Super Day on Ice - Hyrum

Utah Fishing Reports & Discussion Utah Fishing General
1

Went over to Hyrum for a second breakfast, late-brunch into afternoon on the ice. Decided instead of heading to toward the inlet, as is my customary, I’d try something different, so I headed to the Cars, with hopes of maybe icing some bass.

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Some other folks were parked there, so I wandered over, said “hey” and made sure they didn’t mind my setting up camp nextdoor. Sounded like they’d done pretty good, and the kids were having a good time in the tent.

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Drilled through some thick ice, plopped down, and started with dinker pecks. Couldn’t time a hookset, but - did foul hook a perchlet, and knew what I was dealing with. Decided I HAD to get the camera down, and good thing. The finder was helpful and all, but watching my jigs, and seeing when the went “slurp” - I started connecting.

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Had a LOT of bites, and a LOT of hookups. Easily iced a limit (maybe two - I can’t count beyond the fingers, toes…) but most were hardly bait, least of of fillet worthy. Fun to watch, fun to see them react, and entertaining to yank fish after fish skyward. I kept a few, because I like perch enough.

I did see a bass on camera, and actually saw quite a number of bluegill come and share an interest, just not enough of one to take a seat at the table. Too bad.
Had a number of trout bully through (you know they’re coming, all the perch scatter!), but seemed like every trout I hooked up insisted on playing with the camera - so keep hooking up with the camera cable, losing fish. Oh well, silly slimers.

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I did spot a number of chunky perch on approach, but they’d sniff, and scoff. Hmph - wrong color?

Fun day out all the same. I’d do it again!

2

Nice job Yote, glad you made it out this weekend, sorry I left ya hanging on Saturday… Hyrum is fun even if they are dinky at least you don’t smell of skunk… Seems like those camera’s are getting to be an important tool this year… Years past I didn’t think they were as useful as they seem this year… Is the water more clear or is it the lack of snow on the ice is letting more light in so you can see things better?

Well don’t mean to high jack your post, but thought you would like to know… Water is starting to rise in Cutler, they must have put the plug in the hole… Hearing lots of stories of dead fish floating already doesn’t sound good but I guess we knew it would happen… Probably won’t be as good for a couple years now… Also hear the power company is looking at doing it again next winter… Not going to get a chance to recover for a while… Everyone will need to be very careful with the ice now, it will be doing lots of changing so be safe… Later J

3

Glad you had a good day on the deck. I went out there on Saturday with a group of friends after work. They beat me out to the inlet area and were doing okay when I got there. I think they had 3 through the ice is all. I set up my tent and fired up my new auger and spent the next 3 hours missing a few hits. Then it was like someone flipped a light switch and in a little under 2 hours I landed 12 with one real dandy. Most were the 8-10" planters with one a little over 14". I ended up keeping him and he made a great dinner last night. He had fabulous color and even was sporting some great orange anal fins and orange across the belly. Here is a couple of pics of the one keeper.

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Thanks Jeff. No worries, you can hijack my posts anytime, I expect nuthin less. :blush:
Just wish I’d been able to join ya Fri at the pig. I’d have to learn how to pack light for that one. So, maybe we’re too late to see what those Cutler swarms are?
When I saw gills, I shoulda swapped in a ratfinke. They were just not playing. Though, cracked me up when one comes face up on the camera, I mean really checking it out.Clarity was pretty good, though 10fow… the camera lens has a light. But the ice had been cleared by the rain, then dusted with maybe a half to an inch of snow.

Even though my screen doesn’t photograph worth a darn, there were loads of perch there. With the camera you can take it away from a small one, and try to choose bigger ones even. Doesn’t mean THEY are going to cooperate!

Funny how the perch will circle up and stare you down, while the trout bully in and swipe, swipe. Tried my new tip-down, but the fish aren’t commital enough to take it and go. Even a juicy roe sack only got toyed with.

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Wow, that is some nice color there, almost looks like a Cutty! It is interesting to see how much a bit of growth can ‘improve’ the hatchery fish. Had one trip back when, me and abuddy had a limit of lil’ planters, then one 19incher hooked up. Talk about night a day, white characterless younglings, and the biggun was pink and much more flavorful.

Unfortunate they went from planting footlongs, to tens, then fives…must be caused by Obamacare. [crazy]

Ok, so maybe next time I make the trek to the inlet.

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Wish you could have been there Friday as well, needed someone to help me figure out what I was doing wrong.. Besides taking way too much gear down into that hole… My little battery died so I’m using a full size battery lately, not a good idea to pack down into a deep hole like that, I verily got it up over the rim and out… In fact I had to take it out and carry it the last leg to the truck so I could pull the sled…

I’m not sure what this is going to do to the Cutler scouting trip, I don’t know if the ice will still be safe and I’m not sure if the fish will hold there in the deeps once the water returns… I’ll have to check and see what the ice situation is, but been seeing lots of edge effects and water on top of the ice so it will be different that’s for sure… May have to drag the boat out again to stay safe…

Well, that camera and perch deal sounds really fun, glad you got to do it and have a fun day… Wish there was something larger there for ya to play with… Well got to run catch ya later… J

7

Glad to hear you are getting out for a little fishing this winter John. It looks like to were in the same spot as I was on my last trip there. All I caught beside some 4 or 5 inch perch were some finless freddy browns. How big were your perch?

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Well good man there are ssssooooooo many dam perch in hyrum glad some one is doin a smack down on them

9

Since so many were small, most all smacked back down into the hole and found their way away. Didn’t find anything over 8, but kept a handful, some too small to bother filleting, so I went for a quick panfry, then a swim in some onion/garlic broth with a smack of Yo Mammas.

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Makes for a pretty plate anyway.

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It’s been a while since I’ve got the camera on a good school - and it is fun to watch them swarm, see how they react. The CRT doesn’t photograph well though…
also funky seeing all the car bits. Undersea wreckage.
Plenty to snag up on!

10

Oh yum that makes my mouth water