Fishing Forum

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]Tightline, my friend Ron, and I met up Friday to try our luck on the Bear and see if we could persuade the spawning macks to bite. Now ,I don't know if any of you have fished the spawn before but it can be a time of year when you maybe able to hook up on a big mack close to shore or it can be a time of frustration because the fish are not really interested in anything else but reproducing. Hunger or eating is not a factor. With that in mind, you need to try a few different tactics.[/size][/font]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]Tightline got to the marina around 2:00am and fished the dikes in front of the marina. I'll let him report on his early fishing. We met him at the marina at around 6:15am and preped the boat in the dark. We discussed what we wanted to try and how we wanted to fish it. With that in mind we head out of the marina watching the crowd on the dikes trying to latch on to a spawning lake trout from the shoreline.[/size][/font]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]We headed for the rock pile, a typical area used by spawning macks and checked it for fish. Sure enough there were fish at the base of the pile as you move out into deeper water you could see abundant amounts of fish to about 65 ft deep.[/size][/font]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]Since the weather was so calm, we decide to drift and jig, using the slight breeze to drift from 65-70 ft to the rock pile and repeating the process several times. It seemed as the day grew on, the fish moved to deeper water.[/size][/font]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]Since the macks were spawning, and not eating, jig selections were made to induce protective or annoyance strikes. I used a Mega-roadrunner made by TD, Tightline used a tora glow tube and Ron used a standard tube. Needless to say, the large glow tube got more strikes than anything else. At times, yes, size matters. After tightline got a few strikes but no hook ups we added a trailer hook to the hefty tube and bang! Hook up! Here's a pic of the 7 1/2lb mack he caught.[/size][/font] [left]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]We fished into the afternoon varying our our drift area and throwing out a drift sock when the wind kicked up to slow us down. With all the fish we saw, you'd think we would of gotten a few more strikes.[/size][/font]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]Towards late afternoon, we decide to do a little trolling and made a few runs through the macks with a variety of lures. We hooked up on a small cutt with no other strikes dragging lures right through their noses.[/size][/font]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]When the sun was just above the skyline we went back in and got on top of the fish in 50ft of water. The breeze was enough to blow you off them so we anchored up. I got several strikes but could not hook uo on them. Hit and run! We did see a couple boats that were fishing the top of the pile. Since the weather was so nice, they were using the electric troll motors, just like on Flaming Gorge, to position over the fish. They caught a few but none of the big jmbo size fish everyone is after this time of year.[/size][/font]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]I wish I had an aquaview. It would of been fun checking out all the fish.[/size][/font]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]Anyway, as I was saying, The spawn can be a killer time to land a big fish in close but it can be a very frustrating time also. It is definitely worth going out and trying your luck especially with good company like tightline.[/size][/font]
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Hey BLM,

Do you tip your jigs with a piece of minnow or sucker bait this time of year? Also, do spawning macks typicaly like a slow or fast jig action?
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]Who knows? I didn't catch a mack yesterday! We did use bait and scents on our jigs; it can't hurt. Does it help? I don't know. As far as action, you'll have to read the fish when you're there. We did both aggresive and deadstick techniques. Both brought on strikes. Just don't expect for the fish to hit and come back for more when they spit the hook. They're trying to drive you away not eat. Like I said, they hit and run.[/size][/font]
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BLM is right, fishing dureing the spawn can be a frustating time. I got to the Utah State Marina around 1 am, prepare for a walk if you get there after 10 pm becase the marina locks its gates at 10 pm. After setting up my pole with a large Blue Fox spinner I started casting around the outside of the marina, I saw plenty of those "ghosts" swimming around the rocks but only had 1 follow with the spinner, I then switched to a white jig and had 3 look at it and turn away. I left at 3:30 am with out even a bite. I might get there earlier tonight and give it a go.
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I never made it up there last year during the spawn. I did make it after the cisco spawn and saw, through my AquaVu, several large cutthroats, and one huge sucker on the rock pile. I bet it would be lots of fun to get up there during the mack spawn, with my AquaVu. How long does the mack spawn last?
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]Thanks for the report BLM. [/size][/font]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]Nice fish TightLine.[/size][/font]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]Great info for Mack spawn fishing at Bear Lake. Your post is yet another good one to keep in the "how-to" library.[/size][/font]
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Hey Frozenfish,

Curious how many fishermen/women were out there with you that time of night? Did you see anyone else hook into a fish?
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]Kent, the mack spawn can go til the first week of November the next few weeks will be full bore spawn activity. One thing I forgot to mention were the female mack coming to the surface and tail slapping and sometimes coming completely out of the water. We had fish breaking the surface quite frequently all day long, some very close to the boat.[/size][/font]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]FrozenFish, Tightline got caught at the gate also and had to walk in. The first thing he did when we came in after dark was run and put his car into the marina so he could drive out after he fished the dikes. The guy is a fishing machine! He got there at 2:00am Friday, fished all night til we got there. Fished all day with us then stayed and fished off the dikes. [/size][/font]
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It sounds like fun I guess I better get up there.
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]It's fun but it will make you scratch your head. To fully experience it, you need to do what tightline and Frozenfish are doing by fishing the early morning hours off the dikes, then go fish all day in the boat! After that, you can catch a little more night time dike fishing and make a full day of it! OUCH! HA! That is more than I can take.[/size][/font]
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Thats what the problem is with you old folks. "more than you can take" lol.

You could take your afternoon nap on the boat!!!! [][]

Although crawling around on the dike at dark sounds to me like a real ankle twister.
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I just got back from Bear Lake again tonight. Only there for a couple of hours. got there around 6 pm and left at 10 pm, it was pretty crowded when I got there and only saw 1 mac caught inside the marina about the time I got there, after that it was pretty dead. I was in my tube and only had what I believe were a couple of bites.

Kent - last night there was only 2 other guys when I got there they said they caught nothing, they left around 2 am and then I was the only one out there.

And where were you fishing at Tightline?

BLM - you catch anything off the dikes?
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As quickly as you made your post, you must live in Garden City?
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]I'm bushed after just a long day on the water. Staying another 4-6 hours is more than I want to handle! HA!Tightline stayed and fished the dikes but I haven't heard or see him on since then. Probably out fishin', I'd guess. I'm sure we'll hear something on how he did. The guy truely is a fishin' machine![/size][/font]
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BLM, excuse my ignorance, but what happens after the spawn? Is it a prime time to fish because the macks are now aggressively feeding again, or what?
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]The fishing should start to pick up by the 1st to 2nd week in November. That's not a rock solid, engraved in stone promise and I won't bet the farm on it but I'll be out there.[/size][/font]
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My mistake Kent, we left Bear Lake at 8 pm, and got home at 10 pm, 2 hour trip from there to my house.
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Just thought I would pipe in and let you know that BLM made a first class trip all the way around. The fishing was a little unpredictable but the weather and company were great! Heck he even split his lunch since I left mine sitting in the rocks at the marina.

As for the fish on the spawn. This is still a little early and most of the big hens are not in the shallows. The low water is also making it significantly more difficult. I have hooked some smaller males but that is about it. It sure is to think about after comparing it to years past. It gives me my big fish fix for a little while though. I will head up again later in the week and let everyone know if it picks up. What we really need is cooler temps. The water temp is just too high.

Tightline
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