximately 8,848 ft or 2,700 m) located in the Fishlake/ Southern Wasatch Plateau region of south-central Utah, United States. It lies within and is the namesake of the Fishlake National Forest.

Fish Lake, six miles long and one mile wide, lies in a geologic structure known as a graben valley. It is bounded by the Mytoge Mountains on the southeast shore which sharply rise about 1,000 feet (300 m) above the lake level. Along the northwest shore, the lake is bounded by Fish Lake Hightop Plateau (summit elevation 11,600 ft / 3,500 m). The lake has an average depth of 85 ft (26 m) and has a maximum depth of 175 feet (53 m).^[1]

The lake is best known for its sport fishing — particularly its large lake trout (also known as mackinaw). Mackinaw are caught every summer upwards of 25 lb (10 kg). Fish Lake also holds Rainbow Trout, Splake and Yellow Perch. Yellow Perch are regarded as an invasive species; there is no bag limit and anglers are encouraged to dispose of any Yellow Perch caught.^[2] The lake is stocked by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources fish hatchery in Glenwood. The region sees heavy snowfall in the winter, with snowfall occurring as late as June in any given year. For this reason tourist activity is at its peak in the summer months.

Pando, a clonal quaking aspen stand, that, according to some sources, is the oldest (80,000 years) and largest (106 acres, 13 million pounds) organism on Earth, is located 1 mile southwest of Fish Lake on Utah route 25.^[3]

The nearest town is Koosharem, 15 miles to the west (24 km). A larger community, Richfield, is within a one-hour drive.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fish Lake (Utah).

• A guide to yellow perch fishing at Fish Lake
• "A Study of The Lake Trout Population At Fish Lake, Utah During 1989-2002" (PDF).  (761 KiB) by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
• "Report on Fish Lake" (PDF).  (352 KiB) by the Utah Division of Water Quality
• Fish Lake fishing
• "Fish Lake". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2009-05-04.