[#0000FF]I wanted to go to Starvation today but Mama Nature said she would huff and puff and blow me off the water if I did. I was mad about that. But not mad at how Utah Lake treated me.
Launched at Lindon a little after 5:30. Cruised out to the mouth of the marina and tried throwing some plastics. Nobody home...or nobody who wanted to play anyway.
Put the electric motor on 2 and started dragging one of my newer "hanger tube" rigs. Pitched a tandem tube jig rig on the other rod. Wasn't even full light yet when a 21 inch kitty tried to take my jig rod away. Kept it up for several minutes and then decided to crawl into my net to have her picture taken. Released her...as I did all the other fish I caught today.
Missed a couple more whacks before I got to the line of buoys at the bubbleup. Nobody else there so I began my pattern of working from the last buoy out and fishing along the length of the pipe until I found fish. Pow. Zing. Another scrappy kitty on the light jig rod. Turned out to be a 20 something inch male cat. Good tussle.
That was the beginning of about 3 hours of too much fun. I continued to drag the hanger tube rig on one rod while pitching jigs around the pipe as I gradually moved from 5 feet depth at the end of the pipe to about 2 feet in the shallows. I caught more channel cats, a grundle of bullheads (mud cats), a few white bass and one cantankerous carp that really wanted my little black and chartreuse jig.
I guesstimate that I caught about a dozen channel cats...from a dinky footlong to one about 26 or 27 inches. The latter was a big headed black daddy cat. Took my hanger tube rig and zinged off about 20 yards of line against the drag before I could get the rod out of the holder and become a part of the program.
Bullheads were downright pesky. They got hooked on the small jigs easily enough but just stripped the worm sweetener off the bigger hanger tube rigs. It was easy enough to tell the difference between a mudder and a kwazy kitty. I easily caught over 20 of them...and didn't get spined neither. They got a way of flipping as you release them that leaves you bleeding and cursing as they swim away.
White bass were scarce. I caught one here and there but did not find any concentrations. The good news is that they are getting healthier. And they are barfing up some of their own young so they evidently got off a spawn this year. Still smaller than I like though. An 11 incher is a trophy this year. Probably be some footlongs by fall.
I actually ran out of worms for sweetening my jigs by 10 AM. Started adding some Gulp goodies and had some hits but not as good as worms.
Hit the ramp about 11...as the power squadron was lining up to begin the size comparison thing. Boy was I sorry that I only had my scuzzy little float tube. Just think of all the fun I could have had in one of those big noisy muthas.
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Great report as usual. Good to hear that the whities are healthy.
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Yup, I figured it was you!
I was fishing just south of the bubble up this morning and I was surprised to see another tuber out there. It's usually just myself and FishMfisherson that tube there (on Saturdays or weekday evenings). But seeing that it was a weekday and FishMcfisherson was at work (and Lindon/Bubble Up being your stomping grounds) - it had to be THE TubeDude
. I was planning to make my way to the bubble up, but I had plenty of action myself and never got that far. I lost count, must have caught 20+ channels, I had 'doubles' on at least 4 times. My best trip so far in terms quantity. It was a lot of fun and my arms were getting a bit tired from the cat tug of wars.
Have been using large pieces of cut bait (1/2 to 1/3 of a white bass) to try and catch a big cat for the contest, but the cookie cutters still go for it. Most of them fight consistently well, it's hard for me to tell if it's a 3 pounder or 8 pounder until the come to the surface.
It was a pleasure seeing 'the general' at work and I might catch you there again one of these days.
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[#0000FF]I saw you in the distance and figured it must be one of you two guys. Don't know many others that have discovered it and know how to fish it.
Glad you got in on the action. Crazy busy today. I don't think I ever went more than a minute without at least a hard hit.
Using chunks of white bass will not keep the pesky kitties and white bass away. You gotta rig with a whole whitie and tandem hook rig. Even then, the smaller ones will pop and drop you to death. But when you get a runner and feel weight you are in the game.
You are right about the fight. I did not take minnows or other cat bait today. And all my rods were fairly light action...with 6# line. All the fun I could stand when a 2 foot cat decides to play. Heck, even the mudders felt good on light tackle.
I'm probably not going to be hitting Lindon again much until the fall cooldown. That's when I put up my buggy whips and bring out the heavy gear. I make some trips just for the ones with shoulders. You guys can thin out the little ones for me in the meantime.
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Conner said he ran into you at the ramp and said you showed him your hanger rig. From his description I was unclear what he meant. Any chance you'd be willing to specify a close up shot of that and some first hand info on how you fish with it? Pretty please with extra smelly jelly on it?
I haven't got out as much as I hoped, I got a big commission and have to work when I have it. And Conner's just geting over strep, mono, and a scarlet fever rash - all at the same time. No wonder the docs couldn't figg'r out what he had! I can't blame him for wanting to take a group of girls out on our boat for a joy ride. That makes going fishing with his dad a harder sell. I hope you told him to reconsider his priorities for my sake.[
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We did get out a few weeks ago on the north end and did OK - once we found some reeds in deep enough water. (I was amazed at the die-off of the reeds at the edges.) I still have yet to understand how you catch so many cats "in the middle of nowhere." Short of that, perhaps I'll have to do more exploration of Bird Island this year if I want to do well with the kitties.
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Jigs jigs jigs... wow you sure are great at showing the different number of ways you can catch a channel cat.
So how did the channel cats attack the jig? Did you reel fast then slow or move the jig up and down? I noticed the small helicopter spinny thingy on one of the jigs you were using. Were those cats spawning? They must have been pretty aggressive to attack those jigs.
Sorry guys, one of those "power boat" people - Ranger z518c. My father in-law is in town for a week and wants to go fishing. I usually fish bass, but that's not his thing. Was thinking of going for cats, I guess using worms, white bass meat if I can catch one, or maybe anchovies from Wal-mart. Figured I would use a circle hook and put it on the bottom.
Thoughts or direction, cats are something I usually don't focus on.
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TD showed me his hanger rig recently. It's basically a two-jig drop shot rig using a piece of coat hanger wire as the weight. The genius part of it is that he uses his "weightless" jigs - made with hot glue heads instead of lead.
The four or five inches of hanger wire are snagproof, the two neutral bouyancy jigs presumably wiggle, wobble, and pole dance just above the bottom while TD simply drifts slowly along.
TD may please correct any of that I got wrong, but it's a brilliant system.
(My first thought - unvoiced - when I saw the rig was "Hmmm, I bet a few inches of solder wire would work exceedingly well instead of the hanger wire. Easy to bend/clinch through a loop at the end of the line, easy to pinch off the spool, or to shorten...")
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My dedicated catfish rod uses a spinning reel, with 10# braid. At the terminal end, I slide on a ½-oz egg sinker, a red bead and tie to a good swivel. Then a six-inch piece of 14# spiderwire and a #4 red octopus hook. My "secret trick" is to thread a bright red foam earplug onto the leader between swivel and hook. Catfish LOVE red, and the foam plug keeps my bait up slightly off the bottom - in plain sight and smell. Half a nightcrawler works for me.
If I'm fishing two rods, I back the drag way off on the kitty rod and engage the anti-reverse. When a fish moves off with the bait, I can hear the clicking of the spool. I tighten the drag or simply hold the spool when I set the hook, adjusting the drag as required after that.
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Indeed. The beauty of the float tube I imagine is the control. (I have yet to try tubing. I spend 90% of my time alone so fishing for me is part social interaction with fishermen in a boat. But due to the challenges of having someone to go out when I can, a tube may be on my horizon!)
It can be a challenge to subtly control my boat in varying conditions changing winds, etc. I usually end up dropping anchor then casting and bringing back to the boat in some manner. Since UL has a pretty clean bottom most of the time, for me that means dragging bait.
Jigging the way tubers do... well... I'm waiting until someone straps a camera to their head and lemme see it in action!
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Worms will work, but you'll likely get a lot of mudcats as well. If you're going after channels cats, then shrimp is the ticket - it's like candy on Utah Lake. Cut bait of any kind will usually get you the larger cats. You can fish off the bottom and just drift. When you do get a bite, stay in that spot, there's likely to be a pocket of cats that like the conditions in the area or may be following a school of WB. Lindon is obviously pretty hot right now, but most of the lake likely is, AF should be great as well. 3-4 feet of water is where I usually find them.
Good luck and feel free to PM with any other questions!
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[quote Roghet]Indeed. The beauty of the float tube I imagine is the control. (I have yet to try tubing. I spend 90% of my time alone so fishing for me is part social interaction with fishermen in a boat. But due to the challenges of having someone to go out when I can, a tube may be on my horizon!)
It can be a challenge to subtly control my boat in varying conditions changing winds, etc. I usually end up dropping anchor then casting and bringing back to the boat in some manner. Since UL has a pretty clean bottom most of the time, for me that means dragging bait.
Jigging the way tubers do... well... I'm waiting until someone straps a camera to their head and lemme see it in action!
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I am lucky enough to have two 12' talons on the back of my boat and i-pilot with Terrova on front. So I can anchor easily in Utah lake with a push of the button on the talons or use "gps" spotlock on the trolling motor and stay within 10' of an area.
I just need to figure out the rig I need for catfish. Will google some today, but looks like a heavy weight and keeping the bait 6" to 12" off the bottom is the way to go?
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[quote UtahLakeCats]Worms will work, but you'll likely get a lot of mudcats as well. If you're going after channels cats, then shrimp is the ticket - it's like candy on Utah Lake. Cut bait of any kind will usually get you the larger cats. You can fish off the bottom and just drift. When you do get a bite, stay in that spot, there's likely to be a pocket of cats that like the conditions in the area or may be following a school of WB. Lindon is obviously pretty hot right now, but most of the lake likely is, AF should be great as well. 3-4 feet of water is where I usually find them.
Good luck and feel free to PM with any other questions![/quote]
OK, go ahead and laugh at me, when you say shrimp, I picture myself going to Market Street Grill and buying cooked, peeled shrimp :-) What are you talking here, small raw shrimp you buy at Harmon's or is this bait somewhere like Wal-Mart or Sportsmans? Again, go ahead and laugh :-)
Just don't want to get skunked with my father-in-law in the boat.
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[#0000FF]It was good to see Conner again. He had had a lot of life alterations since I last saw him...including all that facial fur. Didn't recognize him until he astutely introduced himself. Wouldn't even try to offer insightful advice on dealing with girls. I think I flunked that class long ago.
The disappearance of the shoreline vegetation is all part of the Shoreline Restoration Program. Kill the phraggies and all that. Sure has messed up a lot of fishy habitat. Not all anglers are pleased with it.
I was calling my clothes hanger setup the "hangershot rig"...since I used a piece of clothes hanger wire for a dropshot weight. But since I am using it almost exclusively for fishing weightless tube jigs I altered that to "hanger tube" rig. See pics below.
I have been playing around with different options over the past year or so. I recently tried it out on Willard and It worked very well. Have used it a couple of times on Utah Lake now also with good results. Used it many times at Starvation last year and will soon be doing it again.
The key is being able to present a bait or lure up off the bottom...for fish that prefer it there instead of dragging through the mud and weeds. Rigging a tube weightless...without a jig head...was solved by making a bead on the upper part of the hook to hold the tube in place after inserting it up through the tube body. Hot melt glue works well but does tend to break down after a full day of catching. Bad problem to have. Just add another bead on the hook.
On my jigs at Willard I used the chenille bodies. They can be anointed with Gulp juice before inserting in the tube. Then I added a small piece of craft felt on the hook for more scent. I have been using that stuff since I lived in Arizona. The crappies and cats at Willard voted for it.
If you use two poles you can rig either one or two rods with hanger drop rigs. I used one at Willard while casting a tandem jig rig on the other. Ditto for Utah Lake. You can also rig only one tube...like I did in shallower Utah Lake...or a double drop shot setup like I did at Willard...in deeper water.
The key to making it work right is to keep the weight on the bottom and maintain tension on the line to keep the tube up. That also helps you see or feel what is going on with your offering. Some fish, like crappies, might only suck in the tube and not make much of a signal on the rod. You gotta watch it if you are not holding the rod. But active fish will usually whack it hard enough to set the hooks themselves...especially with those sharp Matzuo hooks I use.
Much of the time I fish the rig on a short line...not too far behind my tube. And I move around slowly while casting with the other rod. If I am kicking faster...or have the motor on slow speed...I will lengthen the line to maintain contact with the bottom...adding weight if needed.
I gotta say that I have not missed many strikes on those rigs. The rods usually either bounce hard or simply pull down against my quick-draw rod holders. All of the cats yesterday were well hooked on the strike.
Glad you have work to keep you busy but you gotta let me know when you break free. Been a while since we got together. We can go fishing or I can show you up close and personal some of the new trinkets in my arsenal.
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Yup just the shrimp you can get in the freezer section at Wal-mart or any grocery store. 1 pack should be all you need, they can go from $6-$10. From my experience, treble hooks work better for shrimp and circle hooks work better with cut-bait - but either will work. Being a bass guy I know you'll wanna set the hook, but you'll wanna keep your drag loose and let the cat take it, let it peel off some drag and then lift and tighten the drag.
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[quote panamagixxer]Sorry guys, one of those "power boat" people - Ranger z518c. My father in-law is in town for a week and wants to go fishing. I usually fish bass, but that's not his thing. Was thinking of going for cats, I guess using worms, white bass meat if I can catch one, or maybe anchovies from Wal-mart. Figured I would use a circle hook and put it on the bottom.
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[#0000FF]If you don't think that catfish will forever tarnish your image as an angler, you might read the attached. Some suggestions for bait, rigging, etc.
The good news is that almost any bait will catch cats at some time and at some place. And some cat fans develop personal preferences based upon personal experiences. Bottom line for Utah Lake is that "natural" baits...foods found on the regular menu...will usually produce better than exotics. Yes, shrimp works fine. But it is costly and doesn't usually catch more or bigger fish than carp meat or white bass meat...or minnows. All of the channel cats I caught yesterday were on worm-tipped jigs. But, as you have been advised, if you fish only nightcrawlers you will be pestered by a lot of fish other than channel cats.
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This looks like a good start on rigging up???
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Sounds like a blast! Nice work as usual TD.
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[quote panamagixxer]This looks like a good start on rigging up???[/quote]
[#0000FF]Really overkill for Utah Lake. If you are fishing from your boat you don't need fancy. Just tie a hook on the end of your line, add bait and chuck it out. Put a bobber about 2 or 3 feet up if you need help detecting a bite. But the way those cats hit you need to watch your rod to keep from losing it.
I use size 2 and 4 hooks but size 1 to 1/0 would work for most baits. Unless you are using whole white bass or a big slab of carp meat you don't need any bigger.
That rig you posted was for fishing whole shad for big flathead cats, blue cats and stripers. We don't got none of those in Utah Lake. Darn it.
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[#0000FF]Thanks. Much fun.
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