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I may get over to Blue Lake while my wife plays in Wendover.
I have never been there before so will the fishing be any good this time of the year?
What should I use and can I fish from the shore or is it a lot better from a tube? [I need to pack light]
Any help will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, Dale.
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DKS,
That sounds like a lot of fun. It's my understanding that the water temp at Blue lake stays pretty consistant year round. I have only fished in the summer and spring, but I am planing to fish it soon. I know that in Mid Jan. to early March there have been reports of significant algae blooms. I have had the best luck with spinner baits and Rapalas. Good luck!
Clint.
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Is it possible if I have a wheel system to wheel my pontoon out to the lake?
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[cool][#0000ff]I haven't been there for awhile but I understand the "boardwalk" is still there, between the parking area and the water. Your 'toon wheeler should work jest fine. Beats dragging it that far.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff][url "http://www.utahdiving.com/bluelake.htm"]HERE'S A LINK[/url] to a divers' website on Blue Lake.[/#0000ff]
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I dont know about thanksgiving weekend, but I definately think a full on flotilla assault needs to happen there.
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I have heard that the fish have a hi mercury level an bad to eat, is this true ?
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I don't know about the mercury levels. Blue Lake is new to me. This will be my only chance to fish there. After Thanksgiving, I plan on parking my kister on the ICE somewhere!!!
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Leaky fishes there in his float tube.
You could PM him and ask where he puts in.
Bassrods, I believe leaky has eaten some of the bass out of there, but shortly after that we stopped hearing from him. It may be possible that he is now dead.
I would however blame that on the carp he ate more than the bass.
Take that fred ]
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[cool][#0000ff]Blue Lake, like many of the desert springs around the state, is highly mineralized but does not have a mercury problem. Most of the mercury concentrations are in lakes that are fed by creeks that drain areas of mining...gold or coal. Mercury is used in the extraction of fine particles of gold from crushed ore, and unavoidably contaminates the tailings and any water that escapes from the process. When it turns to methyl mercury it is more quickly absorbed by wildlife and is more toxic. It concentrates in the food chain, because it does not break down. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]But, no high mercury readings in Blue Lake. I know several folks that keep and eat the fish out of that pond and have noticed no unpleasant taste. The high salinity and dissolved solids apparently do not impact the table quality of the fish.[/#0000ff]
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Since the salt content is quite a bit higher, I wonder if the fish may taste even a tad bit better than freshwater. I have noticed that most waltwater species do taste damn good. 
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[cool][#0000ff]It's not just the salt that affects fish. In fact most salt water fish have a kidney function that allows them to remove salt from the water they ingest.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]As I understand it, the worst chemicals are phosphates and some carbonates. They can and do affect the taste of many fish. A good examples are some of the highly alkaline lakes of northern Nevada and up into Oregon. Some strains of cutthroat and sometimes rainbows can survive and prosper in those shallow weedy waters, but they are usually catch and release because nobody can stand to eat the fish from them.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The "mossy" taste many of us object to in trout, is usually more a matter of water chemistry than of the fish living in an environment with a lot of water weeds or algae. However, sometimes the two go together. High phosphates are often responsible for blooms of bluegreen algae. If the fish taken from that water taste bad, we blame it on the algae.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]As always, fish taken from clean waters, free of contaminants, are usually the best tasting.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I have to agree with you on the subject of salt water fish generally being good to eat. I have eaten a bajillion different species and only found a couple that sometimes tasted "strong". A good example would be the California kingfish, also known as "tommy cod". It is a member of the croaker family (like seatrout, redfish, white seabass and other tasty species). However, it tends to live in the inshore coastal areas and harbors, where it is more exposed to human "runoff". For some reason, it sometimes develops a strong iodine odor and taste. About the only other poor quality ocean fish have similar habits...living too close to sewer outlets.[/#0000ff]
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Blue Lake is a fine little fishery - it's a small body of water, so, a float tube would work just fine - if you have a toon with a motor, you really won't need it. You can catch fish from the shore, but, it would be better to bring your tube for better mobility and finding the fish - the lake is surounded by some swamp marsh like terrain, so waders would be recommended as well as a good deal of caution. The fish out there will probably be holding a little deeper at this time of year. I would usually recommend subsurface fly fishing tactics (like sinking lines, etc. - for colors or types of fly patterns, PM me - if you fly fish, that is), but, your standard panfish and bass tactics will probably work there like in most other waters - but, the fish can be stubborn, finicky, and picky, as many of the scuba divers hand feed the fish underwater while diving. And, as far as I know, the fish are edible and tasty - at least, several people I know have eaten them(they're still around and fishing) - but most folks and I would tend to practice catch and release there - it is quite remote.
The water is kind of brackish, but, no so bad that my hounds wouldn't drink some of it, though, it wouldn't be acceptable to a person - it seems like it's much less salty than tidal areas.
If you go on Thanksgiving, you most likely will be there alone - unless there are some scuba divers - it is a fairly popular place for that, and most people that go to Blue Lake, are there for that purpose.
There are no facilities there or fresh water so you have to bring your own. Also, access to the lake is pretty good, there is a board walk that goes through some of the marshy areas, and it is not too much of a hike to get to the water. At certain times of the year, the bug experience can be of biblical plague-like proportions, but, right now, especially with the weather we have had lately, there should be few or no bugs to contend with.
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Well I have a toon and tube, and would love to go if scolfeild isn't frozen! I do plan on hitting it this winter sometime.
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