hey, I ice fished Utah lake at least 10 times last year with out a single nibble. this year i would definitely like to change that. any advice on lure choice or areas to fish? Does everyone else have this problem with Utah lake? is it just hit and miss in the winter?
I have found that early ice is the best. I have great success early and often. Mid season to late season on Utah Lake is sporadic, just depends on the day. I use to do best using Heddon Sonars but last year any small ice fly seemed to be the ticket. Harbors are a great place early in the year.
Yeah, I’m still learning, but I had several good days in AM FK harbor and the Pumphouse early, but try as I might, I couldn’t raise the bluegill that supposedly inhabit Lindon Harbor.
WB, perch, some bluegill, and a couple crappie all hit for me. I have some Sonars, but jigs tipped with WB meat did as well for me last year.
If the WB were sporatic, some clicking beads, the Sonars, or anything else that rattles or shakes helped them find my lures. I had a larg ice jig on once, about 8" above a sonar lure, and got most of my bites between jigs, with the sonar resting on the bottom.
Best of luck…
Is Lincoln Beach good? I want to hit Utah Lake this winter for sure and am wondering where the best spot is. I would like to ice some walleye.
Give Tubedude a PM. He has a book out on CD pf format.All about Utah Lake. I got one and it is the best $20.00 I have spent in a long time. I picked up an extra for a great christmas gift.
If you find them they will bite anything. Shoot me a PM this winter and we can hook up on the ice and show you some spots and lures that can put the hurts on em. Also…study td’s book, full of good UL stuff.
Every year is different on Utah Lake so it is hard to make generalities that always work. The one that does is “You cain’t ketch 'em where they ain’t”. You gotta find them to catch them…but finding them is no guarantee that you will catch them.
**Water levels and food supplies are the two big factors in where the fish will be and how you have to fish for them. Even though the water is down a couple of feet from high water mark right now, it is still much higher than it is in many years. **
The fish should show up inside the harbors and around the pumphouse as soon as solid ice forms. They like the overhead cover and the ice eliminates the influences of wind and allows the water under the ice to clear up. Schooling species can find each other easier…and can also hunt more efficiently…and see your lures better.
White bass typically swarm inside the clearing harbors to clean up all of the available food. That is usually the fry of other species…bluegill, crappies, perch etc. But they will also eat young carp and their own young if they are still small enough to swallow. These tidbits are easier to find and hunt down in the clear water and the white bass form wolf packs to clean them up. During that time they are very competitive and will smack almost anything you drop through a hole. That’s why lures with noise are so effective at that time. But it really doesn’t matter when they are “on the chew”.
**Anglers in the know also swarm the harbors when the whities are in. Thousands of white bass fill buckets and leave the lake forever. That’s a good thing for the health of the lake. But, the noise and fishing pressure from the happy harvesters combine with dwindling food supplies to send the whities back out into the open lake…especially if it is also freezing over. **
The big whitie whammy does not last long. And once it is over the fishing for white bass becomes a lot tougher. They still wander in and out of the harbors and you can get into occasional good days. But they do roam around a lot and you have to be lucky to intercept them. Very tough on the open lake.
**Bluegills, crappies and perch are more reliable through the winter. They like it inside the harbors and they are more “homebodies”. If they find an area with structure and food…midge larvae, leeches, etc…they set up housekeeping and don’t wander too far. BUT…they can be tough to catch when they have been fished a lot. You have to use more refined tackle and be able to detect very light bites. A good sonar and a quiet approach is also valuable. Get set up in a good holding area and then sit down and be quiet. **
The area around Lincoln Beach CAN be productive. But, unless you know the underwater layout of the rock shelves and channels you probably won’t do as well as someone who has GPS productive spots from years past. The one simple to find spot is inside the boat channel…close to the end…out from the courtesy dock. Easy to find. It usually looks like Swiss cheese within a short time of icing over. But it can produce lots of bluegills, crappies, perch, whities and even the occasional walleye or catfish.
No real suggestions for targeting walleyes. They move around a lot and they are spooky. They don’t often swim into the shallow areas being tromped by ice anglers during the day. You can occasionally luck into one very early in the morning and sometimes after dark. But, if you fish them at night don’t have a lantern on the ice next to your hole. The Walleyes stay away from the bright lights. But that can work to bring in crappies.
Lures? Bigger blade baits and jigs for early season fishing for white bass. Tip with crawler or a piece of perch or white bass meat. Smaller jigs for perch, bluegill or crappies. Micro stuff later in the season. Tip with waxworm or meal worm. Use a sensitive strike indicator or small bobber. And set it to ride at or slightly above where the fish are showing on your sonar. Bluegills and crappie will come up a short distance to hit your jigs but will almost never swim down to hit something you are soaking near the bottom if they are suspended above it.
**Watch the reports and use the PM function to contact other successful anglers to invite yourself along. And if you are shown a honey hole do not bring all your buddies along the next day. **
Also, be respectful of other anglers on the ice. If you see someone doing well, do not assume they are anxious to have a new close friend. They probably have a small school of fish located and have waited them out until they began biting. If you tromp over to them and start drilling holes next to them you will ruin their fishing and you won’t do much either.
When the fish are biting…and even when they’re not…there can be a big crowd in some areas. You have the option of looking for less crowded conditions and finding your own action. Just because there are a lot of people doesn’t always mean there are a lot of fish being caught. Some folks fish the same spots the same way all season long. Sometimes they catch fish and often they don’t catch anything. Misery loves company.
You are better off to learn several different spots with good potential and to keep moving around until you find active fish. The more pressure there is on an area the less likely there will be suicidal fish hanging around…or that they will bite.
Simple? Yes. Easy? Nope.
Maybe in early december, we can organize a group and get you out of your jinx. Lets see how the weather is. I don’t think it will ice over till EO Dec.
Those of you that use the Haddon sonar, what size and color. I’ve tried a few in the past (had to take what was left on the shelf) with no luck.
As soon as the Ice is there, its good for a while. Last year I caught a Cat Fish in Provo boat harbor Ice fishing and was the only fish I caught all last winter on UT Lake, Ha ha.
Those of you that use the Haddon sonar, what size and color. I’ve tried a few in the past (had to take what was left on the shelf) with no luck.
The sonar type lures work well for the first week or so of the big whitie run. But after that you usually do better with more traditional jigs.
If you do get some “blade baits”, color is not nearly as important as location. If you are in the ZONE you can catch white bass on just about anything. But hot pink, chartreuse, white or silver combos all work well.
Over the years I have found a plain old nickle Kastmaster about as effective as anything. You can also jig a spinner. Lots of flash and vibration.
You should also have an assortment of 1 1/2" plastic tube jigs in pink, chartreuse, white, red and chartreuse, etc. They are also good to tip with worm or white bass meat and “dead stick” as your second rod while you jig with the hardware.
Once the first big wave of white bass is over they are not nearly as aggressive and competitive and the Sonar lures become more work than effective. But they do seem to be the choice of the happy harvesters for a brief period.
I have only ice fished the Provo boat harbor and it seems to get me every time, i will have to go try other places!
That sounds like a blast, when i finish getting my ice fishing stuff i will have to hit him up! and my family has a cabin up in scofield maybe when im going up there i will have to invite you for a thank you! you seem to know Utah lake pretty darn well, at least that is the vibes i get from your posts. always enjoy em. and i will definitely hit you up this winter.
TUBEDUDE! you are the man! from what i have read.. you know 99.9% about utah lake! i hope to have the smarts about that place oneday. and dont you worry, i can keep secrets.
You learn as you go…and as you learn from others. Still a lot to learn and I learn more on every new trip.
But, other than a few small spots that don’t need more pressure there are no real “secrets” about Utah Lake. A lot of generalities that will hold up almost any time. But it still takes some on the water experience to take it all in. That’s the fun part…the research.
Sonars seem to disappear as soon as the white bass slam the harbors. I have yet to buy one but I have seen them used quite a bit. You’ll see a lot of dudes out on the ice looking like they are setting the hook on a goliath tiger fish. In all actuality they are just jigging one of those sonars as hard as they can.
I’m with TD on this one. I have used ice flies, tube jigs (in the colors TD mentioned), and different jigging spoons tipped with worm or WB meat and all have produced. I have a tendency to use a jigging spoon more during early ice just because I like to use a bigger heavier bait when the fish are aggressive. My personal faves are swedish pimple, blue flox rattle flash spoon, and silver kastmasters.
Last year I was able to really put the hurt on some white bass through the ice on more than just a trip or two. It got to the point where I wouldn’t even show up with any bait. I would bounce a spoon on the bottom to stir up the mud and get a white bass. I would cut him up for bait and then tip my lures. I even got some bigger bluegill on large jigging spoons tipped with white bass meat.