Things to Do · Duck Creek Journal
Is Panguitch Lake Open? The New Dam, the Low Water and Ice Fishing This Winter
Yes. You can fish Panguitch Lake, and a new 24-foot concrete dam replaced the one that cracked in April 2024. The lake hit its lowest storage reading on record this summer and carries a harmful algal bloom Warning. Here are the ice fishing rules and the winter drive from Duck Creek Village.
In this story
Yes. You can fish Panguitch Lake today, and a new 24-foot concrete dam now holds it, replacing the one that cracked in April 2024. The lake sits far below normal, though. Federal storage readings fell to 750 acre-feet in July and August, out of 22,300, and a harmful algal bloom Warning has stood since July 29: do not swim, and clean any fish you keep.
For a day trip from Duck Creek Village, plan on a lower lake than you may remember, the same Blue Ribbon trout rules, and a winter in which the ice sets the schedule. Our Panguitch Lake guide covers the campgrounds, ramps and summer fishing. The sections below cover what changed in the last two years.
| Panguitch Lake, late October 2026 | |
|---|---|
| Fishing | Open under 2026 Utah rules |
| Dam | New 24 ft concrete dam in place |
| Storage, September reading | 1,500 of 22,300 acre-feet |
| Algae advisory | Warning, updated October 20 |
| Lake elevation | 8,212 feet |
| From the inn | 23 road miles |
The Panguitch Lake dam, from the 2024 crack to the new wall
In April 2024, inspectors found cracks near the top of the old dam. Engineers and inspectors believed high water and ice pressure made the upper section crack and tilt, KSL reported. Officials closed State Route 143, Panguitch residents got warnings to prepare for a possible evacuation, and crews cut trenches through the ice, lowered the reservoir and cut a temporary spillway into the dam. Fishing reopened April 22, 2024.
The State Engineer approved a replacement on June 19, 2025, and work started that fall. The new concrete dam stands 24 feet tall in a narrow natural canyon just north of the old one. KSL reported it in place on October 7, two days before a planned ribbon cutting. The West Panguitch Irrigation and Reservoir Company owns the dam and supplies more than 500 shareholders around Panguitch. Garfield County ran the project, and the Utah Legislature paid for it.
Panguitch Lake water levels in 2026, by the numbers
The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service tracks storage at Panguitch Lake as station 10UTPANG, with a usable capacity of 22,300 acre-feet. The 2026 readings ran 4,800 in January and 6,000 in May, then dropped to 1,000 in June and 750 in July and August. That July and August figure is the lowest in an NRCS record that starts in 1981, though the early years skip some months. September came back to 1,500.
A low storage number does not mean an empty basin. Panguitch Lake began as a natural 777-acre lake before a dam raised it to 1,248 acres, according to USGS place-name records. In March, the Division of Wildlife Resources said the lake would stay above its natural level during the dam work, though lower than in recent years.
The readings do not record why the lake fell this far. The Panguitch Lake snow gauge, at 8,300 feet, peaked at 2.8 inches of snow water on February 20, after topping out at 2.0 inches in 2025. In 2023 it reached 14.7 inches, and the lake filled to 24,000 acre-feet that May and June. Two thin winters and a dam project ran at the same time. In August the Forest Service also approved a siphon around the dam, a Division of Wildlife Resources project to improve water quality.
Ice fishing at Panguitch Lake this winter
| Panguitch Lake ice fishing rules | |
|---|---|
| Trout limit | 4 per day, combined |
| Cutthroat and tiger, 15 to 22 in | Release at once |
| Ice hole width | 12 inches maximum |
| Minimum ice to walk on | 4 inches, per DWR |
| Fishing license | Required from age 12 |
| Filleting at the lake | Not allowed |
The 2026 Utah Fishing Guidebook keeps Panguitch Lake on its Blue Ribbon list. You may keep four trout, with no more than two cutthroat or tiger trout under 15 inches and one over 22. Every cutthroat or tiger between 15 and 22 inches goes back right away, and you cannot fillet trout or cut off heads or tails at the lake or on the drive home.
We found no published freeze-up date for the lake. The ice went out in late February 2026, DWR reported, and Panguitch City’s Big Fish Ice Fishing Derby, which the city may cancel for unsafe ice, fell on February 1 in 2025 and February 7 in 2026. The 2026 derby counted rainbow trout alone and paid $500 each for the heaviest and the longest adult fish. On October 29 the city’s derby page still showed no 2027 date. Our December weather post has the night lows near village height.
DWR’s rule of thumb is to stay off any ice under 4 inches thick, and thickness changes across a lake, near inflows above all. Panguitch Lake has three inlets: Blue Springs Creek, Clear Creek and Ipson Creek. Bring ice picks, a throw rope, and a spud bar or drill to test the ice as you walk out.
The winter drive from Duck Creek Village to Panguitch Lake
| From the inn to the lake | |
|---|---|
| Summer, Mammoth Creek Road | 23 miles, about 35 minutes |
| Winter, same road | Plowed, not guaranteed |
| Winter, state highways | 55 miles, about 1 hr 15 |
| Highway 143 past the lake | Plowed in winter |
In summer the short way runs north from the village on Mammoth Creek Road and East Mammoth Creek Road to Highway 143 at the lake, 23 road miles by OSRM routing. We drive that road in winter too, but the county plows it without a guarantee and it drifts shut after storms. After a storm, take the state highways: east on Highway 14 to Long Valley Junction, north on US-89 to Panguitch, then west on Highway 143 to the lake, 55 miles and about an hour and a quarter.
Our winter guide covers snowmobiling and Nordic skiing for the days before the ice firms up. For a weekend on the ice, our cabins in Duck Creek Village put you 23 road miles from the lake.
Quick answers about Panguitch Lake this winter
- Is Panguitch Lake man-made?
Both. It began as a natural lake of 777 acres, and a dam later raised it to 1,248 acres, according to USGS records.
- Can you swim in Panguitch Lake right now?
No. The Utah DEQ Warning, updated October 20, says do not swim, keep animals away from the water and take care eating fish.
- Did the Panguitch Lake dam break?
No. Cracks appeared in April 2024, and crews lowered the reservoir and reinforced the dam to prevent a breach. A new concrete dam, just downstream of the old one, was in place by October 2026.
- Is there an ice fishing derby at Panguitch Lake?
Yes. Panguitch City runs the Big Fish Ice Fishing Derby, held February 1 in 2025 and February 7 in 2026, with no 2027 date posted as of October 29.
- Do you need a fishing license for Panguitch Lake?
Yes, from age 12. The four-trout limit and the 15 to 22 inch release rule for cutthroat and tiger trout apply all year.
Trip Planning What Is the Weather Like in Duck Creek Village in December?
December in Duck Creek Village runs 39 to 41F by day and about 18F at night, with a freeze on 30 or 31 nights of the month. Snow covered the ground on Christmas Day in 12 of the last 13 years at 7,800 feet, with a median depth of 9 inches. The valley towns below get just as cold after dark.
Trip Planning What Is the Weather Like in Duck Creek Village in January?
January in Duck Creek Village averages 40F afternoons and 9 to 17F nights, the coldest month of the year at every station near the village. Station data on snow depth, the dry years and the storm years, Martin Luther King Jr. Day snow, Cedar Breaks and the valley towns below.
Things to Do Where Does Duck Creek Start and End? The Spring, the Sinks and the Sevier
Duck Creek starts at Duck Creek Spring, a rise pool inside Duck Creek Pond at 8,550 feet, and runs about 3 miles east before the whole stream drops into the Duck Creek Sinks at the edge of the village. The water comes back up at Lower Asay Spring, joins the Sevier River and never reaches the sea.
Book the basecamp
When the trip idea is taking shape, Duck Creek Village Inn makes an easy base between slower mountain time and bigger Southern Utah days.