Good morning anglers, Artificial Lure here with your fishing report for Salt Lake City and surrounding waters this Tuesday, November 18, 2025.
We’re starting off with the **weather**—a crisp, late-fall morning with clear skies, light winds, and highs reaching the low 40s. If you’re heading out early, bundle up. The **sunrise hit at 7:19 AM**, and we’ll see sunset at 5:08 PM tonight. Plan your outings around those windows, especially since the best bite times today are **major from 6:41 AM to 8:41 AM** and again **6:56 PM to 8:56 PM**. The moon’s in its first quarter phase, sitting about 39% visible, and that’s usually good news for active fish in local lakes and rivers, especially with the minor periods midday.
Now, as locals know, Salt Lake City’s main fishing targets are freshwater—no ocean tides here, so fish activity is shaped by weather and moon phase more than tidal shifts. According to FishingReminder, warmwater species like **white bass, channel catfish, and walleye** are big draws at Utah Lake, but fall is prime time for **rainbow trout, brown trout**, and even the occasional **cutthroat** in the creeks and reservoirs.
**Recent catches:**
Folks have been landing solid numbers of **trout** in Big Cottonwood Creek, Mill Creek, City Creek, and up at Decker Lake. Provo River has been producing **large brown trout**—“big browns” as reported on KUTV’s Hooked on Outdoors segment just this weekend. Anglers have hit Browns over 20 inches using slow drifting tactics. A couple of reports from Bear Lake show **lake trout (“Mackinaw”) in the 20–30 inch range**, with one trophy fish weighing in at 11 pounds. Near Salt Lake, most action remains focused on trout and the last run of smallmouth and bass down at Utah Lake.
**Best baits and lures:**
Locals are reaching regularly for **soft plastic worms** like the Big Bite Baits Scentsation Cliffhanger and Thresher Worms—both excellent for finesse techniques on picky trout and bass. Yamamoto Senko and Slinko also do well for late-season bass. For trout, stick with **inline spinners (Panther Martin, Mepps), small spoons (Jake’s, Castmasters)**, and if fly fishing, **midges and streamers** are getting it done, especially early and late.
**Live baits** like nightcrawlers and waxworms continue to produce, especially in colder water. On Bear Lake, those pursuing lake trout swear by cut cisco or chunked baitfish. For Utah Lake catfish and walleye, chicken liver and stink baits remain top picks.
**Hot spots:**
- **Big Cottonwood Creek:** Good numbers of rainbows and browns, especially in upper reaches where water is clearer and colder.
- **Provo River:** Big browns hitting streamers and nymphs.
- **Decker Lake:** Reliable action for stocker rainbows and the occasional bass.
- **City Creek:** Smaller trout but consistent action close to downtown.
Remember, beaches and bays like Bayliss Fork offer great twilight shoreline action. If you want solitude, early morning or late evening around Mill Creek or Little Cottonwood Creek is your ticket. Porter Fork Harbor is another sheltered spot for fast action on baitfish and opportunistic predators.
As always, check your local regs, watch for wildlife, and be courteous to other anglers and hikers. Fish are active, the scenery is top notch, and the air is brisk—the perfect recipe for November fishing in Utah.
Thanks for tuning in! Don’t forget to subscribe for daily updates, tackle tips, and all things angling.
This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
Great deals on fishing gear
https://amzn.to/44gt1PnThis content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI