I think I get it. When can I try to catch them? Do you think they will be active in the river already? I’m dying to try it. Does anyone else fish the Bear River? Is it comparable to the Jordan? If it’s kind of the same style, then could someone give me tips on where to find em? I think I’ve been fishing for them wrong, but I’m not sure.
Thanks fellas!
Hey FFM, I don’t know. It depends on how fast the current is, how far you want to cast, etc. etc.
I would start as small as possible, then if it’s not enough go heavier. You can always hook a 1 ounce blob on there and anchor it to the bottom, but you’ll probably hook less fish since they’ll feel it’s weight and let go.
Maybe start with 1/8 or 1/4 oz?
I fish the bear three or 4 times a month
joe
Ryan, I think it is a bit early for the big cats but not much. I remember my dad telling me about fishing for them in like the second week of April and fishing for them during the day. He was fishing for then in one of the channels off of the main river into one of the sloughs. He may have been using chicken liver or maybe just a worm. He was in his boat and anchored just outside of the channel in shallow water and then throwing into the deeper water of the channel.
He caught several nice cats and had several others on that broke off.
what? too early? no way.. that cats are awake! on tuesday i caught 4 channels all over 12 inches one that went close to 3lbs.. not to mention the numereous bites i missed.. its on buddy. but i think that the cold front we are having will put them off again for a while. if it is clear all week, the cats will be eatin by the weekend.( weather permitting.)
JOe
Willard! Willard! Willard! I guarantee that the new state record catfish is in Willard Bay. I know this because I had him along side my boat four times and several minutes total. His head was a larger diameter than the entrance to my standard sized trout net. My wife and I tried several times to ‘tail and gill’ him into the boat, but each time he flopped and dove to the bottom where he layed until he was wrestled up to the surface with 30 lb Power Pro line. On the initial hook up he spooled the reel several times and would probably have been lost if he was not chased by the boat. Based on where his tail and head were located while he was along side the boat he was 44 to 48 inches long. He finally straightened the hooks and got away. This one was an incidental catch while trolling a Rapala Shad Rap at 5 mph in the middle of the day. I have spent numerous nights fishing the south west dike of Willard with chicken strips, chicken livers, worms, and shrimp. Beware though, the skunks really like the chicken livers and will jump right up on your lap to have their way with the bucket of chicken livers…Yes that did really happen… While night fishing for cats I have had more fish than I can count break twenty pound line and have been spooled of hundreds of yards of line without a single turn. There are also lots of smaller channel cats that make good tablefare and entertainment. I have only caught one bull head cat there. The biggest cat I landed there was 30" and around 15 lbs. I now carry a ridiculously large net that takes up alot of room in my boat, but I will not lose another trophy fish for lack of a large enough net. Also while fishing the dikes at Willard it is a good idea not to use monofilament line since the large cats are very good at running your line through the rocks and breaking it.
That was an awesome report! Sorry you were unable to boat it. I makes you sick when you straighten a hook on a fish like that. Hope the bigger net does the trick next time. Thanks for sharing the story and the info.
Hey Fishry,
Is there a road to the So. West dike? I always end up at the South marina. That is when the gate is open. When you fish on the dike what time is it at its best?
Thanks
INSANE4THEGAME
That was one interesting post. What time of year have you had your most success with the cats at Willard? I also own one of those nets, that if you get bored fishing you can extend it out and net a few water skiers and jet skiers while you are fishing!
Yes there is a road. Take the road that turns off from Smith and Edwards towards Willard Bay. Instead of turning right towards the south marina, go straight. The road will curve to the right and turn to dirt. I usually fished from sunset to about 1 or 2 am.
Watch out for the mosquitos there, they are thick. One night I noticed that the mosquitos weren’t buzzing in my face and bugging me as much as usual. Later, on the way home my back end started to itch horribly. It turned out that I had a small hole in my jeans at the corner of the back pocket. By the next day I had a mosquito bite there the size of a golf ball.
Thanks Fishry, I’ll have to give it a try. I may go out this week. I’ll let you know how it goes.
INSANE4THEGAME