Finally mama weather brought out a little sunshine for us! I was planning to bring the boat with and run off from work directly, but shifted gears. Instead stopped by Skyler's pond for some tugs on the way home.
And tugs I found.
I was the only angler when I got there. A number of others came and went. Nice to see lots of kids getting a chance to fish. You can see where the stocking truck came out, and left a few muddy tracks.
Was throwing some powerbait, but salmon eggs got more attention. Just hanging on a hook under a bobber. There was a patch of weeds which seemed under attack. Bows went flipping and flying OVER my bobber. There was some serious commotion!
They were all about the footlong variety, but some had some shoulder's to 'em! Chose a couple for the stringer, and then proceeded to about empty my jar of eggs. Had pulled in around 20, when the weed patch had blown away - I could see one of my wriggly catches being followed by the whole school.
I decided to put away the bait and just give em something shiny. There was such a frenzy going on. It worked very well indeed. Spinner blade ahead of a small silver kastmaster. It was on. Had the whole school chasing and striking - funny how many hits came at the last second. Competitive little buggers!
Once in a while it's nice to get onto that kind of action Cast - bite, cast bite.
The stocking reports show the other community ponds have started receiving their spring planters. Figure I was just doing my part to educate the youngins a bit. They're very enthusiastic right now. Lots to learn!
Great story man thanks for the info, going to have to try it with my nephews sounds like they would love it[
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Done did it again. We had a nice little turn in the weather, and even got some sunshine this afternoon after raining all morning off-n-on (mostly ON!).
With only a little time to play, I hit Skyler's again. Tried the same patterns in the same place, and really wasn't getting any action, so - I moved. Found another floating island of weeds, and worked around it.
Had a chartreuse feather jig under bobber - tipped with waxworm or crawler. Got some bites, but really - not much attention. Though when I moved to a pink - practically shutdown.
So - I went back to flinging shiny stuff, and the hits returned. Went with the same spinnerblade/kastmaster, and it proved to gain attention again. Still found schools of fish following all the way to the bank. Swatting and swiping as they went.
Tried a gold Jake's lure with red dots, and it was nuts. Every cast I'd be fending off bumps. It was fish after fish. Guess the pond got stocked a second time - looks like they hit a few others around with these 10.68" bows, too. Seems they need a few days to acclimatize, but then they're ready!
It's a treat to be able to use a spinner/spoon in that puddle. In a few months it'll be so weed chocked, there's no doing!
Couple folks had to see what I was using, as it was faster action than the worm-bobber approach. But seemed like everyone got on fish. Nice to see the families out with little ones getting on the action. ("look at your bobber" "reel it, reel it!")
I did take a couple photos this time, but didn't bother to picture every catch. When you've seen one Rainbow, you've seen the next 30 or more that got pulled in too.
Once my light faded, so did my bite. Though the fish were still very active. Probably slurping up flies and water bugs!
Just a followup. Prepped, Planked, and Served. Even the Mrs said I dun good on thisn.
I was able to donate some of my basket to my family members as we shared a meal together.
Plus I caught probably over 100 fish, and got the boy out (in the rain even). With the weeds down, it's about the only time a spinner can be used in that puddle. Need to see if I can hit it again on "the way home".
They've got a nice playground, so my daughter could mess around too.
My son got bored with fishing (???), and had an itch to go to the zoo. So - we did that. It may be small, but it's still neat staring down a Bobcat, or having a Peacock fly right over your head.
[quote CoyoteSpinner]A community pond may only allow 2 fish, but doesn't mean you can't go over a few days and collect a "meal's worth"[/quote]
You might not find a Fish Cop who agrees. There has been more than one incident where people have gone back day after day and wound up with a ticket for doing just that.
Copied from the 2011 Utah Fishing Guide:
Quote:Bag and possession limits
Residents and nonresidents who are under 12 years of age may fish without a license and take a full bag and possession limit.
In Utah, the bag and possession limits are the same. For example, once you’ve harvested a limit of trout, you cannot harvest any more trout until you’ve consumed or donated at least some of the trout you’ve harvested. So, if you eat one trout, you can harvest one more the next day; if you eat a full limit, you can harvest a full limit the next day.
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Shame on you, Coyote!
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I may have mist-stated that. And retract the suggestion that you can go back and collect. Point taken, and thanks for sharing that clarification.
BUT - if you want to get technical - it is permitted to "donate" fish away from the waters. So I'll look at is as I donated those extra fish to my wife and daughter. They held on to them until I cooked them all together.
And technically - they ate them, so I ain't lie-in
So riddle me this - a community pond has a 2 fish limit, but Utah has a 4 trout limit. So is it legal to hold 2 days worth of a community pond limit, but still be within the Utah limit?
you like pickin on those little kid fish dont ya[
] just kiddin man. ive done plenty of it myself[
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it says under the community fishing rules that the daily bag and possession limit is a combined total of 2 fish for all species. But like you said your wife got some and kids, so i think your fine. Good job man
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I figure I'm doing my part to educate the young-lings.
"what not to bite"
It's just been fun getting the tugs on. Plus kinda fun having the hot hand. I'm usually not "that guy" who's pulling in fish after fish. Had several folks that 'had to know' what I was using.
[quote CoyoteSpinner]BUT - if you want to get technical - it is permitted to "donate" fish away from the waters. So I'll look at is as I donated those extra fish to my wife and daughter. They held on to them until I cooked them all together.
And technically - they ate them, so I ain't lie-in[/quote]
You can donate them to other family members. Then when everybody has enough for a meal you can cook 'em up and eat 'em. (the fish, not the family)[crazy]
Just make sure you have the donation slip filled out before you go fishing the next day. It probably isn't going to come up, but if someone noticed you taking fish home every day and had called the fish cop, he would be able to cite you if you don't have everything in order.
Here's the one thing about the guidebook that still could use some explanation. I talked with the Governor's office a few years ago about the whole "fishing while in possession of a limit" thing. The next quote from the guidebook is a little bit vague.
Quote:• You may not fish at waters that have a specific bag or size limit if you possess fish in violation of that limit. For example, if the cutthroat trout limit at a river you’d like to fish is two cutthroats, and you harvested three cutthroats earlier that day at another water, you can’t fish at that river until you consume at least one of the cutthroats you harvested earlier. You may continue to fish while in possession of a full limit, but you must immediately release any additional fish you catch.
You can't legally eat one of those cutthroats that day (or donate it) and continue to fish. You've bagged your limit for that day. In fact, you're over the limit for that water, and that is why you can't fish there. Or if the fish in your possession don't comply with size limits at the river in the example, you're in violation.
[quote CoyoteSpinner]So riddle me this - a community pond has a 2 fish limit, but Utah has a 4 trout limit. So is it legal to hold 2 days worth of a community pond limit, but still be within the Utah limit?[/quote]
No. If you have 2 trout at home, you cannot keep any more trout while you are fishing at a body of water that has a 2 trout limit. You could keep 2 trout at a community pond, and then go keep 2 more at a body of water that has a 4 trout limit. You can keep 8 Channel Catfish if you catch them in waters that aren't community ponds. But you can't keep 2 a day for 4 days at the community ponds. Kinda tough for the fish cop to prove where you caught them, so they make it the way it is. If you were under suspicion, and they get the search warrant, and you've got more than the limit for where you were fishing in your possession (including your home), you're busted. Here's a $64,000 question. If you have 2 fish, say catfish, in your fridge, can you fish at a community pond and keep 2 trout? The limit at the community pond is 2 fish. Of any species. [crazy][crazy] If there are loopholes to be found, someone will find them. They're (the UDWR) just trying to close as many as they can. And they are trying to keep the community ponds stocked for more than just a day or two after the hatchery truck arrives.
I would rather see someone collect a few limits to make a meal, instead of seeing the cormorants get the fish, but the law was written for a purpose, and I have to agree with it. There is no sense in having a defined limit, and then letting someone come back several times a day, or week to fill up the larder. It doesn't matter whether we're talking fresh or frozen fish. If you wanna catch fish, go fishin'. If'n ya wanna eat fish, eat 'em fresh. If'n ya wanna have lots of fish in the freezer, go buy Mrs. Paul's.
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u have got to be kidding me
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[cool][#0000ff]Whoa...whoa...whoa. There is the letter of the law and the spirit of the law. And sometimes they overlap and sometimes they make no sense.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The whole community pond limit thing is established as an ATTEMPT to reduce the daily haul by the happy harvesters...who treat the ponds as their personal fish markets. It is not meant to take precedence over the state's regular fish limits. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]So...if you have four trout in your freezer...from whatever source...you are within the state limit. And it would take expensive and time-consuming tests to determine the DNA and source of the fish if a CO were to show up at your house. The idea is to put an enforceable limit on the number of fish you can possess while on a community pond...or in your possession until you get home. Anything more than two in those situations is "bustable". After you have them at home it would be tough for anybody to prove the fish came from a community fishery.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]No need to pop a corpsuckle agonizing over whether or not you're goin' to the slammer after keeping 2 fish per day for more than one day. Just follow the rules on the pond and help educate others to do the same and the goal of DWR will have been accomplished. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Their biggest headaches are the "families" that bring 10 kids and one or two people fill the limits for everybody...whether they are fishing or not. And chances are that those folks go home, dump the morning's catch and return for the afternoon shift.[/#0000ff]
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like already stated they cant tell where you caught the fish
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Again - you make valid points and help to clarify the "interpretation" of the rules. Thanks for that second point. That one always seemed muddy. Now I can see where that's coming from.
So if I catch three fish on the Logan River, I can't then go fish a community pond. Not even C&R, until one's been consumed.
Time to start bringing some charcoal and foil!
Now THAT's talking fresh fish!! (used to do that in the High Sierras)
I kinda wish they would check this pond once in a while. Have seen some less than scrupulous "keepers". Seemed like they "used" their kids to fill a stringer.
Some of the kids watching me reel in fish after fish made the comment "but he just keeps throwing them back", maybe they didn't know I'd already claimed my two, or hadn't read the sign to know the limit, dunno.
They'll probably be waiting for me next time! I'll bring my notes, and photos of the cooked, consumed fish as evidence! [angelic]
i dont think anyone wants to see pictures of your consumed fish [
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From the Utah Guidebook:
Quote:In Utah, the bag and possession limits are the same. For example, once you’ve harvested a limit of trout, you cannot harvest any more trout until you’ve consumed or donated at least some of the trout you’ve harvested. So, if you eat one trout, you can harvest one more the next day; if you eat a full limit, you can harvest a full limit the next day.
You'll notice that it doesn't say 4 trout. It says limit.
If the limit is 2 fish, and it is at community pond fisheries, you cannot legally keep any more. If you've got 2 fish at home, you cannot legally keep more fish at a community fishery. I agree that there is a difference in the letter and spirit of the law. But if someone were to have seen CoyoteSpinner take his limit home 3 days in a row, he could have been in trouble. Probably won't happen. But you never know.
Yes it would take expensive DNA testing to prove where the fish were caught. That's why you could get the ticket for having trout at home when you take 2 more at the community waters. And no, you are not within the state limit to have 4 trout in your home regardless of where you took them. If they don't comply with the limits of the water where you took them they are in violation. If you took 2 from a community pond you can take more from another water. But if you've got 2 fish at home, you can't keep any from the community water. Once you get them home, nobody is going to go through the hassle of checking DNA. But if you were to get checked at the community pond with 2 trout, and the fish cop had reason to get a warrant, and you had fish at home, you're in violation.
Quote:Their biggest headaches are the "families" that bring 10 kids and one or two people fill the limits for everybody...whether they are fishing or not. And chances are that those folks go home, dump the morning's catch and return for the afternoon shift.
Truer words were never written. But the limit is 2. Not 2 until you get home and add them to the 2 you got the day before. Once you're home isn't the problem. It's if they suspect you and you have more than 2 it
could be an issue.
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[cool][#0000ff]No disagreement. A limit is a limit. Just trying to point out that some aspects of the "overlap" might be tough to prove. Also, that there are folks who knowingly engage in much worse violations than a "fudge fish" or two...and they virtually NEVER get prosecuted. Too bad there aren't more officers to watch over the hatchery pets.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]A couple of years ago my wife and I were part of the Youth Fishing Program...on Bountiful Pond. Our weekly sessions with the kids were on Wednesdays. The lake was planted on Monday. Shortly after the hatchery truck departed the "locals" descended on the lake with their "extended" families and set up rods every five feet around the shoreline to keep others from fishing. Only one or two family members actually fished...but they kept going from rod to rod, bringing in fish for others. At that time the limit was 4 per person. When the "families" left they had big nets full of fish...and were back doing the same thing the next night (Tuesday). By Wednesday, when the kids showed up to fish, there were no fish left to catch. Only a very few kids in that years' program ever caught a single fish.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Why didn't I report it? I did. But nobody ever showed up to even verify it. And on Wednesday night when the DWR folks were there the "families"
were nowhere to be seen. But they had already harvested all the fish planted FOR THEM that week anyway.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I personally feel that the program should be run as fishing for kids, seniors and handicapped only...with a special license issued only upon proof of age or disability. Kids should be capable of handling their own tackle and parents should get a ticket if they are fishing at all. It really torques me when I see folks drive up in tricked out trucks and clean out a newly planted lake. They can afford to fish elsewhere...or buy their fish at the market. They don't need to steal from folks who can't.[/#0000ff]
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Again, truer words were never written. With the price of gas now days, the community fisheries are gonna get hit hard. I remember a thread that bounced around about a guy who "helped" his little boy catch a big brown trout at Vivian Park Pond. That is one place that has the "under 12 years old" recommendations.
And the regs can sometimes be tough to live with, tough to understand, and even tough to comply with. When you start talking about cutthroats from Bear Lake that must have a fin clipped, and slot limits at Strawberry or Scofield you can have some overlap. You can have a cutthroat within the slot limit that was caught at Bear Lake that has a clipped fin. You may have a big cutthroat at home that has all of it's fins intact and you go to Bear Lake. You're in trouble if they stop you before you get back home and wanna look in your house when they get there. Once they are in your house, it's tough to prove where or when they were caught. In that case it's innocent unless proven guilty.
I have no doubt that you do your best to stay within the law. You keep and eat a whole lot more fish than I do however. I don't keep many, and try my best to comply with the regs. But either one of us could find ourselves having to show the C. O. what we have at home in the freezer. If you had 6 Channel Catfish at home and you were at Bountiful Pond, you could find yourself in hot water if you kept 2 more cats. It ain't necessarily right, but it is what's written in the regs.
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