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[#0000FF]Wanted to go fishing...but not with 10,000 of my new best friends...over the holiday weekend. And Friday is the new Saturday, so I double checked the weather this morning and boogied for Lincoln Beach.
Air temp 47 and water temp 60 at 6:30 am launch. A cool shifting breeze kept the water temp about the same all morning. Still need some more warm.
Didn't pack any minnows or meat today. Loaded my tube pockets with plastics and cranks. Took a dozen crawlers for sweetener. In light of the walleye psychology I preach I told myself I was gonna fish only for white bass today...hoping I might luck into a suicidal walleye or two.
Well, I got what I sought...white bass. But I didn't get what I wanted...walleye. Water color was good and I saw quite a few fish on sonar. The onliest ones that bit, however, were white bass. Oh yeah, I did get one major chomp...followed by headshakes and some good tugs. But it turned out to be a walleye with whiskers...even without the minnows.
Most of the white bass were scattered. No real big schools. I did hit a couple of "zones" with lots of hits and even a couple of doubles on my tandem jig rig.
I started fishing out off first spring and worked down toward the L. Ran out of fish and bites before I got there so I went back to where the best action had been...hoping there would be some toothy critters hanging around the smaller "groceries". Nay, not so.
When the forecast southerly breezes did a flip and started huffing from the northwest I figured what little action I had been enjoying was over. And it was. Mostly. I worked all the way back to the channel entrance and only caught one or two more white bass.
I decided to try a few casts around the points and maybe down into the shallow flats south of the dikes. A bank tangler fishing off the end of the south dike had caught a few mudders and a couple of channels. But no white bass or anything else. I got no love there either and moved south.
Once I got into about 4.5 feet of water I started getting bit again. This time the whites were larger 10 to 12 inchers...rather than the 6-9 inchers off the springs. They fought hard enough to almost fool me a couple of times. Almost.
No other species wanted to play. But I did see one carp clump...and a few splashers out in the main lake. The water temp staying low seemed to keep the frisky fraternity out of the shallows.
Guessing I caught about 40ish white bass. Kept a dozen or so for the sis-in-law. Down payment on the next batch of cookies.
Only saw a couple of boats go out today. One went to Bird Island but only lasted a while and then headed down below the orchards.
Fishing died off and the breeze got pesky just before noon so I cranked up my 40# thrust electric motor, got my tube up on plane and rocketed back to the ramp. Yeah right. In my dreams.
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Awesome report Tubedude....last year there was a discussion about the state of the wb population in UL, do you think that it has recovered somewhat?
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[#0000FF]The first low water year of 2012 messed up the food supply of the white bass and reduced their spawning and feeding habitat. A lot of them were skinny going into the winter and did not survive until spring. There was a bit hit to the population.
Plenty survived and found enough food to eat, and there was a decent spawn last year...even in the lower water levels. But it takes a while for the numbers and sizes to come back up.
There are more reports this spring of people catching white bass again, but most are still a bit smaller than we would like. Average is about 9 to 10 inches with lots of smaller ones and only a few in the 12 inch or larger size.
White bass are like perch...they eat their own young and if they have a poor spawn they don't have a lot to eat...except baby carp before they get too big for a white bass to swallow. And carp grow fast.
With low white bass numbers the fish have had to live off midge larvae, leeches and other invertebrates. But, they are surviving. And once this year's crop of baby white bass emerge they will be dining well again. Hope to see more footlongs by the end of the year.
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My family and a couple neighbors sure have had a great time pulling in the white bass this year. In the evenings, the mouth of the Provo River has been great. Most are in the 8-10 inch range but a few are a little bigger.
One thing I did notice though, is most of the WB were males. Is that typical? Do the males move in first and then the females?
Last night I noticed some fish rising for flies in the harbor, so tonight I thought I would try a little fly with my fly rod and see what will slurp it down.
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TD-- That was me and crew that headed for Bird Island this morning. Missed your floating Cabelas tube or I would have done a full throttle tight circle around you just to see if you could catch me in your 40# thrust electric.
Caught a half dozen or so at the island and then it died. Went to the orchard and, like you, caught a bunch of 6-8 inch wb. The 4 1/2 foot deep water seemed to be where they were hanging out. Kept a couple dozen for future bait and headed in. The gent on the end of the launch channel wanted a few bass so we gave him a half dozen or so. Also picked up a couple of cats in front of Benji sough before the southerly breezes coming out of the north west discouraged us.
Will get 'em tomorrow if the wind stops blowin'.
BLK
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[#0000FF]White bass are like teenage humans. The eager boys all show up at the party first. The girls usually hang out some place else until they are ready to "dance".
Today I was catching almost all males along the rocks...where the spawning will likely take place. But when I moved to some shallower water...near midge laden mud bottom...I got into some females...and still a few males.
The surface risers could be either bluegills or small crappies. Might be some white bass but the first guess is probably closer.
After about the end of July...when the baby white bass are just over 2" long...the surface of some harbors will look like a rainstorm. The little whities come up at daybreak to munch all of the midges and other bugs that have fallen into the water at night. A good time to catch a bunch on small flies and freeze for bait. Cats and walleyes love them.
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[#0000FF]I wondered if that might be you guys heading for the island. I guess I shoulda goosed the big motor and followed you out. But today was a non-cat day. I ain't all twitterpated about catching a yardstick kitty.
But, this fall I will do at least one or two "gorilla floatillas"...rigging and fishing only for beasts.
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I'd like an invite to those flotillas -- sounds fun.
Went back out to Lincoln this a.m. and fished around the Benji slough. Did well draggin' a slap of carp meat. Best of six or seven was a 27 incher -- lots of love/battle scars starting to show on 'em. Major carp orgy going on in the shallows. Water temp up a couple from yesterday to 64 degrees. Time to get serious!
BLK
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[#0000FF]Just stay in touch by PM. Usually just a few cat-nuts getting together for some hand-to-fin combat. Best time for fall bigguns is from about the middle of September through October...depending on weather and water temps. Of course you would be welcome to lend immoral support.
That pic is of a love-happy daddy cat fer sure. Over the years we have seen some pics of some nasty old black kitties that look like road kill refugees. A lot of those come from the rock piles around Lincoln Beach and out off Bird Island...where they rassle in the rocks a lot.
Lemme pose a question to ya. How would you compare the tussle of a he-male cat with a lady kitty of similar size? I have had some of those big headed dudes really put up a fierce battle but others that just dogged (catted) it. I suspect that the time relative to the spawn is important. After they are wasted from the throes of love they probably don't have as much energy. But later in the summer and into fall they are recharged and bodacious.
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TD-- Can't say that I have noticed a big diff betwixt boys and girls.(What!?) I've caught a few cats that I figgered were surely 20 plus pounders only to show up as not much more than cookie cutters. I do think the big males have more of a tendency to go airborne for their first series of head shakes. I've seen a few of them come out of the water like a rainbow trout at the first sting of the hook.
I'm sure I don't "feel" cats the way you do cuz I use some industrial strength gear -- 12-14 # test line and stiff rods. I do enjoy the tussle with a big cat and some of those big ol' males really seem to have some good defensive moves. Without a good drag set they have no trouble breaking my heavy lines.
Now I've got one for you: I was draggin' a slab of carp around today, and sometimes a half of a white bass. Some of the hits were really wicked and I still (as usual) missed a lot of them. I remember you describing a plastic spoon handle you taped to your secondary rod that would hold and release your line when a cat struck. I've tried a trigger pull at the moment they hit, and leaving my bail open so they could chomp a bit before I tried to set. Couldn't tell much difference. Do you let 'em run a bit by choice or do you hammer them when you first feel them? I'm still fine tuning my hook set but I do miss a lot of hits. I have been using a hook-behind-a-hook set up and that seems to help... sometimes.
I like cat fishin' but as I often say, "I ain't no Tube Dude." I'm always open to anybody who offers suggestions.
By the way, met some guys at the LB launch today who mentioned that they had been catching a few "blue cats" out in front of the orchards. See what I mean? I learn something every day about UL cats.
Good weather comin'!
BLK
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[#0000FF]I have had catfish of both genders come out of the water on the hookset. But that is usually in shallow water. They power for the bottom, bump their noses and reverse direction. Since the water is shallow they break the surface. Not a deliberate jump like trout. Although I have had lots of them do some rolling and splashing on the surface. Almost as bad as nasty ol' cutthroats. However, most cats keep on keepin' on until you scoop them. They are tough to convince that they should give up.
Your experience with missing hits while using bigger baits is not unusual. Even big kitties will often "grab and go"...holding on to one end of a big bait (the one without the hook"...especially if they feel some resistance on the other end. The two solutions I use are to (1.) use smaller baits and (2.) let them run a ways without resistance so they will stop and munch the whole thing.
For the most part, catfish are not finicky or line shy. I know guys who use some unholy rigs with a six inch snell hook hanging off a 4 ounce sinker tied directly to heavy braid line. And they catch cats, sometimes.
There are lots of folks who rig a sliding sinker rig to reduce the resistance a cat feels...but does not eliminate it. Usually the cats don't care. They are used to getting their groceries out of brush, rocks and other situations. Sinkers, swivels and heavy lines are no biggie.
Howsomever, I like the method of letting them move off a bit with an open bail. And there are days when I am certain that system adds fish to my count. There are times when even the slight pullback of the line release is enough to cause them to drop the bait and not return.
I'm attaching a couple of pics of line holders I use. My fave is the end of a plastic utensil...taped to the PVC rod holder tube. But I have improvised using a large paper clip too...both on the rod tube and even on my rod. You can rubber band the clip above the handle...or on the top part of the handle.
One of the keys is line placement inside the clip. It tends to hold the line tighter toward the end it is cinched down. So if you want a light release, tuck the line toward the front...and check it. But if you are drifting and your bait is catching on the bottom a lot, you will have to tighten the release to keep it from popping at ever bump in the road.
Another consideration is not to leave loops of line between your reel and the clip. Murphy's law will have that loop going over your reel handle or some other protuberance on the strike. Not good.
Finally, it is a good idea to still watch your rod tip. If you notice a "change in the force"...like a slight bounce...reach over and release the line yourself. Even a big kitty sometimes makes a wimpy first inquiry. If they get a "free ride" they are more likely to close the deal.
I use smaller hooks than most guys...unless I am using the bigger baits. But I always fish with the hook exposed. And when the fish is moving well I pick up the rod, close the bail, point the rod at the fish and wait for them to pull the line tight...and then I set the hook. This technique makes even a regular J hook act like a circle hook...pulling it into the corner of the fishes' mouths. A very high percentage of all my cats are hooked there. And if you try to just guess when to strike...without letting the line pull tight...you have at least a 50-50 chance that the fish is facing you and you will pull the bait out of their mouths without a hookset.
One other suggestion for fishing larger baits is to rig a double hook setup...like they do with big herring in salmon fishing. See attached pic. There have been days when I was missing most of the bites...even after a patient line running thing. When I rig up with the second hook that usually makes a difference. You can set the hook on the strike then with a decent expectation of success...and mostly mouth hookups.
About those "blue cats". They aren't officially in Utah Lake but folks have been catching them for over 50 years that I know of. Funny how those who catch them are never knowledgeable anglers...but are usually GOBs (good ol' boys)...or the inbred offspring of GOBs. I've had a few of those wackos...half my size...wanna fight me when I discreetly suggested that the big daddy cat on their stringer was a male channel cat and not a blue cat, or a "blue channel".
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When he said "bird-island" I had one thought, true that.
Not a bad daddy-cat there. Guess you're putting me back to work (but it's a HOLIDAY WEEKEND!)
Had made recommends to my OTHER employer to hold some transitional work, so if it pitches a fit - I don't need bothered while I'm on a break. Gotta get the boat rolling, um - er - floating - so'as I can git finding some toads of my own.
I'm sure TD got his donation card signed. And don't mean to burst your bubble on generosity, but maybe not to advertise passing catches at the water. Isn't that a neiner? Guess they're just bait, right?
TD - least your fish finder was functional. Even if you didn't get to gaze into any purdy big-brown eyes.
Still wish we hat whitties up here. But I can wish...
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TD-- Good info and always appreciated.
I was on the water today and noticed that the carp clusters were blooming everywhere. Time to get some more fresh bait.
Yote-- Thanks for the reminder about sharing my catch with others. I know that it is eelegal to donate fish to another person but I never gave it a thought at the time. My bad. However, as I review the act at this time, the fish I donated were mistakenly identified.... they were actually small carp.
Anyway, thanks for the heads up. I shall be more discreet in any future indiscretions.
Now let me give you a heads up: You are wasting too much time at work. Take the time you need this weekend and get your dam boat ready so you can get out after the bigguns. They are out there waiting for you....maybe even a 29 incher but probably nothing over 30 inches that far north.
Its gonna get better every day now.
BLK
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Thanks Pat that was some great tips... Appreciate them..J
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Yall are both better fishermen than I, but....line holder clips...
This year ice fishing I had an idea. I zipped a small zip tie around my rod down by the reel, below the little hook-keeper clip, and clipped it off about 1-1/2" long. You can open your bail and hook the line around that. You can even rotate it, modifying it's position, and thereby the amount of "tug" it takes to free the line. You can also curl it a bit with your thumb and it'll hold line as snug or loose as you want it.
I used this while wiper fishing to get at least one good bob of the rod tip, but then allow the fish to take off.
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As I related in another thread, I put a catfish rig out while having my lunch aboard my kayak this week. Instead of a line clip, I backed the drag of my spinning reel almost to zero. When Mr Whiskers took off with my worm, I heard the "drag" clicking its lovely tune. I simply grabbed the spool when it was time to set the hook, and held one finger of my holding hand against the lip while I turned the drag setting a turn or so tighter. It was a bit of a juggle, but only for a couple of seconds - during which time I couldn't have been cranking much, anyway.
I use a Kahle-style hook on that rig, and it seems to act almost like a circle hook by sliding to the corner of the mouth before sticking. Its long shank also holds a lot of worm length as a bonus.
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[#0000FF]It mattereth not what setup or system one uses to allow a bait munching fish to have some line before smacking them. I first learned the basic principle while "fly lining" live anchovies for bonito, barracuda, yellowtail and bass off the boats in southern California. The idea was to let the fish run a few feet and then close the bail and set the hook.
In earlier days in Utah, there was no two pole permit. If I fished bait it was on one rod...held in my hand. And if I was dragging the bait around behind my tube I would simply leave the bail open on my spinning reel and hold the line with my forefinger. When a fish took the bait I felt it instantly and released the line.
When it became legal to use two rods in Utah, I liked to drag a bait on one rod while casting jigs or cranks with another. To allow the fish to take line...while still keeping it from peeling off otherwise...I tried a lot of different things. One effective ploy was putting a wrap or two of the loose line around an empty drink can. It was light enough that a biting fish would pull it straight and take the line easily. That is if the can didn't slip down in my lap and get lodged so that it would not release the line.
That method with the empty can still works for bank tangling or boat floating. It also works for ice fishing if you are soaking a minnow or whole crawler. The added bonus is that the can makes some noise when it tips over...hopefully from a fish and not from the wind.
I have gone through a whole evolutionary process of messing with different kinds of clips too. Some on the rod. Others on the PVC rod holder. The end piece from a plastic utensil seems to work the best with the least amount of complications.
Bottom line is that there is no universal system that will work for everybody under all conditions. But whatever serves to allow you to feed line to the fish and still set the hook on a high percentage is the right thing for you.
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