Fishing in Grand County, Utah
County seat: Moab. Census 2020 residents: 9,669.
- 3lake pages
- 13launches
- 2river pages
Pick for troutPiscifun Carbon X ultralight spinning reel28% OFFSale $57.99 Photo of Colorado River: Matt Walter, CC BY-SA 2.0
Planning a first trip in Grand County
Courthouse business for Grand County is done in Moab; the county counted 9,669 residents in 2020. Gazetteer mapping shows 3,673 square miles of land and 11.8 square miles of water. Dons Lake heads the county's 3 Utah lakes and reservoirs with their own page.
Launch data from UGRC and DWR show 13 launches here, plus 1 shore or pier point on DWR's shore list. Moving water with a DWR page here includes Colorado River and Green River in southeastern Utah. Hatchery trucks made 13 logged stops in the county in 2026, releasing 23,163 fish into 7 waters.
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census counts (TIGERweb) and the 2023 Gazetteer, read November 11, 2026. UGRC Boat Ramps layer (ArcGIS service) and the DWR Fish Utah access list, read November 11, 2026.
Slickrock-to-summit pins across Grand County
UGRC Boat Ramps layer (ArcGIS service) and the DWR Fish Utah access list, read November 11, 2026. Lake pins are the DWR map point for each water.
Lakes spread across Grand County
| Lake | Size | Launches | Status | DWR lists |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dons Lake | 3 acres | 0 | natural lake | rainbow trout |
| Oowah Lake | about 3 acres of mapped outline | 0 | natural lake | rainbow trout, grayling Arctic |
| Hidden Lake | 2 acres | 0 | natural lake | rainbow trout |
A short drive out of Moab reaches these lakes past the Grand County boundary.
| Lake | From Moab | Size | Launches | Status | DWR lists |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kens Lake | 9 miles southeast | about 52 acres of mapped outline | 1 | natural lake | largemouth bass, rainbow trout |
| Foy Lake | 46 miles south | 5 acres | 0 | natural lake | brook trout, rainbow trout |
| Monticello Lake | 47 miles south | 3 acres | 0 | natural lake | rainbow trout, tiger trout |
| Lloyds Lake | 51 miles south | 100 acres | 2 | natural lake | rainbow trout |
| Blanding Reservoir No. 4 | 62 miles south | no DWR figure | 1 | reservoir | rainbow trout, tiger trout |
| Recapture Reservoir | 63 miles south | about 221 acres of mapped outline | 0 | reservoir | bullhead, bluegill, green sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, crappie Black |
Size as the DWR Fish Utah page for this water prints it (DWR), read November 11, 2026. Waters with no DWR acreage print their mapped outline instead. Utah DWR Fish Utah planner (dwrapps.utah.gov), read November 11, 2026.
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Bars count lake pages within 80 miles of Moab where Fish Utah rates the fish likely or possible; rainbow trout leads.
DWR Fish Utah species lists (likely or possible), counted per lake page within 80 miles; DWR’s ratings, not a catch survey. Utah DWR Fish Utah planner (dwrapps.utah.gov), read November 11, 2026.
Further named basins on the Grand County Utah map
State maps carry 3 more named lakes inside Grand County; they stay on this list.
| Water | Size | Listed by |
|---|---|---|
| Pace Lake | about 58 acres of mapped outline | UGRC lakes layer |
| Weaver Reservoir | about 23 acres of mapped outline | UGRC lakes layer |
| Crescent Wash Reservoir | about 13 acres of mapped outline | UGRC lakes layer |
Outline area from the UGRC Utah Lakes NHD layer (ArcGIS service; mapped polygon area, not a DWR surface-acre figure), read November 11, 2026. Listed waters are not claimed to hold fish. Utah DWR Fish Utah planner (dwrapps.utah.gov), read November 11, 2026.
Utah rivers to wade in Grand County
- Colorado Riverguidebook entry, 10 DWR access points, 2 USGS gauges
- Green River in southeastern Utahguidebook entry, 4 DWR access points, 3 USGS gauges
Flow gauges around Grand County
| USGS gauge | Latest reading | Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|
| Dolores River Near Cisco, Ut | 454 cfs, 8.05 ft gage height | Nov 14 6:15 pm |
| Colorado River Near Cisco, Ut | 3,950 cfs, 2.99 ft gage height | Nov 14 6:00 pm |
| Castle Creek Below Castle Valley Near Moab, Ut | 8 cfs, 4.68 ft gage height | Nov 14 6:15 pm |
| North Fork Mill Creek Near Moab, Utah | 7 cfs, 9.83 ft gage height | Nov 14 6:15 pm |
| Mill Creek Blw Pack Creek Nr Mouth At Moab, Ut | 58 cfs, 4.79 ft gage height | Nov 14 6:15 pm |
| Colorado River At Potash, Ut | 3,500 cfs, 7.04 ft gage height | Nov 14 5:45 pm |
US Geological Survey provisional data, retrieved Nov 14, 2026 6:32 pm ET. Provisional readings can be revised.
Utah DWR Fish Utah planner (dwrapps.utah.gov), read November 11, 2026. USGS Water Data for the Nation, live through the site, retrieved on page view.
Utah trailer launches around Grand County
- Big Bend Boat Ramp at Colorado RiverColorado River, boat ramp, for float craft, administered by Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands in the UGRC layer
- Cisco Wash Boat Ramp at Colorado RiverColorado River, boat ramp, for float craft, administered by the Bureau of Land Management in the UGRC layer
- Dewey Bridge Boat Ramp at Colorado RiverColorado River, boat ramp, for float craft, administered by Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands in the UGRC layer
- Gold Bar Boat Ramp at Colorado RiverColorado River, boat ramp, for float craft, administered by the Bureau of Land Management in the UGRC layer
- Green River State Park and Golf Course Boat RampGreen River in southeastern Utah, boat ramp, camp host, drinking water, electrical hook-us
- Hittle Bottom Boat Ramp at Colorado RiverColorado River, boat ramp, for float craft, administered by the Bureau of Land Management in the UGRC layer
- Ida Gulch (Rocky Rapid) Boat Ramp at Colorado RiverColorado River, boat ramp, for float craft, administered by Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands in the UGRC layer
- Moab bridge Boat Ramp at Colorado RiverColorado River, boat ramp, for float craft, administered by Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands in the UGRC layer
- Nefertiti Boat Ramp at Green River in southeastern UtahGreen River in southeastern Utah, boat ramp, for float craft, administered by the Bureau of Land Management in the UGRC layer
- Potash Boat Ramp at Colorado RiverColorado River, boat ramp, for float craft, administered by a private operator in the UGRC layer
- Sandy Beach Boat Ramp at Colorado RiverColorado River, boat ramp, for float craft, administered by the Bureau of Land Management in the UGRC layer
- Swaseys Boat Ramp at Green River in southeastern UtahGreen River in southeastern Utah, boat ramp, for float craft, administered by the Bureau of Land Management in the UGRC layer
- Take Out Beach Boat Ramp at Colorado RiverColorado River, boat ramp, for float craft, administered by Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands in the UGRC layer
Fishing piers in Grand County
- Oowah Lake CampgroundOowah Lake, shore access
UGRC Boat Ramps layer (ArcGIS service) and the DWR Fish Utah access list, read November 11, 2026. Neither layer publishes fees or opening hours.
Utah stocking rows for Grand County waters
Rows run newest first, with water names shortened the way DWR's 2026 table shortens them.
| Date | Water as DWR prints it | County | Fish | Species |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 10, 2026 | OOWAH L | Grand | 2,002 | Grayling arctic |
| July 1, 2026 | OOWAH L | Grand | 1,300 | Rainbow |
| July 1, 2026 | WARNER L | Grand | 564 | Rainbow |
| June 24, 2026 | BEAVER CR | Grand | 5,569 | Cutthroat |
| June 24, 2026 | BEAVER CR | Grand | 842 | Cutthroat |
| June 22, 2026 | DONS L | Grand | 994 | Rainbow |
| June 22, 2026 | HIDDEN L | Grand | 950 | Rainbow |
| June 17, 2026 | WEAVER RES | Grand | 2,008 | Cutthroat |
| May 27, 2026 | MILL CR | Grand | 4,016 | Brown trout |
| May 27, 2026 | OOWAH L | Grand | 1,820 | Rainbow |
DWR fish stocking table for 2026, year to date (DWR stocking report; water names are DWR abbreviations), read November 11, 2026.
Utah guidebook limits on Grand County water
The limits here are from the 2027 Utah Fishing Guidebook, which takes effect January 1, 2027; the 2026 Utah Fishing Guidebook stays in force through December 31, 2026 and differs only where a row says so. Start from these statewide rows in Grand County; a named water's entry replaces them. DWR charges adults $40 (resident) or $120 (nonresident) for a fishing license good 365 days from purchase.
| Species group | 2027 daily limit | 2026 daily limit | Guidebook note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baitfish (common carp, fathead minnow, redside shiner, Utah sucker, Utah chub, white sucker) | No limit | same | (NEW) Formerly called "nongame species"; baitfish species are listed on page 20. |
| Black crappie and white crappie (a combined total) | 50 | same | – |
| Bluegill and green sunfish (a combined total) | 50 | same | – |
| Bonneville cisco | 30 | same | – |
| Bullhead | 24 | same | – |
| Burbot | No limit | same | REMINDER: Do not release any burbot you catch. All burbot caught must be immediately killed. |
| Channel catfish | 8 | same | – |
| Community fisheries | 2 | 2 | The limit includes fish of most species. All tiger muskellunge must be released. NEW: There are restrictions for largemouth bass at some waters. See page 39. |
| Crayfish | No limit | same | REMINDER: You may use bait to catch crayfish on waters where bait use is prohibited for fish, as long as none of the lines have hooks attached. |
| Kokanee salmon | See trout limit | same | Kokanee salmon are part of the total trout limit. Anglers may not possess kokanee salmon at any waterbody statewide from Sept. 10 through Nov. 30. |
| Largemouth and smallmouth bass (a combined total) | 6 | same | – |
| Northern pike | 20, only 1 over 36 inches | same | – |
Guidebook exceptions printed for Grand County waters in Utah
- Colorado RiverFrom the Colorado state line downriver to the Hite bridge on SR-95. (2027 guidebook, p. 38)
- Green River in southeastern Utah(a) From the Flaming Gorge Dam downriver to the confluence of the Colorado River: (2027 guidebook, p. 42)
Utah special-regulation waters
2027 Utah Fishing Guidebook (effective January 1, 2027; DWR PDF), read November 11, 2026. License prices as printed in the 2027 Utah Fishing Guidebook, p. 8 (the 2026 guidebook prints the same prices; checked against the DWR fees page), read November 11, 2026.
DWR record entries from Grand County
Record fish close to Grand County came from these waters, each inside 80 miles.
| Species | Weight or length as listed | Water | Year | Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Channel catfish | 36 ¾" | Kens Lake | 2015 | catch and release (length) |
| Largemouth bass | 8 lbs. 8 oz. | Kens Lake | 2011 | spearfishing |
Utah state record fish as DWR lists them (records page), read November 11, 2026.
Gear stores in Grand County
Who rows clients out of Grand County
- Martin Family Browns Hole Cofishing guide, Moab, (435) 259-7063
Yellow Pages, Utah State Parks and NPS listings (city of business), read November 11, 2026.
In the same basin as Grand County
Town pages within Grand County
- Moab2020 count 5,366
Adjoining Grand County
- Emery County62 miles west
- Carbon County73 miles northwest
- Uintah County80 miles north
- Wayne County91 miles southwest
Piscifun tackle chosen for a Utah day at Grand County
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Beehive State fish to recognize at Grand County
Photo: NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: USFWS Mountain-Prairie, Public domain
Photo: Judy Gallagher, CC BY 2.0
Photo: USFWS Mountain-Prairie, Public domain
Fishing inside Grand County: the common asks
How many ramps do UGRC and DWR list for Grand County?
There are 13 launches in the state launch data.
Which Grand County lake is the biggest on this site?
Dons Lake (3 acres).
What species does Fish Utah list around Grand County?
Fish Utah rates rainbow trout likely or possible on the most lakes within 80 miles, then green sunfish, largemouth bass and tiger trout.
Where can I buy bait in Grand County, Utah?
The closest shops sit outside the county and appear above.
What Utah town serves Grand County as its seat?
It is Moab.
What Utah license do Grand County anglers buy?
Licenses in Utah run 365 days from the purchase date: $40 for a resident adult, $120 for a nonresident adult.
What counties surround Grand County?
Begin with Emery County, Carbon County and Uintah County.
What trout rule covers Grand County?
Statewide, the trout, kokanee and grayling row sets a daily limit 4 under the 2027 guidebook; the 2026 guidebook prints the same number. Waters with their own entry can differ.
Which Grand County lakes have special limits?
2 waters with a page here carry their own rules, beginning with Colorado River.
Is Grand County on the DWR stocking table?
The 2026 DWR table lists 23,163 fish in 13 rows across 7 waters in the county.
Set up a Utah fishing weekend in Grand County
River pages list DWR access points and live USGS flow.