Utah Lake still slow 4 11 2024

[Piscophilic]

Launched out of Provo Thursday 4/11 about 3 P.M. w/Julie. The water temperature was 55 - 58, rising to almost 60 on the main lake by 6 P.M. Julie and I tried to find a willing bait bass (white, not black) in the harbor and had two hookups that came off and several light taps. They must have forgotten how to hold on over the winter? At 5:15 we were back at the dock. Jon got in and Julie got out to go with Jon's wife. No fish were harmed during Julie's time, but it was great to have her back in the boat.
 
After Jon got in, we went down by the bubble up and tried deep and shallow for anything, but again not takers on the cat gear and only nibbles on the other gear. Finally, Jon got a fresh bait, but it was a whitie less than 6" long! They were that size last September? Must have been a later spawn because these fish were healthy, not skinny like they had barely survived the winter.









 
We downsized some hooks and ended up with 10 whites before it got good and dark. 7 were younguns and 3 adults. We had seen lots of fish marks down 3-4 feet both in the harbor and in the main lake. Now we know what they were and it looks like the predators still have decent groceries this spring!








 
In the darkness, we just pointed the boat west and let it go. Even with fresh bait, we only had one hit in the first 90 minutes. Jon got a 26-inch cat. We saw lots of suspended fish, likely whites and carp, but never saw a catlike mark the whole evening.
 
About 9:30 we headed halfway back to the harbor in hopes of finding a group. In the last hour or so we got two more cats. Jon got a 29 and I got 2-footer. Since we didn't find any concentrations of fish, we called it a night and went home. Unlike last time, he out fished me by a lot.








 
10 whites and 3 cats makes an unlucky number. We probably should have stayed to catch one more, but we made it home without incident.

[Boatloadakids]

As usual, nice report Jim. I got out Saturday evening but did not get to fish much cuz I had three gg-granddaughters with me all of them demanding my full attention at the same time. Still passing on the tradition; got my boys hooked, my grandkids, and working on gg-grandkids. This is good.

Started fishing by the Lincoln springs for cats or whities or anything that would bite. Nothing interested in crawlers on the bottom but did notice a few -- very few, wb popping the surface. Switched the girls over to crawlers 3-4 feet under bobbers and had a little more interest. Girls each managed to catch a wb. The water temp touched 60 degrees just before sundown. This is good.

I was plenty busy managing kids, poles, and baiting hooks when I hooked myself in the crotch during a careless moment... needle nose pliers and some awkward contortions and I was free. The girls thought it was very funny that their grandpa got hooked down there. Fortunately, the hook only penetrated Levis so nothing catastrophic. This is good.

The white bass seem to be bunching up a bit in anticipation of their annual orgy. The cats and the carp will be warming up soon. The action will pick up soon.

[Piscophilic]

As usual, nice report Jim. I got out Saturday evening but did not get to fish much cuz I had three gg-granddaughters with me all of them demanding my full attention at the same time. Still passing on the tradition; got my boys hooked, my grandkids, and working on gg-grandkids. This is good.

Started fishing by the Lincoln springs for cats or whities or anything that would bite. Nothing interested in crawlers on the bottom but did notice a few -- very few, wb popping the surface. Switched the girls over to crawlers 3-4 feet under bobbers and had a little more interest. Girls each managed to catch a wb. The water temp touched 60 degrees just before sundown. This is good.

I was plenty busy managing kids, poles, and baiting hooks when I hooked myself in the crotch during a careless moment... needle nose pliers and some awkward contortions and I was free. The girls thought it was very funny that their grandpa got hooked down there. Fortunately, the hook only penetrated Levis so nothing catastrophic. This is good.

The white bass seem to be bunching up a bit in anticipation of their annual orgy. The cats and the carp will be warming up soon. The action will pick up soon.

Thanks Lynn! I'm glad you got out...I think   I know about those trips being outnumbered and having things go wrong. I'm glad bleeding wasn't involved.
Sometimes I feel like I need to go fishing to get rested from the other fishing trips! It is great to pass on the tradition though. Keep up the good work!

The 3 adults we caught were bulging down there and some milt came out while I was "preparing" one for bait. I'm not seeing the 12-14" fish I thought I would see after the ones we caught last fall. They may have died of old age over the winter, but I still hope I just haven't run into the right year classes yet.