04-05-2008, 03:48 PM
You know that the fishing is terribly slow, that the water is too cold and the fish are simply not biting, but you convince yourself that either you can catch fish when no one else can or that the conditions have changed and the bite is on.
With all the turmoil about the walleye showing up in the DWR's nets we decided to take the boat and go down Friday.
It was late morning when we arrived and there were 6 or 7 trucks with boat trailers behind in the parking lot, as we had expected. The Utah state parks ranger told us that the fishing had been very slow, but lots of walleye and a couple of northerns showed up in the gill net samples. The vast majority, he stated, were male walleye.
After the BS session we hit the water about 11:30 trolling north along the shoreline. Water temp was 40-41 degrees. Way to cold for good fishing.
We trolled and cast lures from the launch ramp at Oasis all the way to painted rocks and the nearby island arriving there at 4:30. We did not have a single strike. We were concentrating our efforts on northerns, but thought we might pick up a walleye or a trout. This was not to be the case.
There was a slight breeze across the water making it necesary to have a jacket on.
This is the third time I have fished Yuba this year without a bite. An intelligent man would quit until the warmer waters of May, but not me. I don't seem to learn.
I believe Yuba will be a very good fishing hole when the water warms up 10 degrees or so in May. The walleye and perch fishery should be excellent. The rainbow fishery is pretty much history. The majority were caught out and many probably died with the low warm waters of August or at least that is the theory of the UDWR.
I think the northern fishery will remain about the same with a few taken by anglers who target them. The few that showed up in the states nets were small,(18 to 20 inches) but there are, no doubt, some real trophies in there.
Having said all of this, I will probably return again, before the warmer waters of May, simply because I don't have better sense and the sirens call becons me back to pursue the elusive northern well before they are ready. Besides I don't have anything better to do while I wait for the other lakes and reservoirs to give up the ice. Keep the wind to your back.
As a footnote, no one else that we spoke to had caught any fish. In fact none had so much as a bite. The DWR had a net in the shallows of North Beach for 3 hours and when they pulled it there were 17 male walleye in the net and yet the guys fishing right there in that area couldn't buy a bite.
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With all the turmoil about the walleye showing up in the DWR's nets we decided to take the boat and go down Friday.
It was late morning when we arrived and there were 6 or 7 trucks with boat trailers behind in the parking lot, as we had expected. The Utah state parks ranger told us that the fishing had been very slow, but lots of walleye and a couple of northerns showed up in the gill net samples. The vast majority, he stated, were male walleye.
After the BS session we hit the water about 11:30 trolling north along the shoreline. Water temp was 40-41 degrees. Way to cold for good fishing.
We trolled and cast lures from the launch ramp at Oasis all the way to painted rocks and the nearby island arriving there at 4:30. We did not have a single strike. We were concentrating our efforts on northerns, but thought we might pick up a walleye or a trout. This was not to be the case.
There was a slight breeze across the water making it necesary to have a jacket on.
This is the third time I have fished Yuba this year without a bite. An intelligent man would quit until the warmer waters of May, but not me. I don't seem to learn.
I believe Yuba will be a very good fishing hole when the water warms up 10 degrees or so in May. The walleye and perch fishery should be excellent. The rainbow fishery is pretty much history. The majority were caught out and many probably died with the low warm waters of August or at least that is the theory of the UDWR.
I think the northern fishery will remain about the same with a few taken by anglers who target them. The few that showed up in the states nets were small,(18 to 20 inches) but there are, no doubt, some real trophies in there.
Having said all of this, I will probably return again, before the warmer waters of May, simply because I don't have better sense and the sirens call becons me back to pursue the elusive northern well before they are ready. Besides I don't have anything better to do while I wait for the other lakes and reservoirs to give up the ice. Keep the wind to your back.
As a footnote, no one else that we spoke to had caught any fish. In fact none had so much as a bite. The DWR had a net in the shallows of North Beach for 3 hours and when they pulled it there were 17 male walleye in the net and yet the guys fishing right there in that area couldn't buy a bite.
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] LOL Fished deep and fished shallow - 5-10 ft. We only had one bite all day and a 24"+ pike broke off at the boat. Tried to find some perchies to play and everything has lock jaw right now. Found them & watched them come and check the jig off the bottom but no bite. Several boats out and quite few bank fishermen and I did not see any fish caught. Come on sunshine!