My Intro to Jordanelle or Scenes from the north Atlantic 2/17/24

My Intro to Jordanelle or Scenes from the north Atlantic 2/17/24 - Printable Version

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My Intro to Jordanelle or Scenes from the north Atlantic 2/17/24 - Piscophilic - 02-20-2024

ES: Fished Jordanelle from 8:30 A.M. to about 5 P.M on 2/17/2024. Launched at the main ramp with an inch of fresh snow, air temp almost 15 and water about 20 degrees warmer. Trolled most of the time with a mix of trout and kokanee gear down 5 to about 40’, we got no takers deeper than 25’. Speeds were from 0.7 to 1.4 with about 1 MPH giving the best results. We did try vertical jigging a little for what looked like suspended trout or kokes in 70 to 150’ and what looked like perch on the bottom in 50 to 60’ but nobody down that deep seemed to want to play.

Ice chunks were floating in a few places near the ramp and many of the coves had ice. Hard water started up the Provo arm just above the no wake buoy line. We brought home 1 koke and 7 bows 15 to 18.5 inches. We released 4 to 5 smaller trout for every one we kept. Best fish of the day was a 20” cutthroat that was also released.

Link to short video: https://youtu.be/WdLjTQMwXy0

Sorry about the lack of fish video. It was a bright beautiful day for filming, but just after we captured the floating ice on video, the SD card malfunctioned. It said it was full, but was only 5% filled. The spare was half the size and it filled up just before we found the fish. I’ve bought a new one for next trip.

FS: After our Deer Creek adventure in late January and a little more warm weather, I heard that some boats had been launching at Jordanelle. Jon likes to fish for Kokanee and I had never seen one or been to Jordanelle, so I suggested we give it a shot. The cameras showed ice around the rental docks, but the PWC ramp and the main lake seemed clear. Then the forecast for the night before came out and it was for 15 degrees overnight in Heber. We decided to try it anyway since we could drop back down to DC if we couldn’t launch at Jordy.

As we passed through Heber a little before 8 I checked and the air was indeed 15 degrees. It seems the weather guessers only get it right when you hope they are wrong! We got to the main ramp at about 8:15 and there were no tire tracks in the fresh snow. I thought we were going to have the lake to ourselves, but while we were launching, 3 more rigs showed up. Throughout the day we guessed we saw about 10 different boats.

Started trolling right out of the main ramp and the first ¼ mile looked like scenes from the north Atlantic. There were ice chunks of various sizes all around, even fouling the gear several times. Then we got out of them and never saw any more all day. Just after we got out of the ice my shallow rod went bendo and in came a healthy 15” rainbow. We had said we would keep trout for the smoker, but nothing under 14 to 15 inches. Jon was hoping for kokes, so we let this one go. It looked like it was going to be another day like Deer Creek, with lots of rainbows near the surface and we started to get excited. I should know better than to do that after the first fish!

For the next 4 to 5 hours we tried several different areas, probing deep and shallow, faster and slower. We kept seeing schools of fish way down deep, but nothing on the surface and nothing on our lines. We even stopped over a couple of different schools and let bait flutter down while we vertical jigged with the other rod. Nothing, zippo, nada. It was worse than the first half of the trip at DC!

About 2 P.M. we went looking for shallower water and ended up fishing an area around 50 to 60 feet deep. There was a boat in the area when we got there and we saw them pick up a couple of fish as we were letting out the gear and then they left. Within 10 minutes we had 2 fish on and we wondered why the other boat left.

The first couple of fish looked like truck buddy bows about 12 inches long and then Jon got a better fish. It stayed down deeper for a while and the first time we saw color Jon said: “I think it’s a nice brown!” As it came up a little and rolled over I said: “Nice fish, but I’m going to say cutt.” We got it in the net and it was a cutt just over 20 inches. Jon admired it while I took quick pictures and he said: “That is a beautiful fish, I think I should let it go.” I agreed and back it went. After another 4 or 5 truck buddies, I got a bow about 17 inches with a totally different coloring. It looked like a down run steelhead from the rivers back home in Oregon. We kept it and started in on our smoker fish. We weren’t sure how many larger fish we would find, but we were having a lot more fun than in the morning, and it looked good!

The next time I felt a good fish it came on the shallow rod and turned out to be a fat rainbow just under 19”. I was just starting to ask for a picture when my other rod went off. “This is another good fish,” I said to Jon in surprise and it was another bow at 17”. We were almost halfway to our limit when Jon hooked a keeper on his pop gear. As he saw the slivery white color he said: Hey, it’s a kokanee!” We had sort of given up on them and it was great to see one at last, even if it had shunned the normal koke gear and taken a worm on pop gear.

Just after that another boat joined us. We were both making circles over the area that was holding fish. They seemed to be rigged with 4 rods on down riggers. As we passed within talking distance we compared notes. Like us, they had been catching mostly smaller rainbows but said they had gotten 1 nice brown about 3 pounds and they had one Koke for the day so far. I told them we were in about the same shape with the one nice cutt and 1 koke.

A little before quitting time a boat showed up that was fly fishing the shorelines and as they compared notes with our neighbor, the first boat said they had gotten 2 kokes. They must have gotten one in our area, but we only saw rainbows for the rest of the day.

The fishing stayed steady and we had 6 out of 8 smoker fish. Jon had gotten another good bow just over 18 and another one about 17. The ratio stayed the same, about 1 keeper in every 4 or 5 fish. We had several doubles, but never got to “pandemonium” like at DC last time.

About 4 P.M. we decided that we would keep the next 2 fish over 15. WE had released a few that size, but Jon wanted to get back to the truck by dark. That is another thing you should never say! We must have gotten 8 truck buddies in a row, all 12-13 inches and were about to call it with the 6 in the well when Jon got 2 in a row just over 15.

We made it to our limits and to the truck just before dark! In retrospect it was almost a carbon copy of the DC trip, slow fishing until we found them and then lots of fun until we quit. The keepers were a little larger than at DC and the rest were a little smaller. The one nice cutthroat and the one Koke were great additions. I had set a goal of at least 3 species, but I thought we would find a perch.

It was cold, but the heater and the top made for a comfortable retreat when we weren’t landing fish. All in all my intro to Jordy was a good one. It has been a warm winter, but it is more fun to catch a bunch of fish in Jan and Feb. Usually those 2 months find me getting skunked trying to catch a half frozen catfish!

RE: My Intro to Jordanelle or Scenes from the north Atlantic 2/17/24 - Boatloadakids - 02-20-2024

Nice report Jim, almost felt like I was there with you in the boat. Too cold for me. Bring on the kitties!

RE: My Intro to Jordanelle or Scenes from the north Atlantic 2/17/24 - Piscophilic - 02-20-2024

(02-20-2024, 03:16 PM)Boatloadakids Wrote: Nice report Jim, almost felt like I was there with you in the boat. Too cold for me. Bring on the kitties!

Thanks Lynn! I'm with you on the cold. If it weren't for heater I'd be at home wishing. Even with it there were times I wasn't sure I'd get a fish off and the hook re-baited before my fingers quit working!

RE: My Intro to Jordanelle or Scenes from the north Atlantic 2/17/24 - brookie - 02-20-2024

I was in one of the other boats that fished the weather break Saturday, though not in my boat. Fishfulthinking invited me the night before. Richard got 3 decent kokanee and I got a little one (bleeder) that I usually would have put back. We got rainbows, not as many as you guys, but they all went back. Watching the weather, I'll probably be back out Thursday and Friday.

RE: My Intro to Jordanelle or Scenes from the north Atlantic 2/17/24 - Piscophilic - 02-20-2024

(02-20-2024, 05:15 PM)brookie Wrote: I was in one of the other boats that fished the weather break Saturday, though not in my boat. Fishfulthinking invited me the night before. Richard got 3 decent kokanee and I got a little one (bleeder) that I usually would have put back. We got rainbows, not as many as you guys, but they all went back. Watching the weather, I'll probably be back out Thursday and Friday.

Did you see us? Big blue Lund with the top up?

RE: My Intro to Jordanelle or Scenes from the north Atlantic 2/17/24 - FishfulThinkin - 02-20-2024

(02-20-2024, 05:18 PM)Piscophilic Wrote:
(02-20-2024, 05:15 PM)brookie Wrote: I was in one of the other boats that fished the weather break Saturday, though not in my boat. Fishfulthinking invited me the night before. Richard got 3 decent kokanee and I got a little one (bleeder) that I usually would have put back. We got rainbows, not as many as you guys, but they all went back. Watching the weather, I'll probably be back out Thursday and Friday.

Did you see us? Big blue Lund with the top up?

I talked to you on the ramp. We were the second boat down and launched right before you did. I asked you if you'd pull me up if we got stuck on the ramp. I didn't recognize you but now I know who I was talking to. Sorry I didn't introduce myself.

RE: My Intro to Jordanelle or Scenes from the north Atlantic 2/17/24 - Piscophilic - 02-20-2024

(02-20-2024, 06:38 PM)FishfulThinkin Wrote:
(02-20-2024, 05:18 PM)Piscophilic Wrote:
(02-20-2024, 05:15 PM)brookie Wrote: I was in one of the other boats that fished the weather break Saturday, though not in my boat. Fishfulthinking invited me the night before. Richard got 3 decent kokanee and I got a little one (bleeder) that I usually would have put back. We got rainbows, not as many as you guys, but they all went back. Watching the weather, I'll probably be back out Thursday and Friday.

Did you see us? Big blue Lund with the top up?

I talked to you on the ramp. We were the second boat down and launched right before you did. I asked you if you'd pull me up if we got stuck on the ramp. I didn't recognize you but now I know who I was talking to. Sorry I didn't introduce myself.

Good to meet you, from a distance Smile

. I'm glad you guys found some fish and hopefully had some fun!