4 Species Day at Lindon (With Video) 6-2-22

[TubeDude]

(LINK TO VIDEO)

Lindon didn’t treat me very well on my last trip…in May.  Figured with the warming water and good reports at other areas around the lake that I might do better Friday.  I figgered right.  4 species.  But with all the species in Utah Lake, my 4-bagger really ain’t that big of a deal.
 
Met up with fellow tuber Lee (aka Pa and now ELM 71) about 6 am.  He was already to launch and beat me in the water…but returned to the ramp with sonar issues.  (See his report).  I got launched about 6:30.  Air temp was about 48 and water temp between 63 and 64 in the main lake.  Absolutely flat calm and never kicked up more than a light ripple all day.  Good stuff.  And no skiers or power squadron…and no skeeters.
 

I powered straight to the Bubbleup…watching sonar for fishy marks on the way.  Didn’t see much.  Was amazed to hear the sound of the Bubbleup behind me before I got there.  Couldn’t believe the amount of water gushing out of the pipe over the last third of the length.  There was quite a bit on my last trip but nothing like this.  Hoped it would attract some whities and walleyes.  Plenty of the former.  None of the latter…at least for me.

 
Scored my first whitie on about my second cast next to the gushing pipe.  Then I worked along the last third of the pipe with a succession of small tube jigs, 3” walleye plastics and small crank baits for almost two hours.  Hope for a walleye doing some post spawn feedup on the silly whities, but all I got was the little guys.  And they were definitely small by comparison to past sessions.  Two size classes…7-8” and 10”.  None of the footlongs I dearly love to play with…and eat.  Caught the whities on just about everything I threw.  Probably caught over 50 and kept about 20 for bait and a tempura fry.
   

While pitching mini tubes for the whities I hooked a big carp in the dorsal and endured an epic battle to try to save my jigs.  Finally got it in and retrieved my jigs.  Released it unharmed.  Didn’t even perform my customary free gillectomy.

 
After suffering enough abuse by the little whities, I rigged for some cat whackin’.  I fished a whole or half large chub minnow on my open bail rod…and some white bass meat on a big flig on the other rod.  Even fished a crawler rig for a while in hopes of a walleye…to no avail.  Had pretty steady (but slow) action for the next couple of hours.  Most on the minnows but did end up catching one channel on a whirly flig with a chunk of minnow. 


Oh yeah,  I also caught my fourth species for the day…a bullhead.  As I worked through one shallow area (less than 3’) I kept getting pop and drop hits on the minnows.  And when I examined the minnow remaining on my hook after one of those weird bites I found it to have a large flattened spot right in the middle.  That is characteristic of the hard chomp of a large bullhead.  Cats usually just gulp and go.  A few minutes later I brought in a bullhead and moved back out to the 3.5 to 4 foot depths that had been  most productive for the larger channel cats.
 

Lee managed to bend his stick and stretch his string a few times too.  His first outing of the year and I was happy to see him successful.  We both headed back to the ramp a bit before noon and called it a good day.


A couple of observations.  First, Utah Lake is in trouble.  The water levels on Thursday were actually lower than they were on my last trip in May.  On that trip the depth in the harbor was over 3’ everywhere…but about a half foot lower yesterday.  And the Bubbleup pipe had been all under water last trip…but had the first portion out of water on this trip…with pelicans waiting for the lustful splashing carp to swim by.
 
Secondly, the white bass spawn is still underway.  Almost all of the larger sized (10”) whities I kept were full of still-firm milt sacs.  No drippers.  And no females.  They are still out there “somewhere” waiting for the right time and temperatures.  It has been a delayed year…with all species going through anxiety waiting for water temps to stabilize in the right spawning area.  For many species that is 65 degrees.  Hasn’t reached and maintained that temperature long enough anyhere.

[Piscophilic]

Thanks for the great report on a very good outing! Thanks for the pictures and the video too. It sure has been a weird spring, but it can't last forever. I'm home for another week or so while Julie recovers from her knee replacement and it is great to be able to get some excitement from your efforts!

[TubeDude]

Thanks for the great report on a very good outing! Thanks for the pictures and the video too. It sure has been a weird spring, but it can't last forever. I'm home for another week or so while Julie recovers from her knee replacement and it is great to be able to get some excitement from your efforts!

Thank you...and you are welcome.  Yes, it has been a weird spring.  Good to see you guys got in some action before the forced confinement.  My wife is scheduled for a new knee in mid June.  Oh joy.

[MWScott72]

Great day Pat! Glad you found some fish. I had the same observations on WB at the State Park - 95% males. The ladies are still out there....somewhere.

[TubeDude]

Great day Pat!  Glad you found some fish.  I had the same observations on WB at the State Park - 95% males.  The ladies are still out there....somewhere.

I read your report.  Good to see that the die-off was not a total or widespread thing.  Seems to be plenty left for a good spawn...if the water temps ever get high enough for the fish to spawn.  It is typical for the females to wait until they are ready to dump their eggs before joining the boys for the party.  And once they cruise in the actual spawning session usually doesn't take too long.  However, in this weird year of up and down temps it may spread out over a couple of weeks.  Hope some of the mamas are bigger than the males that are showing up this year.

[MWScott72]

I agree, seeing the same sizes 8-9", and 10-11" with the vast majority being of the smaller sizes. 90% of those we caught last Friday were still males.

With the water being so low, I don't think it will take too much longer before it warms enough fir the actual baby making to begin.