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Walleye Fishing
#3
[cool][#0000ff]The walleye in Utah Lake took a hit at the end of the drought cycle. Due to poor spawning conditions for white bass, and overharvest of the larger fish, there were few baby white bass for the walleyes to live on for about two years. The wallies got skinny and many of them died off two winters ago. Still a lot of them in the lake, but not like many years in the past, and they will be back with the better water and more plentiful food supply.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Walleyes spawn when the water temps crawl over about 42-45 degrees. That is usually late March to early April. There is usually a prespawn period starting around the end of February that finds the fish feeding and they can be taken on plastics, slowly worked cranks, spinners and bait. Best baits are minnows or crawlers, on corky rigs. They also hit pieces of white bass flesh fished up off the bottom, either on a drop shot rig or below a bobber.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]During the spawn, you don't catch many of the larger females (legally) but the active and aggressive smaller males often hit bright lures. At that time, you can watch for spawning activity in shallow water and fish near the rolling fish. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The walleyes prefer to go up tributaries and spawn in moving water. That's why all of Utah Lake's inlets are closed during that time. Too many people fish with "walleye dry flies" (treble hooks) when the fish are on spawning beds. But, many walleyes also spawn on rocky points and shorelines where there is some wave action to aerate the eggs. They do not build nests. The female just swims along and spews the eggs while accompanying males fertilize them.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Some of the best walleye fishing of the year is for the two months after spawning...post spawn. That's when they put on the feed bag to rebuild their body mass and energy lost over the winter and during spawning. They hit a lot of different lures, but plastics or feather jigs work best in Utah Lake. That could make a whole book. They also readily accept plain old worms and minnows and lots of walleyes are taken by guys soaking bait for catfish. In fact, my theory is that there are probably more walleyes taken by accident than by the guys who specifically target them.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]You can catch walleyes all around the lake, at different times and with different techniques. Wherever there are streams of moving water coming into the lake, there are likely to be some walleyes hanging around. It isn't always because the walleyes like it but because the white bass do. Where you find lots of white bass you will often find some walleyes dining on them.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]With all of the flooded brush and reeds around the lake, many walleye have become structure oriented. Again, it is more a matter of them hunting prey, rather than preferring cover. They are mostly open water fish that will hang around structure, if that structure attracts baitfish.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]There are several harbors around the lake and wherever you find rocky dikes you can usually find walleyes...spawning or hunting. They can be found both inside and outside the harbors for the same reasons. But, you have to hunt for them. They can be hit or miss.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]There are some good areas along the west side of the lake, and the Lincoln Beach area has a lot of rocks that are attractive to walleyes. However, with the water covering many of the popular fishing spots....and much of the area now being posted against shore access...you can't fish much of it without a boat or a tube or toon.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Watch the boards for reports starting about the end of February. Many of the most experienced and successful walleye anglers are not BFT members and are pretty secretive about their favorite spots and favorite methods. There are also some BFTers who score pretty well, but do not care to post all of the particulars. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]That is only fair. Some of the better spots are not very big and a guy's fishing can be ruined when ten other wild eyed and unskilled yo-yo's show up and start flailing the water. They not only chase of the spooky fish, but often leave a lot of line and lost tackle strung on the rocks to mess up anybody who fishes them with the necessary light gear.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]One of the biggest errors for most would-be walleye chasers is that they come down armed with heavy tackle and big lures. You need light and sensitive stuff to feel what is going on down there. Sometimes the bites are very light, and you have to fish "low and slow" for walleyes. In other words, you will do better with light heads on your jigs so that you can swim the lures slowly just off the bottom. Heavy jig heads dive into the rocks and you spend all your time breaking off and retying. It is an art form to fish those fish correctly, without losing a lot of gear.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The second best time to fish walleyes in that lake is the fall. Beginning about mid September most years the walleyes put on the feed bag to bulk up for the winter. Early mornings along rocky or reedy areas can find them actively feeding all through the water column. And, you can catch them on a wide range of baits and lures. Big silver lipless crankbaits are sometimes very effective. They imitate the prevalent small white bass that are a main food source at this time of year.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Every year is different on Utah Lake. Some years, for no explainable reason, the fish swarm the shoreline for weeks or months and everybody catches lots of fish. Other years they are "no shows" and only a few of the regulars score any fish at all. And, if they do, they don't make a lot of noise about it.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Anybody who claims to know all there is about those wacky walleyes will lie about other things too.[/#0000ff]
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Messages In This Thread
Walleye Fishing - by nansea - 02-18-2007, 04:26 AM
Re: [nansea] Walleye Fishing - by fsh4fun05 - 02-18-2007, 04:39 AM
Re: [nansea] Walleye Fishing - by TubeDude - 02-18-2007, 01:21 PM
Re: [TubeDude] Walleye Fishing - by ajensen83 - 02-18-2007, 04:38 PM
Re: [ajensen83] Walleye Fishing - by TubeDude - 02-18-2007, 05:10 PM
Re: [TubeDude] Walleye Fishing - by nansea - 02-18-2007, 06:16 PM
Re: [nansea] Walleye Fishing - by TubeDude - 02-18-2007, 06:40 PM
Re: [TubeDude] Walleye Fishing - by nansea - 02-18-2007, 06:49 PM
Re: [nansea] Walleye Fishing - by TubeDude - 02-18-2007, 07:10 PM
Re: [TubeDude] Walleye Fishing - by Majja - 02-19-2007, 05:13 AM
Re: [Majja] Walleye Fishing - by Wasatch801 - 02-20-2007, 01:27 AM
Re: [ajensen83] Walleye Fishing - by Nica - 02-19-2007, 02:43 AM
Re: [TubeDude] Walleye Fishing - by nansea - 02-18-2007, 04:54 PM
Re: [nansea] Walleye Fishing - by TubeDude - 02-18-2007, 05:19 PM
Re: [TubeDude] Walleye Fishing - by CROSSINEYES - 02-18-2007, 05:42 PM
Re: [CROSSINEYES] Walleye Fishing - by TubeDude - 02-18-2007, 05:56 PM
Re: [TubeDude] Walleye Fishing - by CROSSINEYES - 02-19-2007, 06:39 AM
Re: [TubeDude] Walleye Fishing - by Kraizee_Skot - 02-20-2007, 02:58 PM
Re: [Kraizee_Skot] Walleye Fishing - by TubeDude - 02-20-2007, 04:21 PM
Re: [TubeDude] Walleye Fishing - by Flycasting - 02-20-2007, 04:50 PM
Re: [Flycasting] Walleye Fishing - by Majja - 02-20-2007, 05:07 PM
Re: [Majja] Walleye Fishing - by Flycasting - 02-20-2007, 05:14 PM
Re: [Majja] Walleye Fishing - by TubeDude - 02-20-2007, 05:37 PM
Re: [TubeDude] Walleye Fishing - by CROSSINEYES - 02-20-2007, 06:07 PM
Re: [fuzzyfisher] Walleye Fishing - by TubeDude - 02-20-2007, 07:39 PM
Re: [TubeDude] Walleye Fishing - by fuzzyfisher - 02-20-2007, 08:06 PM
Re: [fuzzyfisher] Walleye Fishing - by TubeDude - 02-20-2007, 09:41 PM
Re: [Flycasting] Walleye Fishing - by Out4Trout - 02-20-2007, 07:58 PM
Re: [Out4Trout] Walleye Fishing - by BADFISH - 02-20-2007, 11:10 PM
Re: [BADFISH] Walleye Fishing - by Out4Trout - 02-20-2007, 11:45 PM
Re: [Out4Trout] Walleye Fishing - by BADFISH - 02-21-2007, 08:08 PM
Re: [BADFISH] Walleye Fishing - by TubeDude - 02-21-2007, 08:37 PM
Re: [TubeDude] Walleye Fishing - by Andymansavage - 02-21-2007, 09:52 PM
Re: [Andymansavage] Walleye Fishing - by ocean - 02-22-2007, 04:37 AM
Re: [Andymansavage] Walleye Fishing - by PACKFAN - 02-22-2007, 12:41 PM
Re: [TubeDude] Walleye Fishing - by Kraizee_Skot - 02-21-2007, 02:30 PM

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