Got a huge surprise at Utah Lake and no it was not when I went through the ice.
Headed out to a new spot to try my luck for some pan fish. Over the last week the ice as gone from okay to really poor shape. I was walking out along a route a buddy and walked two days before and SPLASH. My left leg went through the ice. I threw out my arms and my other leg and kept myseft from going all in. I was able to pull myself back onto the ice. I didn’t want to waste the trip and wasn’t cold so I pushed on. I made it out to the first area to start fishing and got set up. Pick up some white bass right from the start. Things started to get a little slow so I jigged my rod and step over to my other rod. I happen to look over and the rod I had just did the jig with was getting a bit. I pick the rod up and set the hook.
On the other end of the line was something I never would have thought to catch at Utah Lake. It was the most breath taking cutt I have ever caught. That’s right, no BS here, it was a cutt trout.
Now I know that they were once found all over the lake many many years ago. I did manage to pull out a brown in Lindon boat harbor back in 1994 and it was a really ugly one at that. A cutt was not something I ever thought I would catch in that lake.
Here is a few pics I took of it before I turned it back.
That’s awesome! That’s right up there with catching a small mouth out of there.
There’s a picture of a really nice brown supposedly caught out of UL at Provo’s Sportsmans Warehouse over by the fly fishing glass cases. It’s hard to believe that that good of brown would be in there, but I have caught some descent browns just up from the mouth of the S.F. river, so i’m sure they spill off into the lake a little bit at times. Keep hoping i’d hook one there. Does anyone have any info. on that pic at Sportsmans?
Every so often someone catches a trout this time of year. I have caught some myself not to far out in the lake . seems they come out of the river and stay close maybe they go in and out silly fish.[:p]
I caught this feller September 9, 2011 during lunch hour in Utah Lake State Park just up from the river mouth. I was actually looking for white bass when I hooked up. Sent him back to play with his buddies.
Definitely a rare find. I am not surprised at all when folks catch browns out of UL. After all, one of the most populated brown trout streams in the state flows into the lake. But a cutt, that is rare, and AWESOME!
The guys netting carp reported catching a 17 inch cutt if I’m not mistaken in one of their nets a couple years back. There are a couple very small tributaries to the lake that still have cutthroat populations, and my guess is some just make their way down and hang out in the lake.
