# utah lake cat info? **URL:** \ **Category:** Utah Fishing General\ **Created:** [April 28, 2020, 12:37pm UTC](https://forum.bigfishtackle.com/t/utah-lake-cat-info/455685 "2020-04-28T12:37:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Therapist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e68b1a/32.png) [@Therapist](https://forum.bigfishtackle.com/u/Therapist)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2020, 1:19pm UTC](https://forum.bigfishtackle.com/t/utah-lake-cat-info/455685/1 "2020-04-28T13:19:25Z")
6When you have as many people catching and keeping the number of cats out of a water,  you tend to limit the population to numbers rather than size.  While there are a few of those pushing the envelope of 10plus,  the dynamics favor numbers of smaller fish.  Those bigger specimans will also tend to be less active, feeding at very specific times when it suits them, rather than us.  They also feed less often, taking a bigger meal that lasts them longer.  You almost have to hunt them, like a trophy buck or bull.  Specific locations, specific times of the day, specific baits.  Good luck !!  Good hunting !! ---
**Author:** ![Anglinarcher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9f8e36/32.png) [@Anglinarcher](https://forum.bigfishtackle.com/u/Anglinarcher)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2020, 5:47pm UTC](https://forum.bigfishtackle.com/t/utah-lake-cat-info/455685/2 "2020-04-28T17:47:05Z")
Ya, I agree.  And not to put too find a point on it, how many of us want to toss a bait too big to tempt the cookie cutters but be right for the trophy, knowing that we might not catch but two or three fish a year. But, if it was a trophy buck, a trophy elk, we might.  LOL ---
**Author:** ![TubeDude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c5a1d2/32.png) [@TubeDude](https://forum.bigfishtackle.com/u/TubeDude)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2020, 6:08pm UTC](https://forum.bigfishtackle.com/t/utah-lake-cat-info/455685/3 "2020-04-28T18:08:39Z")
\*\*There are an increasing number of Utah Lake cataholics who lust after the bigguns.  But even those most in the know have plenty of days having to settle for “average” sized fish and not hooking anything with real shoulders.  My own experience has been that I have hooked my biggest fish right in the middle of catching some of the smaller ones.  And I have never been successful at targeting strictly the big fish and not catching any smaller ones.  Big ones will sometimes slurp smaller baits and smaller fish will often munch the largest baits you can toss out there. I have some pet theories about how to increase the odds…at different times of the year…but none of them prove out often enough to be considered fool-proof.  So I swallow my pride and accept battle with all comers…hoping that there will be at least one or two “immovable objects” on my day’s worth of hooksets.  But it’s always a good idea to rig at least one rod with a bigger and juicier bait than that on your other rod.  And then accept it when the biggest fish of the day smacks a small jig you are throwing for white bass.  It happens.\*\* ---
**Author:** ![Boatloadakids](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8baadc/32.png) [@Boatloadakids](https://forum.bigfishtackle.com/u/Boatloadakids)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2020, 6:35pm UTC](https://forum.bigfishtackle.com/t/utah-lake-cat-info/455685/4 "2020-04-28T18:35:08Z")
I’ve been chasing big cats (not unlike Captain Ahab) for several years. PB so far is a 33 incher a few years back. The 36 incher I have been looking for is out there, it is just a matter of time until we converge. 😉  Good info from Therapist and, of course, TD knows a thing or two about cats.   When I finally catch that really big one, will it be male or female?? Seems to me that the males tend to bulk up in the head, shoulders,and gut with length sometimes appearing disproportionate to the size of their head. The females are more inclined to grow in length rather than having big heads. So, to answer my own question, I think the longest biggun will be female; the heaviest biggun will be male. Thoughts?? ---
**Author:** ![TubeDude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c5a1d2/32.png) [@TubeDude](https://forum.bigfishtackle.com/u/TubeDude)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2020, 6:42pm UTC](https://forum.bigfishtackle.com/t/utah-lake-cat-info/455685/5 "2020-04-28T18:42:34Z")
> [@Boatloadakids](#): > > I’ve been chasing big cats (not unlike Captain Ahab) for several years. PB so far is a 33 incher a few years back. The 36 incher I have been looking for is out there, it is just a matter of time until we converge. 😉  Good info from Therapist and, of course, TD knows a thing or two about cats. >   > When I finally catch that really big one, will it be male or female?? Seems to me that the males tend to bulk up in the head, shoulders,and gut with length sometimes appearing disproportionate to the size of their head. The females are more inclined to grow in length rather than having big heads. So, to answer my own question, I think the longest biggun will be female; the heaviest biggun will be male. Thoughts?? > > **I think you got it backwards.  Females get both longer and heavier.  But up to the 30 inch mark the males will be  longer for the same weight as females.    Never seen many males of 30" or longer.   All the heavyweights are female.** ---
**Author:** ![fast\_randy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@fast\_randy](https://forum.bigfishtackle.com/u/fast_randy)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2020, 8:26pm UTC](https://forum.bigfishtackle.com/t/utah-lake-cat-info/455685/6 "2020-04-28T20:26:40Z")
Out of 17 I got Friday and Saturday 4 were at least 26" and in the 10 lb. range. But they are back out there swimming around. Don’t most of the BFTers do mostly catch and release? Before I retired and moved to Idaho I only did catch and keep mostly. And when I had 8 would quit and go home. I fished many years with the state record holder. Although he caught his record on a chicken leg. He would rather fish with shrimp and catch many; than wait for days for a big one. That’s how I feel. * * * Oh, I forgot my main question. All the years I used to fish UL, we never caught many over 8 lbs. Mostly in the 5 lb. range. My biggest was 13 and I put it back. So I went over 12 years without making it back to Utah Lake. Last year at the Flotilla. I caught 10 on Friday and 10 Saterday. And several were those 10 lb.ders. So the question Pat: Don’t you think they are bigger on average now then they were in the 80’s and 90’s and early 1000,s when I used to fish it hard? And if there is more 10 lb.ers getting put back, I seen Craig catch one and release one that was over 10 as I was driving by him Saturday, won’t the average keep going up. Or am I wrong. Last year I only fished a total of 5 hours at the most. And this year 1 and 1/2 days. ---
**Author:** ![TubeDude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c5a1d2/32.png) [@TubeDude](https://forum.bigfishtackle.com/u/TubeDude)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2020, 9:20pm UTC](https://forum.bigfishtackle.com/t/utah-lake-cat-info/455685/7 "2020-04-28T21:20:50Z")
> [@fast\_randy](#): > > Out of 17 I got Friday and Saturday 4 were at least 26" and in the 10 lb. range. But they are back out there swimming around. Don’t most of the BFTers do mostly catch and release? Before I retired and moved to Idaho I only did catch and keep mostly. And when I had 8 would quit and go home. I fished many years with the state record holder. Although he caught his record on a chicken leg. He would rather fish with shrimp and catch many; than wait for days for a big one. That’s how I feel. > > * * * > > Oh, I forgot my main question. All the years I used to fish UL, we never caught many over 8 lbs. Mostly in the 5 lb. range. My biggest was 13 and I put it back. So I went over 12 years without making it back to Utah Lake. Last year at the Flotilla. I caught 10 on Friday and 10 Saterday. And several were those 10 lb.ders. So the question Pat: Don’t you think they are bigger on average now then they were in the 80’s and 90’s and early 1000,s when I used to fish it hard? And if there is more 10 lb.ers getting put back, I seen Craig catch one and release one that was over 10 as I was driving by him Saturday, won’t the average keep going up. Or am I wrong. Last year I only fished a total of 5 hours at the most. And this year 1 and 1/2 days. > > \*\*Your observations are on track.  I first fished for cats in the early 1960s and the “average” cat then was smaller than the average now…more like the fish in Willard.  But there were some big ones too.  When I lived back in Utah from the late 1970s through the mid 1980s it was about the same…lots of 2-3 pound cats with a few bigger fish.  But some of the bigger fish were REALLY BIG.  I got one in about 1982 that was 24# and 37 inches.  And both caught and saw others that were between 15 and 20 pounds. > > Anybody who has fished in Utah for over 15-20 years knows that there are now a lot more cat chasers than there used to be.  And there are a lot more former troutaholics who have fallen to the level of prefering catfish,…both for catching and for eating (when properly prepared).  That means that the catfish biomass is probably lower than in former times.  And fewer fish means more food for the remainder…and faster growth rates.  I would say that it was about 2010 when the “average” cat from Utah Lake went from being under 20" to over 20". ..with a lot more over 2-footers. > > No way to accurately measure how many 3-footers there might be in Utah Lake, but I suspect there are more than we might think.  They act differently and feed differently in those sizes.  For one thing, their metabolism and growth rates slow down.  So they don’t have to eat as much or as often as younger fast-growing fish.  And they are more inclined to feed at night during a good part of the year…and to eat single large meals less frequently.  So unless you present a suitable meal in the right place at the right time you will never even know those big fish are there. > > There are a few hardcore catters who have fished Utah Lake for years…and who regularly hook into some of the bigger fish.  But they do not hang out on rookie fishing forums and divulge their favorite places, times, baits and techniques.  There ARE cats over 20 pounds hooked every year here…but those who do the hooking don’t broadcast it.  Thankfully, most of those who bring in big cats just give them a smooch and send them back.  No tongue though.  Gross.\*\* ---
**Author:** ![Tin-Can](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cab0a1/32.png) [@Tin-Can](https://forum.bigfishtackle.com/u/Tin-Can)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2020, 10:27pm UTC](https://forum.bigfishtackle.com/t/utah-lake-cat-info/455685/8 "2020-04-28T22:27:13Z")
> [@TubeDude](#): > > \*\*There are an increasing number of Utah Lake cataholics who lust after the bigguns.  But even those most in the know have plenty of days having to settle for “average” sized fish and not hooking anything with real shoulders.  My own experience has been that I have hooked my biggest fish right in the middle of catching some of the smaller ones.  And I have never been successful at targeting strictly the big fish and not catching any smaller ones.  Big ones will sometimes slurp smaller baits and smaller fish will often munch the largest baits you can toss out there. > > I have some pet theories about how to increase the odds…at different times of the year…but none of them prove out often enough to be considered fool-proof.  So I swallow my pride and accept battle with all comers…hoping that there will be at least one or two “immovable objects” on my day’s worth of hooksets.  But it’s always a good idea to rig at least one rod with a bigger and juicier bait than that on your other rod.  And then accept it when the biggest fish of the day smacks a small jig you are throwing for white bass.  It happens.\*\* > > \*\*That  “\*\*\*\*biggest fish of the day smacks a small jig you are throwing for white bass”  is the aweful truth :cry:  Has happened to me at UL more times than I care to count…like last Saturday. 6lb mono on a med-lite pole with a small yellow flig and a piece of worm, fan casting for the first hour or so…nada.  Set the pole in the holder with drag loose, pick up my coffee thermos and -out goes the line screamin and strippin… and then whatever was on it turned and headed back towards me. Could hardly reel fast enough. Got the slack out of the line about 3 feet from the boat, rod bent over almost double, and SNAP. Line broke :cry: > Sure got the blood pumping for a few minutes  :D \*\* ---
**Author:** ![Mooseman75](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mooseman75](https://forum.bigfishtackle.com/u/Mooseman75)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2020, 5:56am UTC](https://forum.bigfishtackle.com/t/utah-lake-cat-info/455685/9 "2020-04-29T05:56:43Z")
> _“fast\_randy” pid=’ wrote:_ That makes me so happy. My favorite place is getting better. Thank you guys for your information.  You know there might be a lot more people fishing but it is just so big, it is easy to get away from the crowd. I haven’t been to Bird Island, does anyone know if it is crowded out there. I want to get out there later. I could take you out there some time its one of my favorites spots to fish.  There’s some days there are 8-10 boats maybe a few more but usually when I go during the week only 3-5 and that is around the island but that was last year this year it could have picked up some. I can’t get there yet with my boat as I’m still breaking in New parts and can’t go fast. But soon I’ll be there I hope. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex028/uploads/bigfishtackle/original/3X/1/8/180926762da1240f76b2aed5515c2fc9f63c17e0.png) [@system](https://forum.bigfishtackle.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2020, 12:46pm UTC](https://forum.bigfishtackle.com/t/utah-lake-cat-info/455685/10 "2020-04-29T12:46:11Z")
thanks for the info you guys! guess i will keep searching for that honey hole full of 30 pounders, untill then 7 foot sturgeon will have to fill the void of feeling a good battle!