Flaming Gorge Jan 20-21

[joatmon]

A neighbor friend and I hit Flaming Gorge on Friday and Saturday in search of some lake trout pups. We targeted an area of South Buckboard in hopes of catching a few. 

Ice was about 8 inches, with 3-4 inches of snow on top, crusty in places. The main channel was about 70 fow. We also fished up on the flat at 31-38 fow. It was cold - low to mid teens during day down to -4 Saturday morning. 

My friend caught the first fish and his first laker ever, out in the main channel. The pup was in the 18-19 inch range. It took a while for me to get on the board, finally icing two pups before getting in the tent. About 7:30 I made a trolling loop of several holes I had drilled on the flat. I caught one more puplet (12”), that I released. 

About 9:00 I settled in for the night. I kept a couple of lines in the water all night. I dozed and slept at times, read a book, and stayed mostly warm. About 2:30 am, I hooked another nice pup, followed shortly by a small burbot. Then about 5:00 am, I hooked another lake trout. And that was it for me. My friend caught a couple the next day, but I couldn’t connect.

We iced a total of 8 lakers, with several in the 21” range. 

We tried lots of different rigs and baits and had a lot more lookers than we had biters. My friend caught his first on an atomic teaser below a split shot, with a meal worm. I caught all of my trout on a glow green tungsten jig tipped with meal worms. The burbot hit a smaller glow white tungsten jig with wax worm. Again, had many, many lookers and occasional bites on the glow green jig with mealworm. My friend caught his last two on a glow white jig with meal worm. Nothing on minnows, pieces of minnows, sucker meat, shrimp, salted minnows, salted shrimp, shrimp with anise. We saw a lot of fish on the flashers, some would even aggressively come to the jig, then put the brakes and swim away. 

For me, light jigging was needed to attract fish and get them to bite. No love on deadsticking or a Jawjacker. 

Awesome time with a good friend, we both caught fish, and enjoyed (?) a night on the ice. And got a cool sunset picture of the flames of Flaming Gorge. Also a pick of my “haul” (had smoked lake trout for dinner tonight!).

[FishfulThinkin]

Thanks for the report! Did you keep a heater in the tent for warmth? How do you monitor the CO1 levels if so?

[joatmon]

Thanks for the report! Did you keep a heater in the tent for warmth? How do you monitor the CO1 levels if so?

Yeah, I run a Mr. Heater tank top head on a 5-gallon propane tank. To distribute the heat and keep air flow, I put battery-powered fans on the vents. I do have a CO monitor that I ran the first time to check.

[EyLayo]

Nice snapshot Brett. Glad you got a couple fish too. Sounds like you've upgraded your sleeping comforts a little from the metal folding chair

[joatmon]

Nice snapshot Brett. Glad you got a couple fish too. Sounds like you've upgraded your sleeping comforts a little from the metal folding chair

Yeah, that was Craig’s chair. I need one of those zero gravity loungers. I do have a 6-man tent now with a little more elbow room.

[SkunkedAgain]

Congrats Brett way to get out there and pay the price to get some lakers... I'm surprised they liked meal worms better than fish flesh... "Guess that's why you have to always take a good selection of baits, thanks for the report... Jeff

[percheye]

Sounds like a fun time. Thanks for the report.

[kawamasu]

Thanks for the report and the info on monitoring the CO levels not something I was thinking about with the heater in the tent.

[SkunkedAgain]

When we have camped in the ice tents we leave open the air vents on each side and so far we haven't had any issues with CO, but it always is a concern, I'd sure hate to have something go wrong and get gassed over night... I'm not sure how much a trust those alarms but I guess my life has depended on them... Later Jeff

[glmill]

I was in the same area a few days earlier- camped on the ice 3 nites- NO success at all! Sounds like I was too big of jigs/bait- #/8 0z jigheads and sucker meat. I have a hard time downsizing from what has worked before.

[SkunkedAgain]

I think Brett has the touch, a week ago he hit Newton and loaded up on fish... Sent a friend there this weekend and they are pretty good fishermen but they didn't get a bite at all... So it might be something Brett just does and the fish like it... Later J

[joatmon]

I think Brett has the touch, a week ago he hit Newton and loaded up on fish... Sent a friend there this weekend and they are pretty good fishermen but they didn't get a bite at all...  So it might be something Brett just does and the fish like it... Later J

Thanks for the kind words, Jeff. I admit sometimes it's luck, defined as when preparation meets opportunity . I have learned to not be married to a spot, a rig, or a bait for too long. I always wonder if there was some other combination that would be "the ticket". I have also found that persistence pays off...eventually.

[hookngrinin]

Great report. Thanks Brett.

[SkunkedAgain]

Great tips Brett, I find I'm stuck to the same area too much, likely why I'm only averaging about one fish a trip this winter... And that number is dropping lately since I've had about 4 trips without a bite... Need to hit a new pond... Later Jeff

[joatmon]

Great tips Brett, I find I'm stuck to the same area too much, likely why I'm only averaging about one fish a trip this winter... And that number is dropping lately since I've had about 4 trips without a bite... Need to hit a new pond... Later Jeff

It is slower overall this year, not sure why (maybe my reflexes?.

My numbers to date this year vs last

                                        2021-2022               2022-2023
Trips through Jan 21              15                              19
Total fish through Jan 21       305                            195
Fish per trip                         20.3                           10.3 

My final fish per trip # last year was 15.6.

Probably partially a function of where I've chosen to fish, what species I've targeted, etc., but same lakes seem to be fishing slower this year.

[TubeDude]

Interesting stats.  But don't beat yourself up.  Figures lie and liars figure...or something like that.  There are so many variables each year...by water, by species, by amount of time spent, by tactics and techniques used...that the only thing you can really glean from such comparisons is the final outcome...regardless of angler skill, etc.  But "History is never wrong" (one of my originals).

For what it's worth, I think most of the anglers with whom I am familiar in Utah have had similar results this year.  Chalk it up to climate change, low water, changing fish populations...or the sun coming up in the west at times.  Results per trip were sometimes not as good as similar trips during similar times last year.  And in some cases...like with the white bass at Utah Lake...the fish seemed to have almost disappeared.

I have fished Utah waters since the early 1960s and I have fished through a whole lotta changes.  I can empty a room full of Utah anglers pretty quick if I start reckymembering the "good old days" on many of our waters that are now only very poor to marginal fishing.  A lot more fisherfolk...and the up and down cycles of Utah weather patterns...can adversely affect the formerly good fishing.  It irks me though, when someone wants to blame DWR for all of the problems.  I think they do a great job with the options they have.  But you can't manage the unmanageable.  And when Mama Nature is dealing all the cards it's tough to even stay in the game.

You'll knock 'em dead this year.  Guaranteed or your money back.