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[#0000FF]Met up with fellow tuber Waljustia at Lincoln Beach Friday the 13th. First tubing trip of the year and first for me since twisting my knee last November.
DETAILS: Fished from 7:30 am to 2 pm. Air temp from 29 to 59. Water temps from 43 to 47. Weather calm and clear. Water level in boat channel 3' avg. Water murky early then clearing and greening later.
We joked about it being Friday the 13th as we prepped for launch. Just a superstition, right? But then I looked over and saw Waljustia munching a banana...before going fishing. The age-old angler superstition is that bananas are bad luck. Who cares about that stuff? Right?
Guy was launching a boat as we were going out. Said he had been hitting it hard for walleye every day since ice out. He had caught two fish in 8 trips. But one was over 10#. We also noticed that the "wading warriors" were starting to show down off the rock shelf out from the orchards. Water is warming fast and as soon as the walleye catch up it is going to be ON.
It wasn't on for us...no way, ninnyhow. Saw very few fish on sonar and even fewer on our lines. We both dragged minnows or carp meat behind our tubes while pitching assorted jigs on our second rods. There were a few tentative ticks on the plastics but no solid thumps. Banana Boy managed one small white bass on a jig...that was resting just below the surface of the water while he had his rod in the holder.
Super slow on bait too. We each had a few "pop and drops" from persnickety minnow munchers. But every attempt at hooksets turned into whiffs. The only exceptions were a 3# channel for the Banana Boy and a 11" mudder for myself. Yee haww! Skunk relief. Barely.
We split up and covered a lot of water...from shallow inshore out to about 9' off the L. Never did see anything resembling a school of fish. Only a few stray singles with a couple of doubles in the same area. Some fish were hugging the bottom. Many were suspended at mid-depth. All showed on the sonar with their little mouths tightly clamped shut and with their middle fins upraised. Having sonar can sometimes be more frustrating when you do see fish.
On the plus side, it was a beautiful day. The clear blue sky was often criss-crossed with jet contrails and the mountains were pretty across the calm water. But they look like they are losing snow fast. Not good.
Another plus was that I was able to kick around all day on my rehabbed knee. No pain while on the water but it did stiffen up a bit after getting home and kicking back in my recliner. Just gotta be careful what kind of kicking I do.
Last week's winds have oxygenated the water after the ice came off. And unseasonable warm temps have the water temps rising quickly. Any day now the fish will quit looking at their calendars and take advantage of the early spring. That is unless Mama Nature decides to "groundhog" us with a bunch more winter. We need the snow in the mountains but giving up this nice weather is gonna be tough.
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Nice pics! Timp is always my fav.
Transition stage for a month or so? I guess it all depends on short term weather patterns. How's the knee holding up?
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[#0000FF]You know I only take pics of Timp and post them for your enjoyment.
The temps have climbed much faster than could normally be expected and current temps are about a month ahead of schedule. The spawning cycle for walleyes is mainly temperature oriented but is also dependent on hours of daylight and other factors. It is anybody's guess what the weather is going to be and how the fish will react. But I am thinking the walleyes will go into a full-on prespawn feed real soon and that the main spawn will be in March.
Catfish feeding activity is more closely related to temperatures. As soon as the average daytime time goes over 50 to 55 degrees the cats will be active in 3-5 feet of water all around the lake.
White bass are still not as plentiful as in previous years but there are more good sized ones showing up. The action will not be as fast for most anglers but there will be more of the larger fish in a day's catch. They will school up and hit the shorelines when water temps are moving toward 60...spawing at 60-65 degrees. That could be as early as April but is traditionally in May.
The knee is much better. Thanks for asking. No problems on the water. I have been doing leg lifts to strengthen it for kicking. My main problem is with walking long distances on hard surfaces. The worst part of this trip was carrying my heavy (65#) motor battery back up to my car and later over to my work bench. It's tough growing older but better than the alternative.
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Walleye are so elusive on Utah Lake, seems they're mostly caught on accident. But the ones I've seen caught usually have really good size to them - plenty to eat. These mysterious fishermen that target and catch them on a regular basis are magicians to me. Lincoln Beach with it's rocky bottom is supposedly the hangout for them, I'm sure I'll make the long trip down down there at least once this season.
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[#0000FF]For the "average" fisherman it is true that most of the walleyes caught are accidental...taken while targeting other species...or ANY species. But it is also true that there are plenty of walleyeholics who have invested the time and effort to learn enough about those fish to catch them in numbers...on a regular basis.
There are LOTS of walleyes in Utah Lake. They eat well and they get big. But with the abundance of food they do not need to compete with each other for the silly things that anglers show them. They have their own feeding schedules and tend to ignore food (and lures) when they are full and digesting...or it's not the right time of day...or the moon is wrong...or whatever.
Walleye like the availability of depth and structure. That is why the rocky shelves and dropoffs into deeper water at Lincoln Beach tend to attract walleyes throughout the year. And there are times they are more plentiful and active than others. Those who put in the time and endure all kinds of weather are the ones most likely to get into them when they are in a biting mood.
My favorite times to target them are in the post spawn period...from April to June. Then again in the fall from about mid September to sometime in November...while they are active all day and feeding up before winter. But they can be (and are) caught year 'round...even in the heat of summer and under the ice in winter.
I have been fishing Utah Lake walleyes since the early 1960s and just keep learning how much I still don't know about them. I have caught a bunch but I know the smell of skunk too.
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Well dang. I am looking at a trip out there Monday (ish). Hopefully I can pick something up.[:/]. Glad to hear your knee is doing better.
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That was some amazing scenery! Lincoln Beach is a beautiful area. It's hard to be disappointed with slow fishing when you are sitting with a 360 degree view like Lincoln Beach presents.
Great pics on this trip! What happened to the tail of that mudder you caught? Seeing the pics makes me wish I was there again right now..
Good stuff! Thanks again for the invite, I am really looking forward to going back.
Oh, Friday the 13th AND eating a Banana! Some people don't know the serious danger they are putting themselves into!
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"What happened to the tail of that mudder you caught?"
[#0000FF]Are you referring to the color? They can have a lot of color variations...both in body and fins. Maybe he had been soaking his tail in one of the warm springs.
Since we got kicked out of the Knolls you have had more exposure to Lincoln Beach. Glad you enjoy it. I sure appreciate the scenery and wildlife on every trip. Although those guys to the south that were practicing their goose and crane calls yesterday were kinda overdoing it.
With the water levels coming up I think I might be inclined to hit Lindon next time.
Did you save any of that smokitty for your farmer or did you snarf it all yourself?
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Was thinking about going after Walleye down there on Monday. Might go fly fishing or ice off somewhere else though. Thanks for the Awesome well detailed report
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[#0000FF]Glad you liked the report. Be patient. Utah Lake will start giving up its toothy critters soon. And there will be reports.
Good luck if you get out on Monday. Weather forecast looks like it might be breezy.
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Hey Pat...you fish UL as much as anyone if not more. In your best guesstimation what is your breakdown percentage of UL species? Maybe 30% carp? 30% white bass? etc etc for all the species? Thanks for your input.
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For the love of fishing! Went out w/o Tubebabe on the 14th, and didn't even have the where-with-all to bring home a fat walleye for the table. Hmm, hope you're stopping off for fish-n-chips or some such!
But perhaps you and da Babe are 'mature' enough to be past the marketing plow that is the Valentines holiday!
Well worst day fishing is better than the best day working. I managed to toss a few jigs today, and the only love on my line was one wee bump. Pool or real skiddish panfish disappeared into the shrubbery as I approached.
No kitties, crappie or bass where made some attempts. Hell, didn't even see much for carp wallowing, a few jumpers.
Would have been a good day to hook up an elusive Walleye! (um, and what day is NOT good for that?!)
Thanks for the report. Glad you're getting the knee some exercise, just don't overdo it. Time wounds all heels, or something like that.
It can only get better, right?
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[#0000FF]The biomass in Utah Lake changes around...with varying water levels, spawning and recruitment, habitat availability, food resources and all that. Like most of the biologists, my guess would only be a guess. But about the time they started the carp seining program it was estimated that carp constituted about 90 percent of the finny biomass of the lake. It has been reduced somewhat since then but it is still way up there.
No percentage guesses but I suspect that white bass are up there in numbers...if not total weight. Then there are walleye and catfish. I suspect not too far apart in total poundage...even though a lot more cats are caught than walleyes. After that it falls way down for all the other species combined.
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Don't be too disappointed...it seems to be in transition for a short period. It should pick up when the water temps heat up.
Look for it to pick up in a few weeks if we keep getting this kind of weather.
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Hmmmm, LMB 5%? Northern Pike maybe 1%? June Sucker maybe .05%?
Used to love fishing UL because you never knew what you were going to catch.
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"For the love of fishing! Went out w/o Tubebabe on the 14th, and didn't even have the where-with-all to bring home a fat walleye for the table. Hmm, hope you're stopping off for fish-n-chips or some such!"
[#0000FF]You need to change either your eyeglass prescription or your meds. The report is dated FRIDAY THE 13th, which is the DAY BEFORE Valentines Day.
Of course I was careful to remember the frilly dilly stuff for Valentines. You don't survive to be my age by forgetting the amenities. Although I admit to being more rheumatic than romantic these days.
Reminds me of one of my favorite old folks jokes. An old farm couple had been married 50 years. On the morning of that anniversary the old gal gets all bubbly and says to her old man..."Hey, let's celebrate by killing a chicken." The old guy just snarls and replies "Why do we wanna punish a chicken for some fool thing we did 50 years ago."
Sorry you din't get no love from the fishies today. Like the rest of us you are ready before the fish are.
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[quote lavaman]Hmmmm, LMB 5%? Northern Pike maybe 1%? June Sucker maybe .05%?
Used to love fishing UL because you never knew what you were going to catch.[/quote]
[#0000FF]I personally would not give anything else below catfish...besides bullheads...more than about a 1% biomass rating. That would be especially true for LMB. They are only in a very few select spots and only a very few fish wherever you can find them. And pike I would rate as only a trace...SO FAR.
Yep. Utah Lake is like a box o' choklits. You never know whatcher gonna git. Especially if you drink the water. [/#0000FF]
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Hey Yote check TD's post. He went yesterday so I'm sure him and TubeBabe are out for a quiet, romantic dinner and night on the town. Now that the knee is heeled up I'm sure he can dance up a storm. I'm not sure I'd recognize him without his waders on.[  ]
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Thanks for the great report and pics. Looks like it was a beautiful day.
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Thanks for the report, TD. Next February I think I'm gonna be standing next to UL with my tube in hand, and tears rolling down my face waiting for the ice to melt.
I'm not taking this "winter" for granted and headed down to Lindon this morning. It was chilly, but calm, and really nice to be out. I did manage 3 decent sized kitties on shrimp with a few missed hits as well. Beautiful morning to be on the water.
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