06-27-2013, 10:35 PM
[#0000ff]Last week's planned session was called on account of...WIND...a four letter word. This Thursday held better promise...after a couple of days of decent weather and getting warmer...and a calm forecast.
Chris Crockett and Mike Slater planned to hit the ramp at Lincoln Beach about 8-ish. Us tubers and tooners got launched about an hour earlier. There was TubeBabe and myself, LloydE, HighNDry and his son...and (betterneverlate) Waljustia.
Lloyd, Glenn and his son Daniel started working the deeper water to the north of the channel entrance. Daniel scored the first cat...on a jig tipped with worm. Silly catfish. I got a couple like that later.
I got the next cat...on a chub minnow. Then TubeBabe scored on a piece of carp meat. We had 3 cats tamed within the first ten minutes on the water. Lookin' good. But the deep water dredgers found no more love as they worked northward.
TubeBabe and I both brought in second cats. We were fishing the shallow flats from 2 to 4 feet of water. The most active fish seemed to be in closer.
Since we all had walkie talkies we convinced the three errant boys to come back in to the shallow flats. Then they began to catch a few more fish.
About that time the DWR contingent showed up. Chris Crockett and his wife were in kayaks. Mike Slater and his daughter were in the DWR boat with the camera guy. As they motored slowly up to my tube I showed off by setting the hook on a nice kitty. But it had the last laugh by arranging a "conservation release". Only one I hooked all day that got off after I set the hook.
I confided to the new arrivals that the best fishing was out from the inlet of Benjamin Slough...in water from 3 - 4 feet deep. And for a while everybody seemed to be getting a bit of action. But most of the DWR crew and the tubers gravitated westward while I kept kicking in S turns toward the east.
Once I was all by my lonesome I started finding pockets of active cats. There were times I could not fish more than one rod. As soon as I cast out the bait the line would pop free from my line clip and go zinging off behind some scorch-tailed cat. Fun fun. There were a couple in the shallower water that actually took some air while fighting to get free.
I kept yammering on the walkie talkie that I was catching a lot of fish. But everybody seemed to be glued to the far reed bed area. Then Waljustia cruised out of the harbor...belatedly...and I implored him to come join me in the kitty fest. But, as he motored in, so did everybody else. And wouldn't cha know it? The fish were offended by all the unwanted attention and shut their little mouths.
I already had 8 in my basket and had release more than that. I estimated I had brought in over 20. So I started slow motoring back to the harbor...dragging a couple of lures behind me in the shallow water. Nada, zip, zilch. I had caught a couple of small cats on worm-tipped jigs earlier but nary a nudge after the 10:30 shut down.
I have seen that a lot at Lincoln Beach. Wide open bite for a couple of hours and then you would swear there were no fish in the lake. Ya gotta get 'em while you can and don't mess around. Move 'til you find active fish and then hammer 'em. 'Cause when they decide to quit...for their own reasons...you might as well quit too.
At least everybody in the floatilla got some fish. Some more than others. And the camera guy got a lot of footage to edit into an upcoming DWR video on Utah Lake catfish.
We were all off the water and packed up shortly after noon...just in time to dodge around all the newly arriving power squadron. Got a bit hectic on the ramp for a while.
The fish cleaning station at Lincoln Beach has not been set up this year. I guess they got tired of having to keep cleaning out beer cans and other debris that the dimbulbs kept putting in it last year. Bummer.
But I had brought my portable fish cleaning table and my 12 volt electric knife. Turned those bigguns into littleuns in fine fashion and in quick order. Got some more good footage for the camera guy.
Great day on the water with some great people. Had Pezvela (Steve) come down to join us for the filleting session...and to pick up a couple of rods I have been trying to get to him. It was good to hear that his recent fundraiser was moderately successful and that the number of passengers is increasing...from disabled vets and special needs kids. Nice work Steve.
[/#0000ff]
[signature]
Chris Crockett and Mike Slater planned to hit the ramp at Lincoln Beach about 8-ish. Us tubers and tooners got launched about an hour earlier. There was TubeBabe and myself, LloydE, HighNDry and his son...and (betterneverlate) Waljustia.
Lloyd, Glenn and his son Daniel started working the deeper water to the north of the channel entrance. Daniel scored the first cat...on a jig tipped with worm. Silly catfish. I got a couple like that later.
I got the next cat...on a chub minnow. Then TubeBabe scored on a piece of carp meat. We had 3 cats tamed within the first ten minutes on the water. Lookin' good. But the deep water dredgers found no more love as they worked northward.
TubeBabe and I both brought in second cats. We were fishing the shallow flats from 2 to 4 feet of water. The most active fish seemed to be in closer.
Since we all had walkie talkies we convinced the three errant boys to come back in to the shallow flats. Then they began to catch a few more fish.
About that time the DWR contingent showed up. Chris Crockett and his wife were in kayaks. Mike Slater and his daughter were in the DWR boat with the camera guy. As they motored slowly up to my tube I showed off by setting the hook on a nice kitty. But it had the last laugh by arranging a "conservation release". Only one I hooked all day that got off after I set the hook.
I confided to the new arrivals that the best fishing was out from the inlet of Benjamin Slough...in water from 3 - 4 feet deep. And for a while everybody seemed to be getting a bit of action. But most of the DWR crew and the tubers gravitated westward while I kept kicking in S turns toward the east.
Once I was all by my lonesome I started finding pockets of active cats. There were times I could not fish more than one rod. As soon as I cast out the bait the line would pop free from my line clip and go zinging off behind some scorch-tailed cat. Fun fun. There were a couple in the shallower water that actually took some air while fighting to get free.
I kept yammering on the walkie talkie that I was catching a lot of fish. But everybody seemed to be glued to the far reed bed area. Then Waljustia cruised out of the harbor...belatedly...and I implored him to come join me in the kitty fest. But, as he motored in, so did everybody else. And wouldn't cha know it? The fish were offended by all the unwanted attention and shut their little mouths.
I already had 8 in my basket and had release more than that. I estimated I had brought in over 20. So I started slow motoring back to the harbor...dragging a couple of lures behind me in the shallow water. Nada, zip, zilch. I had caught a couple of small cats on worm-tipped jigs earlier but nary a nudge after the 10:30 shut down.
I have seen that a lot at Lincoln Beach. Wide open bite for a couple of hours and then you would swear there were no fish in the lake. Ya gotta get 'em while you can and don't mess around. Move 'til you find active fish and then hammer 'em. 'Cause when they decide to quit...for their own reasons...you might as well quit too.
At least everybody in the floatilla got some fish. Some more than others. And the camera guy got a lot of footage to edit into an upcoming DWR video on Utah Lake catfish.
We were all off the water and packed up shortly after noon...just in time to dodge around all the newly arriving power squadron. Got a bit hectic on the ramp for a while.
The fish cleaning station at Lincoln Beach has not been set up this year. I guess they got tired of having to keep cleaning out beer cans and other debris that the dimbulbs kept putting in it last year. Bummer.
But I had brought my portable fish cleaning table and my 12 volt electric knife. Turned those bigguns into littleuns in fine fashion and in quick order. Got some more good footage for the camera guy.
Great day on the water with some great people. Had Pezvela (Steve) come down to join us for the filleting session...and to pick up a couple of rods I have been trying to get to him. It was good to hear that his recent fundraiser was moderately successful and that the number of passengers is increasing...from disabled vets and special needs kids. Nice work Steve.
[/#0000ff]
[signature]
on the young man in the wheelchair as he caught his first fish. I'll be out again tomorrow with veterans.