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+--- Thread: Provo Catfish School 4 5 2019 (/showthread.php?tid=1069032)
Provo Catfish School 4 5 2019 - Piscophilic - 04-07-2019
ES: Dave and I fished out of Provo Friday morning from 6:30 to about 1 P.M. The air/water temps were 48/52 when we started and 64/56 when we left. We headed North toward Lindon and fished from 1.5 to about 6 FOW dragging WB, carp or crawlers in the deeper water and shrimp under a bobber in the shallower water. The final tally was 9 cats from 18 to 26.5 inches. The bigger fish came in 4 to 5 FOW but we found better numbers of fish in 2 to 3 feet and the shallow fish preferred shrimp 6 to zero over all the other baits.
FS: Dave wanted to get his boat "de-winterized" and test some things before we take it to Powell in early May, so we headed for the UL State Park. We went a little early so we could check out some new lights on the front of the boat. We also wanted to check the fuel usage and cruising speed so we could estimate how much gas to take to Powell, so we chose to make the 6 mile run to Lindon at cruising RPM. It helped that good catfish reports had been coming from that area too!
We got to the Lindon area about 7:30 and started dragging thawed WB and Carp at various depths looking for active fish. I also kept one rod with a crawler rig to try to find some fresh WB. Since this was his first cat chasing trip of the year, Dave only had one rod rigged for cats. I had 4 already set up so I "loaned" him one of mine with a blue/silver FLIG and carp meat on it so he could fish 2 rods while he rigged a second of his own.
You can probably guess, but the first hit came about 8 AM on the blue/silver FLIG. I said: "That's your rod" and he landed a nice 26.5"cat. 20 minutes later he got another cat, this one about 25" on the same FLIG. About 9:30 he got a third one on a chunk of WB and then things just went dead.
I was still smelling skunk with one rod still trying to catch a white and the other dragging thawed WB. We headed south and zigzagged from 3 to 6 FOW until about 11. I finally said we needed to move to find some active fish, so we picked up the gear and headed a mile or two further south.
We set up the same way as before and dragged quietly until almost noon. I told him we could either move farther south, go out deeper into the main lake or go in shallow and see if they were closer to the reeds. We decided on the latter, partly because I was still trying to catch a stray white and I thought they might be hunting shallow.
As we eased into less than 3 FOW Dave made a day saving choice, he put shrimp on a bare hook and let it drag. Just before we dropped an anchor to keep the pontoon boat from getting stuck, the shrimp got hit. The fish spit the bait before Dave go to it, but it was our first hit in 3 hours! Thinking that the shrimp was moving slowly along the bottom in 2 to 3 FOW, Dave put on a bobber and tossed it back to here he thought the fish had hit.
I left my WB on and cast it out about the same depth while I probed all the reed edges with small jigs, still determined to get fresh bait. 5 minutes later Dave hooked a fish on the shrimp and got his 4th of the day. It was about 22 inches and I had told him I needed to put some in the freezer so he asked if I wanted that one and I said: "all we can find under 23".
Dave changed his other rod to a shrimp but w/o a bobber. In the next 30 minutes he got half a dozen hits and landed 2 more eaters. I finally changed my FLIG rod to a shrimp and gave up on catching a white bass. I fixed my second rod with at bobber and shrimp.
We had planned to stop fishing at 1 P.M. to do some work on Dave's trailer and it was almost 1. I was beginning to feel a bit panicked. Dave had 6 cats and I still had a skunk. I was happy for him having a good day. I could live with being out fished 6 or 7 or even 8 to 1, but getting skunked would be hard to swallow.
Dave got number 7 and said: "You better cast over here where my bobber is, you don't want to get skunked." Just then my FLIG rod pulled out of the release. I picked it up and waited to see the line moving away. When it did I set and nothing! My first hit of the day and I missed it! Five minutes later my bobber rod got a solid hit and I set. "Got him, I almost shouted, with no small amount of relief in my voice. It was another eater, but I had beaten the skunk!
While I was unhooking my de-skunker, Dave got his eighth one and we pulled the baits and started for the harbor.
It turned out to be a decent morning for early April. 9 cats total and Dave got his first 2 for the contest. I had been thoroughly schooled. I only hope I learned something.
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Re: [Piscophilic] Provo Catfish School 4 5 2019 - TubeDude - 04-07-2019
[#0000FF]All I gotta say is that you are a nice guy and a great fishing guide. And Dave is lucky to have you along to show him how NOT to do it.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]What area around Lindon did you guys fish? Thinking of trying another quick trip down this coming week...Mama Nature permitting. And I want to try another area that has been good in the past. But if you already sore-lipped all the fish I should probably just stay home. Right?
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Re: [Piscophilic] Provo Catfish School 4 5 2019 - Boatloadakids - 04-07-2019
Skunk or no skunk, you had a good trip with good company. It sounds like the weather was good for you, no wind. With snow predicted for mid-week I might try to get a trip in Monday. The cats can't stay in hiding much longer... I hope.
Well done.
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Re: [TubeDude] Provo Catfish School 4 5 2019 - Piscophilic - 04-07-2019
We got the early fish just outside the last buoy at the bubble up, one a bit north and 2 a bit south. The others were about 1.5 miles south of there, right up against the shore. Dave's first fish in the shallow water went airborne twice.
We didn't sore lip very many and we were anchored when we got the last 6 fish. We didn't "ruin" much real estate that way. I would think you would still catch a lot more fish than if you stay home[
]I'm not always that nice to Dave. He kept saying "I know how it feels."
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Re: [Boatloadakids] Provo Catfish School 4 5 2019 - Piscophilic - 04-07-2019
Thanks! It was fun and most of the fish were smaller so I got some to eat. I was surprised to find them so shallow w/o any carp activity. We saw a pod or 2 out in the lake, but along the reeds it was just singles jumping here and there. I guess they could have been married, but if so they were sleeping on the couch.
I'm glad we found some, but it does seem that I'm spending more time looking and less time catching lately.
Good luck on whichever day you choose. I'll look forward to your report.
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Re: [Piscophilic] Provo Catfish School 4 5 2019 - catchinon - 04-08-2019
Glad you were able to get into a few. In one picture it looks like you used a whole unpeeled shrimp. Is that right? Thanks to ice_sled I have a little wb and some carp for bait but I'll keep trying with the shrimp, too. I've found that if I peel one and use a half I occasionally pick up a white bass that I can use for bait.
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Re: [catchinon] Provo Catfish School 4 5 2019 - Piscophilic - 04-08-2019
Thanks! Yes, Dave uses a whole shrimp. I usually break them in half and peel them. This is the first time in 3 or 4 years when they have out produced the cut bait. Probably because I usually don't stick with them very long.
The whites are hiding better than the cats right now. Another wierd thing is we haven't caught a mudder yet. Not complaining, just surprised.
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Re: [Piscophilic] Provo Catfish School 4 5 2019 - catchinon - 04-08-2019
I usually catch several bullhead in the place where I fish from the bank. I hope to get out there today and we'll see.
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Re: [Piscophilic] Provo Catfish School 4 5 2019 - TubeDude - 04-08-2019
"Another wierd thing is we haven't caught a mudder yet. Not complaining, just surprised."
[#0000FF]The black bullhead population is cyclical in Utah Lake. While they are prolific and reproduce well, they are at both the top and bottom of the food chain. In years with a good white bass and carp spawn the predators feed heavily on the young of those species. If the carp and white bass do not fill the food chain then small bullheads make up the difference. See the attached pic of a walleye with a bullhead in its innards.
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[#0000FF]The white bass population is coming back after a few down years...of poor spawning and one year of winter kill in some shallow areas. During the lean times for whities, bullheads filled the gap and they may not show heavily again for a while.
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[#0000FF]All species raid the balls of little black baby bullheads after the eggs hatch...including their own parents. It's a wonder any survive. And walleyes especially love the tasty and oil-rich bullies until they get more than about 6-8 inches.
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Re: [TubeDude] Provo Catfish School 4 5 2019 - Piscophilic - 04-08-2019
Thanks for the insight! I think that fits the evidence I saw last year. I had a night trip last March where I got more bullheads than I ever had before, which made me think numbers must have been up. But I also remembered how old they all looked. Skin and bone, worn out looking. It would make sense that they might not have made it past the spawn last year.
I don't remember catching any more after June of last year.
The attached pictures aren't clear enough to see how awful they looked, but the names I put on the tell the story.
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Re: [Piscophilic] Provo Catfish School 4 5 2019 - TubeDude - 04-08-2019
[#0000FF]I take pictures of many fish too...both healthy and otherwise. Got plenty of pics of porky bullheads. But here is one that clearly shows what can happen when they run out of groceries.[/#0000FF]
[inline "SKINNY BULLHEAD.jpg"]
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Re: [Piscophilic] Provo Catfish School 4 5 2019 - fordkustom - 04-08-2019
sounds like a great trip and good to hear that cats are waking up.
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Re: [fordkustom] Provo Catfish School 4 5 2019 - Piscophilic - 04-08-2019
Yea, if the next storm doesn't rock them back to sleep! But warmer weather will come[
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