Today was TubeBabe’s birthday (plenty nine). As usual, she wanted to go fishing for her birthday. Whatta gal.
Tooners “fish_fanatic” and Anglerdan wanted us to show them our spots on the west side of Utah Lake, so we did a mini floatilla. Hit the shoreline about 6:30 AM and were all launched shortly after 7. Great clouds, light breeze, no mosquitos and midges only if you got too close to the tamarisk.
Water 78 degrees at launch, with only a light rolling ripple from the dying SE canyon breezes. We all dragged varying baits out into deeper water until we found fish. I was the first one to reach the 8 foot depth and had a zinger on a piece of white bass meat. Set the hook into a stout kitty and was enjoying myself when I noticed that line was streaming off the reel on my baitcast setup. Put the first rod in a holder to let the fish fight itself, and set the hook on the second. it felt bigger than the first. It was. 26 inch kitty and the first was only 24 inches. Still a great way to start a day…double over 24 inches.
Now some trips start good and then take a dive. Not today. We all caught lots of kitties and had hits often enough to keep us busy. Seemed like one of us was always “checking out an inquiry”, playing a fish or releasing one. We all kept a few, but we sent back a lot of them too. All four of us caught cats over 26 inches and 6.5 to 7 pounds. Loads of fun on the light gear we were using.
I think Randy and Dan kinda liked the new venue. Lots fewer snags and lots fewer people than the areas they usually fish. Just about ruined our day when we actually heard a boat in the distance…and someone announced it was a water skier. How rude…to disturb the tranquility of TubeBabe’s birthday kitty party.
There were only light breezes a couple of times today. Basically glassy conditions most of the time. The water temp climbed up to about 82 by the time we got off the water around 1 PM.
Let me know when you are ready and I will show you some new habitat.
I have not tried to launch where you and Froze launch. The water has been way up. I’ll bet the cats are still there though.
We have had three or four trips there to different spots this year and have found plenty of action every time. But, more fish out in deeper water than in years past.
I have my Grandson here right now, it is very difficult at best to get him up early enough to get out.
I would like to get him into a cat or two.
James went out a couple of evenings ago, I don’t think he had very good luck.
Sounds like the mornings are better.
We have made two trips to that area in the past two weeks. Both times the fastest action and the biggest fish came before 9 AM. But, we still had plenty of bites clear up until we left. The fish just got a bit more finicky and tougher to hook. We all had numerous “pop and drops” and “swings and misses”. The earlier fish were more “gulp and go” and we hooked a higher percentage.
**You never know what the fish will be doing on any given day. We have also had plenty of trips where we didn’t get much until later in the morning and then it turned on mid-day…or later in the afternoon. But, you first have to find where the fish are holding and then let them tell you what they want and how they want it. **
The big surprise to us has been that the fish are not holding as shallow as they normally are in the summer. We did get a few in about 5 feet of water, but they were the smaller fish. Virtually all of the larger fish came from at least 7 feet of water, and 8 to 9 feet was best. You can’t find that depth in very many places anywhere near shore around Utah Lake. Down closer to Pelican Point the bottom is a very gradual slope and even 5 feet of water is a long ways from the shoreline.
Today was TubeBabe’s birthday (plenty nine). As usual, she wanted to go fishing for her birthday. Whatta g al.
I had a great day … thanks for the birthday wishes. The catching wasn’t as fast and furious for me as for the others, but I had a great time. The weather (wind) was more than cooperative, although I do have to say that we got off the water at just the right time.
Another great report and terrific pictures Pat!
It looks like I missed a great fishing trip. Did you catch most of them on bass meat? Did anyone try to catch white bass? Did you fish without weights? Did you try a bobber? I am interested in some more of the details.
I need to get out to that part of the lake. I don’t think I have ever fished the Knolls–my mistake! I also need to get some good directions from you, sometime, on how to get there.
Happy Birthday TubeBabe! Sorry I wasn’t there to celebrate it with you.
PS Are you still planning to fish Jordanelle tomorrow?
Sounds like a great TubeBabe party and kittiefest! It’s interesting that you guys found the cats out so deep, when that same night Beggin4bass and I found them in shallow (three-four ft. deep and against the reeds) but that was more on the East side of the lake. Same bait worked for us, however (white bass meat).
Happy Birthday, Delores! I hope I spelled your name right, but if I didn’t, please accept my apologies. Glad you guys got into the cats on your birthday and that you guys had some nice peace and tranquility over on the West side.
I caught several cats on the white bass meat, but all of my biggest fish came on BIG chub minnows…6 to 7 inches long…fished on a stout baitcaster outfit…with only a swivel for added weight..
I did not ever try a bobber rig on this trip. Usually do and usually get a couple of fish even out in deep water. The bobber is a must for fishing the shallower and snaggier water.
I fished both plastics and crankbaits at several different places during the morning. Got a few whacks on a fire tiger RatLTrap but did not hook anything besides channel cats today. Usually there will be a couple of white bass and/or mudcats on the minnows or carp meat, but nobody caught any on this trip.
Earlier in the year, the white bass swarmed along the west side and people caught a bunch of them. Right now they are foraging in the cover for minnows and are not out in the open.
Shoot me a PM to remind me and I will send you a map and directions. Better yet, don’t bail out the next time you are invited to join us.
Jordanelle tomorrow is still on…and Starvation on Wednesday. Hitting Rock Cliff about 6 in the morning for a perch search.
Utah Lake is a big lake and has a lot of kitties in it. Not all of them behave the same way all of the time. Those who want to forage or rest in deep water will seek out that kind of habitat. Those that prefer to hunt in the reeds or around shallow rocks will be in those areas. The key is to know the area you are fishing and what the fish are likely to be doing at any given time. And, if you guess wrong, keep trying new spots and new tactics until you find willing fish.
What gets frustrating is when you find fish, and think you have them figured out, and then they change an hour later. But, that’s fishing.
Wow, talk about some good birthday Luck! I haven’t seen the water that flat all morning yet this year. Obviously the kitties liked it as well. Las time we were out there, my legs were sore for a couple days from kicking back in that wind.
Looks like a lot of fun. And, what a way to spend a Birthday! Happy Birthday TubeBabe!
That’s good advice and I appreciate that, Pat. You know that lake like the back of your hand, and I hope to be able to know half as much as you’ve forgotten about it someday.
Whatup with those wascally walleye’s though? People don’t seem to catch as many there as in years past. Is it still because of there being too many groceries for them to choose from to make them not interested in chasing curly tails on a leadhead? I know that this time of year they slow down as the water gets warmer, but it seems like the catching hasn’t been that hot in cooler weather there either…
The walleyes are coming back strong. Tons of small fish from the last two years of good spawning, and they are getting plenty to eat from the abundant white bass and carp fry.
The SERIOUS walleye anglers have done very well early in the year on Utah Lake. Those of us who wait for nice weather never got out to fish during the cold wet topsy turvey spring. But, the regulars who know where to fish and how to fish caught plenty of wallies.
They are quiet now…during the daytime…but you can catch a few at night if you know the right places and the right ways to fish them. Again, the armchair anglers just never hit them right.
The really good news is that from about the first of September, when the waters start cooling down again, the walleyes will be hitting the shorelines again and there should be a good fall bite. Most of the fish will be under 20 inches, but there are lots of 24" plus fish this year. Have reports of numerous fat 5 and 6 pound fish during the post spawn and before the lake got too warm. They will be bigger in the fall.
Like most fish, walleyes become selective when they have plenty of natural food. Since we can’t use live minnows in Utah, we must be good with plastics or hardbaits to get a reaction bite from fish that are already full of freshly munched carplets or small whities. By fall, the carp will be too large for most of the smaller wallies and the white bass will also be larger and more wary. When the walleyes are feeding up before winter they tend to be a bit less selective and will also hit smaller lures.
I plan to harass the wallies a bit this fall myself. I will start actively prospecting as early as the last weeks of August. Some real porky walleyes were taken near Lincoln Beach at that time last year, by guys fishing small jigs for white bass.
Hey Dave, hadn’t heard from you or you would have been invited too. Half expected to see you already on the water when we got there. But, “our spot” was filled up with “weekend warriors”…drinking more beer and adding to the collection of bottles along the shoreline.
The water was calm for the trip WE made too, until the very end…after you had decided to visit Goshen from your float tube. Serves you right for getting too far away when wind is forecast. It held off yesterday until we were almost back to shore…and then it was mostly from the SW…ideal for surfing back to shore.
Today was TubeBabe’s birthday (plenty nine). As usual, she wanted to go fishing for her birthday. Whatta gal.