Yuba camping & water level

[fishindaddy]

I'm hoping someone who's been there recently could tell me if the north beach or eagle view campgrounds still have a beach going down to the water where you can camp and play, or is the water too low?
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[HATH]

To add to this thread, what are the best boat ramps down there and is every boat ramp down there considered part of the state park? We're going down friday with the goal of a 40"!
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[MasterDaad]

I drove by there a couple days ago and it looked like there were a number of RV's parked on the north beach.
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[ocean]

Water level is way down but you can still launch safely . Last weekend the north beach had people camped out with boats and trailers.As for fishing it hasnt slowed down one bit.My freind caught over 40 pike over the 2 last weekends fishing from the shore. Seems the best bite is between 1pm and 5 pm. Most were between 20 to 30 inches on bait .
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[ocean]

Yes all the boat ramps are located in the state park areas that i know of. Good luck on the 40 incher ! []
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[jaybird2939]

Hello. I grew up on the Gulf Coast in TX and I am an avid saltwater fisherman. I moved here a few years ago and am trying to get accustomed to freshwater fishing. I am heading to the Yuba for a week and will be taking my canoe with a trolling motor. My 5 year old daughter will be with me too. I like using artificial baits, what do you recommend on using for trolling behind my canoe or just throwing and retrieving to catch whatever species is in Yuba? Also, my 5 year old has a short attentian span for fishing, if I use worms or some sort of bait with a cork in some brushy areas, will that make it easy for her to catch a fish? Maybe a worm or some sort of bait on the bottom?

Also, I notice that there are salmon in that lake. Is this the wrong time of year for Salmon? What do you typically fish with to catch a salmon?

Any help would be much appreciated. I am heading there on Sept 5th for that entire week. I will be heading to Cabelas to get some spinners. But any other lure/bait suggestions would be much appreciated. What color of spinners/crank baits/ect typically works? In saltwater fishing, we would get a number of different colors and find the color that worked best that day but, there were a few colors that always worked. Some colors workes better than others on different days though. Is it like that while fishing for Pike and trout as well?
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[a_bow_nut]

Are you talkling about Yuba?

There are not any salmon in that body of water.
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[jaybird2939]

Yes, I was talking about Yuba. Heck I think I made a mistake and was looking at a different park, not Yuba.

What do you suggest using to catch pike and walleye? From what I understand, catching walleye is kinda the same as fishing for Black Bass. I have caught black bass before so I will buy some bass lures.

One website said that there are catfish in Yuba and another one says that there may not be any catfish there anymore. DO you know if there are still catfish in Yuba? I like baiting a hole during the day by sinking some bait buckes full of stink bait and fishing the area at night. But, if there arent any catfish, I dont want to waste my time.

Thank you,
Jay Wolf
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[a_bow_nut]

Pike are pike no matter where they live so the same lures that they use works here also. Spoons, crank baits, and similar type lures will work. Some people like to float a dead minnow under a bobber also but it can get boring waiting for one to come by.
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[TyeDyeTwins]

[quote jaybird2939]
One website said that there are catfish in Yuba and another one says that there may not be any catfish there anymore. DO you know if there are still catfish in Yuba? I like baiting a hole during the day by sinking some bait buckes full of stink bait and fishing the area at night. But, if there arent any catfish, I dont want to waste my time.

Thank you,
Jay Wolf[/quote]

Hmmm, word to the wise that might be chumming. Which is a no no in Utah.
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[jaybird2939]

Thanks for letting me know about the chumming thing, I didnt realize that it wasnt legal. I suppose I need to read the fishing laws here in Utah. Heck, that was perfectly legal in TX. Thanks for the heads up.
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[jaybird2939]

Thank you "a bow nut" for your reply. I have never fished for pike so I have never bought any baits for them. It looks like I will go get a variety of spoons, crankbaits ect.

Thanks again for your input and your help. I suppose I will catch my first pike soon. My wife has a triathlon there at the Yuba lake so I am heading up a few days early without wife/kid to do a little fishing. I grew up catching flounder, redfish, drum, saltwater speckled trout ect. All this freshwater stuff (with the exception of black bass or catfish) is new to me. Pike and walleye are ner to me but I here walleye are good to eat so I am going to try frying some up.
I have heard mixed reviewes about eating the Pike but I will try it for myself.
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[a_bow_nut]

Do a little google searching for "pike fishing" and "pike fishing lures" and you will find a ton of info to help you make you choices on lures.

Once you have chosen your lure types then look for color patterns that match the fish that live there and you should have a good start.
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[EvilTyeDyeTwin]

[quote jaybird2939]

What do you suggest using to catch pike [/quote]

Pitch the Count Down size 7 Yellow Perch Rapala pattern! In fact anything in perch patterns (swimbaits, jigs, flies, ect...) will trick a pike, a bass and even some carp.

Let us all know how you do!
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[jaybird2939]

Thanks Eviltye. I am heading there the Tuesday after Labor day and will be there till Sunday. I will post some pictures of my catch. Thanks for the info on the size 7 perch rapala pattern. I will get some in different colors.
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[jaybird2939]

Thanks man, I will do that.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Yuba is a lake that goes through cycles. I have fished it since the 1970s and have seen a whole lotta changes through the years. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]It is a big featureless-bottomed lake with little to no structure so the fish don't have much to relate to. Also, it is merely a water storage tank for the Delta power company and they have rights to all the water. There is no minimum conservation pool established to protect fish in poor water years so it gets drained whenever there is a drought. All fish die and we start over.[/#0000ff]

[#0000ff]In between there are peaks and valleys in the fish populations and species ratios. There have been some peak periods in the past where there were lots of fish of all species...and fishing was superb for brief two or three year periods. These were usually followed by the predators (walleyes and pike) reducing the perch (forage) population to the point that the perch were not able to keep up and everything crashed. [/#0000ff]

[#0000ff]During the last drought, lasting until 2004, the already low lake levels were allowed to drop until there was only a small trickle of the Sevier River running down the lake bed. That was so they could do some major rebuilding on the old dam. Just about all the fish in the lake either died or moved upstream to find the sparse deeper spots in the river and wait it out.[/#0000ff]

[#0000ff]We had a good winter in 2004 and the lake filled up again. Since there were no fish in the lake for anglers, Utah DWR planted large quantities of rainbow trout. They did well and grew big and fast on the diet of fathead minnows that had washed down into the new lake and had exploded without predators.[/#0000ff]

[#0000ff]Rocky Mountain Anglers and DWR had teamed up to harvest perch from Jordanelle and replant Yuba with perch. But that was all that got replanted into Yuba. There were a precious few walleyes and northern pike that survived in the river...and a few channel cats. But they were on their own.[/#0000ff]

[#0000ff]The perch population boomed...with no walleye or pike to thin the herd. And in two years they had helped the trout slurp up the fathead minnows. The biggest trout disappeared and the ones that were left no longer grew much bigger than about 16 to 18 inches. Then the northern pike had a couple of good spawns and they put a hurtin' on the progressively smaller rainbows.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The REAL story of Yuba these days is the scourge of carp. They have always been in Yuba but have always been kept in check by the predators. With big predators mostly absent for a few years the carp population did a Hiroshima. There is not only a huge carp spawn each year but there are also vast numbers that get washed downstream at the end of the irrigation season when Gunnison Reservoir upstream on the Sevier gets drained.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The carp in Yuba are obscene. They are not the herbivores that carp are in most waters. They eat everything...just to survive in their numbers. That includes the eggs and spawn of other species. They are so far ahead of all other species in terms of numbers that there is no chance of enough predators surviving through the juvenile stage to turn the tables. The only exception seems to be the northern pike. They protect their nests and they eat carp with relish.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]If you want your kids to have a good time and catch fish...use a piece of worm either under a bobber or fished right on the bottom almost anywhere around the lake. They will catch plenty of carp. There are still a few perch in the lake but nobody catches them in any size or any numbers. Not like the boatloads of jumbos that were common in the past.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]You can still catch an occasional catfish. And there are some big ones. Once they get big enough to eat carp they grow some shoulders. But there are not the numbers to justify making a special trip for them.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Walleyes? In days of old you could catch limits by casting jigs or fishing crawlers or minnows in many spots around the lake. Now it is rare for even the best walleye experts to catch more than one or two on a trip. And on some trips they will go through six dozen crawlers...catching carp...without hooking even one walleye.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Northern pike are about the only species that has survived and prospered well enough to provide a worthwhile fishery. Indeed, they are the "carp" of all gamefish species. They are hardy and spread fast...and often destroy most other species in many lakes where they have been illegally introduced.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]In Yuba the pike spawn up in the flats on high water years. We had a couple of those recently and the population jumped up again. Before that and now the lake has dropped again and the pike are having a tough time finding good spawning areas where they can get good recruitment and protect their young from the ravenous carp. They have peaks and valleys too, according to water levels.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The last good spawn years have produced a bumper crop of pike in the 20 to 30 inch size classes. Everybody is catching the heck out of them right now. The bigger ones...over 36 inches...are less plentiful. But there are some over 40s in there for the good and lucky.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]It is harder to find something that pike WON'T hit than something they will. They will smack just about whatever you are fishing for other species...plastics, crankbaits, spinners, spoons and even walleye crawler harnesses. That is what caught the Utah record pike a few years ago.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Best bets are medium sized diving crank baits in perch or fire tiger colors. They will also hit almost anything with chartreuse or white. Big plastic swimbaits are prime for some of the bigger pike but you have to figure on "collateral damage" to your expensive plastics with every fish you catch.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]There are probably more pike harvested and removed from Yuba by bait fishing "bank tangling" locals than by anglers from remote areas with their fancy boats and refined tackle. Simply soaking a big minnow on the bottom accounts for lots of pike going home to dinner on local anglers' tables. Pike will also sometimes pick up a slab of cut bait but fishing a strip of perch meat on a jig works double well.[/#0000ff]

[#0000ff]Smallmouth bass are currently on the upswing too. They have always been in the Sevier River and occasionally have a good spawn year in the lake. Probably more smallmouth being taken this year than I can remember in any year past. Fish the standard plastics and hardbaits.[/#0000ff]

[#0000ff]Bottom line? There are better fishing holes in Utah for almost any species other than northern pike. But even though it ain't what a lot of us old timers remember...from former glory days...it is still a nice place for water recreation...including fishing.[/#0000ff]
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[jaybird2939]

Awesome, thank you Tube Dude. I will be heading there the week of Sept 4th and will be there all week. My wife has a triatholon that Saturday in the reservoir so, I am heading down there early to relax and catch some fish. I will be camping in Painted rock are and will be in a big aluminum canoe. If you see me, give me a hollar. My name is Jay.

Thank you for all the great info.

Jay Wolf
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[TyeDyeTwins]

[quote jaybird2939]Thanks for letting me know about the chumming thing, I didnt realize that it wasnt legal. I suppose I need to read the fishing laws here in Utah. Heck, that was perfectly legal in TX. Thanks for the heads up.[/quote]

Just figured I'd help you out is all. I had a guy tell me to do the same thing from my toon and sure enough when I wondered into the fish shops looking for "scent baskets" I got an ear full of how that was not allowed. Bummer cuz I bet it is deadly!
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[ocean]

Sorry i have not gotten back to you sooner but i had a tooth extraction that was complicated and i have been in lala land because of the pain medication.I too am an avid salt water fisherman been here for 15 years takes a while to get used to the fishing here and it is fun once you get it down.As for pike fishing at yuba its really easy bait fishing is the easiest way to catch them i have a 2 pole permit so i dunk a bait while i jig.I rig my bait a special way that works for me and my freinds i will post a pic of it later.Pike seem to be most active between 1-5 pm thats when most fish have been caught weird. As for jigs i mostly use spoons like others have stated before perch patterns and fire tiger colors work the best. I have also had luck with red and white colors like dare devil spoons.As for plastics i look for closeout specials at sportsmans or cabelas that way when they get destroyed its not a big loss.As for your kid take plenty of worms and a bobber and that will your kid entertained probably keep you busy to unhooking carp.PM me as it gets closerto sept the fishing will get better and maybe i can give you more info.by the way fresh bait works better than the frozen stuff but if you do go the frozen route use anchovies they seem to work better.Also if you let me know a day before you go i can get you some fresh chubs .
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