10-19-2015, 03:38 PM
Friday looked like it might be the last of the warm weather for the year, so I set up with Aaron to go do a swing shift chasing kitties at Lincoln Beach. We were going to meet up about 5 PM when I caught a break. Work got out early, so I told Aaron I was headed out early and to call me when he got to the dock and I’d stop fishing and come pick him up.
I got to Lincoln about 2:30 PM and launched without any issues. There was one trailer in the parking lot. Somebody else hadn’t gone on the deer hunt. The channel showed 1 foot under the sonar. Water temp was almost 67 degrees in the main lake, about 10 degrees cooler than the air. The water was almost like glass as I headed for the island. I could see 2 small boats and 8 or 10 waders off the point. It should be walleye time, but with water temps still pushing 70 and the reports I had heard from yesterday I was excited to catch lots of cats.
As I approached the island I saw some surface activity, both carp and smaller fish. I threw a jig and fly rig at several rings and soon had a pair 10” whites for fresh bait. Everything was working out just as planned. I cut a couple pieces or WB and started slow dragging for cats. My hopes were soon cooler than the air. After 45 minutes I had only one tentative inquiry. I worked along the west side, then headed east along the north side. At 90 minutes of fishing I had another tap and after waiting some time set the hook. The fish was on for only a few seconds and then just let go. I pulled that line in and changed the bait to carp meat, just in case they wanted something different today.
At about 2 hours I was just turning south to work the east side when the Carp meat line pulled free of the release. After waiting for another tug I hooked a decent kitty. I got a good tussle due to the warm water and boated a 23” cat. A nice start, but it was now almost 5 and Aaron had just texted to tell me he was at the dock. He was traveling light so he agreed to meet me at the end of the north jetty to save two slow trips along the channel. When I got to the jaws He started loading is stuff and said he had caught 2 whites casting a spinner while he waited, but they were only 5” long so he let them go. “Let them go, those are perfect bait size!” I said.
We move off the point and in the next 15 minutes we got about a dozen whities from 4-6” long. Then we headed back out to the west side and started dragging our “perfect” baits. Again the activity level was very disappointing. After an hour we had no more cats. We were getting more inquires but they always gave only a few tugs on the bait and let go. Aaron managed to keep entertained as he kept throwing his spinner. By dark we still had only the one cat, but he had 6 more 10” whites.
We went through a dead period as it transitioned from dusk to fully dark. The East wind started to pick up, fortunately it never got above 10 mph. We worked against it as we crossed the south side of the island and we had one fish on for a second and a couple more that popped and dropped. As we turned north along the east side I started wondering if we should change locations. It was pushing 8 PM and just before I was ready to call it and move, I got a solid hit and hooked another decent kitty. I had barely started reeling it in when Aaron went bendo on another. We landed both fish, both 22-23 inches and both on WB.
The next 3 hours we averaged just over 4 cats per hour, all on WB. It was just like I expected, only 4 hours late. Most of them were the new Utah Lake cookie cutters, 22-24 inches. I got one at 25 and the very last one of the night was 27”, a late bump for the contest. We released all the fish 24” or larger. For the night we tallied 14 channels, 8 adult and 15 young of the year WB and one mudder. Aaron claimed he had earned a study break after finishing midterms and he said this was just what he needed!
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I got to Lincoln about 2:30 PM and launched without any issues. There was one trailer in the parking lot. Somebody else hadn’t gone on the deer hunt. The channel showed 1 foot under the sonar. Water temp was almost 67 degrees in the main lake, about 10 degrees cooler than the air. The water was almost like glass as I headed for the island. I could see 2 small boats and 8 or 10 waders off the point. It should be walleye time, but with water temps still pushing 70 and the reports I had heard from yesterday I was excited to catch lots of cats.
As I approached the island I saw some surface activity, both carp and smaller fish. I threw a jig and fly rig at several rings and soon had a pair 10” whites for fresh bait. Everything was working out just as planned. I cut a couple pieces or WB and started slow dragging for cats. My hopes were soon cooler than the air. After 45 minutes I had only one tentative inquiry. I worked along the west side, then headed east along the north side. At 90 minutes of fishing I had another tap and after waiting some time set the hook. The fish was on for only a few seconds and then just let go. I pulled that line in and changed the bait to carp meat, just in case they wanted something different today.
At about 2 hours I was just turning south to work the east side when the Carp meat line pulled free of the release. After waiting for another tug I hooked a decent kitty. I got a good tussle due to the warm water and boated a 23” cat. A nice start, but it was now almost 5 and Aaron had just texted to tell me he was at the dock. He was traveling light so he agreed to meet me at the end of the north jetty to save two slow trips along the channel. When I got to the jaws He started loading is stuff and said he had caught 2 whites casting a spinner while he waited, but they were only 5” long so he let them go. “Let them go, those are perfect bait size!” I said.
We move off the point and in the next 15 minutes we got about a dozen whities from 4-6” long. Then we headed back out to the west side and started dragging our “perfect” baits. Again the activity level was very disappointing. After an hour we had no more cats. We were getting more inquires but they always gave only a few tugs on the bait and let go. Aaron managed to keep entertained as he kept throwing his spinner. By dark we still had only the one cat, but he had 6 more 10” whites.
We went through a dead period as it transitioned from dusk to fully dark. The East wind started to pick up, fortunately it never got above 10 mph. We worked against it as we crossed the south side of the island and we had one fish on for a second and a couple more that popped and dropped. As we turned north along the east side I started wondering if we should change locations. It was pushing 8 PM and just before I was ready to call it and move, I got a solid hit and hooked another decent kitty. I had barely started reeling it in when Aaron went bendo on another. We landed both fish, both 22-23 inches and both on WB.
The next 3 hours we averaged just over 4 cats per hour, all on WB. It was just like I expected, only 4 hours late. Most of them were the new Utah Lake cookie cutters, 22-24 inches. I got one at 25 and the very last one of the night was 27”, a late bump for the contest. We released all the fish 24” or larger. For the night we tallied 14 channels, 8 adult and 15 young of the year WB and one mudder. Aaron claimed he had earned a study break after finishing midterms and he said this was just what he needed!
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