Windblown at Lincoln Beach 3-26-07

[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]The wind forecast for today was not good. Supposed to be south winds at 10-15 mph. That's about 3 times more wind than I like to fish. I wanted to beg off but Flycasting kept begging, pleading and threatening me to take him for his first Utah Lake trip. I'm not easy, but I can be had.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Met up at 6 and decided that our best plan would be to hit the south end of the lake, where south breezes would be offshore breezes. We could deal widdat. Next, this being his first LB trip, I thought it best to spare him from the lure eating rock trolls off the springs. He loses enough of my lures anyway.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]We prepped his brand new Fish Cat 4 and FC launched while I finished dressing and launching my own self. Water temp off the shallow beach was 53 at launch (7:30) and only climbed a couple of degrees through the overcast day. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]It was calm when we went afloat, but we had checked all the weather forecasts and we knew that major south winds were due to come up before 10. We would have to fish well and score early.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]We both were dragging a minnow...for walleyes, cats or whatever. We also threw a succession of spinners, jigs and hardbaits on our second rods. Lotsa pops on the plastics but the inexperienced fish didn't know how to hang on.[/#0000ff]

[#0000ff]I scored the first fish...an anorexic mudder with big sores on its sides. Yuckkkk! Not a good start. But, around 9, Flycasting announced a "runner" on his bait rod and set the hook into his first nice cat...3 pounds plus. His new Fish Cat had scored his first cat fish.[/#0000ff]

[#0000ff]We kept throwing plastics and dragging bait past the dreaded 10 AM wind blast forecast. Nothing but a mild north breeze. Typical weather forecast for LB. Wish I had a job in which I could be wrong so often and still get paid.[/#0000ff]

[#0000ff]Fishing was slow but we went back and forth on kitty hookups. We both finished with 3 channels and a few mudders. I caught one silly white bass and brought in a "tail taker" carp to cut up for bait for FC.[/#0000ff]

[#0000ff]Glad we went and even more glad that we got to stay on the water until we were darned good and ready (cell phone commanded) to go home.[/#0000ff]
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[Kent]

That is the first skinny mud cat that I remember seeing. One looking fish.
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[lunkerhunter2]

My people will be getting with your people soon,[]
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[road]

Glad ya toughened up and decided to battle the breeze TD. Nice report maybe I'll be able to hook up with ya on the next trip ... Weds sound good to ya? LOL
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[Kaiyuh]

Hey I have a question,

when your drifting/trolling like that in a tube, do you drag bottom with jigs and bait or try and go fast enough to keep them off bottom?
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[fsh4fun05]

When I drag minnows I kick slow, just enough to drag the minnow along the bottom for some lethargic cats (or a walleye[crazy]). I can't speak for TD but it works for me. The jigs I use on a seperate pole and cast with a steady retrieve.
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[catfish-logic]

When you use minnows for catfish do you drift or still fish them?

Also where do you get your minnows?[]
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Hope this answers Kaiyuh's question too. Welcome to the forum to both of you guys.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]First, I am attaching a writeup on Utah Lake Catfish that I put together to provide this information and more besides. It should cover your questions in detail.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]1. I seldom fish from the bank...or a boat. I fish almost exclusively from a float tube. My tube has sonar, to help me maintain the right depth, once the fish let me know what they prefer for the day. That can be critical. Yesterday the fish were biting in 4-5 feet of water. Last week it was in about the same zone, but the week before that it was 6.5 feet. In a shallow and slow-sloping lake like Utah Lake, that can mean being many yards further (or closer) to the shoreline. And, if you are not fishing in the right depth, you WILL get skunked.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]2. Also, since the fish are often widely scattered, you need to cover a lot of bottom to find them. Sometimes you will find areas where you catch several close together, but often the fish will be a long time and a long way apart. Thats why I drag my baits slowly behind my tube...sometimes stopping for a minute or so to allow cats following the scent trail to catch up.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]3. The bottom of the lake in that area is fairly clean, with few snags. But, I do not use any weight besides the hook and a swivel a couple of feet up the line to reduce line twist...both from dragging the bait and from fighting big fish. As shallow as I fish there is no need for weight anyway. I simply cast out about 50 feet behind my tube and let the bait settle to the bottom, and then keep moving just fast enough to drag the bait, without raising it off the bottom.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]4. There are times when I want the bait up off the bottom...when there are rocks, brush or other things that would keep snagging my rig...or when the fish seem to prefer something a bit higher in the water column. That's when I will fish below a bobber...adjusting the bait to ride at the right depth above bottom. this can be especially effective during the warm months of the year when the cats hang in and around the reeds and brush around the lake. You cast your bobbered bait right next to the cover and it usually doesn't take long for the bobber to disappear if the kitties are home.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]4. There is another way to fish bait off the bottom, if there are not too many rocks or weeds. One is a "drop shot" rig, with a dropper hook a foot or more above a sinker on the bottom. This is used mostly for vertical presentations in deeper water, but can also be effective while drifting or "bottom bouncing" at a little higher speed. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]5. Still another rig I use from time to time is the "Korky rig". this consists of adding a brightly colored (or glow) little floater between your hook and sliding sinker...on 8"-12" of leader. It adds color and raises the bait up to eye level for walleyes, cats or other predators cruising near the bottom but not feeding on the bottom. That rig is popular for chucking minnows for walleyes while shore fishing.[/#0000ff]

[#0000ff]In short (who...me?) I change my rigs around to try to find a pattern on most trips. Usually the "plain vanilla" approach...unweighted minnows...works best for a variety of species. But, it is always good to have other tricks up my sleeve. And, with the two pole permit, I can keep changing around to find the pattern faster. It also helps to go out with one or more fishing buddies, with walkie talkies, so you can gang up on the fish. Makes it faster to find the depth, bait and method that works best.[/#0000ff]

[#0000ff]WHERE DO I GET MY MINNOWS? I could tell you but then I'd have to....no, wait, it ain't that serious. Since you are new to the board, I will attach the piece on minnows again. It will not give away any trade secrets but will give you some more info.[/#0000ff]

[#0000ff]Chubs are found in many Utah waters. But, they are not as plentiful in some of them because of efficient predation by other species. The best "chubbing" is usually available in small canals or ponds where there are no hungry predators. Good spots are closely guarded by those who know about them because we have all experienced having our minnow spots cleaned out and trashed when somebody we told told somebody who told somebody else. It is worse than some little trout streams being destroyed by overfishing just because you tried to be a good guy and tell a buddy about it. Even good buddies blab too much sometimes.[/#0000ff]

[#0000ff]Spend some time with a minnow trap and/or a cast net wandering around in farm country. Stop and talk to farmers and ask if they have any ponds or canals on their land that has minnows in them...and if you can net some. That's how to find the best spots.[/#0000ff]

[#0000ff]Otherwise, Strawberry Reservoir used to be money in the bank for both redside shiners and chubs. No more. The big cutts have just about cleaned them out. Same with Starvation and other lakes where there are now perch, walleyes, smallmouth and big trout. The minnows don't last.[/#0000ff]

[#0000ff]Electric Lake and Scofield are still two pretty good minnow spots. They are both full of redside shiners that swarm the shallows and are easy pickins for both traps and cast nets. Make a combo fishing and minnow gathering trip and stock up for the year.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]There are several warm mineralized springs out in the west desert that have populations of chubs and are good for getting a bunch in a hurry. You can take the kids and catch them on tiny jigs under a bobber...one or two at a time...or you can catch hundreds with a good cast of a cast net.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Got it?[/#0000ff]
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Not Wednesday of THIS week, but maybe next week. The weatherman is really serious about this week, and I have some meetings to attend...day and evening.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]But, let's do SOMETHING...SOMETIME. We're overdue.[/#0000ff]
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000bf]You are right. That was the skinniest bullhead I think I have ever seen. They are usually pretty efficient foragers and are generally fairly chunky. The others we caught were in better condition (see pics). However, I did catch one of the smallest bullheads I have caught at Utah Lake for many years. It hit half a minnow on a bobber head jig 3' feet below a bobber next to some reeds.[/#0000bf]
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[#0000bf]For anybody who wants to have kids catch fish, Lincoln Beach is a prime area for the next while. The "mudders" (black bullheads" usually swarm into the shallow bay south of the dikes and around the dikes too. Fishing worms or cut bait on the bottom or below a bobber can sometimes be nonstop fishing when the water warms over 55. That's what it was when we left yesterday. The upcoming storms are likely to drop the temps a bit, but spring is sprung and it won't take long to warm up again.[/#0000bf]
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[trollboy8]

Fine report as always, and I will have a good several hours studying your other documents. Thanks, as always, for all of the help.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000bf]NO, NO, NO. You got it all wrong. Go fishing and save the brainstrain for the recovery period. You catch fish by fishin'...not readin'.[/#0000bf]
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[#0000bf]Thanks fer the kindly comments.[/#0000bf]
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[Majja]

It sounds like it was a fun trip. Mighty nice lookin ride there Flycasting. Do the bullhead cats taste any think like the channel cats?
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Both TubeBabe and myself really like eating the bullheads. We fix them using the "Kitty Krispies" recipe and deep fry them just like the channel cats. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Because they are smaller, the fillets are thinner and cook up crisp without having to be sliced up. The flavor is similar to channel cats but has an extra "nutty" taste that many fish fanciers find quite appealing.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Back in the days when Geneva Steel was "flavoring" the lake with their chemical soup, bullheads seemed to have a "strong" taste no matter where you caught them around the lake. When we moved back to Utah, almost 3 years ago, we decided to try some of those little guys and we were pleasantly surprised to find how sweet and mild they are. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Some folks don't like to admit to dining on "mudders" but there are plenty of anglers who openly confess to eating and enjoying them. More than a few count them near the top for good taste. They are definitely way ahead of newly planted "hatchery pets" (rainbows). But, then again, fried pond scum would be better than those. Just guessing. Never tried it.[/#0000ff]
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[road]

Hey I have some new ECWG I need to try out. Neither rain, sleet, snow, or the gloom of the ole lady shall deter my next fishing trip!

Just kidding TD let me know when ya have some free time and we'll work it out. Was thinking maybe Willard this weekend. Do you know anything about Devil Creek Res.?
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[WaveWolf]

[#008058]Hey TD have you posted the Kitty Krispies recipe before? If so, where is it at?[/#008058]
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Yeah, I have put it up a few times. But, always happy to do it again for someone who wants it.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]It works well for other fish too. [/#0000ff]
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Are you referring to the little splash next to I-15 across the Idaho border? [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I have never fished it but I understand it can be good for small rainbows.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Unless I had to be there for something I would not make the trip. Got better places close by and I don't have to spend $11 for a one day fishing license.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I'm doing Starvation with mactuna and nansea on Saturday. Wanna come over and play with us? We will sea whether it is "Misery loves company" or "The more the merrier". PS, if you come, leave the wind monster in Heber City.[/#0000ff]
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[Majja]

Thanks as always for the info TD. I even think that eating an old shoe is better tasting than the hatchery pups. Nothing like yellowish wite meat that is suppose to be pink.
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[WaveWolf]

[#008058]Road: If you go to Devil Creek, and you drive to the south side, watch out for the mud. It's the kind that wraps around your tires......Even if you have 4 wheel drive, you could spend some time there.[/#008058]
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