Koke-less at Lindon 7-7-21

[TubeDude]

As the title implies, no kokanees were harmed on this trip.  So all of you "koke-nuts" can stop reading right now.

Made a quick return trip to Lindon this morning...to get in a quick trip before it got too hot...and before the water is too shallow for even my float tube to launch.  Already over 70 degree air temp at 6...and water temps went from 82 to 84 before I crawled out of the water just before noon.  Water level in the harbor has dropped a few inches since this time last week.  But some fairly large boats still launching okay.
   

Kicked in my big motor (40# thrust Minnkota) and roostertailed to the bubbleup for a return match with the whities.  Yep.  Still there and willing.  Caught one on the first cast and many casts after that.  Again, even a few doubles.  Fun fun on light gear. 
   
   

The kitties came out to play too.  After an hour of over-funning on the white bass, I put out a couple of bait rods.  One with chub minnow and the other with white bass chunks.  Both got plenty of attention.  But, no bumpers today.  Plenty of 2-footers and the biggest was a 26 incher.  They were really amped up in the warm water though.  Fought above their weight class.
   
   

Purty day today.  Glassy calm at daybreak and still glassy as I fired up the big motor to get off the lake before getting heat stroke.
   
   

[Anglinarcher]

NO KOKES in UL?  

Thanks for the update.  I have a Nephew and his girlfriend to take out on Saturday, probably going to the other side of the lake.

[Therapist]

Glad that you are getting out !! I stopped at AF today to check on the water level, was pleasantly surprised that it is still adequate to launch the big red SKEETER !! Will be hitting it in the am, the boss has things for me to do today. Amazing how she can find all sorts of things to take up my day and keep me off the water !! Will hit the pipeline tomorrow to get a few WB for a dinner, then look for some walleye in the main lake. Will report tomorrow !!!

PS, the guy at AF reports that they have removed the big rocks at the entrance of the harbor, so those things are not a hazzard any more !! YEA!!

[Mildog]

Pat, I bet you didn’t even try to catch a koke today! I may be one of them there koke nuts but not exclusively so. I like to chase all manners of swim my critters so of course I’m going to keep reading.
You know the kokes could make there way down the river and you could be the first to get on em, if you would try!! Lol
Good report good fun!
Took my little sis and niece out to chase the aforementioned kokes , niece got a dandy 20.5 incher!
Mildog out!

[TubeDude]

Pat, I bet you didn’t even try to catch a koke today! I may be one of them there koke nuts but not exclusively so. I like to chase all manners of swim my critters so of course I’m going to keep reading.
You know the kokes could make there way down the river and you could be the first to get on em, if you would try!! Lol
Good report good fun!
Took my little sis and niece out to chase the aforementioned kokes , niece got a dandy 20.5 incher!
Mildog out!

How do you know I didn't "TRY"?  Set my downriggers right in the thermocline (2'), plenty of dropback, scent on the flashers, pink maggots on the hoochies, varying speed and S turns and all that.  All I accomplished was conking some carp on the head with the rigger balls.  Not a high percentage kokanee venue.

---

Glad that you are getting out !!  I stopped at AF today to check on the water level, was pleasantly surprised that it is still adequate to launch the big red SKEETER !!  Will be hitting it in the am,  the boss has things for me to do today.  Amazing how she can find all sorts of things to take up my day and keep me off the water !!  Will hit the pipeline tomorrow to get a few WB for a dinner, then look for some walleye in the main lake.  Will report tomorrow !!!

PS,  the guy at AF reports that they have removed the big rocks at the entrance of the harbor, so those things are not a hazzard any more !! YEA!!

If you hit the pipeline, concentrate on the last two buoys...and fish across the pipeline between them too.  As the morning wore on, the fish almost seemed to be schooling up right beside the buoys...in their shade.

When I first got to the pipeline there were some little current "boils" on the surface...indicating some water coming in from the settling ponds.  But that didn't last long.

Also, there are some reed beds appearing between the harbor and the bubbleup.  I saw a couple of interesting splashes at their edges today that could have been something besides carp.  Got plastic?   Got topwater?

[doitall5000]

As the title implies, no kokanees were harmed on this trip.  So all of you "koke-nuts" can stop reading right now.

Made a quick return trip to Lindon this morning...to get in a quick trip before it got too hot...and before the water is too shallow for even my float tube to launch.  Already over 70 degree air temp at 6...and water temps went from 82 to 84 before I crawled out of the water just before noon.  Water level in the harbor has dropped a few inches since this time last week.  But some fairly large boats still launching okay.


Kicked in my big motor (40# thrust Minnkota) and roostertailed to the bubbleup for a return match with the whities.  Yep.  Still there and willing.  Caught one on the first cast and many casts after that.  Again, even a few doubles.  Fun fun on light gear. 



The kitties came out to play too.  After an hour of over-funning on the white bass, I put out a couple of bait rods.  One with chub minnow and the other with white bass chunks.  Both got plenty of attention.  But, no bumpers today.  Plenty of 2-footers and the biggest was a 26 incher.  They were really amped up in the warm water though.  Fought above their weight class.



Purty day today.  Glassy calm at daybreak and still glassy as I fired up the big motor to get off the lake before getting heat stroke.

Great report pat, I remember when the bubble up was flowing and fishing from shore was always good and crowded.   Watched my twin 7 year old boys have a great day.

So can we cast from shore to your whites now?  Like to take grand son and catch a few.

[TubeDude]

Great report pat, I remember when the bubble up was flowing and fishing from shore was always good and crowded.   Watched my twin 7 year old boys have a great day.

So can we cast from shore to your whites now?  Like to take grand son and catch a few.

Yeah, I remember the olden days...when the bubbleup was gushing warm water all year.  And the bad taste in the fish you caught there...from the chemical soup from the smelting process.  And the black soot all over your vehicle when you returned...from the furnaces at Geneva.  All that pollution is history.  And whatever water enters Utah Lake through the remaining pipe comes from small springs onshore that flow into the old settling ponds and then through a downspout and out into the lake.  That pipeline is one of the very few bits of structure in a big shallow bowl so it almost always attracts a few fish.  And the inflow of water is also a draw.

Howsomever...the water is low right now and the pipe is already out of the water for quite a few yards out into the lake.  It is just a bit less exposed than in the following picture.  And the water is very shallow for a long way out.  It is only a bit over 4' at the very end of the pipe.  So...I'm guessing you would not do well casting from shore.  And I wouldn't advise wading.  When I came into shallow water to stand up and make some adjustments to my float tube I almost lost a fin in the sticky mud on the bottom.  I fished along a good bit of the pipe yesterday and I only found fish between the last two buoys at the end of the pipe.
   

[Cowboypirate]

Last year there seemed to be a pretty steady stream of 30"+ fish reported from the UL regulars. But this year, at least so far, the 30 and above appears to be a bit stingy. I know with the crews that haunt UL that this can, and likely will, change on a dime - just seems a bit odd that the big kitties have lockjaw

[TubeDude]

Last year there seemed to be a pretty steady stream of 30"+ fish reported from the UL regulars. But this year, at least so far, the 30 and above appears to be a bit stingy. I know with the crews that haunt UL that this can, and likely will, change on a dime - just seems a bit odd that the big kitties have lockjaw

Same ol' story.  Big fish are older fish...the survivors of natural attrition and angler harvest.  More and more Utah tanglers are fishing for catfish and many still keep the bigger fish...either to eat or to just show off and discard.  After all, they are only catfish.  Right?

However, it does seem strange that there are so many that are short of 30" and so few over it.  Part of that can be explained by the fact that larger and older cats often adapt different feeding habits than smaller ones.  They are more likely to search out larger meals...and to eat less frequently...and often to feed mainly after dark.  So the "average" cataholic who fishes smaller baits, during the daytime, is less likely to hook into the truly large ones.

Utah lake is a food rich environment for catfish.  Most of the fish we catch are fat and healthy.  There is no reason for them to stunt.  But as they grow older...like most species...their growth rate slows and they are less active and eat less.  Newly hatched channels in Utah Lake will usually grow about 8 - 10 inches per year...in their first two years...quite a bit faster than in many other waters around the country.  After that it may slow to only a few inches...or almost nothing in some years as they get older.  They are a long-life species...living from 15 to 20 years.

There are two times of year that the "average" anglers is more likely to hook up with bigger fish...very early (March and April) and late in the year (October into early November).  Those are transitional times when water temps are lower and fish are more motivated to eat...either to make up for a lean winter or to store up calories for an upcoming winter.  They don't think about it.  They just do it instinctively.  I have caught many of my 30" plus fish during those early and late periods...when a lot of anglers are either late skiing or early hunting.

[SkunkedAgain]

Last year it was July to August before they really rolled in the big ones, so don't lose hope.... Although up north things really slow down as summer comes on stronger, you guys down there seems to pick up on bigger fish... Guess us northerners are hoping for low water to give us a chance to take the title back... Later Jeff

[Mildog]

Pat, I bet you didn’t even try to catch a koke today! I may be one of them there koke nuts but not exclusively so. I like to chase all manners of swim my critters so of course I’m going to keep reading.
You know the kokes could make there way down the river and you could be the first to get on em, if you would try!! Lol
Good report good fun!
Took my little sis and niece out to chase the aforementioned kokes , niece got a dandy 20.5 incher!
Mildog out!

How do you know I didn't "TRY"?  Set my downriggers right in the thermocline (2'), plenty of dropback, scent on the flashers, pink maggots on the hoochies, varying speed and S turns and all that.  All I accomplished was conking some carp on the head with the rigger balls.  Not a high percentage kokanee venue.

---

Glad that you are getting out !!  I stopped at AF today to check on the water level, was pleasantly surprised that it is still adequate to launch the big red SKEETER !!  Will be hitting it in the am,  the boss has things for me to do today.  Amazing how she can find all sorts of things to take up my day and keep me off the water !!  Will hit the pipeline tomorrow to get a few WB for a dinner, then look for some walleye in the main lake.  Will report tomorrow !!!

PS,  the guy at AF reports that they have removed the big rocks at the entrance of the harbor, so those things are not a hazzard any more !! YEA!!

If you hit the pipeline, concentrate on the last two buoys...and fish across the pipeline between them too.  As the morning wore on, the fish almost seemed to be schooling up right beside the buoys...in their shade.

When I first got to the pipeline there were some little current "boils" on the surface...indicating some water coming in from the settling ponds.  But that didn't last long.

Also, there are some reed beds appearing between the harbor and the bubbleup.  I saw a couple of interesting splashes at their edges today that could have been something besides carp.  Got plastic?   Got topwater?


?Well I stand corrected sounds like you gave the kokes a chance to play but as you said very low target area, if any. The few kokes that felt the harmonious call of your flashy blade and squid Combo couldn’t make it there before you clunked a couple carp on the head!! Glad you upped your odds and focused on the target rich critters and exercised a few! Great report good stuff!!

[TubeDude]

[quote pid="1121163" dateline="1625699429"]
?Well I stand corrected sounds like you gave the kokes a chance to play but as you said very low target area, if any. The few kokes that felt the harmonious call of your flashy blade and squid Combo couldn’t make it there before you clunked a couple carp on the head!! Glad you upped your odds and focused on the target rich critters and exercised a few! Great report good stuff!!

[/quote]

As the old song goes "When you can be with the fish you love...love the ones you're with."...or something like that.

Say hi to Bella for me.  

[Piscophilic]

Thanks for another great report and pictures. It sounds like you you have been having lots of fun with the whites and the kitties lately. Good for your and keep it up!

I have been out there this year, but not as much as last year and Julie has yet to go with me. First it was too cold in the morning and then one day later it was too hot!

I saw your reply to Cowboypirate about the apparent shortage of larger fish from the golden pond this year and I thought I'd chime in. It has affected me this year, but I'm going to say "so far." 

I have fished with both big and small baits and big and small floats/attractors on most of my trips and so far the best fish of the year have come on smaller WB chunks. I have also done some very early morning and very late evening outings and got more sleep deprivation headaches than larger fish.

I have spent more time "exploring" this year and that has kept me in shallower water, but there should have been some big fish in there as well. I can say that most of our 30+ fish the last few years came in September and October so I'm not worried yet.

If I were to guess, for me the lack of big fish comes from not having Julie in the boat

BTW, I have yet to catch a Koke down there either.

Thanks for sharing all your experience and wit!

Keep it comming

[TubeDude]

Thanks for another great report and pictures. It sounds like you you have been having lots of fun with the whites and the kitties lately. Good for your and keep it up!

I have been out there this year, but not as much as last year and Julie has yet to go with me. First it was too cold in the morning and then one day later it was too hot!

I saw your reply to Cowboypirate about the apparent shortage of larger fish from the golden pond this year and I thought I'd chime in. It has affected me this year, but I'm going to say "so far." 

I have fished with both big and small baits and big and small floats/attractors on most of my trips and so far the best fish of the year have come on smaller WB chunks. I have also done some very early morning and very late evening outings and got more sleep deprivation headaches than larger fish.

I have spent more time "exploring" this year and that has kept me in shallower water, but there should have been some big fish in there as well. I can say that most of our 30+ fish the last few years came in September and October so I'm not worried yet.

If I were to guess, for me the lack of big fish comes from not having Julie in the boat

BTW, I have yet to catch a Koke down there either.

Thanks for sharing all your experience and wit!

Keep it comming

Thanks fer the kindly comments.  Glad to help keep you entertained.  I gotta say I have missed the "Julie Chronicles" of last year...with all the reports of more fish and bigger fish on the distaff side of the boat.

Interesting comment on catching some of your bigger fish on smaller baits.  Over the years some of my larger fish also succumbed to smaller or at least "average" sized baits.  And I especially recall one trip at the Knolls when I was using fresh carp meat as the "bait du jour".  In an effort to attract bigger fish I was using some hefty slabs of carp tenderloin.  I was getting a few pickups and pack offs, but was not getting any good hooksets.   I reasoned that whatever was playing with me was just holding on to the end of a strip, swimming around and not gulping down the goodies. 

SOOOOOOO....I tried downsizing the bait.  I cut down a larger strip to barely extend beyond the end of my large hook and pinned it on.   I lobbed it out...expecting to hook up with a bullhead or small channel.  But, wonder of wonders, a porky sized kitty slurped it up and headed south with the evidence.  The rest of the story?  I probably caught a dozen or so cats on the downsized baits and I don't think any of them was less than about 25 or 26 inches.  And all of them munched with gusto...getting the hook well inside their mouths for a good hookset.

Howsomever, I have knowed a few big cat specialists over the years who never use small baits.  To them, any whole white bass under 10 inches is too small.  And one guy even likes to use footlong whole carp.  Still another uses large slabs of chicken flesh...and has even been known to use accidentally aged cuts of beef, pork, deer or elk.  And I also know a west coast transplant who hits the Asian seafood markets to get whole small mackerel or whole sardines.

Looking forward to seeing some combined reports from you guys.  Also looking forward to some cooler fall fishing...if there is still any water left for the fish to swim in.