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Hi Y'all,
I'm normally just a "lurker" who enjoys reading the posts and reports, but rarely post myself.
However...
I will be joining a group of friends to do some waterfowl hunting near Myton this weekend. My buddy and I are currently dying of boredom, and are considering heading over this afternoon to do some fishing at Pelican Lake.
The problem is this. We are both trout fishermen and have done very little (none, actually) fishing for warmwater speices.
Also, neither of us have ever been to the lake.
Any info that can be shared or where, when, and how to fish. And also what we can expect (or hope) to catch, would be very much appreciated.
Also, I dont know if any of you guys are waterfowlers. I guess we will be on some private land very near Myton on Sat and Sun.
But are there any public land spots near the lake, or surrounding areas, that might hold some birds ?
Any info will be helpful...
Thanks
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Pelican holds some nice largemouth bass and bluegill. I'm not sure if there is anything else in there. I've never been there, but many people here on the board have, and often post reports.
I suspect the bass fishing will be slow due to cold weather, but you might find bluegill in deeper water. There are some big ones there. Use small jigs tipped with worm or waxworm, or berkley power bites or something like that, fished still or slow.
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Hey thanks for that cat-man. Has anyone fished there recently ?
Since I made the original post, I have been searching the web for anything I can find on the lake.
In surfing I found this report:
[url "http://www.waterquality.utah.gov/watersheds/lakes/PELICAN.pdf"]http://www.waterquality.utah.gov/watersheds/lakes/PELICAN.pdf[/url]
Man, it makes me wonder if its even worth going. At 1 point in the report it says, "The trophy bluegill fishery declined and eventually dissappeared".
Man what a bummer ! I have never caught or eaten a bluegill, but one of the hunters in the group is a chef and says that they are his favorite freshwater fish. He wanted us to keep a bunch and have a fish fry when he got there, but I'm now wondering if that is even possible...
I am interested in the fact that there is a waterfowl refuge downstream from the lake.
Sounds like there must be alot of birds over there...
Thanks again
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[cool]Hey pinksnapper, welcome to the board! I don't know how old that report is (since there didn't seem to be a date on it), but my guess is that it's a few years old.
While the lake might not be a "trophy" bluegill lake like is once was, it's still pretty darn good fishin' for them. Several people on this board ice fished it last winter (and reported on it too). If you go up to the top of the page you will see a "SEARCH" icon. Click on it and type in Pelican for your keyword. Good luck, and don't forget to tell us how you do out there!
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Hey out4trout, thanks for the tip on the search icon, never knew you could do that.
I was a bit disturbed on what I found though...
Pea Soup ? Swimmers itch ?? PARASITES IN THE FLESH ???
I'm not sure that this sounds like a good place to go.
Can you eat the fish out of there ?
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You can hunt Pelican lake as well as some of the units on the Ouray refuge. Also the green river can be good at times.
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The parasites can be unappetizing, however they will not harm you (according to the DWR). Not all fish have them either. As long as you properly cook the fish, you have nothing to worry about. Also, as long as you don't go swimming or float tubing without waders on, you won't get swimmers itch either.
Personally, I'd pass on eating any fish with the parasites in the flesh. My upchuck reflex might kick in.
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[cool][#0000ff]About half of the fish you keep will have at least a few of the small white grubs in the flesh. They are not harmful to humans, but they are definitely unappetizing. You can cut them out, cook and eat them or discard the fish. It is virtually impossible to tell from the outside whether or not a fish has them. You have to fillet them to find them.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]That's the downside. The upside is that the bluegills in there regularly exceed 10 inches and a pound in weight. Not bad. The largemouths are common under 2 pounds and may top six. Both can be taken on small plastics or other jigs. In warmer weather, flyrodding is also effective.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]This time of year the fish school up around springs or underwater structure. You need a sonar to find them, but once you find them you can usually catch a few. Look for them out in the middle areas, and not in close, where they hang out in warmer months.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Small jigs with a piece of worm will get both bluegills and bass in the cold months. You can also jig small silver Kastmasters, with or without worm on it.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]When the lake "is on", everybody catches fish. When it is in a transition stage...going from cold to ice covered, it can be more difficult. Even the "experts" can have a tough time if the timing is wrong or if you can't find the small schools of fish.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]No pea soup this time of year. That happens in the late summer when the water is warm and there is a lot of agricultural runoff. The swimmers itch is an organism that will affect you only if you go swimming without waders. Not recommended this time of year.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Have fun and good luck.[/#0000ff]
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