Took the boss lady and two of our boys (8 and 6) to the Knolls yesterday and couldn't buy a bite.
We were there from about 1:30 to about 5:00.
Tried white, green, pink and red 1/16 and 1/32 jigs with assorted tails sweetened with crawler and the boys even tried bologna from their sandwiches. The eight year old tried a kastmaster for a while.
Did see one person catch a carp but that was about it.
The Boss lady had a chance to relax and catch up on her reading without being bothered by unhooking a lot of pesky fish.[laugh]
The boys had fun scrounging the beaches, found treasures included; 2 broken fishing rods, 1 fillet knife, 1 kitchen knife, 1 working fishing reel(needs cleaning) and assorted weights, bobbers, hooks and line and various parts of bbq grills. All treasures were brought home to be dealt with(disposed of) properly. [
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Other than the lack of fish we all had a great time, the weather was nice
and it was about the best company I could want.
Bigpapadan
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That's Utah Lake for you. I always get animated after reading successful reports of recent good/fast fishing on that lake, but I've tried to follow up too many times drawing a big goose-egg to know enough that it's a crap shoot anytime you go there. The secret to Utah Lake is to go often. In any given 20 trips there, you might luck out and have a few good ones.
I've been 3 times now fairly recently. 1st time: skunk. 2nd time: One single White Bass 3rd time: We finally got into a school of White bass (about 8 or 12 or so) and one catfish, but unfortunately we arrived right before dark so we were only able to fish for about an hour before calling it quits.
It's always been a tough lake for me.
I've never tried the Knolls.
Funny how if I've got my family with me, it never seems like a wasted trip however!
Randy
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[cool]Hey, at least you had terrific company! While fishing did you try moving down the shoreline at all or were you camped out in the exact same spot/area the whole time? Moving down the shoreline can often make a huge difference...
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The boys moved around a little maybe 100 yards in both directions, but I wasn't seeing any action from anyone. Maybe try going back this weekend. Try Lincoln beach, or the harbor at Sarasota. Looked like quite a few people along the river at the outlet.
Utah lake is starting to get on my nerves[laugh], I've only been about for or five times but just can't get the skunk off me there.
Persistence is the key I beleive, and bring good company...
Bigpapafish
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the key is to move around a lot. Try different depths and areas. They are there and can be caught on a consistant basis. Do 20-30 casts and if you dont get a thit they are not there. They are usually deeper in morning and move in during the heat of the day. UL isn't "hit and miss" as others have said here. Some people hava a hard time catching fish because they try the same thing in the same area over and over again and it'll work 1/4 of the time. It is a good place and it'll reward your patience. Small jigs are best and tip them with noght crawler, just a little. They may only be in 8" of water so a water bobber rig works wel to avoid snags and feel small bites.
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I've felt the same frustration down there, but just had a great trip with my dad on 6/3 near Pelican Point, north of the Knolls. The first in about 6 trips. We caught 36 whities, a small carp, 4 crappies, a mudder, and some nice bluegill. Also had some big fish in the shallows near tules break 6 lb test 3 times in a row. Probably medium cats.
Luckily it wasn't crowded, because we never found a school of bass to hit, so we just wandered back and forth over 200 yards of shore or so, casting. Never had them on "every cast" like I hear about, but they hit jigs, spinners, beetle-spins, Castmaster, in any flashy type or loud colors.
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Glad to hear you got into them Springbuck. Sounds like a fun trip.
I am surprised that bluegill and crappie don't show up more around the knolls. Seems like there are a few places there they might cling to but I rarely see or hear of anything but white bass and cats.
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[cool][#0000ff]There are plenty of bluegills and crappies NEAR the Knolls. But the white bass swarm on the rocks and shallows for spawning whereas the bluegills and crappies like the structure and protection of reed beds...or inside harbors and next to docks.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Howsomever, there are a few stretches along that long stretch of shoreline where the bluegills make spawning beds on the right kind of bottom. You just have to be in a tube or small boat to approach them from the open lake. Tough to find and fish by walking or wading. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Similarly, if you can find some sizeable stands of reeds, in deeper water, you will sometimes be able to find crappies hanging right around the edges. Best to fish them under a small bobber on the shady sides of the reeds. Even better if you have a long crappie rod and can reach back in to drop your rig in a hole in the middle of the reeds. That's what those "dipsticks" are for. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The crappies first hit the reeds to spawn and then hang around to eat all the newly hatched fry...their own and that of all the other species that spawn in the spring. The reeds are the nurseries and protective cover for many species of bitty bites.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Since the lake rose back to a semi full level about 2005...after several years of drought...the reeds have been a mixed blessing. They provide more spawning habitat and better nurseries for the young. But they also tend to spread the fish out over wider areas and make it tougher for the "average" tangler to find and catch them. You have to fish more spots and fish differently.[/#0000ff]
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