Surface water temperatures into the mid to high 50 degrees and fishing has been fair to good.  Water levels continue to slowly improve though the snowmelt is just about done and it probably won’t gain much more water. Anglers will do well with a variety of night crawlers, PowerBait, and spinners. For bait anglers nightcrawlers and rainbow PowerBait are the best bet. Small spinners, spoons and Kastmasters in gold for those throwing hardware should work.  For fly rodders, this time of year chironomid patterns (midge larva) are recommended as they can make up as much as 80% of the trout’s diet in the spring in our high desert reservoirs.  Black or olive wooly buggers and black, olive or wine-colored leech patterns should also catch trout.  Spring stocking is complete here with Illipah having been stocked with approximately 13,000 trout.