Andy Adams Reservoir

While looking at the fish stocking records, trying to find some new water to release the “Kraken” on some bass, my eyes locked in on a place called Andy Adams Reservoir. It has been stocked two times with Largemouth bass in 2013. Last year, 2012, there were only two places in the entire state of Utah stocked with Largemouth. I was stoked at the potential  of this place to find some bass after seeing the stocking report. I knew they would probably be small fish, but I went out  any way with a friend of mine at Backcountrypost in some kayaks.  The other cool thing I found after digging about the place is it just opened in 2013, and it will only be open for another four years. Here is the low down on the new water Andy Adams Reservoir, where we fished, what we used, and how we did.

About Andy Adams Reservoir:

Andy Adams Reservoir has been around for awhile, but officially opened up this year in 2013 to the public as a community fishery. According to the sign as you pull into the place it states, “Andy Adams Community Fishery is a cooperative effort between Kays Creek irrigation company, the Division of Wildlife Services, the Haven J. Barlow family, and Layton City.” Somebody obvisiouly was doing a lot of negotiating to get this opened up. The website on the Utah Division of wildlife says the place will only be open for about 4 years. They are super strict on making sure you have a walk in access permit. It’s free, but make sure you get one. Here is the link to the Utah Division of Wildlife website to give you all the logistics about the place: http://wildlife.utah.gov/walkinaccess/properties/no_andyadamsreservoir.php

Bottom line my impression is we need to follow the rules , or it looks like they will probably shut Andy Adams down. Hopefully, we can do a good job of picking up after ourselves and following the rules. Then maybe they will keep it open after the four years come to a close.

One rumor I heard is the residents who have property on the place opened it up to the public, so the DNR would stock it full of fish for them. Then in 4 years they will claim it back for themselves. Regardless of the reason I’m stoked on the potential of this place to be a good Largemouth bass fishery in the area.

Getting Access:

Even though the walk in access was free, it was kind of tricky for me to acquire. You can get a permit by calling the number listed on the sign of the property (800) 221-0659. Plus, you can get a permit online. Here are the steps to take if you want to go the online route.

1. Go to the website for buying Utah Hunting and Fishing Liscenses:     https://secure.utah.gov/hflo/main/serv1/index.html?server=serv1
2. Enter your birth date in the field indicated, or create an account if you don’t have a Utah fishing or hunting license
3. Enter your social security number, or your customer ID if you created an account. If you already have a fishing hunting or fishing license, just type in your social. It will pull up all the information they have of you already on file. It seemed the simplest with the social security number for me.
4. Continue, then click on get licenses when you see it.
5. Click on the other section for licenses, and select walk in access. Then proceed to check out and get your free license. Next, get stoked!

What we used:

Here are the three baits we used to try to catch Largemouth on.

1. Jackall Crankbait – 4 – 6ft square bill diver. In a bluegill pattern color.

2. Jackall Cover Craw – Texas rigged weightless with a 4/0 gamakatsu wide gap hook. This thing floats down through thick cover, and was perfect for all the newly flooded timber, and brush.

3. Pepper Micro Jig – 1/4 oz weight in the magic craw color. I also put a green pumpkin Jackall Cross Tail Shad on the hook as a trailer. I love the way this jig sits on the bottom. It makes the trailer stand straight up. I would pitch it into the cover then shake the jig when it was on the bottom. Caught our fish on this rig, so I’m a little overly stoked on it.

Where I caught bass:

Here is a map of the shorelines we fished, where we caught one, and where we got bit!
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Synopsis, & Recap:

Andy Adams has a bright future ahead. I was amazed we even caught one bass after looking at the stocking report. The average size of the fish were tiny they put in the lake. There is a lot of feed in here for those bass though, and it looks like they are growing fast! I bet in the next couple years the bass fishing will get better and better. I loved flipping the heavy cover with all the flooded vegetation. Most of the reservoirs in Utah are fairly dead unless the water level’s raise dramatically. It was nice to see a living vibrant body of water.

Special thanks to my friend at Backcountrypost.com, Nick Wooley. You can also check out his thoughts on the place on his forum: Andy Adams Reservoir. Check out his site. He took some stellar and awesome photo’s of us. The guy does amazing things. Stoked to have him as a friend. He also let me use one of his kayaks. I was bummed I couldn’t hook him up with his first bass. It looked like he had one on for a minute in the timber. Oh well, I’ll get him one next time!

It was my first time bass fishing from a Kayak, and I really enjoyed it! I was amazed at how much shoreline we could fish in only a few hours. I couldn’t stand up and flip very well, but found I could flip decently sitting down. Plus, I loved how silent the yaks were for sneaking up on the bass. Hopefully, by next spring I’ll have myself a kayak. I’m sold on using these for fishing.

Hope this helps those looking for places to go in Davis County to catch some bass!

As always,

Stay Stoked!
jb@krakenbass.com