Went to the Gorge again at the Confluence, temp 75-82 F, water 65-70 F, sunny and not windy for a change. Mu bud and I fished for smallies again from tubes. Fishing was ok, caught a good number, but still on the small size. Oh for the days when I was catching em 13-19 in. and a lot!!! Used pulse worms, dark green tubes and small dark green/smoke curly tails.
I'm puzzled and
.[unsure] Kept a bunch for eating during the evening and not one had eggs. We ate about 8,yum. Ok, what with the whacky weather and the ever rising water (it is now as about as high as I've seen it) I figured the smallies had given up and the spawn was over, even with the extended warm spell for a while now. Remember we have been there last week and the week before with same type of fishing with just a few with eggs. Makes sense right?[
] Especially sense the North end spawns earlier. Well I fished after dinner on the 28th and started catching a little larger fish. My bud fished a while in the am the 29th and also caught some a little larger i.e. 12-13". Well we got home, cleaned em and they all had ripe eggs!!![shocked] Now what???? Is it possible that they are just now going to spawn in earnest even with rising water? Don't know if we should try again or move on to other fishing spots.
Attached a pic. for picture buffs. This was just at sunrise looking So. towards the Confluence point on the West side. We fished the West shorline behind the camera.
Leaky
Maybe I'm reading this wrong but it sounds like you took home and cooked a couple of the 12-13 inch bass from the Gorge. I am pretty sure there is a 12 inch restriction on smallmouth on that lake. I'm not trying to bust your bubble, I am glad you were able to connect with some fish, but check your proclamation I think those fish should have been released. If you were talking about fish under 12 inches that you kept, sorry for complaining and thanks for posting.
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I don't see a size restriction on bass at the Gorge . Limit is 10 bass .
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My bad then. I thought there were size limits on the Gorge. Thanks for educating me.
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You're mistaken Bud![pirate] Check you're proclamation!!!! "Smallmouth and largemouth in aggregate, limit 10" - no size limit! There is an overpopulation of smallies and they are trying to get fisherman to take em! Don't get yourself
with Jordanelle, etc., Ok?
That's ok though, if you see us doing something wrong - post up!!!!! We appreciate it, at least I do. Lord knows, I've made a few mistakes in life and can use the correction on occasion. Keep it up
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Leaky
Once again I apologize for assuming you were taking those fish illegally. I should have read my proclamation before posting, but I'm at work and dont have one handy. On a different note, I have never eaten bass. What do they compare to? Walley? Perch? I have heard they are very good.
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Well now, that's a question that can start a discussion![
] My opinion, for what's it's worth, in order of preference.
1. Walleye
2. Perch
3. Basses - 1. Lm 2. Smallies 3. Strippers 4. Wippers
4. Channel cats
5. Blue gills, crappie.
6. Carp
8. Tilapia
9 and on. Trout and the rest.
Let's see if this starts something.[
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Leaky
With the new changes in the regs that will take place,for the gorge next year,they say the smallie fishing will get better.I know there is a lot of bass at the gorge,but i never knew they were a problem,or even considered a overabundance.With the limit on macks being raised,it will take some of the pressure off the bass,that are being tagerted for lunch,by the smaller macks that are a problem.
Leaky from your pic ,it looks like you were on the lost dog side of the conflunce? Thats the only place i have ever seem a rattlesnake at the gorge.
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According to my map, Lost Dog is on the East side, directly across from us and a little north on the West side. However, it seems like I passed a Lost Dog turn off on the way on the West side??? So I'm not sure since I've never been on the road. I have found lots of errors on my map. We are on the Blacks Fork arm. Also lots of antelope, a zillion rabbits, few sage hens, cayotes, mice, etc., etc.
Leaky
I think I can agree with your list leaky...mostly. I wouldn't put carp on the my eating list, but they sure are fun to catch/shoot! Thanks for the report on the smallies.
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Hey Leak...Glad you have the walleye on the top of your list. I used to have trout way, way down on my list, then I tried something. Now I fillet them and deep fat fry them in peanut oil. Now I have them just above the carp. Years ago, I had smoked carp, and it is pretty good smoked, by make sure you cut out the mud strip.
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Hey Leaky thanks for a peek at my death trap.
Its off that point where I put the wheeler and me tho an ice fracture a few short minutes before dark last Jan. And thanks for thinnin' out a few of those pesty Smallies.. Of course their only pesty because they sometimes get in the way of my Mackin'.. Fun to catch altho I've never eatin' one!
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Hey Leaky, glad to hear you and Chres had a good trip. Kasey and I wound up going to Utah Lake for some kitties...when I get my tube fixed, we should go pound that east shoreline and get some cat steaks.... Anyway, glad to hear you got into the big smallies finally.... we still need to hit the X too. Its about time for some great morning fishing up there. Hope to talk to and or fish with you soon.... I finally got the dogs out for a trip too. They seemed pretty happy about that. Gotta cut the big dog, he picked on Buddy again the other day. I think that would also chill him out enough that he and Sparky could play nice together....
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Just happened to run across this ip. in the same area of my buddy and our dogs.
Leaky
The North end of a lake doesn't always have the spawn first. Especially with the water temps at the upper end of the Gorge this year. The temps were 5-8 degrees cooler up North than what they were in Linwood bay a month ago. Smallies at the Gorge will spawn well into July if we have had a cool spring [which we have]. I bet you could still find some beds out in the main lake right now.
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