Utah lake ice?

[JLTD]

Anyone get out on UL the last few days? How's the ice?
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[Fin-S-Fish]

That thickness of ice takes time to soften. Haven't been out for a few days but I'm fairly confident it's walkable, just stay away from the south facing docks sides to access the ice. Doubt you will find a ton of action, it's game over for whities in any numbers at this point. They never showed much for the ice this year anyhow. Well not in what I would call a significant number. lol
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[stinkbait79]

I fished AF harbor for about an hour before dark with no luck. 5" of ice around the docks. The ice was starting to break up out where it goes into the lake.
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[BHuij]

I've heard the white bass come in droves to the harbors when the main body of the lake isn't frozen over yet because it gives them shelter from the wind, etc, but what other factors might be contributing to them deserting the harbors now?

I'm just curious. Also, is AF harbor going to remain a good place to target panfish?
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[a_bow_nut]

[quote BHuij] but what other factors might be contributing to them deserting the harbors now?
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Lack of food.
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[wagdog]

When the harbors ice up the water clarity improves. White bass are sight feeders and will swarm the more clear water for food. Once they eat everything in sight OR the main lake caps, that's all she wrote. You can still find them here and there but not one or two every drop down the hole. That's the kind of white bass ice fishing I enjoy.
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[Fin-S-Fish]

Wagdog is right, as soon as main lake caps it's done for white bass. I'm sure some food remains as they eat a ton of daphnia which is throughout the lake even in winter. Main food in winter is cladocera. Found it in stomach analysis the most consistent. Have still found small young of the year perch and white bass as well. Can't fully explain why they do what they do….white bass and related wipers are a truly enigmatic fish. They are highly migratory and won't stay in one place for more than a day most commonly at most a week but that would be exceptional. Even if food is present and the water temp is warmer, they simply don't care. They won't stay. Hardest fish to pattern. Can be the easiest stupidest fish at times, can also be the toughest to find consistent. Whereas fish like lmb are smart but they do the same thing all the time during set seasons, so r easy to figure out. Wipers are even worse, patterns that set up may last for a few years at set times only to change entirely in the next several.

I doubt wind is a huge factor as they are pelagic fish and can take wind and current unlike bluegills and crappies and those type of lentic water species. Main thing to remember is here today gone tomorrow. That is just how a white bass thinks. Nothing will get them to stay except spawning and certain fall feeding patterns will set up and they will repeat during certain moon phase days. Even then they stay 3 days at most in large numbers. By large numbers I mean days where you can land 100 fish an hour. If you do find those days, don't bother to get too excited to go back the next day. Likely you will find two or three or commonly zero. They are miles away by then.

Whether AF remains good for other panfish is slim. It's got easy access and bluegills and crappies don't move a ton. When those fish are caught they are gone. There's an uncountable number and tonnage of bluegills and panfish on the main lake but they don't move from their phrag hideouts much. Soon the blues and crappies will be eradicated……that phrag is sprayed with the toxic glyphosate which is killing prime habitat and likely leaving toxin residues in fish. My secret hot panfish spots are dead now, no more phrag! I just go to mantua and pine view like everyone else.
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[Fin-S-Fish]

Btw, I wouldn't walk on UL after today without extreme careful testing. This is for sure warm enough to soften it up. Trust me, I fish 2 in of ice without hesitation.
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