DMAD/Sevier river 4-10 -- Slab white bass

[morcey2]

This is a continuation of the thread here, sorta:

[url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/forum/Utah_Fishing_Forum_C55/gforum.cgi?post=735325;forum_view=forum_view_expandable"]http://www.bigfishtackle.com/...orum_view_expandable[/url]

I went and hit about a half dozen spots on DMAD reservoir and the Sevier river between DMAD and Gunnison Bend. The carp were very active at DMAD and all along the river, jumping all over. I also saw some non-carp fish jump, but couldn't quite tell what they were.

I caught a couple of carp at my first spot and availed myself of the fillets for future bait. I had what looked like, at a distance, a relatively large channel cat at that spot, but it broke the line.

I moved after about an hour to the next spot where I soaked some carp meat while I tossed various lures. I caught a 1 lb white bass at that spot, which meant I would be having some dinner tonight. I also got a good follow by a 4 lb-ish looking LMB. It followed the spinnerbait all the way until back was out of the water. There were also a couple of very small catfish in the 2-3" range near the shore. I couldn't tell if they were bullhead or channels, but I tried to match the color and size and I kept getting very light hits bumping the bottom with a small shad swim bait. Probably the walleye I was trying to catch.

Moved on the the next spot, right below the dam. I fished about a quarter mile stretch of the river downstream from the dam and had lots of good luck there. I caught a couple of small largemouth bass and a couple of perch in the pool right below the dam.

Bass:


Perch:


I also caught a very small walleye in that pool that I didn't get a picture of. It was only about 5" long and would have lost a fair fight with any of the nightcrawlers that I had with me.

There seem to be a good number of large Whities in that stretch of river. I caught a bunch more, but only kept 2 of them. Most of them were in the 12"/1 lb range, but I did catch one that was 2 lbs and 17" long. [cool]

I kept that one for a total of 3 for dinner tonight.

In front of my parents house:


Just prior to filleting at home:



I also saw a very small pike next to a stump in the pool below the dam. It was 7-8" long and wasn't moving for anything. I tried taking a picture, but my cell phone would only pick up the glare off the surface.

It looks like the river is healthy and I'm looking forward to getting out there more this year. The water will probably be a little lower this year than the last couple, so fishing should be a little easier.

The one thing that I saw that really irked me was 5 dead perch on the rocks by the dam. There are always dead carp there from people leaving them there to die, but the perch made me mad. They're so tasty and these were all about 7" long. Just really irritating.

Matt
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[EvilTyeDyeTwin]

Wow that is a PIG of a White Bass for Utah Standards! Nice catch....never knew DMAD/Sevier river had so many species of fish....it sounds kinda like Utah Lake. Sorry to here about the waste of perch....those things are my favorite fish to eat, way too tasty to waste!
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[Springbuck]

Best report I've ever heard from DMAD, and good on detail, too. I haven't been out there, but I think about it off and on...
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[morcey2]

I grew up in that area and I'm always amazed at the number of people who should know better that think carp and catfish are the only thing in the Sevier. In the late 80's, I knew the river from Leamington Canyon to Deseret better than anyone alive and I've always believed that it could be one of the premier warm-water fisheries in the western US if it's managed correctly. The problem is that so much of the water is necessary for agriculture and there isn't a conservation pool at all in either of the reservoirs.

As for species, I've caught:

Largemouth Bass
Smallmouth Bass
Walleye
Perch
Black Crappie
White crappie
Bluegill
Green sunfish
Sacrament Perch
White bass
Suckers of some sort.
Bullhead (brown, I think)
Channel cats

I've also caught a couple of brown trout in leamington canyon.

The only fish that I _KNOW_ is there that I haven't caught is northern pike. I've had a couple on, but have lost them due to a non-wire leader. Probably. Maybe it's time for a gorilla flotilla to DMAD. []

Matt
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[TubeDude]

Maybe it's time for a gorilla flotilla to DMAD.

[cool][#0000ff]Just be sure to turn the spigot on before we go. The last time I went to DMAD it was just a mud hole. Not even deep enough to float tube. Those fish sure know how to head upriver when somebody pulls the plug.[/#0000ff]
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[morcey2]

Yeah, I remember reading your report from a year or so ago. It's one of the most frustrating things about those reservoirs is the seemingly random levels that they have.

Having dealt with some of the politics involved with the water down there, even on a very minor level, just drives me nuts. It's a desert and the water from the sevier is the only thing that allows the agriculture to happen. Some years, they'll drain both DMAD and gunnison bend late in the year preparing for winter. I've been told that they were much more stable prior to the floods in 83. That year, Yuba was completely full and the runoff happened pretty quickly, forcing them to dump way to much down to DMAD. The old spillway and dam couldn't handle it and it failed. I think they're trying to prevent that from happening again, but it's taken a real toll on the fishing there.

Anyway, the fishing was good yesterday and that's what matters. []

Matt
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[LOAH]

Excellent! I love hearing about the western waters that are usually ignored. Nice work and great looking white bass.
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[LordoftheFlies]

I haven't thought about that place for years. I've never fished it but used to hunt waterfowl in the area with a buddy from Delta. I remembered thinking- this would be a good place to hide a body.[angelic] Very cool report. Thanks for posting it.
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[walleyebob]

When DMAD flooded in 83, thousands of giant White Bass got washed out into the desert. I was working in Hinckley. One of the guys I worked with was fishing a canal a few miles west of Delta, where the water went under hiway 6. He caught truckloads of 2 pound plus whities. Few folks even knew there were White Bass that big in DMAD. Many were up to 18 inch.
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