Utah Lake from boat

[hookin-em]

So I recently moved down from the Ogden area to Springville and me and the wife want to hit Utah Lake more often but from our boat. Any advice on general areas that are good to try for white bass from a boat? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[MrShane]

So I recently moved down from the Ogden area to Springville and me and the wife want to hit Utah Lake more often but from our boat. Any advice on general areas that are good to try for white bass from a boat? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

If someone says “Go to Bird Island” because the fishing is great (which in fact it is), make sure you get a good lesson from someone on here on how to approach the island.
Your wallet will thank me later!

[MSM1970]

So I recently moved down from the Ogden area to Springville and me and the wife want to hit Utah Lake more often but from our boat. Any advice on general areas that are good to try for white bass from a boat? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

If someone says “Go to Bird Island” because the fishing is great (which in fact it is), make sure you get a good lesson from someone on here on how to approach the island.
Your wallet will thank me later!

SLOW is the  best!!   I

Im sure Pat will see this and send some maps and info, the island can be good for sure after you learn it, at UL,** ALWAYS**give the shore line a wide birth, at least 100 yds, head strait out of the harbors at least that far especially on low water years,  from the island S E towards Spanish for canyon there is a reef that run about 3 to 4 hundred yards, seen as many a 4 boats hit it in a day, stat park boat stuck on it, If you have side imaging I advise to go around it and mark where the bottom comes up,  I have hundreds of marks on UL, the same goes for around Lincoln beach area, clear around down to mulberry,  

Most of the structure on UL is the Island and LIncoln beach, Lincoln beach harbor is free to launch, small camp ground, can be busy in the summer, 

Ono note, **ALWAYS** check the W&$# weather,  pay attention when you are out there, UL makes its own wind, IF you hear what sounds like a jet coming across the lake, You will see it coming, ITS time to leave, I dont mean put stuff away and head back, real em in and get to the harbor, reassess from  there.  to may times flat calm hear a jet see it coming, 2 ft waves with in minutes.  

There is good fishing at UL and it can be tough depending on what your after,

hope this helps a bit,  TD is the expert, Im sure he will give you some info.

[TubeDude]

So I recently moved down from the Ogden area to Springville and me and the wife want to hit Utah Lake more often but from our boat. Any advice on general areas that are good to try for white bass from a boat? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Here are some things I have put together on Utah Lake locations and white bass fishing...plus an aerial shot of Bird Island at low water.  This stuff was last updated in 2017 and there have been some notable changes in access and conditions...as well as changing white bass populations and size ranges.  Hope this helps to get you started.

  UTAH LAKE MAP PACK 2017.pdf (Size: 6.49 MB / Downloads: 30)
  WHITE BASS 2017.pdf (Size: 2.76 MB / Downloads: 21)

[Boatloadakids]

Agree with all who have posted. The white bass orgy is on full blast. I caught 50+ the other day from shore, all small but fun to catch. They will bite bare hooks, small piece of worm, curly tail, or small spinner. Stay away from small spinners or spend all your time unhooking treble hooks. Rocky areas near shore or the mouth of any inlet.

The info Pat offers pretty well covers everything. As Mike and Shane mentioned, rocks can be hard on props. The hummingbirds beaK in Pat's photo is the deadliest, have wrinkled my prop there a couple of times. I was at the island probably the same day Mike watched the harbor boat hung up on the rocks-- painful to watch but entertaining. I think those rocks have been worn down over the years by unsuspecting boaters. 

Anyhow, good luck and have fun at UL.

[Therapist]

Pat's photo shows the main spit that runs to the south east, HOWEVER, there are smaller spits that run to the Northeast, Northwest,& Southwest. You have to be careful when approaching the island from any direction. Also, be careful when crossing the mouth of the Spanish Fork River ( to the Southeast of Bird Island). Lots of chunk rock and shallow shoals out front for quite a ways. Have fun !!

[hookin-em]

Thank you all for the great info! And a big thank you to Pat! I can only imagine the time it took to put all that knowledge, experience, and information together. Definitely looking forward to getting out and making a report back.

I won’t be going too far from a marina as my boat isn’t very big, and I’m not the risk taker for a fish. I know how those even slight winds can be deadly out there. Luckily all the intense experiences on big blue have taught me a thing or two about watching the weather and navigating a storm!

[TubeDude]

Thank you all for the great info! And a big thank you to Pat! I can only imagine the time it took to put all that knowledge, experience, and information together. Definitely looking forward to getting out and making a report back.

I won’t be going too far from a marina as my boat isn’t very big, and I’m not the risk taker for a fish. I know how those even slight winds can be deadly out there. Luckily all the intense experiences on big blue have taught me a thing or two about watching the weather and navigating a storm!

Happy to help when I can.  Hope it helps shorten your learning curve on your new water.  

Time?  I've been fishing Utah Lake since the early 1960s.  But the enjoys far outweighed the "classroom" part.  And the photos, maps, editing and writing?  Also something I enjoy...especially if it helps others.  An occasional acknowledgement or thank you keeps me going.  

Reminds me of a fave joke.  An old farmer was famous for always winning the top prize for pigs at the state fair.  A newly appointed farm advisor in the area visited the farmer to try to get some "inside info" on his secrets.  When asked about his system the old farmer replied that it was all in the feeding...that he had a lot of apple trees and fed his pigs lots of apples.  The farmer even invited the new advisor to observe the feeding process.  When they went outside, the advisor noticed a heavily laden apple tree...with two ladders propped up against it.  And then two big strapping farm boys came out of the barn carrying a big pig...which they laboriously hoisted up on the ladder.  As the pig enthusiastically chowed down on the apples, the advisor was dumbstruck.  What could he say that would not offend the old farmer.  He settled for "But isn't that kind of time-consuming?"  

To which the farmer laughed and replied "What's time to a pig?'

[Mooseman75]

Thank you all for the great info! And a big thank you to Pat! I can only imagine the time it took to put all that knowledge, experience, and information together. Definitely looking forward to getting out and making a report back.

I won’t be going too far from a marina as my boat isn’t very big, and I’m not the risk taker for a fish. I know how those even slight winds can be deadly out there. Luckily all the intense experiences on big blue have taught me a thing or two about watching the weather and navigating a storm!

I don’t know how often you go out. I have a fairly large boat I have yet to put out this year and have fished many times out of Lincoln Beach as I live in Santaquin. Im always welcoming to those that would like to go out during the week about 6am-10 of 11am.  Because of health I can’t go out for to many hours but that 3-4 hours is what I like to do depending on how the fishing is going. But If you would like to go out on my boat, oh I may have 1-2 teenagers with me but we’ll fit lol. PM me and I will send you my number and we can try Lincoln Beach one day.

[a_bow_nut]

It might be worth checking out the Mill Race canals off of the Springville exit by the flying J. There you are protected from the wind a lot better then out on the main part of the lake.