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[#0000ff]Met up with BLK and his 3 grandsons at Lincoln Beach yesterday morning. IceSled showed up later. We all caught plenty of whiskery critters.
I stopped on the way down to try to catch some baby white bass at Lindon. Only got 3 under the lights. Usually catch dozens this time of year. Hit Lincoln Beach at daybreak and only got 5 more. Looks like the whities had another poor spawn year.
I drove out on the rock point by first spring. Nice easy launch spot there for tubers. BLK and his cat-catching crew pulled in off the rocks and started catching fish before I got fully launched. Them boys is serious about their kitties.
I started out by flinging plastics and cranks...seeing if maybe a silly wallie might wanna play. Nope. The low count on the baby whities is not atracting them in August as in years past.
Once I got out to about 5' of water I put out a piece of carp meat on my second rod. Almost instant bendo on a 20 plus incher. Several more followed quickly...but many were kinda smallish...for Utah Lake. They looked more like Willard cookie cutters.
Upgraded to fishing with small white bass. Bendo some more again...with bigger fish. Fairly regular action on cats from 21 to 25 inches. Ran out of white bass and got a couple more small fish on my last pieces of carp meat.
Guesstimating I brought in about 14 to 15 cats all together. Kept 5 for the smoker.
Saw a guy in a mini duckboat kinda rig out a hundred yards or so from where I was fishing. Turned out to be IceSled...a BFTer who doesn't post much but is a serious angler. Last fished with him on Jordanelle several years ago...on ice...of course.
IceSled found a group of playful kitties out where he was and I watched him bring in two or three. Got one long range zoom pic that turned out okay. Later on, as I was moving in to get out at my vehicle he breezed in with that "eggbeater" motor and we exchanged howdies. We both agreed that fishing had been good...but for fish smaller than we had hoped for. Neither of us had scored over the mid twenty inch CATegory.
Air temp stayed pleasant and breezes never got above the light ripple stage. Lots of haze in the air from the fires around the west. Almost couldn't see the mountains on the Provo side of the lake.
Water temp stayed around 75 all morning. I left before noon so don't know how high they got later. It is going to be a month or so before temps get down under 65. That should bring in some walleyes and get the larger kitties nervous...hopefully nervous enough to slurp up the big fish stuff I will be fishing for them then.
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Looks like you had a pretty fair day. Glad you found some kittys to fill the smoker. No matter what happens fishing it beats the yard work you were supposed to do. Great report as ususal with some great pics.
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[#0000FF]Thanks.
Are you getting out at all?
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Nice to talk to again Pat. I fished until about 1pm and ended up with 13 channels. Nothing over 24". The bite really slowed after noon. One small walleye caught. Nice day on the pond!
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Hey Pat, glad to see a report from you, good read as always.... Hey I seen the advantage of fresh bait last trip. I had caught a single carp minnow the night before and then took a pack of frozen minnows about twins to the fresh one size wise. Put out the fresh one first and couldn't keep the hits away until I caught a 25" channel that sucked it down it's stomach... changed to a frozen minnow in the same spot of the previous constant hits and nothing... Took over an hour before I picked up another cat, it was a big boy that wrapped around my anchor and broke off, but I was sure surprised how much better fresh bait is compared to frozen... I guess I need to try my minnow trap out there in the open water and see if I can get some more fresh bait... Too much seaweed to use a casting net and I tried a hand net in that spot and broke it after I caught the one carp minnow... Lots of minnows in the weeds, but most were sunfish or bluegill so they had to be returned.. I did pick up a fathead that was too small and the carp that I put to work.. I need to figure out the open water minnow technique to get bait now for the kitties... The minnows are perfect size at about 3" now and I'd love to get a bunch of those little carp even though they don't seem to work as well after being frozen... Well thanks again for the report... J
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I'm done... with the boat. Went out again this a.m. and caught some nice cats out from the springs in about 6 ft. of water. Water depth in the channel never got above 1.5 ft. and dropped to just over a foot in some places. Got my boat in okay but a bit of a fight to get it out. Toon time.
I left Lincoln at about 10;30 just as a big ski boat showed up with about 8 or so teenagers. Looked like they were out for a final blast before school starts. I had to stay and watch the event. No trouble getting their boat in and I think they might have dredged the channel enough for other boats to launch for a few days. Lots of mud. Would like to have stayed for the take-out but had to go.
Hate to do it but I'm going to deal with the withdrawal symptoms from my cataholicism for a few weeks until the temps come down and I can get after 'em again. Maybe a trip to Otter Creek will help ease the withdrawal misery.
There is a big one out there waiting for me to find him. Just a matter of time....
BLK
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[#0000FF]Catfish have the reputation of eating anything and everything...including some really gross stuff. But those who spend enough time fishing for cats come to realize that sometimes they pattern on specific things...like live or fresh dead carp minnows. If it is too far "off" they can afford to let it go because there is usually plenty of the good stuff available. During times when food is harder to come by you can do well with older bait.
If you have a minnow trap...it will probably be painted black or maybe bright metal. Either way, you should get a spray can of outdoor vinyl spray in dark green and cover at least the outside of the trap. That green attracts them better than other colors or plain metal. And for carp minnows, just some crumbled up bread in the trap will usually get them inside.
Try to find a corridor in the weeds that the minnows use for cruising back and forth. Set your trap there if you can. If there is a place below a headgate or spillway that can be good too.
If all else fails I might have to come up and help you harvest a few. Haven't been able to find any myself. And fall fishing is nigh on to pretty soon. I have done well on Willard in the fall, using carp minnows. Frozen ones too.
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[#0000FF]Yep. Launching almost any size boat anywhere at Utah Lake is soon going to be dang near impossible. Well, maybe launching is doable but navigating in shallow water and being able to get it back out might be differment.
You need to launch your toon and get used to moving around in it...and get it set up for comfy fishing. Then when you get serious about the fishing you will be ready and you can focus on fishing and not fussing.
The offer still stands to help you with some toon tricking.
I would have liked to have been there to see the trailering efforts on the big boat...after they had their fun and wanted to go home. I'm guessing the towing outfits in Spanish Fork are going to get some calls in the next weeks.
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Pat, you're always welcome to come help me find a few minnows, just give me a day or two heads up so I can be there... the area I'm finding them now is a waterway that leads up into a big spawning area for the carp, so this is a bottleneck that they have to pass through to get to the main lakes and channels... It's not easy to see them and try with a net, but I think the traps will work okay... Thanks for the bread crump tips, I'll go give it a try... If you come bring you're tube and we'll try some of the other Cutler species... Thanks J
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BLK I was hoping boat launching would last till October, was you using your big motor to get out or a little motor, I haven't been down since June, I was wondering if my marks on the dock pole where still there, hopefully there is somewhere to launch to get to the island come October.
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Welcome to the world of floatation. The fall bite should be on soon.
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Nice to see you get out. I am looking forward to the fall bite for the kitties.
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MSM-- I was using my big motor with the prop lifted way up and going very slow. The water level will continue to drop as long as the demand for irrigation water continues. Not sure when they close the Jordon River gates but I doubt it will help by Oct. Best help will come from a good winter snow pack.
I checked with the Provo St. Park last week and they were still launching from at least one ramp. I considered launching there and making a run for the island. Looks like about 7-8 miles to the island?? That might be a possibility in Sept. and Oct. I'm just going to go with the toon at Lincoln and hope for no strong winds blowing toward Saratoga.
I have looked for the marks you mentioned every time I walk down the dock at Lincoln -- no see. I hope you can find some way to get back out again this year. The cattin' should be good when the water temps drop down into the 60s or so.
The big ones are waiting.
BLK
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[#0000FF] Let's do some PMing and get something going soon. No sense wasting good fishing time later. And if the carplets are in the 3" range that is about perfect. They grow fast so they will be bigger next month.
Good idea about the tube. We can minnow early and fish later...or vice versa. Haven't fished anything in your part of the state for a whole lotta years.
Your schedule is probably more demanding than mine so as soon as you can see an opening give me a shout and I'll  dle up and ride.
I have two traps, a cast net and a long handled dip net. We gotta be able to get sumpin.
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[#0000FF]They keep the gates open on the Jordan River until the end of October...by contract to the water users. And they really suck it out from now until at least the first of October.
The REALLY bad news? The lake is lower now than it was at the end of October last year. Don't count on launching a boat from one of the ramps much longer.
Hint:...if you know the shore and the rocks off Lincoln Point there are a couple of places you can launch a boat either off the beach or off a rock shelf. It can be tricky...but doable.
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Sounds good, I'll check and see some options and get back with you soon. J
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BLK I'm looking more for the eyes, waiting for 60 deg temp, I leave the cats my daughter to play with when she goes, she don't have the disorder yet that I have, [  ] we will have to figure some way to get out there.[fishin]
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MSM-- I saw a walleye guy (I assume?) today who had parked at the parking spot in front of the orchard and waded out and was fishing like walleye fishers do in that area. Also saw a boat that came from who-knows-where and fished the same spot. Don't know for sure but I suspect they were after the mythical walleye? That spot is always accessible but may be a long walk or it can always be fished by toon/tube.
Cats hang out in that area too so bring the little gal with you if you come this way. She can fish for big fish while you chase those wimpy little wallys.
Okay, I will admit that the walleye is a more difficult fish to figure out... and it tastes better... but I'll still take big cat any day. We all suffer from different addictions.[ ]
BLK
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BKL I know it seems like this is as big as they come. Always after the 30+ incher fish or deer. Having trouble finding either. Working to find one this year.getting close. couldn't handle it had to run down and see how low it is. It has dropped alot since June.[mad]
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Nice eyes, if I could find them consistently I'd chase them too. Fun pics. J
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