Went up to the Berry on Tuesday, we fished the Renegade area in float tubes. The fishing started out quite slow, tried all kinds of lures, spinners, and jigs they would not even look at them. Finally switched to bait, a worm and marshmallow combo, and started nailing them. Fishing in only 15-20 feet of water, All fish caught were cuts, and they all had to be released except for 1 that was 23". Total fish caught was 7 in 2 hours, between 2 of us.
Happy Fishing!
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Nice Report. Thank you for sharing.
Good Fishing, Kayote
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Has the water level come up from last year or is it still down?
Thanks
Badger
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Nice report FISHINCHIC, yeeap drifting worm a & marshmellow is my standard Strawberry bait rig too-TIBBZZ-
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Hey Tibbzz if ya gonna drift <grins> try drifting minnows. You think the nightcrawlers tears them up, give minnows a try.
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Road,
Shhhh, that is our little secret.
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Thanks for the bone road.
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mums the word Kent <locks lips ..... throws away the key> I guess tellin the guys to float them under a bubble is out too?
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Yes, let's also keep that quiet.
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[cool]Hey, Kent, have you mastered the cast net, or are the minnows still safe? I understand there was a big die-off on the minnows last year. They died laughing at the attempts of rookies trying to throw cast nets at them.
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I want it clearly understood that the big die-off was not a result of them laughing at me. I scared them to death, and squashed a few of them by hitting them with a closed net! I had it mastered pretty good last year, even caught a trolling motor at Soldier Creek. I will need to watch the casting video again before going out again, and practice a few casts on my front lawn (you should see the funny looks from neighbors when they see me throwing a casting net on my lawn -- a very ineffective way to catch nightcrawlers) before going out again this year. After paying $1.99 a small bag of shiner minnows, day before yesterday at Sportsman's, I need to get out there sooner rather than later to get a fresh supply of minnows.
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Hey it wasn't KKent that they died laughing at. It was from FB2 loud laughter at me trying to throw my net. But then that made them easy to collect as they just floated to the surface and kind of twitched. Kent Smiths sells those minows also. The good ones are kept in the freezer above the worms. Last year they were 2 bucks a dz and were pretty nice in size. I haven't bought any this year and will be going up trying to cast that stupid net while FB2 is wounded. I can hear him now!!
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Not to be a stick in the mud, but aren't cast nets illegal in Utah? I personally don't care, but I'd hate to see one of you good folks get pinched. Utah 2003 proclamation, section D. subsection 2 pp. 10 "Nongame fish may be taken by spearfishing, angling, traps, liftnets or seine." I would hope I was wrong, because I think it would be a hoot. Anyone know for sure?????????
Good Netting, Kayote
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Road, you get spoiled in Heber City. The Smith's down here in the valley (at least the ones I have tried) don't carry frozen minnows, night crawlers or anything similar. It seems like the manager in Heber is just responding to customer needs up there.
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I have also noticed that the definition in the proclamation is not the best when it comes to casting nets. I have posed the question to the UDWR and they have said that they are Ok as long as they don't exceed 10 feet in length or width. Which is the limitation for seines. I assume that a casting net falls under the definition of a seine. Last year the gal who manages the Soldier Creek launch ramp was so certain that a guy up there throwing a casting net was doing something illegal, that she called the UDWR officer to come and issue him a citation. The UDWR officer verified that he hadn't kept any game fish, and wished him good luck fishing with the minnows. It would be a shame to make them illegal, because they provide so much entertainment -- not for the person who is catching minnows, but to everyone watching the guy trying to throw one. Let me just say, there is a real art to throwing one effectively, and I don't think that I would have ever figured it out (as well as I have anyway) if Tude Dude hadn't discovered an excellent on-line video that I could watch.
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Kent,
Thank you very much for the info. All this time I thought they were illegal. I think I'll purchase one and give it a shot.
Good Casting, kayote
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As Kent has states the dwg considers the size net that you buy (10ft and under) legal. I had one of their boys (yes he was just a kid) try and show me how to toss mine last fall. He made the point of saying if I caught any game fish by accident that I must release it unharmed *RIGHT NOW* and not a minute later would be too soon. Like I have trouble catching the bait fish LOL.
To help clear up the question as to what a seine is, here is the legal defintion:
A fishing net that hangs vertically in the water by means of weights at the lower edge.
That is according to the DWR. I thought a seine had floats at the top. Maybe that plastic ring is considered a float. At any rate they have helped me with mine and I'm sure if it was illegal they would have taken it and cited me. Hope this helps
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[cool]Don't make the same mistake Kent did. If you try to sneak off and practice where nobody can see you, you will miss out on a tremendous spectator sport opportunity to sell tickets. Make back your investment in the net on your first show.
I thought I threw a pretty fair net until I got down to Texas and Florida. Those guides on the striper lakes down there can throw monstrous nets with a grace and efficiency you can't believe. A couple of good tosses and the bait wells are full for a day of chasing stripers, wipers and sandies (white bass). They fish almost exclusively with threadfin shad, and there are huge schools near the surface at daybreak, feeding on the night's accumulation of plankton and small insects. Utahn's miss out on a lot of good stuff.
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Hey Kent or Tube Dude, where can a guy get his hands on a casting net and instruction video on throwing it? I would like to give it a try. I havn't had too much luck using minnow traps. I think minnows would be the ticket some days.
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[cool]Hey Fishman, I don't think you will find them at Sportsmans, but both Cabelas and BassPro sell them. I would suggest you go to the internet for some additional background and info. Simply enter "cast nets" in your search engines and you will come up with more sites than you can review in a full day.
Suggestion: Don't buy the smallest and cheapest...nor the biggest and most expensive. An eight footer is within the legal size range and will take less time to master. A six footer will work, but not as well as an eight.
Many of the netmakers have instructional videos...either free with purchase or for a slight additional charge. There are also some you can view on the internet, as Kent suggested.
There is a method and a rhythm involved in effectively casting a net. You have to think "Frisbee". It is a matter of getting the weights around the edges twirling so that the centrifugal force spreads the net and drops it over the fish. On small nets, this is not too difficult. on the big salt water models it involves special folding and holding a section in your mouth and everything. If you ain't coordinated you can look pretty pitiful...all draped up in your net and stuff.
Good Luck.
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