Fishing Forum

After reading last night that Utah Lake had ice I could not resist heading down there after work.

I arrived at 2:45pm to see that no one was on the ice, but there was evidence of ice holes around the boat ramp. Walked right on with a proper hello "crack" from the ice and peered into a hole to see that there was 2 inches of ice.

I tried the old holes for 10 mins, 2 guys joined me, so I headed out on the dikes to try a spot where I have caught greeen sunfish in the past. After one bite in 30 mins I moved on. Once again there was 2 inches of ice.

Then came the sketchy stuff. I just had to try the main lake for a spot that has held blluegills for me in the past.

Drilling every 5 feet the ice was only 1 inch thick!


No fish there and so I headed right back where I started. It was a good move too.

With 15 bluegills............


5 perch (1st time getting them out of UL)




and 1 black crappie..............


I was enjoyed a very cold sunset and continued to fish after dark till 6pm.



With 5 of us fishing the same area I would say we pulled 100 or more fish out of there. Loads of good sized bluegills, a good number of healthy perch, a few black crappie, and about 2 white bass minnows.
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[cool]Nice report and photos. Were you using that orange color jig the whole time? Also, do you have to pay at the gate to fish Lindon this time of year? Is the dude at the pay booth in the winter? I'm going to fish U.L. tomorrow but just not sure which harbor I'm going to yet. Got it narrowed down to two at the moment...
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Nice haul! Quite the variety, congrats.
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you guys are awesome can't wait to get out there soon very nice shot on the sunset
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It was a neon tiger ice fly in pink with a nightcrawler added to it. It seems to work well on trout and bluegills. Kastmasters are a good choice too. That is what the guys around me where using.
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I personally never miss ice up at UL! Good luck out there.
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Nice job, was gonna go to that harbor you were at but checked out AF first and lingered too long to head across all the way. Killed the whities where your blues are at last year. I wouldn't walk out to the main lake if I were u. Not worth it. Too thin now. Let it freeze some more or hopefully open up even. Wow you got some balls to keep going on 1 inch. Even when I was crazier, I waited till 1 1/2 lol. That half inch makes a hella difference lol. Af is okay, I wouldn't say hot for sure, as for what I'm used to I would call it dead.
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I was going to head to AF myself as I traditionally go there for the hard deck.

How big were the white bass and other species?

My biggest giills ran 8.5 inches long, 2 of the perch were 7.5 inches long, and the crappie was 7 inches. There were 5 fish total that I threw back due to their "minnow-ness". The white bass that I saw come up were like 3 inches at best.

I kind of miss the white bass frenzy from the past. Now days all the ones I can find are dinks.[]
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utah lake is a great place to ice fish as long as people dont come fish your hole or even another persons while they walk away to bait their hook ya know..... i have heard of this happening recently to a few guys there......
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Trust me it get's worse when folks come in a group of 5+ they will literally pick ax a hole like 5 ft away from you. Had it happens quite a bit because I was taking some of there precious white bass away from them [laugh]. [mad]

Then I move away from them and set up tent then they don't know what's going on inside my hut[angelic].
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That's fantastic! I don't ice fish myself as I scares the beejesus out of me when the ice groans and creeks!

However, several of the wounded warriors and kids in wheelchairs that I take fishing during the summer have asked if I would take them ice fishing this winter. I can't tell them no, so I will have to cowboy up and start planning some trips. Utah lake would be a great starting place. If it works out I was thinking strawberry and scoffield as other locations.

When this comes together would any of you out there with ice fishing skills like to volunteer to help?
Steve Henline [url "http://www.handinhandoutdoors.org"]www.handinhandoutdoors.org[/url]
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Thanks for the report. Ice still too thin for me though.
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[quote pezvela]That's fantastic! I don't ice fish myself as I scares the beejesus out of me when the ice groans and creeks!

However, several of the wounded warriors and kids in wheelchairs that I take fishing during the summer have asked if I would take them ice fishing this winter. I can't tell them no, so I will have to cowboy up and start planning some trips. Utah lake would be a great starting place. If it works out I was thinking strawberry and scoffield as other locations.

When this comes together would any of you out there with ice fishing skills like to volunteer to help?
Steve Henline [url "http://www.handinhandoutdoors.org"]www.handinhandoutdoors.org[/url][/quote]

I would like to help out when the time comes.

With handicaps, locations are key. The 1st two years I ice fished I was on crutches and Rockport was easiest to get on and off the ice. Places like Causey were not an option, same with some strawberry spots. East canyon was good, so long and the shore ice was ok.

Another key is good fishing! That will help people forget just how cold it is out there!
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[quote crappielover89]utah lake is a great place to ice fish as long as people dont come fish your hole or even another persons while they walk away to bait their hook ya know..... i have heard of this happening recently to a few guys there......[/quote]

That happens every year on the ice at UL. I am just fine with it myself.
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One method to offset the crowd is to ice fish UL only when the ice is what some might think is unsafe. Then when it gets to 4 inches abandon the lake entirely and head to other places with early ice lol. But yeah people getting close really don't bother me, it's mean antisocial people who think they own the whole lake that I see as problematic.
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Thank you. Your willingness to help is greatly appreciated. There will be logistical problems; getting wheelchairs on the ice and keeping them warm, but there is genuine excitement among many that we serve about the prospects of ice fishing.

Many disabled individuals have never even considered the possibility that they could be involved in an activity like this. When it happens, it opens up new vistas to them and enriches their lives in many ways.

Thank you again. I will start to plan a trip, probably in January when the ice becomes very safe. If you have any thoughts about what equipment we will need and how we can safely get the wheelchairs on the ice please let me know. Steve Henline
[url "http://www.handinhandoutdoors.org"]www.handinhandoutdoors.org[/url]
[url "mailtoteve@handinhandoutdoors.org"]steve@handinhandoutdoors.org[/url]
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I agree. I kind of like having the company as long as the people are pleasant and friendly. I'll even trade techniques and share my bait.

I'm willing to help out too. I'm a veteran and would be proud to help fellow comrades at arms who paid more than the rest of us.

When I moved down here by that harbor 6 years ago, the fishing was that good all season long. Now it only lasts like that for about a month. It will continue to be fast fishing all season in that one exact spot, but eventually you will only pull up small bluegill and small white bass. I don't know if it is because the larger perch, crappie, bluegill move somewhere else, get smart and don't bite, or they just get taken out of there. I'm leaning toward the latter because you should see the people taking buckets of fish out of there day after day. Some people eat A TON of fish. It doesn't hurt the population though. Next year will be the same all over.
Also, I have explored all over, in and out of that harbor, and it is not very good compared to the prop wash/deep spot where you are at.
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[quote roynut]I agree. I kind of like having the company as long as the people are pleasant and friendly. I'll even trade techniques and share my bait.[/quote]

Interesting you would say that. One of the guys actually handed me a kastmaster when I mentioned that I left mine at home. When one of the other guys mentioned that his gloves were wet and that his hands were cold, I offered him a pair of brand new gloves sitting in my sled. When another guy asked what I was using as bait I offered up my nightcrawlers, another offered up his wax worms.
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