09-28-2012, 05:40 PM
Had me a hankerin fer some fried fish. The only guarantee for some white meat I could think of was tubbin into the rocky point at the knolls. Had to launch way the hell down the lake thanks to the new trespassing signs. Fished all the way down without a single inquiry. I was thinking I might be the first person to fish Utah lake in September and get skunked. I didn't end up breaking that record though. As soon as I turned the corner I started picking up fish.
The fish were
though. Took me a while to figure out the cats were shallow and the bass were deep. I ended up catching 10 cats. All on drifted white bass chunks on a fly rod. I use the fly rod because I'm not set up like the dude. No rod holders or anything. Because of that my drift rod usually sits with the reel in the water. Not so good for a spinning reel. Cats were between 23 and 26. They were so healthy and strong. Nothing like hooking a fish on a fly rod and just holding on for the first 10 minutes.
The white bass were difficult. I fished for them hard. I never did find a big school, just one or two at a time. Threw everything at them, but the most consistent producer was a roadrunner type bait with a pink and green curly tail. I caught probably twenty big enough to fillet (just barely) and about that many more young of the year.
Dissaster struck when I caught the last cat of the night. It was the smallest I had caught and looked so tasty. I wanted to keep it but all I had was a stringer and was a little wary of having catfish spines trapped by my tube and legs. Figured what the hell. I've done dumber things and lived through it. Took my stringer (piece of fly line from my backup reel) off the tube, tied the cat on, then he flipped out of my hand swimming off with all my bass. I stayed and fished in that area until dark hoping I might hook the stringer or see them float up. Didn't ever see them again. I feel bad that I didn't get my fish fry, but even worse that all those fish were wasted. The one end of the stringer was open so hopefully the cat and the whities that were still alive can make it.
I had a great time though. I fished from one in the afternoon until dark and never saw another person. The sunset reflecting off of timp wasn't to shabby either.
[signature]
The fish were
though. Took me a while to figure out the cats were shallow and the bass were deep. I ended up catching 10 cats. All on drifted white bass chunks on a fly rod. I use the fly rod because I'm not set up like the dude. No rod holders or anything. Because of that my drift rod usually sits with the reel in the water. Not so good for a spinning reel. Cats were between 23 and 26. They were so healthy and strong. Nothing like hooking a fish on a fly rod and just holding on for the first 10 minutes. The white bass were difficult. I fished for them hard. I never did find a big school, just one or two at a time. Threw everything at them, but the most consistent producer was a roadrunner type bait with a pink and green curly tail. I caught probably twenty big enough to fillet (just barely) and about that many more young of the year.
Dissaster struck when I caught the last cat of the night. It was the smallest I had caught and looked so tasty. I wanted to keep it but all I had was a stringer and was a little wary of having catfish spines trapped by my tube and legs. Figured what the hell. I've done dumber things and lived through it. Took my stringer (piece of fly line from my backup reel) off the tube, tied the cat on, then he flipped out of my hand swimming off with all my bass. I stayed and fished in that area until dark hoping I might hook the stringer or see them float up. Didn't ever see them again. I feel bad that I didn't get my fish fry, but even worse that all those fish were wasted. The one end of the stringer was open so hopefully the cat and the whities that were still alive can make it.
I had a great time though. I fished from one in the afternoon until dark and never saw another person. The sunset reflecting off of timp wasn't to shabby either.
[signature]