Hello-
I headed out to the Saratoga Springs area yesterday hoping for a little LMB action. Unfortunetely, [mad] I couldn't find any public access area from shore. Does anyone know more information about fishing the Saratoga Springs area? Do you pretty much have to have a boat? Is there anywhere near hot springs to launch a donut?
Thanks guys,
Senkonate
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Well well the first best bet for public access from land is to know the residents there, and they will let you in.
The second next best thing for you is to park your car at the pumphouse, and then walk along the trail across the Jordan river bridge, you will walk past the pump house and see the fence. You just keep walking past the fence, and that's the jordan river/Utah Lake trib. You go along the shoreline to the reeds. There should be some heckuva largies there. Look for structures though.
Thirdly- you get a boat, and you can access the entire shoreline.
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Thanks Paul,
Is there room there to launch a donut?
Is that whole shoreline, and the bay marina area, part of the hot springs? Does anyone know where they are specifically located?
Thanks,
Senkonate
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What types of lures and sizes would you use to go after the LM bass this time of year? I know the spot that you are talking about and have fished it at this time of the year, but I was never able to hook up with anything. I have never caught a LM bass in utah before. Only SM bass. Any adivice?
Thanks Wiper 24
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Yeah, you can launch your float tube from the Jordan/Utah trib out there, No problems at all! Its a very gentle flow, and you can walk past the mudlines to get out of its currents, and move around to structures. There's plenty of them. Oh and one other thing, the hotsprings are there outside the mouth of the trib about 50 to 75 yards out. You will know it when you see it and feel it warmer than usual.
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Use 3' watermelon green tube jigs with off shank hook size #1. First of all, you put on a small bullet sinker, then put on a lime green bead, and then tie the line to the hook. Install the tube jig where you threat it at the top and then pull the hook to just the side and pierce it to make it "weedless". Then apply abit of crawfish smelly jelly. Look for any structures. They like jetty structures, and you do not need to cast very far because spawning bass relate to shoreline structures.
Oh there's another secret I love--- it's interesting and you will laugh... but it's no laughin' matter. Here's a clue, use some fizz in your tube.
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Thanks for more great info!
I'm stumped[crazy]. Fizz, huh? Any help, guys? Tube Dude?
Another ?: Will the Saratoga people get mad if you "float", not walk, into their marina?
As long as we're on the subject of early spring bassin' anyone have anything else to add? I just know slow, slow, slow. Tubes and Spinnerbaits is what I've heard. (Havn't lived in Utah long enough to experience spring bass fishing yet)
Senkonate
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Fizz comes from a piece of Alka Selzer tucked in the tube. I've never tried it, however, I had a friend that kept telling me to use it. I thought he was pulling my leg.
fdg
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[blue][size 2]For fizz, just break up an Alka-Seltzer tablet and stuff part of it up the tube.[/size][/blue]
[blue][size 2]As far as floating, you are fine as long as you're on the water and floating. I know with rivers you can pass through private property as long as you don't touch bottom, but I'm sure at the lake that the private property ends at the water's edge.[/size][/blue]
[blue][size 2]The other Utah Bass bait I like is a Yamamoto spider grub.[/size][/blue]
What does the extra fizz from the Alka Seltzer actually do? How does it help?
Senkonate
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Heh heh... you'll love this part. LMB's lateral sides aren't so sensitive like walleyes are. So this is where the fizzing from within the tube jig represents a breathing/or dying crawdad and waterdog. The fizzing gives off waves through the water, and helps attract its' attention. Usually when you drag it through the silty parts of a structure, it will send off mud lines that camoflage the fizz's bubbles. LMB's sense is keen and can snuff out that minute trace of smelly jelly. Gotta autheticate the real thing. It works like a charm where you definitely know where those gosh-darnned bass'lair.
Please throw release all LMB over 12 inches, so they may get huge! Perhaps a world record 125 lbs. fatty be in Utah!
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[cool] Anybody lookin' for BIG largemouth in Utah Lake, early in the year and a good part of the rest of the year, should never leave home without some good old "jig ' pig". Use light, weedless jig heads (1/8 or 1/4 oz) in black, brown or purple. Use the regular pork frog in the same colors...mix and match. Dark greens, chartreuse and blue pork on black heads work well sometimes too. In cold water, fish your big pig rig slow...even letting it just sit for several seconds between short movements.
Unless you find rocks, wood or brush, you probably won't find largies. As has been posted, the water inside the favoritw harbors is lower than usual so the fish are likely to be more scattered around the lake. If you know a spot with structure, in water at least three feet deep, you own valuable knowledge.
Also, do not overlook spinnerbaits. Again, go with lighter lead so that you can work the blades shallow and slow without snagging. I have done well on active fish with a weightless Colorado spinner ahead of a Texas rigged plastic grub or 6" worm.
If you launch your tube just south of the Jordan River outflow, you can tube in and out and up and down, looking for springs. Keep a digital thermometer hanging over the side of your tube to aid in locating warm water inflows. Sometimes you can see steam rising from warmer areas, and sometimes you can feel the difference in surface temps, but not always.
From about the first of May through July, you can often find big post spawn walleyes taking up station at the outflow, waiting for small mudcats and other edible morsels being pulled downstream. They hit big black marabou jigs or twisters. Crankbaits work too, but become costly when enough are donated to the numerous snags.
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Want to know where some big largies are? Close to Saratoga? Go downstream where the road crosses the river and turn into the parking lot where the model airplane park is. Park at the model airplane gate and walk downstream about 75 yards. There's a little creek that comes into the Jordan on the south side. Stand right there in front of it and look around. You will see little sunfish hanging around the sunken tumble weeds and now and then a big LMB swimming around. I watched a guy catch a couple nice ones there on a buzz bait a few weeks ago. I caught a few on jigs. Don't tell anyone, it a secret,,,O.K?[
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walleyebob
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For a detailed map of Utah Lake with location of springs, goto:
[url "http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?z=12&n=4453087&e=431881&s=200&size=l"]http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?z=12&n=4453087&e=431881&s=200&size=l[/url]
You can zoom in and out at will. the only problem is that it doesn't show the location of underwater springs. It still has usefull information though.
Catch a few for me!
Emuscud
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I tried your link but it did not work, I guess you went to topozone .com to find the map? WH2
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Wiperhunter, copy (not copy shortcut) the link as text and paste it into your browser window. For some reason the link comes up like this when you click on it or use copy shortcut.
[url "http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?z=12&n=4453087&e=431881&s=200&size=l"]http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.topozone.com%2Fmap.asp%3Fz%3D12%26amp%3Bamp%3Bn%3D4453087%26amp%3Bamp%3Be%3D431881%26amp%3Bamp%3Bs%3D200%26amp%3Bamp%3Bsize%3Dl[/url]
Here it is again just in case.
[url "http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?z=12&n=4453087&e=431881&s=200&size=l"]http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?z=12&n=4453087&e=431881&s=200&size=l[/url]
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If you goto [url "http://www.topozone.com"]www.topozone.com[/url] and type in "Utah Lake" you can still get there. You can pull up almost any topo map for anywhere in the state/country. I've looked at Deer Creek and Scofield as well.
Catch a few for me!
EmuScud
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