05-20-2012, 06:44 PM
Daughter and I and a good friend went up to Rockport yesterday. We fished the river first, and daughter caught a decent bow. I didn't even get a bite. So we moved to the state park, where my friend joined us...none of us got even a nibble, using worms, PowerBait, etc. Last year in that spot we caught a lot of smaller bass, so guessing it's still a bit cold for them. We saw a couple bows caught from one boat, people were still fishing rather than trolling, it appeared. Seemed pretty slow though even for the boats. Some guys fishing just down from us caught 3 smaller bows on green PowerBait, but that didn't work for us. When their kids started throwing rocks, sticks, etc in the water, we left. So we moved back to the river, I caught a pretty good brown, daughter and friend didn't get anything. I also lost a small rainbow that grabbed a rainbow trout flavored rapala, but then shook loose.
So frustrated with having spent most of the day fishing with only two trout to show for it, my friend took off and daughter and I went up to East Canyon. At first, we fished just up from the dam. I got a nibble on a crappie-bite tipped marabou jig under a bobber, but have no idea what it was, couldn't get it on. So we moved to the state park to try for crappie, not even a nibble there. Really wanted crappie, so we moved to the inlet. I didn't even get a nibble, daughter caught one very nice rainbow, fat and large. It appeared to be one that some time before someone had caught and released, but unhooked very roughly. It's jaw was deformed, appeared to have been broken badly and a chunk torn out on one side, and there was a scar that messed up its eye. Not sure it could see very well out of that side. It was healed up so I'm sure it had been a long while but...I kind of felt bad for it. I love that so many people do catch and release, I think it's terrific and most of the time (unless there's overpopulation causing stunting) very good for the fisheries, but I think if I'd hooked a fish like this and had a hard time putting it back unharmed I would have kept it. [
] Maybe it wasn't a bad unhooking job, maybe it was something else but it sure looked like it.
Water was super high at both Rockport and East Canyon, and the Weber River was also flowing high and fast. Water clarity was somewhat cloudy in both the river and Rockport, but East Canyon was pretty clear.
By the way, at the entrance to the Rockport state park, they had posted that 10 out of the "over 50" tagged fish had been caught. The contest has been extended to May 31 at midnight, for those of you not already aware. Info here: http://stateparks.utah.gov/parks/rockpor...hchallenge
Rules are here: http://static.stateparks.utah.gov/docs/rafterBRules.pdf
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So frustrated with having spent most of the day fishing with only two trout to show for it, my friend took off and daughter and I went up to East Canyon. At first, we fished just up from the dam. I got a nibble on a crappie-bite tipped marabou jig under a bobber, but have no idea what it was, couldn't get it on. So we moved to the state park to try for crappie, not even a nibble there. Really wanted crappie, so we moved to the inlet. I didn't even get a nibble, daughter caught one very nice rainbow, fat and large. It appeared to be one that some time before someone had caught and released, but unhooked very roughly. It's jaw was deformed, appeared to have been broken badly and a chunk torn out on one side, and there was a scar that messed up its eye. Not sure it could see very well out of that side. It was healed up so I'm sure it had been a long while but...I kind of felt bad for it. I love that so many people do catch and release, I think it's terrific and most of the time (unless there's overpopulation causing stunting) very good for the fisheries, but I think if I'd hooked a fish like this and had a hard time putting it back unharmed I would have kept it. [
] Maybe it wasn't a bad unhooking job, maybe it was something else but it sure looked like it.Water was super high at both Rockport and East Canyon, and the Weber River was also flowing high and fast. Water clarity was somewhat cloudy in both the river and Rockport, but East Canyon was pretty clear.
By the way, at the entrance to the Rockport state park, they had posted that 10 out of the "over 50" tagged fish had been caught. The contest has been extended to May 31 at midnight, for those of you not already aware. Info here: http://stateparks.utah.gov/parks/rockpor...hchallenge
Rules are here: http://static.stateparks.utah.gov/docs/rafterBRules.pdf
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