**Had a hankerin’ for some more smoked kitty fish. Needed a fishin’ fix too. Couldn’t decide whether to hit the Knolls or Lincoln Beach. Tossed a coin. Lost it under the couch. Went to Lindon. **
Launched at the Lindon Ramp about 6:30 AM. Calm, warm air temps and water temps 68. The day held promise…and it delivered.
Fished a couple of spots inside the harbor (with no hits) before motoring out into the open lake. Needed to decide north or south. No coin flips. Couldn’t afford to lose another coin to the water. Hadn’t hit the bubbleup in a LOOOOOONG time so I headed south…slowly.
**Once past the edge of the dikes (and bank tanglers) I rigged one rod with a minnow to drag and started flinging plastics on the other. Was reeling in the second cast on the plastics rod when the minnow rod bounced and started feeding line from the open bail. Set the hook into the first of MANY cookie cutter kitties. Kept the first one to ward off the first fish jinx. **
I kept trying to fish plastics but could not finish retrieving a cast without having to burn it in and take care of an “inquiry” on the bait rod. Started catching cats just after 7 AM and had caught over a dozen by 8:30. Mostly cookies but a few 20 inchers and a couple of 2-footers had shown up too.
Actually had a limit of 8 in my basket before 9 and had been releasing kitties every few minutes all morning. By 10 AM I was out of bait…used up about 30 minnows and 12 pieces of carp meat. Had a lot of short strikes and pop and drops that either ruined or swiped the bait. But I guesstimate that I brought between 20 - 25 kitties to the tube.
Put some crawler on a tandem jig rig and caught a couple of kitties on that too. Also caught a couple on a 3" red and chartreuse twister I was throwing for walleye. Had some other hits I think might have been whities but did not hook any. Also had some good thumps on a couple of crankbaits.
At one point in the cat catchin’ I put up the bait rod and motored the rest of the way out to the bubbleup. Only one buoy, way out at the end of the pipe. Used to be able to catch lots of whities and some walleyes along the pipe by using marker buoys to locate the pipe. Not today. Saw very little on sonar and did not get any bites on either bait or plastics. But, there was a pretty good flow of water coming up out of the pipe. Surprised there were no active fish present.
**Worked along the reed lines with plastics and spinners. Nada, zip, zilch. Finally motored back inside the harbor and tried some spots along the inside edges in there. Same ol’ same 'ol. ZERO.
There were quite a few bank tanglers fishing both inside and outside. Did not see anybody catch anything up until I left about noon. Good thing I left then as it appeared that somebody had diverted all boat trailers off the freeway and had directed them to the Lindon Marina. **
Nice job Pat, sure is one way to fill the smoker… I have not gotten out yet to fish the kitties… I need to do that soon though… I am taking the none fishing wife fishing this weekend so I am sure to write something about it… Not sure where to take her yet… Thanks for the pics and story..
**I don’t think she was happy about the way I went about it. Didn’t plan my trip…exact venue…until a few minutes before leaving the driveway. Didn’t give Ma Nature a chance to set up a proper anglers’ welcome. But, she was rippling the water about the time I came in. Ha! Too little too late. **
Score one for the devious TD. But I dare not gloat. I know she will get even. She has a female personna and vengeance is a gender thing. Guys never have a chance over the long run.
Boy, you timed it right! I thought I would throw momma nature a curve by going on a spontaneous trip Saturday. Fished 6 hours in the NW corner of lake.. got 3 bites from kitties.. I decided that 36 hours is not the same as 48 hours after a cold front. Or maybe it was the afternoon thing, who knows.. One of these times I’ll learn. Went out to some DEEP water, and again marked grundles of fish, none of which were interested in doing anything productive for me. Maybe I should have tried Lincoln beach.
I went bank tangling for kitties at Provo harbor yesterday and caught a few bulls and 1 decent channel on a white bass chunk. Another guy down the bank was using slightly rancid shrimp and he was catching more than I was about 2 to . Sounds like I might have to go with a one oz. sinker next time and launch something way out… not as a warning shot off your bow though. The one white bass I picked up was full of eggs so I think that might be an indicator as to where the majority of them are hanging out. [;)]
Great fish! So do you just foot paddle while you’re drifting the minnows?
Once I get to the area I want to fish, I slow down, toss out the bait…minnow, carp meat, white bass meat or whatever…and just move slowly around…using my fins (1 Dudepower motor). If I have not found fish yet, I move in big S turns…from shallow to deep…watching my sonar. Once I find the best area and depth that’s where I focus.
Yesterday the fish were scattered over a wide area but they seemed to prefer a water depth right around 5 feet…out away from the reeds. I think the two days of wind moved them out deeper. Once it calms down there will be more fish in shallower water and right in the reeds.
My 48 hour standard has been proven both right and wrong. Bottom line? No matter what the conditions there will be fish somewhere that will bite something. The guesswork is always WHERE ARE THEY…and WHAT TO USE?
In truth, I was fully prepared (mentally) to endure a poor day of cattin’ after two days of strong wind. But, the water was not chocolate. Some visibility. And it was calm while I was there. Doable. I was pleasantly surprised when I got a fast response to my first minnow and even more pleasantly surprised at how fast all of the other offerings were accepted. One of my faster fishing days on that pond…for something besides whities.
As long as there is some decent fishing within a short distance from launch sites I am not sure I want to power all the way out to the “DAVE DEEPS”. But, it might be fun…without wind.
I was heading out as you were heading in Pat. I was in the blue and white fish/ski with the two landing nets sticking straight up. My kids wanted a late trip with an early return, so I obliged them. If I knew you were out of bait I would have dropped some off. I had a large bag of carp we never used. I ended up giving it to those people fishing next to the ramp, under the tree’s.
I had Fri, Sat, Sun & Mon. off and went cattin’ all four days. This is definitely the best year I’ve had catfishing in the last fifteen. Me and my guests limited every time we went out. My longest trip was 3 hours on Friday. The wife and I caught 16 fish in 1 1/2 hours on Sunday. The fish were so aggressive that all we used were pieces of 1 white bass the whole time. I caught 7 fish with the same tattered piece of bait Sunday. My friend Larry caught 9 with one piece on Saturday. The only disappointment this weekend was that we didn’t catch any fish over 4 lbs after Friday. I had an 8 and a 9 on Friday. Anyway, fast and furious is the best description. All of our fish were in less than 2’ of water next to the reeds, under a bobber.
As long as there is some decent fishing within a short distance from launch sites I am not sure I want to power all the way out to the “DAVE DEEPS”. But, it might be fun…without wind.
While I was out there, I was thinking the same thing. Still, I need to build my motor mount. I have some cool ideas for some mods that I think will work well. I gotta get out again soon.
Remind me, how warm do the kitties like it for pre-spawn/spawn when typically will they crash the shallows? My big thing Saturday was I didn’t know which depth to fish. Never really even marked fish. So, it could have been the location, but I dunno.
Wouldn’t have used any more bait anyhooters. I had all the fun I could stand and a limit in the basket. Also had to boogie early.
**Some folks complain about all the small catfish in the lake right now. I’m lovin’ it. I always enjoy a good rasslin’ match with a biggun but the smaller fish are much better eating. **
During the warm weather months…May - September…you will find more cats in shallower water. They spawn when the water hits about 65 to 70 but they stay close to shore to feed on crawdads and the fry of all species. Equal opportunity. But, they will move out into the deeper pockets during the day in hot weather and when the wind blows.
Yeah I know the crap is getting deep. I did take the weed trimmer out a few day ago in the LBH area but its like beating ones head against the “Big Green Monster” .
3m and I made a trip to the stop a while back with the same result you had. We were going to make another run out here a couple weekends ago but it started raining and didnt stop for 4 days. I was 1/2 excepting to see a dang Arch float by.
**Had a hankerin’ for some more smoked kitty fish. Needed a fishin’ fix too. Couldn’t decide whether to hit the Knolls or Lincoln Beach. Tossed a coin. Lost it under the couch. Went to Lindon. **
.