1,000's of acres of ice, but it seems all of the action on Utah lake is at the south end at the warm springs at Lincoln Beach.
Over the last month or so huge schools of white bass have inhabited the area. Thousands of white bass have been taken from a small area near the springs.
Although I haven't been fishing there I drive down every day or so to watch what is going on. It seems as though there are always about 24 to 30 fisherman there and every one of them catching fish.
Based on everything I have personally seen and reports from friends that fish there, I know, without reservation, that a minimum of 30,000 white bass have been caught over the last 6 weeks. Perhaps that is an insignificant number of fish for a lake as big as Utah Lake, but it seems like a huge number to be.
I would guess that they are school up there due to the proximity to the warmer water coming from the springs. Earlier they were in the open water of the springs but it seems like they have moved under the ice. As you can see from the pictures, anglers are right next to the warmer open water and I amazed they don't go through the ice, but I guess that in not the case and the water is so shallow there that they wouldn't get very wet.
How long will it last? I couldn't begin to answer that. I thought the school would have been fished out or moved off a week ago, but not so. right now the fishing is great and if you want to take advantage no one seems to care if you drill a hole right next to them. It's just one big family of anglers fishing on a tiny area of the big lake and catching fish after fish after fish after fish.
I cannot help but think there are big predators nearby so I might go down at night to see if I can entice a walleye or a northern to take a bait. Go join them and be safe. It's a great place to take the kids. Happy New Year!
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[#0000FF]Thanks for the pics.
I have mixed emotions about seeing all that. I am in favor of families being able to easily catch fish. But I resent the "happy harvesters" loading up huge quantities...often to take into town and sell to their usual outlets. Illegal and immoral.
The white bass population in UL has taken a big dive during the past three years. One winter there was a big dieoff under the ice. Then there were three years in a row of low water and poor spawns. During the past two years it has been rare for anybody to catch more than a few white bass on any given trip...and virtually nonexistent for anyone to be able to score on every trip.
Yes, there are still lots of white bass in the lake. But they are only a fraction of what the lake normally holds. The fact that they do school up in some locations...like warm springs...makes the survivors susceptible to heavy harvest. But, unlike years past, there are huge expanses of lake without any white bass at all.
Along with a few other UL fanciers I participated with DWR last spring in trying to catch some female white bass to spawn for the wiper program. There were two or three DWR boats full of anglers, along with several of us "civilians". And DWR had trap nets set at various places where white bass usually show up during the spawn. Bottom line? There were VIRTUALLY ZERO gravid female white bass taken on some days...when normally you could not keep them off your line. It was a prolonged effort to secure the few female white bass necessary to make new wipers.
This same scenario happened at the end of 2004, when my wife and I returned to Utah after several years in Arizona. The rocks were exposed off Lincoln Beach and the white bass swarmed into the warm inflows. The "cleanup crew" was there to slaughter the whities...filling the backs of pickup trucks with them, taking them to town and returning later for more.
That winter there was a massive dieoff of starving walleyes under the ice...evidenced by anglers snagging the carcasses while casting for live fish in March and April. The few walleyes actually caught were pitifully skinny...with big heads and snaky bodies.
There were virtually no white bass showing up anywhere. Thankfully, there was a big snowpack that winter, the lake refilled, the surviving fish spawned and five years later we had a healthy lake again.
Thankfully, there have been enough white bass to keep the walleyes better fed...so far. But I fear what will happen to the whole ecosystem if there is one more year like the last one.
Thanks again, Steve. Hope there is plenty of water to float your boat this spring.
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its not often I agree with you. but this time I have the same feelings... its time for a change to the possession limit on white bass at Utah lake. and the fish and game should start investigating some of the heaviest harvesters. pez try around the corner by the L.
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Thanks for the info. I am with TD on this one. Hopefully we will have the water to fill up the lake and there will be a good spawn this coming spring.
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I've never catch enough whiteys to think of limits, what is the limit on them buggers? I saw a pic on here with a group of guys that kept like 150 of them, must be a delicious fish! They are a small fish and to get a decent meal I imagine you have to keep a few, but the pic I saw was a little shocking to me. I hear Chinese fellers go out by the harbors and fill buckets of them daily.
Looks like fun catching fish like crazy like they are. Hopefully I can get a trip in sooner than later...
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[quote skidmarximus88]I've never catch enough whiteys to think of limits, what is the limit on them buggers? I saw a pic on here with a group of guys that kept like 150 of them, must be a delicious fish! They are a small fish and to get a decent meal I imagine you have to keep a few, but the pic I saw was a little shocking to me. I hear Chinese fellers go out by the harbors and fill buckets of them daily.
Looks like fun catching fish like crazy like they are. Hopefully I can get a trip in sooner than later...[/quote]
No limit.
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The white bass limit is one more than you can catch. [:p]
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Muahahahaha ha ha
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From time to time there have been arguments about limits on Stripers at Powell as well. However seeing as you need a boat on Powell it has a different type of angler if you get my drift. Waynes view is that prey availability is much more important than angler harvest in the striper population. Stripers are very good at replacing harvested individuals if the shad are plentiful. I bet it is the same for white bass.
Personally I think it is good to have certain fisheries where there is no limit. It has a segregating effect. If you want to fill your freezer there is a place for that and you won't be bothering the trophy fishermen.
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[#0000FF]As you have already been advised, there is no limit on white bass. Justifiably...most of the time. When the population is up they need a lot of harvest to keep them from overpopulating and stunting. The problem this year is that the population is way down due to severe lake level fluctuations and the resulting poor spawn.
Utah is a desert state...subject to cycles of excess or scarcity of snow/water. All lakes except for those in the Uintas and Boulders are manmade reservoirs and the water is usually owned by downstream water users who can drain them in times of water shortages. Yuba is a good example.
The white bass in Utah Lake prefer to run up tributaries (like the Provo River) to spawn. When there is not enough flow...during low runoff years...there is not a good upstream spawn. The whities also spawn around the edges of the lake, but only where there is exposed wave-washed rock to aerate their eggs. When the lake is low there is very little suitable spawning shoreline. The fish still dump their eggs but few survive after being silt covered in muddy water.
Bottom line? Mama Nature plays a much greater role in the abundance or lack thereof when it comes to white bass...than anglers do. Anglers can clean out the whities down to the last dozen or so and they will completely repopulate the lake after a few years of good spawning conditions.
I am fundamentally against anyone keeping more fish than necessary for a couple of meals. I especially hate the common practice of raping the congregating schools of fish in lean years just to show off...or to sell them for whatever they can get.
When the white bass are abundant I am all for everybody keeping all they catch. Utah Lake does not have a big supply of forage for meat eaters like white bass. They are able to gorge on their own fry, and those of the carp and other species, only for a few short months. Then they young get too big for white bass to eat and they struggle to find enough food for the next few months. They are always bigger and healthier at the end of summer than during the winter and early spring.
I enjoy catching white bass and I also keep and eat my fair share. They are good eating and they produce nice little fillets when they are healthy. So I don't begrudge anybody keeping as many as they will utilize.
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As always, tons of good info! Thanks TubeDude.
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[quote TubeDude][#0000FF]
I am fundamentally against anyone keeping more fish than necessary for a couple of meals. I especially hate the common practice of raping the congregating schools of fish in lean years just to show off...or to sell them for whatever they can get.
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+1000000 right here yall.
For those lurking/reading the thread, this is the point TD is trying to hammer home. I saw a group leaving the ice on Wednesday (not at LB) with an easy 100 or so white bass. One fellow commented to the other, "Well I gotta keep all of these!" His friend replied, "Are you going to eat all of them?" His reply? "That's what I'll tell my wife."
Now I hope they were just joking around because they had a fun day fishing and were excited with their success. At the same time, I hope they are using all those fish for themselves and not for profit. Granted you probably need 100 of the small skinny white bass for a good meal for a big family fish fry. The bluegill on Utah Lake are healthy and have more meat on them. You can only keep 50 but 50 is a lot. Trust me!
All I can add is my hope for an excellent snowpack and high water levels through the spawn and parts of summer so more fry have a better chance of survival.
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I was among the circus out there yesterday, and I have to say.... I agree. Me and my buddies kept a few, but tossed the rest, much to the chagrin of our neighboring fisherman who volunteered to take them. People were hauling out jet sleds full of fish, and it was disgusting. There is no reason to keep that many fish. And the same people out there yesterday were saying it was better the day before, so they rape and pillage the school day after day....
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Sad to hear that there is so much waste out there. I have actually never caught a white bass, although I would like to. I am curious to know why some of you are thinking that people are selling them.
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[#0000FF]Some openly admit it...bragging about getting $20 for a five gallon bucket full. Others are less boastful but have been caught selling through the back doors of a couple of restaurants.
This has been going on for years. The same guys rape whatever species of fish is available at any given time...walleyes, crappies, even largemouth bass of all sizes. They keep everything they catch with no regard to size or possession regulations. And the same ones return day after day until the "run" is over.
Many of the "sportsmen" who harvest large numbers of fish come from cultures where "subsistence" fishing is necessary for survival. But these same folks are often employed and don't need the fish to survive. However, they do share with family and friends...and with folks who will pay them for whatever they care to download.
Unfortunately, there are plenty of plain old fish hogs who can't bear the thought of releasing fish...and they keep everything to take home and show everybody how great they are...before dumping the fish or keeping them in the freezer until they turn to cardboard. And these guys are also the first to gripe about how DWR is managing the waters when they are no longer able to catch large numbers.
Selective harvest is a term not understood by most of the happy harvesters on Utah Lake...and elsewhere.
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That is interesting. I guess I don't have enough time to spend on the lake to learn such things. Also I prefer solitude when I fish. In any case, thanks for the info.
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There is a Vietnemese market/deli on Redwood Road and about 25th or 30th South or so on the West side of the road. Can't remember the name of it, but I was invited to go get some Spring Rolls and sandwiches there by a friend once. The deli is fantastic food, by the way, but while I was there I noticed a couple of baskets of very fresh fish (I don't even think they were gutted yet) sitting there on the floor. These baskets were full of WHITE BASS and CHANNEL CATFISH probably caught that morning or the night before.
Hmmm... I wonder where those may have came from??
I don't usually frequent Vietnamese, Lao, Cambodian, etc. markets or restaurants, but I would be willing to bet that the one I went to that day can't be the only one that these happy harvesters of Utah Lake sell to... It is disgusting and needs to be investigated by the DWR...
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Well, I don't want to make baseless accusations, but us English speakers were a minority on the ice...
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I also harvest my share of white bass each year. I love eating the tasty little buggers. I have kept thousands of them over 40 years of fishing UL but it is upsetting to hear of them being sold to markets. I have frequently wondered what folks did with 300 white bass each day for several days, maybe that is the answer. I will continue to fish for them. I will continue to keep some of them. I hope for a great water year for the next couple winters so we can continue to enjoy the bounty of white bass.
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The many trips I have taken to Lincoln beach this fall and winter were simply to see what was going on. I had been asked by the county commissioners to make recommendations as to how the park, owned by the county, could be improved. I was trying to get a feel of how many people used the park in the winter.
I was delighted to see the numbers of anglers and of the fish they were catching. It substantiated what I had told the commissioners. It doesn't matter to me what the fishermen do or keep providing it is within the law. With no limits for White Bass there was nothing I could say or do. When it became apparent that many were taking way more fish than any family, regardless of the size, could eat I started to watch even more closely.
When I asked what they were doing with all of the fish the reply was that they were eating them. I thought it was a stretch, but I mind my own business and said nothing. I do not profess to understand the diverse cultures in our state, but I knew it would take a long time for anyone to eat 1,000's of fish and that was what I was observing.
I am a fisherman. it has played a large role in my life; a Coast guard captain, a guide, an outfitter. My organization has 5 fishing boats, 3 pontoon boats we built to accommodate wheelchairs, We take over 700 disabled individuals fishing every year without charge and also assist in teaching over 300 children to cast each year. The list goes on.
I want people to understand the joy and healing that fishing can bring. I want every child to unplug their electronics and go out doors to fish our lakes and rivers, but this is event at Utah Lake something else.
If in fact the white bass and other game species are being sold or wantonly wasted it should be investigated and stopped. I cannot believe the taking of this many fish falls into the management scheme of the UDWR, but that might be the case.
Each of us must decide individually how we manage what we harvest, but it must conform to the laws. Until it is resolved or the schools of fish move out, enjoy the extraordinary bounty and enjoy your time on the water and above all.....Share it with your children and the neighbors kids. Steve
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