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Starvation Reservoir Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Starvation Reservoir: a Reclamation lake near Duchesne managed as Fred Hayes State Park, with walleye, smallmouth, brown trout and heavy rainbow trout stocking.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Water temp
~55 F est.
Air / High
54 / 54 F
Wind
WNW 3 mph

Sources: Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
23
October 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

3/5Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Starvation Reservoir is in transition: bait on the move and predators following. Today brings cloud cover, wind WNW around 3 mph, steady pressure near 1014 hPa and a high of 54. Water sits around 55 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:60 AM-11:60 AM and 10:29 PM-12:29 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Rainbow troutExcellent

This band overlaps Vermont's 54-66Β°F stream preference: fish feed across riffles, runs and pocket water, and in lakes WDFW says spring and fall bring them near the surface.

Brown troutExcellent

Close to Vermont's 53-66Β°F optimum, browns feed more freely; in fall, pre-spawn fish move toward tributaries and gravel, so fish streamers and keep off the redds.

WalleyeGood

Spring: post-spawn fish scatter and can be slow for a couple of weeks. Fall: one of the best windows, with minnows on jigs and three-way rigs as the water cools toward ice-up.

Smallmouth bassGood

Spring pre-spawn and fall: Iowa DNR notes the larger bass come up to shallow structure, where a shallow-running minnow bait or a spinnerbait just under the surface works.

Yellow perchGood

Spring and fall: perch hold shallower and, by Michigan DNR's account, feed through the day, so shoreline weed edges, flats and the shallows near spawning areas are worth searching.

Largemouth bassGood

In spring, pre-spawn bass push shallow as the water climbs through the mid-50s; in fall they feed actively until the water cools into the low 50s, then drop back toward deeper structure.

CrappieFair

Pre-spawn fish move toward shallow coves, and Iowa DNR points to wading as an effective way to reach them in spring; minnows or small jigs under a float.

Tomorrow: Similar at 54 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made β†’

Before you go

Utah requires a fishing licence from age 12, from $40.00 for residents. What a Utah licence costs and where to buy it β†’

Chasing walleye here? Check the size and bag limits with UDWR before you keep anything. The season dates for Utah, read off the agency, are on the Utah seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings.

No live gauge on this water

Conditions here are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations. Water readings appear when a USGS gauge is available.

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~55 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp54 F
High / Low54 / 39 F
WindWNW 3-11 mph
Pressure1014.2 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain100% cloud, 78%
Sunrise / Sunset07:41 / 18:30
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~55 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Which day to fish Starvation Reservoir this week

Today is the pick of the week on Starvation Reservoir, at 3 out of 5.

Best day this week: today, Oct 23 β€” fair at 3/5, steady pressure, neither help nor hindrance.

Today, Oct 23 β€” Fair

A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Solunar majors
9:60 AM-11:60 AM and 10:29 PM-12:29 AM
Minor period
4:24 AM-5:24 AM
Sun
07:41 to 18:30
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Rain, 8 mph
Rain chance
78%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

Species guide

The species that matter on Starvation Reservoir: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Walleye illustration

Walleye

Best: spring and late fall, around dawn, dusk and night

A cool-water perch of large lakes, reservoirs and rivers whose reflective eyes are built for low light, so it feeds most at night and in murky water. The Missouri Department of Conservation ranks it among the continent's most important freshwater game fish. Spring: post-spawn fish scatter and can be slow for a couple of weeks. Fall: one of the best windows, with minnows on jigs and three-way rigs as the water cools toward ice-up.

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: spring and fall, when bigger fish come shallow

A bronze-brown black bass of clear, cool streams and rocky lakes, with dark vertical bars instead of a side stripe. Michigan DNR says its southeastern coast, from Port Huron to Lake Erie, is known nationally for both the size and the number of its smallmouth. Spring pre-spawn and fall: Iowa DNR notes the larger bass come up to shallow structure, where a shallow-running minnow bait or a spinnerbait just under the surface works.

Yellow perch illustration

Yellow perch

Caught all year, including under the ice through winter

Yellow perch are schooling panfish of the Great Lakes and northern lakes, and Michigan DNR calls them the game fish most often caught in that state. Spring and fall: perch hold shallower and, by Michigan DNR's account, feed through the day, so shoreline weed edges, flats and the shallows near spawning areas are worth searching.

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: the spring pre-spawn and the fall feed

A warm-water sunfish of lakes, reservoirs, ponds and slow river backwaters that holds tight to cover: weeds, logs, rock ledges and docks. In Texas, TPWD surveys rank it "by far" the freshwater fish anglers most want to catch. In spring, pre-spawn bass push shallow as the water climbs through the mid-50s; in fall they feed actively until the water cools into the low 50s, then drop back toward deeper structure.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: the spring spawn; summer around docks, brush and the thermocline

Two slab-sided panfish, the white crappie and the black crappie, that gather around submerged timber, brush piles, docks and bridge pilings in lakes, reservoirs and slow river backwaters. Texas Parks and Wildlife counts crappie as the state's most popular panfish. Pre-spawn fish move toward shallow coves, and Iowa DNR points to wading as an effective way to reach them in spring; minnows or small jigs under a float.

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Spring and fall in most lakes; rivers fish year-round while the water stays cool

A cold-water trout native to Pacific drainages from Alaska to Baja California, now stocked in most states and fished in rivers, tailwaters and lakes. This band overlaps Vermont's 54-66Β°F stream preference: fish feed across riffles, runs and pocket water, and in lakes WDFW says spring and fall bring them near the surface.

Brown trout illustration

Brown trout

Spring along Great Lakes shorelines; low light and overcast days in rivers; fall spawning runs

A European trout first stocked in the US in 1883 and now fished in rivers and lakes nationwide; it tolerates warmer water than other trout, and mature stream fish feed mostly at night. Close to Vermont's 53-66Β°F optimum, browns feed more freely; in fall, pre-spawn fish move toward tributaries and gravel, so fish streamers and keep off the redds.

When to come: the Starvation Reservoir calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Walleye
Smallmouth bass
Yellow perch
Largemouth bass
Crappie
Rainbow trout
Brown trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 55 F (estimated, not a reading).

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~55 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Starvation Reservoir today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 52 F, wind to 9 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 57 F, wind to 7 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 64 F, wind to 7 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

Utah requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Utah license. DWR 2026: walleye 10 (only 1 over 24 in.), largemouth and smallmouth bass 6 combined, trout and kokanee 4 combined; Starvation-specific limit of 10 bluegill, green sunfish, black crappie and yellow perch combined.

Access

Fred Hayes State Park at Starvation (Utah State Parks): boat ramp, campgrounds, cabins and slips; vehicle entry fee.

About this water

About 3,300 acres when full (Reclamation) on the Strawberry River northwest of Duchesne, Duchesne County, Utah.

Fishing Starvation Reservoir: the full guide

Dam and park

Starvation Dam, a zoned earthfill dam three miles northwest of Duchesne on the Strawberry River, was built from 1967 to 1970 as part of the Central Utah Project's Bonneville Unit. Reclamation's Recreation.gov listing gives the full reservoir about 3,300 acres at 5,710 feet and says Utah State Parks manages it under agreement with Reclamation, as Fred Hayes State Park at Starvation.

Fish on the official lists

Recreation.gov names walleye, smallmouth bass and brown trout. The state park says its annual walleye tournament produces fish over 10 pounds nearly every year. DWR's 2026 stocking report lists repeated rainbow trout plants from late January through September.

Starvation's rules

Most species follow Utah's 2026 statewide limits: 10 walleye with no more than one over 24 inches, 6 bass, 4 trout and kokanee combined. Starvation adds a combined limit of 10 bluegill, green sunfish, black crappie and yellow perch. It is on DWR's list of waters open to underwater spearfishing, and dead yellow perch are legal bait here.

Visiting the park

The park has two developed and four primitive campgrounds plus cabins and boat slips, and every vehicle that enters pays a fee. From May 1 to October 1 staff at the entrance booth can inspect and wash boats coming from quagga-infested water; in the off-season the park asks visitors to call 435-738-2326 ahead.

Common questions

What does DWR stock in Starvation?

Rainbow trout: the 2026 stocking report lists plants from January through September.

Is there a special walleye rule?

No. The 2026 guidebook has no Starvation walleye exception, so the statewide 10-fish limit with one over 24 inches applies.

Who runs the reservoir?

Reclamation owns it; Utah State Parks manages recreation as Fred Hayes State Park at Starvation.

Is fishing good at Starvation Reservoir right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Nearby waters

Strawberry River18 miStrawberry Reservoir35 miScofield Reservoir46 miDeer Creek Reservoir56 miJordanelle Reservoir58 miHuntington Creek64 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 40.1830, -110.4670 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
Pages checked
The facts in the written guide were checked against these pages, from the agencies and operators that manage the water, on October 8, 2026. Anything we could not verify was taken out.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on October 8, 2026; anything that could not be verified was taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.