Pineview Perch Report

[Cowboypirate]

Oh man the Perch, Crappie and Bluegill fishing at Pineview is still insane (if you get there before the powerboats start churning the water)

This time Cookie wanted to get up early and try for a Crappie smack down like I had the week before. We opted to try off the South side of the narrows for a change up (about where the main lake starts into the narrows). The location was more sandy and flooded willows (vs the rocky section I fished last week). Not a lot of Crappie but man oh man were the perch stark raving mad. We could not get a jig past the willows without it getting slammed by a perch. I doubt it would have mattered what we fished with but for sake of the report - we started with a modified dropshot with a 1/16 yellow jighead on the bottom (just a worm - no plastic) for panfish and a VR dropshot hook up about 16 inches with smallmouth plastic (paddle tails and curl tails) above. We ended up just taking the dropshot hook off cause the small jig would get slammed so fast that we could not  get anything a chance to see the bigger bait.

If you got kids that you want to get hooked on outdoors and fishing - go take them on a perch run - its a hoot. (Or heck go yourself - its still a hoot)

I will say the size was up from last year. Nothing really big, but better length. If they fill out they will be nice fillets later this year. We did catch dinks too and lots of them, but it was nice to see some length on a bunch that said hello.

Oh and no matter what Cookie says in the video - I did not mess up both poles.

https://youtu.be/Op86s8JUEhg

[Jig-fisher]

Fast and furious on those little buggers.  Nice report and fun video.

[Gone Forever]

Nice.
How is that path up and down? Think a fat guy in his 60's could get a Fat Cat tube down and back up?

[wiperhunter2]

I know that spot, pretty steep hike out, pretty amazing all the pan fish you are finding in that brush, looks like we will have to give it a try.

[RockyRaab2]

Very nice video, my friend.

[Cowboypirate]

Nice.
How is that path up and down?  Think a fat guy in his 60's could get a Fat Cat tube down and back up?

That trail is pretty steep. Although a tube in and out of those willows would be a hoot, I am not sure I would want to lug my tube up and down that trail. It's not horrible, but that last 30 ft is real steep.

I think if I was lugging a tube I would try one of access points on the east end. We were getting a lot of gills and perch in the flooded weeds back in the bays and there are some real nice access points to float your tube. Great  area where you can float with the pelicans.

[Gone Forever]

Thanks for the input. I see on maps that there are 5 distinct parking pull offs in that area. Do any have a path that is better than the others? By East end do you mean by Middle Inlet? It looks like the water is high enough to get to the brush beds north of Cemetery point or 500N, 7100 E, is that correct?

[Cowboypirate]

You can access flooded brush from about any of those access points you mention, right now. We fished middle bay on the north side of it. I know they have been getting panfish off browing point, rattlesnake and cemetery, too. I think if you find find flooded cover, you will find panfish makn bacon or hiding from water wolves - either way they will bite.

---

Thanks for the input.  I see on maps that there are 5 distinct parking pull offs in that area.  Do any have a path that is better than the others?  By East end do you mean by Middle Inlet?  It looks like the water is high enough to get to the brush beds north of Cemetery point or 500N, 7100 E, is that correct?

 
Spring Creek is the one we fished a couple weeks ago. If it's still flooded, the trail in is great for a tube

[Gone Forever]

Thanks for all the advice. Maybe I can get up there Monday.

[Springbuck1]

Cool.  That means thy should still be in the brush up at Hyrum, and maybe Deer Creek, too.

[Cowboypirate]

Cool.  That means thy should still be in the brush up at Hyrum, and maybe Deer Creek, too.

Echo for sure

[RockyRaab2]

Yup, I was swarmed by perch at Echo last week. East side, north of the swim area, there's a lone little dead tree sticking up a few feet from the rocks, and it was stacked with perch. Would be a great place to park a kid and watch the fun!

(I know this comes perilously close to "hot spotting" but in truth that whole side of Echo was teeming with smallies and perch.)

[kristopher.lightfoot]

Looks like I'm going to have to take a trip up there tomorrow morning. Thanks for the report.

[MWScott72]

East side of Echo south of the boat launch was money last night anywhere there was flooded brush. Started fishing at 6pm and the perch were all over my jig / worm combo until 8pm then they stopped like turning off a switch. Most were 6" or less, but did catch 3 between 8-9" and one dinky 8" walleye. After the perch stopped, I started hitting the edges of the brush with the same yellow 1/16 oz jig with a 2" white curly tail. The smallmouth did not disappoint. Probably caught 20 and lost another 8 or 9. Avg size was around 11", but did hook a couple that were 12-13 and 1.5 lbs or so. Really fun on an ultralight, but I I lost many because I couldnt set the hook hard enough to keep it in.

Filled a quart bag with fillets...looking forward to some more ceviche soon!

[Cowboypirate]

East side of Echo south of the boat launch was money last night anywhere there was flooded brush.  Started fishing at 6pm and the perch were all over my jig / worm combo until 8pm then they stopped like turning off a switch.  Most were 6" or less, but did catch 3 between 8-9" and one dinky 8" walleye.  After the perch stopped, I started hitting the edges of the brush with the same yellow 1/16 oz jig with a 2" white curly tail.  The smallmouth did not disappoint.  Probably caught 20 and lost another 8 or 9.  Avg size was around 11", but did hook a couple that were 12-13 and 1.5 lbs or so.  Really fun on an ultralight, but I I lost many because I couldnt set the hook hard enough to keep it in.

Filled a quart bag with fillets...looking forward to some more ceviche soon!

Looks like Echo treated you really well. The high water levels in Northern Utah are creating some fun fishing opportunities

[MWScott72]

Yes - thanks for that initial report as it inspired the trip!

[Springbuck1]

Well, I went and tried it for a couple hours yesterday on a lark, and while I didn't cah a single fish I wanted to keep, it was about the fastest, easiest fishing I've ever had. 

I dropped off one of the steeper pull-outs on the south side close to the dam, and caught maybe close to a hundred perch, a bunch of bulleads, handfull of bluegills, some fat little green sunfish, a hybrid bluegill/greenie, a couple smallmouth, and about 40 crappies. 

 It was insane.  Just about anything got bit as long as it had the tiniest scrap of bait tipping it; worms, perch bits, Crappie Nibbles, any little Gulp grubs and minnows I had in my bag, etc.

I could have fileted the bass or bullheads, but didn't.  The perch ran 7-8", and the crappies about 7.

[JArner]

Thanks for all the great info and tips, looks like a trip for perch is in my near future.

[Cowboypirate]

Well, I went and tried it for a couple hours yesterday on a lark, and while I didn't cah a single fish I wanted to keep, it was about the fastest, easiest fishing I've ever had. 

I dropped off one of the steeper pull-outs on the south side close to the dam, and caught maybe close to a hundred perch, a bunch of bulleads, handfull of bluegills, some fat little green sunfish, a hybrid bluegill/greenie, a couple smallmouth, and about 40 crappies. 

 It was insane.  Just about anything got bit as long as it had the tiniest scrap of bait tipping it; worms, perch bits, Crappie Nibbles, any little Gulp grubs and minnows I had in my bag, etc.

I could have fileted the bass or bullheads, but didn't.  The perch ran 7-8", and the crappies about 7.

Kinda fun to run up the tally. Makes up for those days when they thumb thier nose at everything you toss in.

[packfish]

Hyrum is fishing well for perch , Good size if you get into the right school. Today was a limit 8" to a few at 11"- took me 3 spot changes to find them. . 2 days b4 none over 8".
Just have to deal with the skiers.  Bass fishing is pretty decent also. The water hasn't dropped a foot. The young perch/gill/bass fry hatch is in full swing. Caught a few nice trout today casting to them as they hit fry on the surface. That action was over by 8 am. I was off the water at 10:15 and fish filleted and bagged by 11 . Maybe search for gills tomorrow.