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Red Fleet Reservoir

Topside view of Red Fleet near state park

Red Fleet Reservoir is about 10 of miles north of Vernal. Click here for map. The lake has beautiful Navajo sandstone cliffs among pinion and juniper. This lake is a favorite among locals for its warm water, pretty setting, and secluded coves.

Picture: Bruce Argyle, Aug 29, 1998.
The state park at Red Fleet offers boat launching and picnic areas. This is the most practical way to reach the reservoir.

Pictures and trail information!
Gary swimming The Water: Surface temperature in mid-summer is 72 degrees. Thermocline is at 28 feet, where the temperature drops to 60. Algae gives the water a slight green tint.

Gary Argyle at Red Fleet.
Photo Bruce Argyle Nikonos 20 mm lens, 2 YS50 strobes
The visibility is best in the shallow areas, because colder nutrient-laden water entering the reservoir promotes algae growth in the deeper waters. At our visit, visibility was 18 feet (surface reading) near the rocky cliffs, and and 12 feet down lower.

Photo: A school of smallmouth bass cruise past the cliff.
Bruce Argyle, Nikonos V 20 mm, single YS50 strobe

School of bass near rocky cliffs
Angry crayfish What to see: There are crayfish everywhere. We saw one every few feet, right in the middle of the day. Many crawdads were very large and plump. Unfortunately, we had a date with some mountain bikes, so we couldn't cook up a pot of crawdad tails. (The Utah Kidney Bean Crayfish recipe is quick and delicious!)

Picture: An angry crawdad fends off the photographer
Bruce Argyle, Nikonos V, August 19, 1998
Smallmouth bass cruise the rocky areas. Move slowly to avoid spooking the fish. We also saw a lot of tiny fish in schools.

Picture: Two smallmouth bass at Red Fleet
Bruce Argyle, Nikonos V 20 mm, YS50 strobes

Two bass cruise along the wall

Exposure: If you stay shallow, you'll be comfortable in farmer john only. If you're going deeper, you should add a jacket.

Fees: There's a $4 fee for the state park.
Trail 40 miles north of Red Fleet.

Regulations: Spearfishing is allowed in Red Fleet, starting with the 2001 season. Your target will be bass -- and there are plenty! See Regulations. You need a fishing license to catch the crawdads.

Air fills: Atlantis Divers is 10 miles away in Vernal.   435-789-3616

Sample dive #1: The Bay. After paying at the gate of the state park, drive straight down to the boat ramp. At the left side of the top of a ramp, there's an area that looks like a parking spot for about 3 cars (but it's not, so don't leave your car there). You'll see a trail going left at the edge of the guard rail. This trail goes about 50-60 feet to a small bay. Gear up at the flat area, then cruise around the bay. Crawdads are out in the open on the silty bottom, along with small minnows and smallmouth bass.

Sample dive #2: The Cavern. Description by Scott Gudmundsen of Vernal: Across from the boat ramp at the state park, you'll see an overhanging cavern. Many striped bass hang around in the shadows inside the cavern at around 15 feet. The cavern is very interesting, very large and can be disorienting if you get back into it. Don't dare go in without a continuous guide line to the surface! The ceiling has some small air pockets just large enough to bring your head out of the water. The cavern ceiling drops down very low in back for an extended period. You won't know which way is out without a line to the surface, so don't die in there! An E-ticket ride if you like that sort of thing. (Pitch black on the bottom.)

Sample dive #3: Cold Weather Dives. Description by Michael Weyland of Vernal: Don't give up diving just because it gets cold. In mid October, the water is cold,but that's the time the fish fry hatch. At night under a full moon the little beggers look like hundreds of thousands of stars glistening under water. At the same time you will probably see a few of their parents looking as though they are getting a much needed rest. After the lake freezes, cut a reasonable hole in the ice and Voila, great diving. Generally 40 feet plus vis, generally no underwater light is needed unless there is a major snow pack resting on the ice. Usually a 10 inch ice cap gives ample security. Typically, you can expect to see a few cold blue crayfish, most often new plant growth (due to the suns rays penetrating the ice allowing photosynthesis). Over by the overhang that everybody jumps off of every summer you can expect to see piles of shoes (I therefore have named that location The Shoe Store) and every concievable thing people loose in water. Of course, training and special equipment are required for ice diving.

Mike Weyland (left) and Marcus Flansburg do a little tropical diving at Red Fleet, February 1999.

Real Men

Getting there: Click here for map. Take I-15 to the Orem 800 North exit. Go eastbound on US-189 up Provo Canyon to Heber, then right (south) on US-40. Turn right (eastbound) on I-80, In Vernal, leave US-40 for US-191 northbound (the turn is at "Vernal Avenue"). Drive about 10 miles, watching for the "Red Fleet" sign on your right. Turn right and drive about 2 miles to the reservoir.
Alternate: Get on I-80 as though you were going to Park City. From I-80 (Ogden divers on I-84 will need to come south about 20 miles on I-80), turn south on US-40/US-189. Drive straight through Heber, continuing east on US-40 when the routes separate. In Vernal, leave US-40 for US-191 northbound.