02-17-2008, 09:14 PM
[cool][#0000ff]Don't know about some of the Utah waters but I know that the voles...a mouselike rodent...live around Utah Lake and all of the predators down there will eat them. I have found them in the innards of both catfish and walleyes and I am sure that the bass munch them too.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I also know of anglers who have fished mice for both trout and bass. The piece of wood trick works on streams too. Let them float downstream to a big hole, pull them off the wood and wait for Mr. Brown to come to dinner. In Strawberry there are bajillions of rodents around the shoreline, and DWR biologists find quite a few furry critters in the guts of the large fish they take during netting surveys. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]If you want to cast them, like for bass, use a small rubber band that will fit snugly (but not too tight) around the mouse's midsection. Use a weedless hook, with a wire weed guard and just run the hook under the rubber band and carefully lob the living paddlebait to the bass habitat of your choice. Using a longer rod will help you control the direction the mouse swims and keep line up off the water.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Fishing them in the spring, when they are naturally active for mating and changing territories is the best bet. Also, you will do better when the water is warm and the fish are active. Clear water is better for catching sight feeding fish, but bass have sensitive lateral lines and they can pick up on the vibrations of the struggling rodent.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]One hint. Fish mice like you would a rubber frog on top of vegetation. In other words, do not try to set the hook when the fish blows up on your bait. Crank down on the reel to take out the slack and wait until you feel the fish. Then set the hook hard...twice.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]In shallow water, where there are tall reeds, you can fish from a tube or wade and make short casts. Some guys even use a long cane pole.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I also know of anglers who have fished mice for both trout and bass. The piece of wood trick works on streams too. Let them float downstream to a big hole, pull them off the wood and wait for Mr. Brown to come to dinner. In Strawberry there are bajillions of rodents around the shoreline, and DWR biologists find quite a few furry critters in the guts of the large fish they take during netting surveys. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]If you want to cast them, like for bass, use a small rubber band that will fit snugly (but not too tight) around the mouse's midsection. Use a weedless hook, with a wire weed guard and just run the hook under the rubber band and carefully lob the living paddlebait to the bass habitat of your choice. Using a longer rod will help you control the direction the mouse swims and keep line up off the water.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Fishing them in the spring, when they are naturally active for mating and changing territories is the best bet. Also, you will do better when the water is warm and the fish are active. Clear water is better for catching sight feeding fish, but bass have sensitive lateral lines and they can pick up on the vibrations of the struggling rodent.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]One hint. Fish mice like you would a rubber frog on top of vegetation. In other words, do not try to set the hook when the fish blows up on your bait. Crank down on the reel to take out the slack and wait until you feel the fish. Then set the hook hard...twice.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]In shallow water, where there are tall reeds, you can fish from a tube or wade and make short casts. Some guys even use a long cane pole.[/#0000ff]
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