Fishing Forum

[cool][#0000ff]I usually like to hit the water early...mostly because of the decreased chance of wind. Yesterday the forecast for Willard was for calmer weather later in the day...and warmer temps. I hit the water at 10:30 which is about the time I am being chased off by the power squadron in the summer.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I decided to launch at Pelican Beach and fish some areas off the trees that used to hold some crappies and walleyes in late fall. I didn't anticipate doing any good on wipers. Good thing. They were not there. Neither were any crappies or walleyes.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Air temp was 34 at launch and 43 at 4:30 departure. Water temp was a COOOOOL 42.3 at launch and all the way up to 43 at beaching time. Only saw two boats on the lake all day.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I worked all kinds of plastics while dragging a minnow on my second rod. Nary a bump on the plastics. With the cold water I didn't even try a crankbait. Up until about 1:30 (3 hours of fishing) I did not even get a hit on the minnows. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I thought my sonar might have used up all its pixels on my trip to Huntington last week, when the screen was full of fish. Couldn't find anything at any depth yesterday at Willard. Oh yeah, the occasional single blipper, but no groups of likely looking targets.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I worked in and out from 8 feet out to about 18 feet. I have done better in the past fishing shallow on the east side than fishing deeper. Didn't see a single fish deeper than about 13 or 14 feet. No married ones either.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]As I got into one area that had produced some kitties in the past I began to get some inquiries on the minnows. Very tentative. Brief nod on the rod or pop and drop. I finally finessed my first chilly cat. It was a Willard Bay cookie cutter kitty...about 15 inches. Almost released it, thinking it was likely to be the only one for the day. But, I had a hankerin' for some grilled catfish so I put it in the basket and fished harder.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Something else popped the line from the clip. But, like the first hooked kitty it did not move off. When I flipped the bail and raised the rod there was weight so I set the hook. Success. But not another fish. It was a cheapo rod and reel...a spincast at that. Why is it that everybody claims to lose Loomis rods but I can only catch the low end stuff? Maybe you other guys are losing your cheap rods and just report them as Loomis to get more sympathy on the board. Hmmmmmm?[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Had to work hard and really finesse those chillin' kitties to scratch out enough for dinner. Finished up at 4 with 4 in the basket. Other than a cool NW breeze most of the afternoon, it was a purty day. Sunny and clear. Saw 5 eagles hanging out in the trees and a blue heron fishing near shore. Nary a water skier or jet ski in sight. And, I got some fish to avoid the skunk and to prove to TubeBabe that I wasn't hanging out at the bar.[/#0000ff]
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Way to go! I tried some cool cats at milner a couple of weeks ago and got skunked. Ron
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[cool][#0000ff]I'm guessing that was one of your first cold water expeditions for kitties from your tube. It helps if you have a history on a given water, over several years time. Every water is different and changes a lot over the year...and from year to year.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I have been fishing Willard Bay cats since the late 1970s and have fished it for catfish virtually every month of the year throughout a lot of water level changes and fluctuations in the overall conditions. I generally have a pretty fair idea of where I have to fish it and how to find a few chilly kitties, even through the ice.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I don't know Milner but my suggestion is to find some deep holes and look for a winter school of cats. That's how they roll on lots of waters. It is surprising how active channel cats can be even under the coldest conditions. But, you can't catch them where they ain't. Find 'em first.[/#0000ff]
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[quote TubeDude][cool][#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Something else popped the line from the clip. But, like the first hooked kitty it did not move off. When I flipped the bail and raised the rod there was weight so I set the hook. Success. But not another fish. It was a cheapo rod and reel...a spincast at that. Why is it that everybody claims to lose Loomis rods but I can only catch the low end stuff? Maybe you other guys are losing your cheap rods and just report them as Loomis to get more sympathy on the board. Hmmmmmm?[/#0000ff]
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<lol> Too funny! (Wiping coffee-through-nose from computer screen)
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[cool][#0000ff]That was a dig at one of the guys on the Utah board who recently let go of his rod while making a cast. I KNOW it really WAS a Loomis...his pride and joy. But, I couldn't resist messin' with him. Naturally he was the first to reply to my post on the Utah board.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Sorry about the coffee thing. You gotta be careful when you read my stuff. I take my fishing seriously but I NEVER take myself too serious.[/#0000ff]
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At least you got something today even thought the fishing conditions were a little cool.[cool] Nice report!
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TD, I found a hole that is 54 foot deep. When I was right over the center of it my fish finder light up! I tried about everything worms, cut bait, jigs. They just were not biting that day. Also I don't know for sure they were cats. They could have been Utah chubs or carp. Ron
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[cool][#0000ff]Many species will gravitate toward the deepest holes in cold water because there is usually a warmer layer near bottom. But, if your sonar showed a lot of fish above the bottom I would bet they would be something besides catfish. Cats tend to stay on or near bottom...but will come up to feed. Those fish could have included crappies if there are crappies in Milner.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]As a rule of thumb, when looking for winter cats I try to find water that shows a sudden deep depression, surrounded by bottom at the "average" depth. But, that is just my experience with the cats in Utah. Until you get one to bite and come to the surface it is all just theory.[/#0000ff]
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Milner has a lot of bass, and the cats there are all planters. No crappie, or any other game fish are known to be present, and that info is from the F&G.
Idaho Power dumps 20,000 cats in there a year. So far the Idaho F&G and Idaho Power believe that there is NO natural reproduction on cats. I have caught several cats in Milner this year but only the planters of the year. So far I have not had any luck with the older cats. I wanted to try the early winter to see if some of these deeper holes filled up with cats migrating in for winter. Catfishing in Milner has been less than productive, but I do think at some point I will get lucky and figure them out, at least I hope. Ron
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