(03-13-2020, 09:19 PM)Mooseman75 Wrote: Mike_d when I've fished from shore I used a Carolina rig under a bobber. I set the leader length 24-36" and use same baits as you. Last year i took  CBMIGP (chicken breast marinated in parlic powder) decided to try it on shrimp. So I sprinkled a little garlic powder over shrimp not a lot, I also made up a bag of shrimp marinated in vanilla extract. So I take a bag of pain, bag of garlic, and bag of vanilla shrimp. I put half a worm on the hook them put half a piece of shrimp over the worm. That's my go to rig and baiting method when using shrimp and worm.

(03-16-2020, 02:57 PM)TubeDude Wrote: <quote option="&quot;mike_d&quot; pid='1095725' dateline='1584368130'"><br />
Made it to Utah lake state park on Sunday and fished off of the north Jetty. Wind was a little chilly to start off, but it died down mid-day and it made for a beautiful warm day.<br />
Got 3 small bullheads and 1 fat perch all on worms off the bottom. Didn't get any hits on shrimp (even shrimp tipped with worms), no hits on any plastics, spinners, or anything else that was thrown, and I threw about everything in the tackle box at them.<br />
There were a number of other people out fishing, and I didn't see or hear anyone catching anything. The only one having great success was the park ranger catching everyone that "forgot" to pay the entrance fees!</quote><br />
<br />
<b><size option="medium" style="font-size:medium"><font option="times new roman" style="font-family: times new roman;"><color option="#0000CD" style="color: #0000CD;">Glad to hear you at least got a few tugs.  This is mid March and most of the channels are still out in deeper water.  If you can find them, they will bite...but not as well as when the water warms to over 60.  Those bullheads are usually some of the first fish to get playful...especially if fishing from shore and/or inside a harbor.  Water temps will often be a couple of degrees warmer inside a protected (from wind) area and that is enough to get the bullies busy.<br />
<br />
You have gotten some good advice on baits and rigs.  I will offer my advice as well.  Over several decades of fishing for cats in Utah Lake I have yet to find anything they WOULD NOT eat.  Well, almost.  But if you want to catch more and bigger cats consistently you will do best with "natural" baits...and fresh baits.  Nightcrawlers will always work.  Ditto for shrimp, chicken livers and prepared dough baits.   But the natural foods of most Utah Lake cats are crawdads and the fry of white bass, carp, crappies, bluegills and other species.  But they will usually chomp pieces of fish flesh cut from fresh dead carp and white bass.  No suckers allowed for bait in Utah Lake.<br />
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I like to fish with bobbers too...and do so a lot...especially in late spring and summer when the fish are cruising shallow.  They move closer to shore while spawning and then stay there for feeding on the young of other spawning species.  And, since there are usually more rocks and stickups in shallower water, a bobber can reduce snagging.  But you don't always have to have the bait right next to the bottom.  Channel cats are predatory feeders and will rise up a ways in the water column to ambush live food...or to munch a flavorful bait.  And fishing bait on a weighted jig head will help keep your offerings down if the breezes are moving the bobber around.

Keep trying and be patient.  Be grateful for whatever you can get this early in the year close to shore.  But by May it will be getting wide open.  And 24/7 by summer.

(03-17-2020, 03:53 AM)Anglinarcher Wrote: I took the time to ask Chris Penne from DWR.  I will see if he can respond to my email.

As the regulations are written, I do not believe that a ticket would stand up to a court of law.  The point of it being difficult to tell a junnie from other suckers is valid, in fact, historically the "State Experts" were fooled in a public hearing when Snake River Suckers were put before them. 

Nevertheless, the way the guidebook is written, there is no grey area, sucker flesh is permitted in any body of water where bait is legal, and bait is legal in UL.  

Clearly if sucker meat is not permitted, clarifications should be made ASAP on the state website.

We will see.  This is one case where I can see both sides of the case, but "the glove did not fit so I cannot convict".

(03-17-2020, 02:02 PM)TubeDude Wrote:

(03-17-2020, 03:53 AM)Anglinarcher Wrote: I took the time to ask Chris Penne from DWR.  I will see if he can respond to my email.

As the regulations are written, I do not believe that a ticket would stand up to a court of law.  The point of it being difficult to tell a junnie from other suckers is valid, in fact, historically the "State Experts" were fooled in a public hearing when Snake River Suckers were put before them. 

Nevertheless, the way the guidebook is written, there is no grey area, sucker flesh is permitted in any body of water where bait is legal, and bait is legal in UL.  

Clearly if sucker meat is not permitted, clarifications should be made ASAP on the state website.

We will see.  This is one case where I can see both sides of the case, but "the glove did not fit so I cannot convict".

I also sent an inquiry to Chris Crockett...in the Springville DWR office.  He is possibly more in tune with what is going on at Utah Lake.  I will post his response when I get it.

(03-18-2020, 11:10 AM)TubeDude Wrote: The reply I got back from Chris didn't really give a yay or nay on the issue."Thanks Pat. I brought this up at a regulations meeting about a month ago. I’ll keep working on it. " I sent a followup request for a clearer explanation

(03-20-2020, 01:27 AM)catchinon Wrote: This came up last year. The Northerners who were coming to the Flotilla at UL wondered if they could bring one of their favorite baits, sucker meat. If I recall correctly, TD ran it past someone in the DWR and they were dismayed to see that the regulation had been printed allowing sucker as bait in UL. They said that it was fully their intent to exclude sucker use in UL. I expected it to be changed in the 2020 Guidebook but it was printed the same way. At that time (2019 Flotilla) I opted not to use sucker meat that I had leftover from a trip to Flaming Gorge--went with the spirit of the law rather than the letter. Didn't hurt me a bit. Can't imagine why someone would want to use sucker anyway when there are better baits easily available.