Fishing forecast (December through February): Jordanelle Reservoir typically has open water through December and January. The Hailstone boat ramp and PWC ramp are typically open for anglers, and a wedge ramp is left in place at the PWC ramp. Boat, float tube and kayak anglers typically see fair trout catch rates (rainbow trout, brown trout, splake and the occasional cutthroat trout) drift trolling panfish/crappie jigs, white or chartreuse tube jigs, marabou jigs, or streamers and using patterns such as a balanced leech, woolly bugger, Mickey Finn or Sparkle Minnow. We recommend anglers trolling for trout target the 15-25 feet water column. Shore anglers tend to see fair to good rainbow trout catch rates in December, and slow to fair catch rates in January. We recommend using garlic- or corn-scented trout dough bait fished 3 feet behind a with a casting bubble. DWR's fall stocking efforts of catchable-sized rainbow trout in October and November should provide anglers fair to good trout fishing this winter. Ice starts to develop during the first half of January near the Rock Cliff arm, and is typically thick enough during the later half of January to fish from (the ice is typically 6-8 inches thick). Hailstone Bay and Ross Creek can freeze/cap completely during the later part of January. However, the PWC and dam portion of the reservoir doesn't typically freeze, or freeze completely. By early February, it's fairly common to have a mixture of ice and open water near the dam, with fishable ice (ice that is at least 4 inches thick) north of Hailstone, and in the Rock Cliff arm. Ice conditions deteriorate quickly in late February. An ice safety guide is available here. Smallmouth bass, wiper and tiger muskie are challenging to catch in winter. Trout, splake and yellow perch can be caught through the ice using ice jigs tipped with nightcrawler, mealworm or waxworm jigged a foot off the bottom