**I was planning a trip to Bear Lake, for some whitefish…but TubeBabe left town and my only potential ride share fell through. Also, the forecast for extreme chill and breezes cinched the deal. I headed to Willard all by my lonesome. **
Didn’t figure I would do much, but wanted to put it to bed for the year…tubingwise. 25 degree air temp at 8 AM. Water temp at launch was 37 inside the marina and 39 outside. There was skim ice on the south side of the north marina…some up to 1/2 inch thick. I actually had to break out though some thin stuff leaving the channel.
Water was like glass. Not a ripple until the first boat came out. He looked colder than me. Just before the sun came over the mountain it created a “cloudbow”…a rainbow in the ice crystals of the high clouds. Cool. The attached pic does not really capture the beauty.
Saw nothing much on sonar until I passed 11 feet of depth. Then, not much. No serious schools or even anything more than a few singles and doubles. Probably mostly carpkind.
Played the usual game. Dragged minnows on one rod while throwing every size, shape and color of plastic jig knowed to fisherfolk. Had one whack on a small white plastic and almost got about a 20 inch walleye to the net. Almost. That was the last bite on plastic all day.
**Once the sun hit the water the cool cats came out to play. Starting about 9:15 I began getting “pop and drops”. That progressed to bait stealing short runs. Once I figured out how to hook the minnows and when to go for the hookset, I started whacking the kitties. Got lots of bites but only brought about 10 to the tube. Kept 7…from 15 to 17 inches. **
**Just before 11, the cold westerly breezes started moving across the water. I had to put my gloves back on and blow on my fingertips once in a while. Didn’t have much else to do. Once that breeze came up, the fishies quit calling. Hit the ramp and made an early return home. **
Water temp was still just a notch over 40 when I beached my tube. A few cold nights without too much wind and at least the marina will ice over. Might be longer for any part of the lake.
Saw several boats head out to the north dike and the west side, but none of them came back in for me to check their results.
I spent the day drywallin a room in the basement. You definitely did better than I. The only plus is I also smoked an elk brisket and some trout - Them is tasty viddles.
Those are some nice lookin kitties, I bet they will find their way to your smokehouse. Sorry about the wally loss…
“Those are some nice lookin kitties, I bet they will find their way to your smokehouse.”
Nope. I only smoke the bigger kitties. Those “cookie cutters” from Willard are prime table fare. Part of them will be done “scampi style”…in garlic butter…over pasta. The others will be “Kitty Krispies” and will probably end up getting a bath of my new favorite wing sauce after being fried up nice and brown.
Me and Remo left at 2 pm without a bite. Well almost, we snagged 4 shad pulling rattle traps. You looked like you were in the “zone” when we talked to you. You were reeling in a cat when we pulled up. Marked many fish but no takers.[frown]
I hit willard earlier this year and the kitties seemed a bit firmer fleshed as compared to those in UL… was that my imagination or do you find them to be a bit higher quality?
How deep was your catfish? And by the way, when the water is that cold, won’t the cats take ice cream?
Ho ho ho![:p]
It was good to see you again Brody. Sorry you didn’t find any willing wipers. I told you they were probably huddled around a heater somewhere, with their coats and gloves on. Hard to get them to move when they are like that.
Interesting your use of the word “zone”. Winter fishing for cats is like that. I fished a long time before getting my first bite…and whenever I moved out of an area I triangulated with shoreline marks I went fishless. But, as long as I kept my baits in that one area I got bit.
I was thinking on the way home that I got 10 cats and had a lot of other hits within an hour and a half. Heck, that would be good fishing even in the summer.
I hit willard earlier this year and the kitties seemed a bit firmer fleshed as compared to those in UL… was that my imagination or do you find them to be a bit higher quality?
**Most “cataholics”…who have had the opportunity to catch both and make a comparison…will agree with your assessment. I have always preferred the cats from Willard for cookin’ and eatin’. But, the smaller fish from Utah Lake are plenty good too. **
**I go to Utah Lake when I wanna rassle with a biggun, but I only keep the larger cats (4# - 10#) if I need smokin’ material. I release most of the bigger fish…especially the large daddy cats. They are in the minority and they are generally not as good eating as the females. **
Those “cookie cutters” from Willard produce nice pan-sized fillets, and they are thin enough that they cook thoroughly without a lot of special handling. Catfish in general are firmer and oilier and take more cooking time than many other species.
How deep was your catfish? And by the way, when the water is that cold, won’t the cats take ice cream?
Ho ho ho![:p]
They MIGHT take ice cream, if you could keep it on the hook. I prefer FROZEN minnows.
Good question about the depth. Most days, when the water is a bit warmer, the fish might be scattered over a wider area and in various depths. During the coldest periods of the year, and under the ice, the cats seem to school up a bit more and will usually hang out in the deeper spots.
I fished from 8’ to as deep as 13’. The “zone” was an area that ranged between 12’ and 12.6’. And, I guesstimate that it was no bigger than about a 20 yard circle. Inside that circle I got constant action. Outside the circle my baits went unmolested.
**That has always been one of the things about my style of fishing from a float tube that has contributed to kitty catchin’ success. By watching my sonar and paying attention to the info I pick up from casting jigs and dragging baits I can often find fish when others might fish all day in fishless water. In many cases I will toss over a marker buoy to help provide a closer visual reference. But, when I can use shoreline structures to triangulate the spot well enough I stick with that. **
GPS? Aren’t those the yellow marks in the snow that guys use to mark their hot holes when ice fishing?