Posts: 81
Threads: 0
Joined: Mar 2010
Reputation:
0
What would you do just to catch 2 bluegills that were no larger than 3-4"? Well, usually I would say that I would rather stay home and vacumn the house (ok, just kidding I would rather go fishing and get skunked) , but yesterday at the pump house I would give anything just to catch a single fish. So, I ventured over to the wall where the ice was less than 2" thick and even thinner in spots. I drilled two holes that required only a few rotations of the auger and I dropped down my lines. The trophy?? 2 tiny bluegills in 3 hours. RIP pump house, the fish are gone!! Anyway, here are some pics of the ice conditions next to the wall. The rest of the pump house is still safe, so is the channel. There is 4-6 inches of good ice, but I recommend staying clear of the wall. There is also a nice pic of the wonderful catch that found my line.
[signature]
Posts: 1,568
Threads: 0
Joined: May 2009
Reputation:
0
Wow, that ice is looking a bit freeky[crazy], glad you got to fish tho. That PH is way slow to dead.....It has not done well for a while. I think it is toast for a while. Thanks for reporting.
[signature]
Posts: 90
Threads: 0
Joined: Mar 2009
Reputation:
0
I have noticed the same thing at the pump house, and at Saratoga, and at Pelican. The bluegill are much smaller than last year, and the catching has slowed way down, compared to the last few years. I know some people don't believe me when I say that those people that take home a grocery sack full of fish every time they go, is really hurting the population, but I really think so. There are definitely more people fishing Utah Lake now than in years past, and I see a lot of them taking 50 fish home at a time. That can't be good.
[signature]
Posts: 1,568
Threads: 0
Joined: May 2009
Reputation:
0
I agree with you on that one, but for the area....not the lake as a whole. Areas like harbors and the Pumphouse really get hammered and they fish get taken out of there really quick and the ones left are not willing to bite. I really dont think that the bags of fish taken out of there even put a dent int he whole WB or Gill population of the lake, but it sure can hurt an area for a few weeks / an ice season. What I dislike about that is that some disabled and children have to fish these areas and they have a hard time catching a few fish in the only area they are able to fish....that is what bugs me, but it is legal and as long as they are under the limit I cant say too much.
[signature]
Posts: 1,964
Threads: 0
Joined: Jan 2003
Reputation:
0
If they took home 50 grocery sacks full of 50 white bass it would be the best thing for Utah Lake. As long as the whites are smaller than 4 pounds there are too many of them. If they ever get thinned down to the point that there is enough food for them to grow to about 4 pounds then you can start to worry. Anybody caught a 4 pound white bass out of Utah Lake lately? Didn't think so. Carry on grocery sack fillers.
[signature]
]