Woods Lake

Woods Lake is a lake in Sanpete County, Utah and covers about 5.8 acres, reaches about 10.2 feet at its deepest point and holds roughly 23.8 acre-feet.

The small size of Woods Lake makes quiet casts and short moves more useful than carrying a pile of tackle. With little deep water in Woods Lake, weeds, wind, and water color can matter more than depth alone.

Fish and Baits

The fish mix here is not confirmed, so check fresh local information before choosing a target or keeping a catch; keep a bottom rig ready for low light, then work the bottom where the bank turns steep.

Begin with one slow bottom presentation and one moving bait, then let bites show whether fish are holding close to cover or roaming open water; check the clearest edge before moving, then use a moving lure to search.

How to Read the Water

Start where two things meet: weeds and open water, rock and mud, a point and a drop, or clear water and dirty water; fish that edge at more than one depth before leaving it; keep the lure near the depth that produced, then keep one slow bait ready.

Season by Season

In spring, start with warming banks, creek mouths, and shallow cover; summer usually pushes the better bite toward the outside weed edge or a nearby drop; fall can bring bait back to windblown points, while winter calls for smaller moves and a slower pace; start where bait gathers, then fish isolated cover before a long empty edge.

A Simple Tackle Plan

A medium spinning rod, 8-pound line, a small box of jigs, a few crankbaits, and a simple bottom rig cover most situations; change depth or speed before changing every piece of tackle; begin where shallow cover meets depth, then give shaded water a separate pass.

Record the wind, water color, productive depth, and cover after a bite; those four notes are more useful on the next trip than a long list of spots that did not produce; follow any bait found near the surface, then make short moves after each pass.