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10-21-2021, 06:59 PM
(This post was last modified: 10-21-2021, 07:09 PM by SkunkedAgain.)
So my niece asked me if I would take her and her hubby out fishing, they want to try a new hobby and I was more than excited for an excuse to go fishing.
Sorry about the break, but I'm too slow typing on my phone, and the computer won't start a post, so I have to do things the hard way...
Anyway back to my story...
So I'm thinking that Hyrum should be a good place to take the kids and get them onto some fish, has anyone been over lately? I know not too many of you have since I've been watching the dam cam and only seen a few boats all week. If you have and don't mind sharing what's been working I'd appreciate that... Maybe the lack of boats is an indication of the fishing lately... I hope not since with the nice weather scheduled for tomorrow and how pretty the lake looks today I'm thinking that's where I want to try... Anyway if you're going to be there tomorrow morning say hey, and I'll try to put a post after the trip to let ya know how it went... Might be time to switch from fligging to ice tactics... I think I'll take both options so we can try to make it a good trip.. I'm open to other suggestions as well... Thanks Jeff
When things get stressful think I'll go fish'en and worry about it tomorrow!
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Did OK today. South side was best for us. actually in 29 ft of water but did catch a lot of bluegills in 15ft. Many suspended. Got to winterize the new motor. Never had one that did itself. Simple easy and quick. Maybe 3 minutes.
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Wow wish I would have seen your post before I left. We didn’t do very well but Jason did land a beautiful Gill 9.5”. Biggest I think I’ve seen. Pretty day but sure was a bunch of boats today. Seven when we left. Felt bad we didn’t get to stay longer and I couldn’t find the fish very well. But was nice to get out and great to see the kids have some fun. Later J
![[Image: F6-F51-E23-8048-4984-8606-C019859-B4-B80.jpg]](https://i.postimg.cc/PLj9kXbx/F6-F51-E23-8048-4984-8606-C019859-B4-B80.jpg)
When things get stressful think I'll go fish'en and worry about it tomorrow!
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What's the ramp conditions like?
Easy to get a boat in?
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(10-22-2021, 07:27 PM)Panchodog Wrote: What's the ramp conditions like?
Easy to get a boat in?
Water has risen some- no problem putting the boat in or taking out.
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Love those ‘Gills Jeff!
If you are a Gill junkie like me you owe it to yourself to get down to Powell.
Pure Heaven.
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(10-21-2021, 10:46 PM)packfish Wrote: Did OK today. South side was best for us. actually in 29 ft of water but did catch a lot of bluegills in 15ft. Many suspended. Got to winterize the new motor. Never had one that did itself. Simple easy and quick. Maybe 3 minutes. I still have not tried my preferred bait for bluegill in Utah. In Texas, while growing up, raw bacon was like the best bait to catch huge bluegill/bream. Raw bacon is so much more expensive now so Im a little hesitant to spend that much to catch bluegill.
Gabe
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(10-23-2021, 02:41 PM)Freakyfisherman Wrote: (10-21-2021, 10:46 PM)packfish Wrote: Did OK today. South side was best for us. actually in 29 ft of water but did catch a lot of bluegills in 15ft. Many suspended. Got to winterize the new motor. Never had one that did itself. Simple easy and quick. Maybe 3 minutes. I still have not tried my preferred bait for bluegill in Utah. In Texas, while growing up, raw bacon was like the best bait to catch huge bluegill/bream. Raw bacon is so much more expensive now so Im a little hesitant to spend that much to catch bluegill.
Gabe I have also used raw bacon for bluegills...and other species. Never found it to be any better than worms or other natural baits. But if you wanna use "pig meat", you can also use small bits of ham. And a piece of wienie will catch a lot of fish. I have even caught bass on wieners...and trout.
After a lot of experience with Utah gills, I would suspect nothing would work better than a piece of crawler or a waxworm or mealworm. Although the gills in Mantua seem to like the perch meat baited jigs I soak there at times.
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(10-23-2021, 03:35 PM)TubeDude Wrote: (10-23-2021, 02:41 PM)Freakyfisherman Wrote: (10-21-2021, 10:46 PM)packfish Wrote: Did OK today. South side was best for us. actually in 29 ft of water but did catch a lot of bluegills in 15ft. Many suspended. Got to winterize the new motor. Never had one that did itself. Simple easy and quick. Maybe 3 minutes. I still have not tried my preferred bait for bluegill in Utah. In Texas, while growing up, raw bacon was like the best bait to catch huge bluegill/bream. Raw bacon is so much more expensive now so Im a little hesitant to spend that much to catch bluegill.
Gabe I have also used raw bacon for bluegills...and other species. Never found it to be any better than worms or other natural baits. But if you wanna use "pig meat", you can also use small bits of ham. And a piece of wienie will catch a lot of fish. I have even caught bass on wieners...and trout.
After a lot of experience with Utah gills, I would suspect nothing would work better than a piece of crawler or a waxworm or mealworm. Although the gills in Mantua seem to like the perch meat baited jigs I soak there at times.
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Hey Panchodog like mentioned the water has really came up from my previous trip. That big rock pile west of swim beach is all under water again , but not by much watch out for it, it could ruin your day. I think the water may be up 5-6’ from my previous visit. Launching was easy for a 16’ boat.
Shane some day I’ll have to try Powell it sure sounds like a fun spot, but probably not in the near future.
Gabe I was just using night crawler pieces. So nothing exotic for bait.
Packfish thanks for PM and info. Have to catch up with you on the pond sometime. It was a beautiful morning with clear skies and autumn colors. Not to mention the snow capped peaks it’s a great time to be out. Did you find any trout lately? I tried a little trolling while I was looking for the fish and we didn’t get a nibble. I was trolling a little fast, but I figured we’d at least get a bump.
Anyway it was sure fun and I hope to try it again soon. Later Jeff
When things get stressful think I'll go fish'en and worry about it tomorrow!
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packfish
I have also used raw bacon for bluegills...and other species. Never found it to be any better than worms or other natural baits. But if you wanna use "pig meat", you can also use small bits of ham. And a piece of wienie will catch a lot of fish. I have even caught bass on wieners...and trout.
I watched Fritzfishin catch a dandy rainbow using a whole hotdog on a tip up. Maybe he remembers the flavor. Doubt it’s a go-to bait, but it caught the best fish that day
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When I was growing up we had a small creek that was the back boundary of our property. Once in the middle or the day I decided to go fishing. The ground was like concrete and I couldn't get a worm no way, no how. So I dug around in the refrigerator and found some bologna. I tore off a strip that slightly resembled a worm and proceeded to catch the biggest trout I ever did there.
The older I get the more I would rather be considered a good man than a good fisherman.
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The ultimate bluegill bait are Crickets !! if you can find em. I have been known to go to the pet shop and buy a dozen just to have some on Utah Lake for hunting gills. Unfortunately, they catch small one also, so I don't do it very often. But you want big gills, try crickets. A dozen doesn't last long if you find an area where they are spawning. Maybe if we get some decent water this winter and spring, I'll be able to catch some in the yard. Haven't been to many lately due to the dry weather !!!
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Do you fish the crickets on the surface kicking, or sink them? This time of year I have a few crickets trying to get into my house... I may have to try this... Thanks Jeff
When things get stressful think I'll go fish'en and worry about it tomorrow!
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(10-26-2021, 04:15 AM)Therapist Wrote: The ultimate bluegill bait are Crickets !! if you can find em. I have been known to go to the pet shop and buy a dozen just to have some on Utah Lake for hunting gills. Unfortunately, they catch small one also, so I don't do it very often. But you want big gills, try crickets. A dozen doesn't last long if you find an area where they are spawning. Maybe if we get some decent water this winter and spring, I'll be able to catch some in the yard. Haven't been to many lately due to the dry weather !!! Over in central California you can buy crickets for bait in a lot of the tackle shops. The locals know about how effective they are. But they don't use any special rigs...just a hook and sinker...chuck it out and wait for in inquiry. However, a freshly hooked cricket will float up off the bottom and continue to kick and wiggle for a while. I'm sure that is part of the appeal. And it ain't only bluegills that eat them. Cricket soakers also catch catfish, trout and bass on them.
If the fish are holding near the surface...over deeper water...it can work well to fish crickets with a sinker, below a bobber...or maybe with a slip bobber rig. And if they are hitting topwater then don't use a sinker.
There are also a lot of caterpillars that work for bait...and even garden snails. So go debug and desnail your yard and then go fishing.
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(10-26-2021, 12:03 PM)SkunkedAgain Wrote: Do you fish the crickets on the surface kicking, or sink them? This time of year I have a few crickets trying to get into my house... I may have to try this... Thanks Jeff
I usually fish them under a bobber. I use a long shank, gold, aberdeen hook, #2 or 4, a pencil bobber, and just enough split shot to sink the bobber so just the top 1 - 1.5 inches are showing. Depth is determined by how deep the water is. Most times on Utah Lake, the depth is set at about 2.5 to 3 ft, so the cricket is 4-6 inches off the bottom. Strikes vary from grab and go to a gentle glide away.
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(10-26-2021, 03:35 PM)Therapist Wrote: (10-26-2021, 12:03 PM)SkunkedAgain Wrote: Do you fish the crickets on the surface kicking, or sink them? This time of year I have a few crickets trying to get into my house... I may have to try this... Thanks Jeff
I usually fish them under a bobber. I use a long shank, gold, aberdeen hook, #2 or 4, a pencil bobber, and just enough split shot to sink the bobber so just the top 1 - 1.5 inches are showing. Depth is determined by how deep the water is. Most times on Utah Lake, the depth is set at about 2.5 to 3 ft, so the cricket is 4-6 inches off the bottom. Strikes vary from grab and go to a gentle glide away.
The only thing weird about this is one year I bought a bunch of crickets and took them icefishing at Mantua TWICE, and they didn't get touched.
Grasshoppers in season, as well, if you can catch them.....
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Guess I should have taken some crickets yesterday... Hit Hyrum for my traditional Veterans Day trip, except it was without Rich this year, missed having my fishing companion there for the trip... But it wasn't a trip like usual, I really struggled to get a bite, in fact after a couple hours of nothing in the Perch attempts, I decided to try a little trolling for trout, just to avoid the skunk... Good thing I put my trolling rod in, the trout treated me right and after 3 or four missed hits I finally got my hook set dialed in and landed 3 or 4 fish before my motor quit on me... After pulling it back to the ramp, (I was only a hundred yards or so away) and getting it loaded I found my gas line had just come unhooked... anyway the trout were 12" planters other than one nice 14+"er, so nothing to brag about other than saving a failed trip...
I did get my ice ducer working on my Helix, it was totally not recognizing that transducer, but the Humminbird help desk got me all fixed up, so that saved a ruined ice trip later... However, it's really hard to go back to just a little 2D picture of what is going on below ya... I've really got to liking the side finder, so I can't wait for the 360 to show up... I just worry that I'll be moving too much as I see the fish around me, but not under me... That was part of my problem yesterday, I'd see a good area and anchor down and try to catch some perch and after a few chases the fish would disappear, so I'd pull anchor and try to drift onto them and that didn't seem to work, so I'd switch transducers and move the boat to an area where I'd see a bunch of fish on the side finder and repeat the same thing after switching transducers.... It took a lot of time and I didn't get enough fish to chase to decide what i needed to do different... Must have been what I was using they didn't want... Should have tried something else, but usually a small piece of night crawler will get bit on a small jig body most anytime.... tried fligs, cut'r bugs, tungstens tipped with fatheads, crawlers and crappie nibbles... nothing was interested...
Water level is up over 10' from the low that I fished in September, not sure I like the level coming up, it's not as easy to find the fish.... Usually my V-day trip lets me know where to ice fish, but I really am having a tough time finding areas where the fish are hanging this year... I think it's going to be a difficult ice season this year... Later J
When things get stressful think I'll go fish'en and worry about it tomorrow!
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