Went over to the gorge on Sat & Sun, Fishin was good. Caught a lot of small lakers, My dad hooked into a good one on saturday. He fought him for about 15 min and lost him. (we never got a look at him ) 
Bummer! We headed in closer to shore on Saturday night to fish for some bubot, and the catchin was fast we landed 12 in about 1Hr. Sunday we headed back to the same spot. About 9:00 my dad started yelling to come and help, he had another big boy on. He fought him for about 15-20 min and landed him. Just shy of 20 lbs. 2 big fish in the same hole on 2 different days.( WOW! ) Most of the other lakers we caught were between 2-6 lbs. Weather was nice on saturday and cold on sunday. Pics 1- Dads 20 lber. 2- Me letting him go free. 3- Sunrise on the way out to the lake.
Now this is JUST A QUESTION, I am by no means a fish cop, but isnt there a limit to the size of hole you can have while ice fishing? Again, just a question. I dont ice fish myself, but have heard in previous posts’ of the size of hole you can have, so that is the reason for the question.
TS
TS, On certain Utah waters the hole can be 18 inches a round. On the Wyoming side they recommend a hole 8 inches but there is no law on hole size. I actually talked to the Wyoming game officer on Sunday.
2008 Utah Fishing Proclamation:
“Flaming Gorge-
—When ice fishing, the hole size may not exceed 18 inches.”
Nice mac your dad caught, great pics. Glad to see ya let the laker go.
That’s a great fish. Sure is nice to be able to get something like that up through the ice. Would have been nice to get a look at the one that got away!
Can I ask a location? Were you near Lost Dog? Any information would help.
What is the Ice thickness up there now?
AFDan52
Thanks for the info. Just curious you know? Didnt want to stir a pot!!!
TS
AFD, the ice is 12+ up at buckboard to 4 inches at the state line
Hey, nice mac! Nothin’ better than experiencing a moment like that w/ dad. Memories that you can hold to forever.
I admire the catch and release ethics, one question, what was all the blood from and why ya’ll holdin’ em by the gill plate if ya was gonna put him back? Sometimes if they get hammered after being landed by whatever the circumstance, it often will result in a dead fish many hours later, even if it seems he was revived and swam off just fine. Please, please, don’t take offense, I am totally happy for you and the experience you were able to share w/ your dad. An experience that I feel is priceless, and worth all the gas and effort that it takes to make something like that happen. I was just wondering what you or anyone else thought, with hopes of becoming more educated as we share our thoughts and experiences. All in all, glad to see you have such a great trip w/ your paps, as that is what it’s all about.
Afish, that blood on the ice is from some of the other smaller lakers we caught and kept, as for the the holding. he was holding him right at the bottom of the gill plate, not in the gills. And I would rather do that then let him slip out of your hands and hit the ice. and we landed him and he was back in the water within 1min. I had the camera ready to go.
They put the fish back hoping it would survive the short time above the deck. No need for holier-than-thou comments. Some of us don’t keep all the big fish we catch.
Nice Nice Fish!
Mabey he’d have a better chance of survival in the frezzer, or hanging on the wall.
Go ahead and tell us YOU have never put a fish back that had a little blood on the gills.
was that fish blind in that right eye or did it freeze while lyeing on the ice its tail looks a little frozze to he looks dead to me but what do i know aint never caught one ice fishin[;)]
hmmm…looks kind of funky now that I looked closer…but I’m going to be (what’s the word I’m looking for?) and think that nobody would go through that much trouble to act like they released a dead fish to…save face??? LMAO!!! Maybe it is a floater!
You guy,s can think what ya want the fish was laying on that side before my dad pick it up. I tried to rub some snow off of him before I took the pick, but I guess I should have dipped him back in the water and made him look all pretty for ya. sorry I tried to get him back ASAP. By the way Hookjaw did you release that cuthroat??
I think HJB released his fish into a pan of boiling oil!
Nope, I kept him and ate him. I would have kept that laker too. I’m not in the habit of releasing fish that are bleeding to death.
I don’t think my previous post should have been deleted. I said the same thing that has been said about three times already.
LakeDrifter,
I have no disrespect for what you did, I just think that if a fish is bleeding that bad and you have the option to keep it, you should keep it. It would make a nice mount or at least some good dinner fixins. No hard feelings.