KSL Outdoors: Fishing Flaming Gorge Reservoir

Welcome to KSL Outdoors and more important, welcome to Flaming Gorge Reservoir, I’m Adam Eakle. Tonight we are going to show you big fish, big money and we’re kicking it off with Ashley Bonser and Addictive fishing.

Ashely Bonser is no doubt one of the best fisherman and guides on Flaming Gorge Reservoir.

(Ryan Mosley, DWR; Flaming Gorge Project Leader) Ashley will you take us. (ashley) Grab the back of the sled. (ryan) We can’t see the secret spot. (laughs)

Today he’s taking Utah DWR biologists Ryan Mosley, myself and a few of our buddies to one of his favorite spots for big lake trout.

(Ashley Bonser, FlamingGorgeFishin.com) This time of the year Adam the kokanee and stuff, they are foraging on are pretty small, 8-10 inches. So, usually we’ll keep it pretty small, but as the day progresses we’ll get bigger. If them fish are not reacting to one jig, color, size, we’ll change it up. We’ve got jigs from two and a half to three inches, all the way up to ten, twelve inches that we’ll use at certain times. Just kind of depends on the reaction of the fish off the graph.>

(Ashley Bonser) We are going to jig them a little more than we did last time. So once you hit that bottom, just kind of give it a pop, let it settle back in and ideally you don’t want it to slam down into that silt, just hover above it. Give those fish, you know keep it up out of that mud long enough, give them an opportunity to grab ahold of it.

(Ashley) You’re just a dead or dying fish down there, that’s just they are opportunistic, if they’ve got something in front of their face, they are going to grab hold of it. But they are not going to hang onto it like a rainbow will. It’s going to be a short bonk and that’s all you get you’d better swing. So swing and be on that reel.

Ashley grew up fishing Flaming Gorge with his dad. Four years ago, he decided he wanted to share his passion and knowledge of this fishery, so he started guiding.

(Ashley) You know Adam, it’s been great. It’s really blown up in my face but, you know what a great deal to take families out, most of them get to catch a fish of a lifetime.

(Ashley) I know you’ve been guiding for quite awhile, but do you still enjoy this aspect of it? (ash) oh dude, I love this, my heart is pounding right now. (laughs) this is what it’s all about you know. Where else can you go catch friggin’ fish that pull drag off your line from the time you hook them until the time you get them up.

(Ashley) I love it, I love it, I love it. (adam) it’s such a finesse. (ash) it is, you’ve got to have perfect presentation, it’s not for everybody, it’s not for little kids that can’t stand out here all day and stuff. It’s a great way to catch that fish of a lifetime.

Ashley is a licensed Captain that specializes in these hard fighting, monster macs. But he also guides for Kokanee and Burbot.

(Ashley) I can grab him. (mort) oh dear God. (ash) There’s a nice fish. You’ve got to be really careful with those gills. We don’t want to stick our finger in them. (adam) so what should people do? (ash) just try to pull them out. You can grab them by this gill plate right here Adam. See how you can grab that there, but don’t grab that gill. That gill is really important that we don’t grab. (adam) touch that and you are going to kill the fish. (ash) yeah they’ll start bleeding and you’ll have issues. but this is a thirty pound fish all day long.

So you want to come out and catch a fish of a lifetime, come out with Ash. Give everybody your website, so they can come out and visit you.

(ashley) you can find us at www.flaminggorgefishin.com. We’ll try to accommodate you guys. (adam) you’re busy, so call early. (ashley) we are busy, so you’d better get on the ballgame. But we’ve been out here for about thirty minutes late in the afternoon just wanted to show you guys a couple of fish and this is what we’ve got.

(Ashley) Just pump him back and forth, get those gills working, he fought hard. he fought super hard. There he goes. let him kick away from you and off he goes buddy.

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