Lincoln Beach Bendorama 9-30-16

Utah Fishing Reports & Discussion Utah Fishing General
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**Met up with BLK at Lincoln Beach this morning. Unlike better days of old, he was launching his tin tub instead of the Kitty Maru. I launched my tube from the (over)exposed rocks between first and second spring.

Air temp 50 at 7 am. Light breezes from the SE. Water a nice “walleye green”…not algae green and not muddy murky. Water temp 63 at launch, warming to 65 when we left about noon.

Lynn launched first and drew first slime (blood). Had a cat in the boat before I got started. I start slow sometimes but I finish with a flourish. Lynn moved off toward Benjamin Slough while I kicked out to my fave area more to the west.

After a couple of “pop and drops”…suspected bullheads…I went bendo on the first of over two dozen hefty kitties for the day. After that it was fast and furious all morning. Probably my best day in a long time for both numbers and size. I had not hit Utah Lake since early June…with the low water and the algae thing. But the cats provided a nice welcome for my return.

I thought I had probably brought too much bait. I had 10-12 baby white bass left over from last year. And I had over a dozen large chub minnows. I fished the baby white bass whole and the big chubs I cut it half. The cats weren’t particulish. They ate it all. I had one chub left when the building breezes chased us both off the lake.

It was almost flat calm a big part of the time, even though we could see rain falling from the clouds to the west. And there was a micro megastorm parked over Timpanogos for a while that looked semi serious. But we fished on.

My main goal today, besides a good time with BLK, was to add one or two decent cats to my contest score. I set my lower limit at 27 inches. I got one right on the button. Nothing bigger. But I got a grundle of 24, 25 and even 26 inchers. Much fun and good hard tugs in the still warm water. Just as BLK was showing up…after messing around in less productive areas…I brought in a double right in front of him…a 25" and a 26". I always have liked to show off a bit.

Only got a handful of cats under the 2 foot mark. A couple were spotted junior fish. Hope they grow up to be monsters and come back to see me for a future contest.

When I got back to my vehicle I found that another hardy soul (with high clearance and 4X4) had joined me out on the rock ledges. He was bank tangling and caught a couple of decent kitties while I was loading up. Said he had been doing very well until the storm came in last week.

Hey Lynn, good to see ya again and to share some water…and catfish. We gotta do it again before the contest is over. I still need MY 36 incher too.
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Great Report as always. Sounds like the early fall low water treated you well. I sure as heck hope they let a little water in the big pond this next year.

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**Here’s hoping they close the gates and that we get lots of rain and snow.

Yep. Had lots of fun today. Been telling folks for years that my best catting starts when it cools off. But for some reason (disbelief) they ended the cat contest the middle of October. I have pictures of 30 plus inch cats I have caught into November.
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Yep, that was a good day and a purty day. Fun to watch all those big rains all around us while we were basking in calm seas and sunshine. I really picked a nice day for us.

Pisco showed up and was hauling cats in every time I looked his way. Hope he jumps in with an up date.

I expected to be embarrassed again and sure nuf I was… but I sure enjoyed it. I ended up with 7 or 8 cats with a couple in the 26-ish range. Best part of the day was watching you wrestle with two good cats at the same time. Looked like you were trying to figure out which one was the biggest as you jumped from one pole to the other. Entertaining.

As always, I enjoyed sharing the water with you even if you are somewhat of a fish-hog… looks like you beat me by better that 3 to 1… as expected. At least I can claim the first fish… some consolation. There is a monster in there somewhere and we need keep tryin’ until we connect.

I’ll keep the water warm for you until you can get back down this way. Thanks for “the stuff” and a great time.

BLK

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Great report Pat, glad you had an excellent day out. That will help your score grow. One more will put you top ten for sure. In fact I think your 26"er would as well. I hit Hyrum instead of chasing cats, sounds like I might have picked wrong. Thanks for a great post. Later J

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Congrats on missing the weather we had out west of you. Rained off and on most of the day. I may have to head over for one last trip and try my luck on cats. I like your new aluminum ride BLK.

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"Looked like you were trying to figure out which one was the biggest as you jumped from one pole to the other. Entertaining.

As always, I enjoyed sharing the water with you even if you are somewhat of a fish-hog… looks like you beat me by better that 3 to 1… as expected. At least I can claim the first fish… some consolation."

**I am always glad to provide the entertainment. There was a trip a few years ago when I battled in two cats at the same time…both over 30 inches and ten pounds. Now that was entertaining.

Don’t you know about the “first fish jinx”? I usually let TubeBabe launch first so she can catch the first one and get that out of the way. But, come to think of it, I caught the first one on the day we fished from your boat. Didn’t seem to hurt me none. But I mighta caught one bigger than that 29.5 incher if I hadn’t been jinxed.

Always good to fish with you Lynn. I’ll bring you more “stuff” next trip. In the meantime I hope your current supply brings you the biggun you want.
**

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**I posted today’s best fish on the contest board. But I plan to go back for the yard-long kitty that is still waiting for me…if BLK doesn’t find out where I have it tied up.

Glad you liked the report. Too bad your home water doesn’t kick out more of the two footers and bigger. I can assure you that they pull hard.
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Hey TD,

I was out there yesterday morning at the same time you were and I got to say hi to two of your friends, BLK and Minkie!

BLK had already launched when I got there, but the mink came by while I was prepping my antique doughnut. It was good to finally meet him.

I did get to chat with BLK as he headed off to the slough and it was good to visit with him again. Sorry my legs weren’t “conditioned” enough to motor down and say hi to you. I should have known you were into good numbers of fish, since you stayed down there all morning. I’m glad you had lots of good tugs and just enough bait.

Since I haven’t been in a tube for at least a year I stayed right out in front of where BLK and I launched. I had a decent day for numbers and it was more fun than killing myself in the mountains counting does and fawns like I had been doing for the last couple days. Fifty some deer and no bucks, so at the last minute I decided to hit the beach on my last day off.

I ended up intentionally releasing 8 channels from 22 to 28 inches and one mud cat. I unintentionally released about the same number including a freight train that I had on for a couple minutes. It made a couple of long runs then came by the tube to check me out. It spun me around in 2 quick circles and then just let go of the bait. You would think a fish that old would have learned to hang on better!

Maybe old cats are like old cat fisherman and they forget how to do things or maybe when it came by the tube it realized that I wasn’t one of the better looking fishermen out there that day and just left!

I was surprised by how lively the fish were. It seems they are more sluggish in the spring when the water warms to the mid 60’s. I guess it takes them a while to slow down as the water cools to the same temps?

Good day on the water, but now I have sore hiking muscles and sore tubing muscles.

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**Glad you had a good day too. Those kitties seem to be getting serious about putting on some winter weight while it is still warm enough. The 28 incher was a nice touch. Should be some bigger ones before the contest closes.

Did you mention me to my little black friend? I suspect he does well in those rocks around Lincoln Beach. What doesn’t wash in on the waves is left by trashy anglers. A varied diet for the furry ones. Just be glad it was all black and didn’t have a white stripe down its back. I’ve encountered a few of those over the years too. Not nearly as friendly and they don’t use deodorant.

I sympathize with the tubers’ leg syndrome. Paid that price myself a few times…after a long layoff and overdoing it on my next trip out.

About those big fish arranging their own early releases. How do you think they get big? Not by being dumb…or forgetful. I rather think they enjoy getting us all excited and then turning loose of the hook they have been holding with a pair of rusty pliers they found laying on the bottom of the lake.

I also lost one big fish that gave me a couple of spins each direction before “letting me go”. And you are right. The cats are still full of energy and fight hard in the cooling (but still warm) water. However, once the maximum daytime temps drop below about 60…towards 55…there will be a lot less zing on the string. The good news is that is also when the biggest cats often become more desperate for dinner and will accept the silly stuff anglers offer them.
**
Probably won’t get back down next week but definitely the second week of October. Keep in touch and maybe we can get a “gorilla floatilla” going with us die-hard cataholics.

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**

About those big fish arranging their own early releases. How do you think they get big? Not by being dumb…or forgetful. I rather think they enjoy getting us all excited and then turning loose of the hook they have been holding with a pair of rusty pliers they found laying on the bottom of the lake.

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Thanks for the insight. I always wondered what happened to all those pliers I’ve lost overboard!

After learning that they can use tools we drop overboard, I’m not sure I want to go tubing out there again…This trip I lost a brand new fillet knife. Hopefully they won’t be able to get the plastic sheath off. Could be hard on a tube if they do.

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TD-- I went back out there this a.m. and had good fishin’ but nothin’ over 26 inches so that big one you have staked out is still safe. I found a few big chubs that I cut in half or some into thirds for bait… cats loved 'em. Icesled was out there too but I did not get a chance to talk to him. Thought I was in a war zone with the opening of the duck hunt – I stayed out away from the shore and the flying lead (steel).

Several bank tanglers and a few yakers. Calm seas again another nice day… probably the last for few days. I’ll expect an invitation to the flotilla when you get a date for it.

Good time of the year. The big ones are coming.

BLK

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**Fish travel in “schools” so it is likely they have courses on how to harass those who harass them…us anglers. I have had fish do some wild and crazy things to get away and leave me feeling foolish and frustrated. Hard to believe it was strictly by chance and not a learned response picked up in some advanced underwater classroom.

As far as them being able to use the various tools, knives and other items they find “discarded” by humans…well, it might explain some of the “war wounds” found on those big cats at spawning time. It gets brutal down there and if some of those fish are “packing” it is even worse.

If they can figure out how to hold and cut with a knife they can surely get the sheaths off. Almost makes me leery of going afloat in an inflatable any more. Maybe I can upgrade to a steel or concrete covered tube.
**

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**Glad you were able to get in another trip before the approaching storm. Also glad you didn’t gain any weight from errant shot shells. It can get crazy down there.

About 4 or 5 years ago I was down there with a fellow floatin’ fisherman…HighNDry. I was in my tube and he had his motorized 'toon. As a solitary snow goose flew closely by some doofus on shore stood up and started blasting. Fortunately he did not hit us. Unfortunately he did hit the goose…but only well enough to drop it in the water. It was still very much alive and flopping around with a broken wing. The guy on shore started screaming at us to go get the goose before it got away…as if we were his private bird retrieval system.

Fishing was a bit slow and we wanted to shut the guy up so Glenn motored after the floundering fowl. He caught it by the neck and took it into the wacko shooter. Turns out the guy had been hunting for quite a few years and that was his first snow goose…and he really wanted a mount. He was crying he was so happy, and he immediately took his goose and left. Good riddance.

Of course you will be a part of any silly floatilla. We couldn’t have one without ya. But we may put you in charge of refreshments and entertainment. And no, KoolAid and karaoke won’t cut it.
**

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If it is the right day I would like to take the banana boat down for a few lessons.

Keep me in mind.

Thanks,
Richard J

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**Of course you would be welcome Richard. Shoot me a PM next weekend and I should know more about what our plans are. I can supply some big fish bait too.
**

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I look forward to the updates tomorrow. Lots of nice fish this weekend. Just me that can’t find good ones. Need to fish other spots I guess. Later J

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Hey Pat,
I know you don’t like contests and all, but why don’t you update that 27"er on your contest score by entering it… If you do and catch one more you could be in the top three… Thanks J

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**I thought I had done so already. But…apparently not. Another senior moment.

Done and done.
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Got it updated already, nice to catch me when I’m in making changes… I think your fish was the best looking one that has been caught lately, even if some where bigger fish… Wild weekend of changes… hope the weather doesn’t slow things down too much… Later J