Fishing Forum

Next week I plan on taking out my boat on Utah lake for my first time. I am a total novice with the boat (inheritance) and also a total novice fishing from one. In fact when I said I was taking it there for my first time I mean this is my first time anywhere with the boat.

I have been more of a rivers and shore type of fisherman, but I am super excited to learn. I plan on going out on Monday and I live near the north end of the lake. I am just wondering if one of the northern marinas is better than the others to launch from. I live closest to the one in af but I could travel to the others if necessary.

My 11 year old son is super excited to fish Utah lake too. I told him that the fist time it would be more of a "getting to know the boat" trip more than a fishing one, but any basic techniques for catching some fish there would be greatly appreciated.

I looked carefully over the PDF that tube dude posted a few days ago but any other info for catching fish and which marina is the easiest for a beginner would be great.

Thanks in advance.
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Congrats on the "inheritance". Those are the best kind if they work and not a money pit. I have never launched at AF so I am not familiar with that area. I usually launch at the Lindon harbor. I chose it because the ramp is not as steep as the one at Pelican Bay.

Your first time out is going to be a big learning curve. Remember the water is very low and you are taking a chance of hitting the bottom with your prop. Some of the ramps have big drop off at the end of the ramp and if your trailer tires go over that it can be a big problem getting it out. Unless your boat is smaller you might think about going to another water.

I would make yourself a good check list before you go and leave lots of space for additional notes for the next time you go out.

Another thing to think about is launching at a time when it won't be to busy. The last thing you want is to be rushed or feel pressured to hurry. Again I am not sure about AF but Lindon has 2 ramps that would help here.

On your check list make a note to put the plug in the boat. I only speak from experience and most boaters have made this mistake at some point. I would expect that you will get many replies with suggestions you can add to that check list.

I don't live far from that area and I am hoping to launch on Monday afternoon. If you would like you could send me a PM. If am available when you launch I would be happy to meet you there and help in anyway I can. I have 4 days off next week and pretty flexible. I will send a PM with my cel#.

Good luck with your new adventure.
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[#0000ff]Both American Fork and Lindon harbors require a launch fee. The key consideration right now is water depth inside the harbors. Both got down to less than 2 feet deep at the end of last year. But the lake levels have come up a foot or so since the first runoff started. You should have enough depth in either harbor, but there is a shallow spot at the mouth of American Fork that might be a problem if your motor is very deep. Proceed with caution and trim up your motor until you are clear of the ends of the dikes.

Fishing has not "turned on" yet due to cold water. But there is a chance for walleye, white bass or catfish outside...and maybe early largemouth, crappies or white bass inside.

Outside, run the boat out to at least 4 feet of water and then drift while dragging whole nightcrawlers. That will give you a shot at multiple species.
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I could meet you at Lindon Harbor if you like for a little Boating 101. I have experience with a lot of boats and I'd be happy to assist you. I'm retired so I'm pretty open. What kind of boat do you have? Send me a PM if you like.
--Lanny
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Id love some help, I need to see what time works best with my wife's schedule that day first though before I know what time. The boat us a 2003 tracker, 16 foot with a 40 horse engine.
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OK, let me know when we get closer to the day. Or PM me and I'll give you my cell number.
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One thing you might also want to consider is taking an online boater safety course. There are a couple that are available that are approved by Utah that come with a Utah certification when completed. You are not required to have a certification unless your are between 12 and 17 and operating a personal water craft but the courses offer a lot of good information. Certification also gives you a bit of a discount with most insurance companies. Here is a link to the equipment you are required to have in your boat when you launch: https://stateparks.utah.gov/resources/bo...checklist/
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Thanks for the great suggestion. I started one tonight and learned a ton. I appreciate the suggestion.
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Congrats on the boat. It is a pretty decent one. Being aluminum it is pretty light. A lot lighter than my beast I inherited a few years ago. On the state parks website is a boating section with the state laws and safety checklists.
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Here is a link to the stateparks page. Also don't forget to take the online quagga mussel cert. It will save time at the ramp.

http://stateparks.utah.gov/resources/boa...education/
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I launched in the Lindon harbor 2 weeks ago. Not much water, but enough to launch safely. There seemed to be about 3-4' of water in the harbor. The inlet is pretty narrow, but maintains depth in the center. As you head toward the inlet from the harbor to the lake, be sure to stay north side away from the west dike by the buoys, there is a sandbar on the southwest side of the inlet. If they have moved the buoys out of the harbor to the main lake, that should indicate an increase in depth. With the rain we've had this week, hopefully the lake level has come up some.

One more thing on your boat to be cautious of. Depending on how long it's been since the boat was stored, you'll want to be sure you have fresh fuel/oil. Nothing makes a boat harder to start than old fuel. Also, no matter what, do not start the motor out of the water, not even for a second. You will immediately burn up your impeller if you do. Not trying to belittle you, I've just seen it happen to new boaters to many times.

If you want to try your luck at fishing, follow the advise mentioned by Tubedude. He knows the lake better than anyone!

When we fished two weeks ago, we had a few hits on small jigs tipped with worms. The whities hadn't really moved in yet. We're headed out again on Saturday to give it another try, however, we're going farther south.

Good luck!
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You are going to be a bit under powered with that rig. Below 1000 ft of elevation, no problem, but up here at 4500 ft, your 40 horse will not have the power needed to deal with wind. Know what the forecast for the day is, when the wind is going to blow and from what direction.

I would recommend that you launch at either AF or Lindon, then run between the two till you get a feel for the rig. Learn your dept finder and electric, how the rig handles under power and with the electric. Don't be heading across the lake to the west side or down to Bird Island, get to know the rig first.

Utah Lake will be the most dangerous body of water you will be on in Utah. It is big, shallow, and when the wind blows, it gets rough fast. Make sure you and your son have good life jackets and wear them. Have all your required safety equipment, signal device, bail bucket, bilge pump, etc.

Be safe and have a great time !!!

If your motor has carbs you need to check jet size this is very important fer peformance
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Save some problems for a few pennies more

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1. Engine performance problems, often simply due to lower energy of ethanol-blends.
2. Hard starting and operating difficulty.
3. Hesitation and lack of acceleration.
4. Stalling, especially at low speeds.

Engine Problems Resulting from E10 Ethanol Alcohol Fuel Use:

Ethanol alcohol is an excellent SOLVENT - Ethanol will dissolve plastic, rubber, certain types of fiberglass and even aluminum!
Ethanol can dissolve and disintegrate just about anything that has accumulated in a motor engine.

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Ethanol will clean and release years of dirt, rust, sediment and other gunk from the engine and circulate it through the engine, causing clogging of filters and engine parts.

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All alcohols attract and combine with water. Petroleum and most other oil-based compounds are not soluble in water

Type this into Google
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Places to buy ethanol free gas in Utah
http://www.pure-gas.org/
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Pm sent
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After years of playing with carb jets, I found that the easiest and most efficient way of dealing with poor performance due to altitude is to reprop. My guess is that your 40 most likely has an 18 or possibly even a 19 inch prop ( remember Tracker comes out of Missouri and the altitude there is less than 1000 ft. A 40 w/ an 18 or 19 will plane most boats and get you going 30-35 mph. Up here, you will not be able to plane very easily and your speed will be around 25.) Drop down to a 16 inch prop, it will allow you to run in your RPM range and should push you around 30+ mph.

Ditto on the ethanol fuel, unless you use a treatment for ethanol fuel. There are also additives that will blow out the accumulated carbon in an engine that is run at low rpm( like while trolling). Everyone has one, OMC, Merc, Lucas, etc. Run that through a tank every now and then to clean the motor out.

Good luck and enjoy !!