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Lincoln beach was a crowded bugger today. We got on the ice around 9, stayed till about 2. Watched people around catch some here and there, nothing crazy like previous reports. Between 7 of us, nada single fish. Tried everything we could think of, shrimp, clams, night crawlers, waxies, butter worms... Pink, green, white, glow, and brown jigs and nothin. I've never been fishing and not had a bite or not caught a fish.
A feller next to us had chub meat which seemed to work well for him on a greenish spoon. One guy on the out skirts had a bucket that he was pulling live minnows out of and fishing with them, didn't seem to work for him... Slowish day I suppose. Should have went with my gut and headed down to Fairview canyon.
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Wow looks very busy. Bummer on the skunk.
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4pointmuley, What were the whities biting on for you? and how deep was the water?,They wouldn't take anything we had at AF Harbor or Pelican point.
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That is a hell of a haul. you guys weren't out there today were you? we didn't see hardly anyone catching any fish in that awesome amount. Was that haul out of the Warm springs at lincoln beach.
another feller was out by provo harbour and said he had caught 12 good size crappie and a bucket full of Whities
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Nice report. Hopefully there are some left for us!
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How long did it take to fillet all those fish ?? Just curious is all !!
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[#FF0000]Yeah we were at Lincoln Beach by the warm springs. We caught 235 bass last Thursday, as well as 3 ten pound plus carp! What a fight on a ice pole! Then we went back Friday and caught around 80 more bass.[/#FF0000]
[quote 4pointmuley]I gave them to my friends. I'm sure it took hours. Once the school of fish showed up between 10:00 AM and 1:00 PM. We were catching them as fast as we could drop down and jig a couple times and they were on! It was fast fishing for the 4 of us![/quote]
[#0000FF]1. Do you suspect there may be a connection between everybody cleaning out the white bass and the decline in numbers for people fishing for them afterward?
2. If you didn't plan to keep and utilize the fish yourself...why did you keep them?
3. Did you complete the proper paperwork as required by DWR when you gave the fish to someone else?
Sorry, but your brag post is a prime example of what is wrong with a lot of Utah fisheries.
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I agree with TD...It's disappointing to see that many fish kept to simply give them away and to only wonder what will be done with them. Let's hope they all made to the fryer!
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I had to call in sick so I could go to Lake Powell!
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I swung by there just to look at about the time you were leaving. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw all those people out on that ice. I did observe some caught, almost looked like on sonars or spoons. Looked fun, but a bit crowded for my tastes.
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So what are you going to say when in a couple of years there are no more WB ?? Will you look in the mirror and take some responsibility or will you denigrate DWR and complain that they do nothing to maintain the fishery.
Did you make arrangements with those friends BEFORE you unloaded those fish on them ?? Most people are not set up to process that many fish on the spur of the moment. You may have been well meaning, but my guess is that most of those fish were not utilized .
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[quote 4pointmuley]Trust me the fish didn't go to waste. I went with 3 Asian friends who feed there family's and friends with the fish we caught. Also I don't think we caught all of them. I've fished the lake for 40 years and I've caught them all over the lake in huge numbers.[/quote]
[#0000FF]I have fished Utah Lake going back to the early 1960s. And I too have caught large numbers of white bass (and other species) all over the lake...during times of plenty. This is not one of those times. The lake is at a historic low level and the numbers of white bass are way down...after three years of poor spawns. NOBODY has caught large numbers of white bass throughout this year. Now that they are congregated in two or three areas everybody assumes there are plenty in the lake. Not so.
As I have stated, I have no problem with people harvesting a lot of white bass...for their own use. But I think it is poor practice to simply fill a sled full just because you can...and if they are being kept to give to someone else. Besides being illegal under current DWR regulations it is poor management of the fishery.
Because the white bass are known to be plentiful most years, some folks see them as their own private fish market. No problem when they are indeed plentiful. But since most of the species in the lake rely on having young white bass to eat during the middle part of the year, all species suffer when there are fewer adult white bass and/or poor spawning.
As with most other Utah Lakes, UL is subject to weather patterns and annual runoff. That has really affected the current ecology. No matter? Take a look at what such fluctuations have done to Yuba, Deer Creek, and other lakes. Boom one year and then bust for several years to follow.
I do not dispute that you have caught lots of white bass from Utah Lake over the years. But I would challenge you to show pictures of monster catches any time after ice out this spring...or even at the same time next year.
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