Im really looking to improve my channel cat ice fishing at UL i have caught several in this season but they are 3 to 4 inches. Whats the best bait and are they found in the same places as the soft water or are they deeper rocks or reeds sand bottom or muddy. Near springs or in channels. I want to try this weekend. Any one want to share some info, I would like to give it a try. Thanks
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Might want to PM Tube Dude on that one. I have caught a couple through the ice by accident. I know he has caught channels from Utah Lake every month of the year. He loves fishing for kitties and he knows a lot about U.L.
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[cool][#0000ff]The good news is that channel cats do continue to feed under the ice and are at least semi active all winter. The bad news is that their metabolism slows way down and they don't feed as often...or hit as aggressively as in warmer water.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]This time of year there are a couple of things to look for than can improve your odds with kitties. First is warmer water...as in from a thermal inflow. A few degrees difference in warmth can really pull in all the Utah Lake species. Second is depth. Channel cats sometimes school up in areas with deeper water. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]If you can find both together...deeper and warmer water...you can usually find some catfish. There are several spots around Utah lake where warm springs come in on the lake bottom. And some of those spots have some depth to them. But unless you have the GPS numbers for them you are not likely to find them by drillin' and chillin'. Those who know such spots are justifiably reluctant to post them on a public forum.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]There have been quite a few nice channels caught over the years by anglers soaking baited jigs for other species inside the harbors. When smaller fish come inside for the food and structure the larger predators like walleyes and catfish often follow. But both are rare catches by ice anglers.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Catfish actually cruise all over the whole lake under the ice. They may move slowly but they are always on the lookout for warmer water and the occasional tasty tidbit. The carp seiners run their nets under the ice in the winter and no matter where they run them there are almost always some catfish in the mix of species they haul in.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]There are probably more winter kitties caught off Lincoln Beach than most other spots around the lake. That area is well known for warm trickles coming into the lake and for the abundant rocky bottom structure. There are also a few deeper pockets within easy trudging distance offshore that sometimes hold groups of chilled cats. But, again, unless you know those spots and how to find them you can spend a lot of time looking.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Smaller cats will readily slurp a flavorful baited jig. But larger cats will usually be caught on a chunk of fish meat (carp or white bass) or a whole minnow. During the winter they slowly cruise around over the bottom, looking for winter killed fish that have sunk to the bottom...or even ones that float up under the ice. I have heard a couple of tales of anglers being scared by looking down into their ice holes and seeing a large whiskery face staring back at them.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Cat specialists generally fish whole crawlers or minnows right on the bottom...leaving the bail open on their spinning reels so that the fish can pick up the bait and work on it without feeling resistance. So it can pay to set up one rod like that while you are jigging small lures on your second rod...if you have the two pole permit. Keep a close watch on the line of the baited rod to see when the line moves. A good tactic is to wrap a loop of the line around an EMPTY beverage can so that it tips over and makes a noise when you get a bite. And don't be too mad if you get a walleye instead of a cat.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]If you have them and know how to use them, tipups also work for soaking baits for kitties. Again, drop down a sizeable chunk of fish flesh, a minnow or a crawler...or two.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Good luck.[/#0000ff]
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Excellent Tube Dude this gives me hope I do know of a few spots that are by licnln beach that are dropoffs by the warm springs that are about 8 feet deep. The line to a can trick sounds like one i will try so I can fish my other pole. I do have some minnows I got at sportsmans I will try those and nightcrawlers. Thanks for the help I hope to report good success. If not you know what they say about fishing.
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"If not you know what they say about fishing."
[cool][#0000ff]"They" say a lot of things about fishing. Some less complimentary than others. I like the one about a bad day of fishing being better than a good day at work...or almost anywhere else.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Just a thought...and a word of warning. With this warmer weather in the lower altitudes you should be especially cautious about getting on the ice and you should test the thickness of the ice often as you go out. I had a report last week from someone who found six inch ice in their first holes and then went trudging out a little further. The next hole was less than 3" thick and that sent the drillee tiptoeing back the way they came.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]A lot of the ice on the north part of the lake was ripped off by the winds. Hope it is still solid down south. Be sure to post a report...and hope you are able to fish without becoming a statistic.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Be safe.[/#0000ff]
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