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[cool][#0000ff]Man, I gotta get a job as a weatherman. Always wrong but never fired. It was supposed to be windy this morning so we cancelled a trip to Starvation. Instead, we met up with (the new and improved) road at Lindon. Hardly recognized him with his neatly trimmed facial hair and a businessman's haircut. Was almost embarassed about fishing with him. Almost.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The wind has been blowing A LOT down there, and it had cooled and clouded the water. That pushed a lot of the fish out of the harbor that were in there last week. We were on the water by 6:30...water temp a cool 63 at the ramp. This was our first "wet" (waderless) tubing trip of the year and the water was definitely cool to the touch.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]All three of us worked around different spots in the harbor on our way out. A few light hits and a couple of bitty white bass were all we had to show for the first hour's casting. Nothing on dragged bait either.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The early northeast breeze died to flat calm slick just after 7. We kept waiting for the "big blow". Never happened all day. I guess the W gods didn't recognize road either. No complaints except the fish were slower than usual.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I caught several white bass on the trip north from the harbor entrance. Mostly on small plastics but a couple on minnows being dragged for walleyes or cats. I got into an area with a lot of carp on the surface and boinked a few of them just for exercise...mine and theirs. Fun fun...better than snoozing in boredom. Had one 8 pound carp slurp in my walleye plastic and gave me a great tussle. I was so grateful I put her in my basket and invited her home to the bait board.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]About 8:30 we all started getting bit. Road and I both lost walleyes on minnows at about the same time. Inexperienced fish. Didn't know how to hang on. TubeBabe landed a channel cat and lost a couple more. I banged a couple of bullheads and finally got a nice 23" cat...bookend to the one TubeBabe had just caught.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Then we all took turns exercising and turning loose some larger cats. TubeBabe and Road were fishing shallow and had a few big fish wrap them in the brush. I had a biggun that tried to strip all the line off my reel before just opening its mouth and spitting the hook.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]TubeBabe did manage to outfox a 27" 9.5# dark female channel cat that had her wrapped in the vegetation. She worked it loose and it turned out to be our biggest landed of the day.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Road ended up with the same 4 species I did...white bass, channel cats, bullheads and carp. Some of the channels were smaller than the bullheads.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]A northwest breeze came up just after ten and fishing died...as usual. Not a heavy breeze but it just shut down the action. We all kicked and fished our way slowly back inside the harbor, and around the harbor, without stickign another fish. Water temp was right at 70 when we hit the ramp about 1 PM.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]It was good to fish with Marty again. He seems to just about have his new Creek Company ODC 420 tube all figured out now. Says he put his pontoon up for sale since he plans to be doing a lot more tubing in his new ride.[/#0000ff]
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Very nice day!
Any idea how the the eye was that you lost? [cool]
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Good for Tube babe. YOu best be buying dinner for her tonight TD[  ]
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[cool][#0000ff]Got it up to the surface, near the tube. Looked like about 24" and 3 or 4 pounds. Fat and healthy. They are coming back in Utah Lake. A couple more years and we will have some good walleye fishing again.[/#0000ff]
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Yeah it was a fun day at the wind blown lake. The fish were active but not very friendly. They just didn't want to make the trip up the canyon for dinner ............. well most of them didn't want to make the trip.
As for TD ya should have seen him scramble after his golden trout. That big ole crap knew where the water was. Check out his basket and where he and his prize is at. I thought that big boy was goning home for a second.
Thought that after I went *corporate* the fish would spook. But nawwww they're the same ole fishys.
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Love the pics as always TD! Looks like you guys had fun out there.
Up here in Cache Valley it has been a slow spring compared to years' past. Hoping the action picks up some, will give it a try tomorrow over at Hyrum.
Gonna try those special jigs of yours!
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Fished Lindon today from about 2:30 until 6:00 pm. Fishing was slower for me than it has been. Very few fish on the finder. Caught one largemouth and kept the skunk away.
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I also hit Lindon today and met ice sled in his tricked out fish cat 4.
[inline "Ice Sled.jpg"]
I was there from about 2:00-5:30 and like TD said, the wind musta blown most of the fishies out of the harbor--didn't get so much as a nibble in there.
I trolled a minnow around a little and threw a little white and chartreuse Kastmaster. I eventually took off north of the harbor and ran into a monster whitie.
[inline "Massive White Bass.jpg"]
There were a few carp jumping around in the weeds but I wasn't able to get any to come out and play. I kicked back up to the spot where I caught mister whitie and caught a couple more of his friends along with one of those inexperienced walleyes that don't know how to hang on (about 14-16 inches I'd guess). I got him just feet away from the net...doh!
I woulda gone earlier this morning but I was waiting around for my buddy to get out of class and he ended up not being able to go anyway...next time. [ ] Fun time regardless and at least I kept the skunk away.
Nice to hear about your ODC 420 road...your setup looks familiar (thanks again, TD). I'm sure you'll love it!
It was nice to meet you ice sled. I'm glad ya found that largie--slow day in there today. Hope to see you out there again sometime.
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I gotta get my busy butt out there, heck after work im only 10 minutes away from there.
Very nice work TD.
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[cool][#0000ff]Hey Mr. Corporate, you're gettin' dangerous with that camera.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Too bad you weren't fast enough to get a shot of my fancy footwork...to head off that flopping buglemouth with my TD fish herding technique. Salt Lake's soccer team (?) would have been proud of me.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Since I haven't included my bow on any trips yet this year, I usually keep about one carp per trip for my magic act. This includes saying some "magic words" as I get covered with blood and scales while filleting and skinning the fish. Then, after performing some secret "slicing and dicing" motions, I make the prepared pieces disappear into the freezer until a subsequent fishing trip. The real magic happens when I transform the former carp into many catfish.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Good to share some water with ya again Marty.[/#0000ff]
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OK, you post pictures of TD, where are the pictures of your fish Marty? [crazy]
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Very nice. That big one of TubeBabe's was exactly the same size as the one I caught there on Saturday, 27 inches and 9.5 lbs. I had to horse mine out of the reeds as well. Your post is great, as usual. Keep them coming, they're the only things that keep me sane during the week. If I can't be there myself, at least I can live vicariously through everyone else's adventures.
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Nice fish there TB. Sounds like it was a good trip Come home with some dinner some more bait and not to much of the evil WW.
Road nice set up on the tube. It looks real great.
Majja
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Tube, that sounds like the day that Leaky and I had on the water yesterday by the airport. Leaky didn't catch up with me to get bait until late in the day and actually stuck it out with nightcrawlers all day. I used your carp meat and when I saw a big carp ball in the open, I actually dragged an empty jighead through a couple of them and snagged up some fresh bait. That butchering carp on the tube thing is sure a messy ordeal. [cool] But the cats certainly liked the meat... I got two around five pounds and one smaller one. I also wound up with a decent white bass and a HUGE mudcat. I haven't ever caught a mud that big. Leaky caught all mudcats, one white bass (I think) and a carp. For some reason, I missed a lot of fish early in the morning.... no bites until 9 when Leaky showed up. I lost a few jigheads to the weeds also... seemed like cattails were key early on and then the afternoon bite was anywhere along the weedline.... I certainly expected faster action, but I guess with all the wind action, they were just barely getting back to the whole "weedline" routine. I'll post up a report and some pics when I get home from the Depot tonight.
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[cool][#0000ff]I was wondering how the conditions would be where you were going. Based upon the action the two "reed huggers" (TB and road) were having, I figured you could at least find some fish. I only dunked a bobber briefly along one short stretch of reeds and did not get bit. I got my fish...and several other good bites...out in 5 feet of water.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]At first, I thought TubeBabes large cat was a male. It was very dark. But, it had a relatively smaller head, so I wasn't sure. However, when we filleted the fish for the smoker it was full of very ripe eggs. I suspect that spawning will take place over the next couple of weeks and then some of the fish will move back out.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]But, because the reed beds are also "grocery stores" for predators...with mice, crawdads, minnows, etc...the reeds will continue to be a good place to float a bobber until fall water temps begin to drop, around the first of September.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]In other words, there's a lot of good bobberin' left to do.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Oh yeah, on the carp thing. Glad you scored some more bait. Now you know why I bring the carp home (or to a filleting station) to fillet them for bait. With those large bones they are almost impossible to fillet with anything except a heavy electric knife. They are also very bloody and those scales get all over everything. Not a nice way to treat your float tube.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The carp I am keeping have all been big females and they are also still full of eggs. The carp spawn will also be going on for a while yet, for anyone who wants to ventilate a few with arrows.[/#0000ff]
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[  ]Tube Dude. You really have alot of good pointers. I may have talked to you for a bit last Saturday morning as you were coming off the water. Anyway, of all the 25 or so years of fishing for cats and fishing world tourney's for cats, this lake (Utah) has been the most frustrating for me not finding the channel cats. I have tried everything. I will be at Lindon harbor friday afternoon.... through the night.... and early Saturday. Both on a 14' alum. boat, and off the banks. In the last couple of months... [unsure]2 channels, and a 1000000 mud cats[mad].
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[cool][#0000ff]Welcome aboard and thanks for the kindly comments.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Wasn't me last Saturday. I couldn't get out that day. Most of our trips are midweek, when both schedules and weather cooperate.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Best fishing right now is next to the vegetation that rings most of the lake. The cats are in or next to the reeds, both spawning and feeding on the abundant food that uses the reeds for cover. Keep moving until you find fish. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Use a fairly large float, about 3' above a sharp hook or a jighead. Stay away from nightcrawlers and/or shrimp if you want to catch channels rather than mudders. The mudders will hit anything, but the big channels seem to be partial to fresh (skinless) carp meat or minnows...whole or chunked. They also like fresh pieces of white bass.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]You should use stout line and cast close to the cover. When your bobber goes down, haul back hard to get the fish away from the greenery. If you get tangled, move over the fish and be patient. Keep pulling and sometimes the fish will unwrap itself.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]There are miles of reed shoreline both north and south of Lindon. Much of it is kitty kitchen...and they can be found almost anywhere. If you don't get bit within a few minutes, pull anchor and move a few yards. Fish in the cuts and openings inside the reeds as well as out away from them a few feet. Some big fish cruise a ways away from the reeds.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Since you are a new member, chances are that you have not seen the PDF file I post periodically on Utah Lake Catfish. I will include it here, again. Hope you can get some good out of it. As you probably know, if you fish areund the country, all waters seem to have their own personalities and their little secrets. While Utah Lake is not a mystery, it does help to know where to go and how to improve your odds.[/#0000ff]
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Thanks again... Are you catching your bait, buying it, or both?
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[cool][#0000ff]Whoa! Nice picture in your avatar, but you need to downsize it. Maximum is 150 pixels. Let me know if you need help.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I can't recall the last time I bought bait...other than a box of crawlers when I am too lazy to stay up past my early bedtime to chase them on my lawn.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I use both chubs and redside shiners, which I get with minnow traps or cast nets. And, I also use carp meat that I have filleted, skinned and cut into strips. If there is one thing I have proven to myself over the years about Utah catfish it is that they prefer fresh bait to "prepared" bait...or any of the stinky concoctions that work on some of the midwestern or southern waters. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]If you can find a source for Utah suckers (not the protected June suckers), they make great catfish bait too. So do the large chubs from Jordanelle.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Probably one of the most overlooked baits for catfish on Utah Lake (and Willard) are yellow perch. They are both legal and effective. Keep the bitty perch where they are plentiful and limits generous. Freeze them and use them whole...for both walleyes and cats. Scale and fillet larger perck, leaving the skin on, and use whole strips or chunks. These are great on "bobber jigs".[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Two "commercial" baits that are good for cats are anchovies and mackerel. Sardines too, if you can find them fresh in the seafood market. Those ocean fishes are smelly and oily. Cats instinctively slurp them.[/#0000ff]
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wow Dude nice golden Walleyed pike. [  ] i can only hope you treated it with the upmost resecpt kindness [sly].. [ ]
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