uah lake crapies ????

[joevanoni]

Un fortunately I had to move so far away from Utah lake I cant fish it every day like I used to do. I would catch channels, muds whitebass, bluegill and sunfish. carp, and walleyes. an occasional perch, But never a crappie. and on my next visit I would really like to see if they are in there. Any one place better than another to find some crapies in that lake??. Thanks in advance for any info. Joe.
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[joevanoni]

I guess I will answer my own post. Found tons of pictures of big Utah lake crappies, cant wait to get a big mess to eat. If I cant catchem no one can.
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[Flyfishinglover]

I've only caught them in the harbors by the docks. Never tried to adventure out. I use orange scuds on a fly rod if that helps out []. Gotta remember these days most of those people are lurkers that made it to 300+ views.
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[joevanoni]

Thanks.
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[SkunkedAgain]

If Pat (Tubedude) sees your post he will probably be a good source of locations on Utah Lake, but if they are like Cutler crappie they move around a lot and crappie are usually where you find them... Look for minnow hang outs they seem to like the minnows... and once you find them, then it will change from hour to hour... I usually find them in schools moving through where I fish.. Good luck... J
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]Crappies are not at their best in Utah Lake these days. During the past years of higher water there was plenty of shoreline reeds and deeper water in the harbors. That was ideal for crappies to spawn and have cover. The past three years have seen lower water...with no shoreline reeds and with water in the harbors being shallower than they like. Results: poor spawning and recruitment...lower numbers and smaller fish.

There are still crappies in the lake but they are not schooled up around reed islands or under docks in the numbers of years past. You can luck into individuals or small schools here and there but they are tough to find. Once the lake gets full again, and remains full for more than a year, there will be a new crop and they will be more abundant.

Even with the low water the best place to search for crappies is around the docks in the harbors. They have an affinity for structure and overhead cover. So even in skinny water they will search out the best possible habitat. You just need to be more quiet in your approach and not stomp on the docks while fishing for them. Or, if approaching the docks on ice, keep your footfalls quiet and drill holes next to the docks as quietly as possible. Even then the fish may move out for a while and you might need to wait for them to return and settle down.

When the lake level becomes a little bit higher, and the water warms to about 60, crappies move in closer to the shorelines of the harbors...for spawning. They look for underwater brush, rocks or other structure for their nests. They prefer thick stands of reeds or flooded brush but not much of that around Utah Lake. And after the phragmite eradication program there is even less.

Two of the better fishing spots for crappies outside the harbors are south of the mouth of the Provo River...and north of Lindon Harbor around the mouth of Battle Creek. Both of these areas have lots of reeds and if the water comes up enough they draw crappies.

The crappies in Utah Lake seldom reach "slab" proportions. A 12 incher from Utah Lake is a monster. A ten incher is a big one. Average is even smaller. But a few in the upper ranges can provide enough fillets for some fish tacos.

Good luck and hope the lake fills this year. That will make it better for all species.
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[wagdog]

Pat's given you the details. It has been a rough few years for crappie with decent (~10 inches) size at Utah Lake. There are some but they (for me at least) are few and far between. Most of them seem to be 7-9 inches. About 4 years ago I could steadily catch crappie that were 8-9 inches and healthy and not just during the spawn or through the ice. I have personally landed only one 12 incher from Utah Lake but this was years ago when the water levels were staying higher and the fish had more to feast on.

I have always been able to catch crappies around docks in Utah Lake through the ice. Sometimes it is one or two. Sometimes I would get as many as I felt like cleaning.

I lucked out years ago (and I have never had this happen to me again) where I punched one hole and found a school of crappie about 3 feet under the ice. The funny thing was (and I believe Pat mentioned this), I wasn't catching them one after another for about 10 minutes. People were walking out onto the main lake and using the docks to do that. After about 10 minutes of no noise around the docks, it was fish on every drop until I got tired. Here's to hoping the lake fills up and stays high enough to facilitate a good spawn for all species.
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[doggonefishin]

I agree with the others that between the low water and also the phragmites abatement, the crappie are down a fair bit, but there are still quite a few out there. I dont think they get as much pressure as some other species there. I did well for them last year and this winter (such that we've had) on the hard deck.

In addition to the spots you've been told, also look for stands of phragmites in about 3-5 ft of water, and fish the edges. These spots are crappie magnets.

Oddly, enough, the biggest crappie I've ever caught came out of UL. I caught it on a big old worm under a bobber, when I was targeting catfish at Lincoln beach.
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