Begginers Luck at UL 9/27

[jamon_negro]

After seeing the good reports coming from UL lately I took my tube out to UL for some catfishing. First time I've taken my tube out there and first time I've caught catfish at UL. Launched at 7 a.m at what I thought was Lindon boat harbor. Wanted to chase some kittys and mabey find a few white bass at the bubble up. I kicked out of the harbor and looked to the east to see if I could see the buoys that marked the bubble up. Couldn't see any so I started kicking east and looking for 4' to 5' water depth. after kicking for about 20 minutes had the first inquiry of the day. Felt like a good one. Pulled me around on my tube for a while and finally talked her into joining me on my tube. She measured in at 30" and I figure she weighed at least 10lbs. What a way to start the day! About 10 minutes later had the next fish on. Again it felt like a freight train as I'm use to catching mostly trout and perch. Got him in and this time it was a big Daddy. He measured 27". Kept kicking east and still couldn't see any buoys. Where is that darn bubble up? As I was stilll heading east I managed to youngsters. Both went about 18". I had been kicking east for awhile and couldn't see any buoys and as I had other plans later that afternoon I figured I better start fishing back towards the harbor. On the way back I landed 2 more big mamas one 27" and the other 25" and one more youngster about 16". Had several pop and drops with fish that apparently didn't know how to secure the hook in the corner of their mouth. All fish were caught in the 4-5' range. All in all a great day and I'm definitely hooked on chasing UL catfish. Made it back to the harbor about noon. Talked to the guy taking money at the harbor gate and confirmed what I had already suspected. After trying to get around some road construction I wound up at AF boat harbor instead of Lindon. I guess some mistakes are good mistakes. I did learn several valuable lessons today:

1. I now know where AF boat harbor is (still need to figure out where Lindon Harbor is)
2. Always, always, always, and once more just for emphasis, always go pee before heading out in waders to fish from your float tube
3. If you have to pee bad enough you can do it from a float tube with waders. I wouldn't recommend it though.
4. Catching big cats at UL is a blast!

Sorry no pics. the wife had the camera. Got a few on the phone, but not sure if I'm smart enough to figure out how to get them onto the computer. There is some great fishing right now out Utah Lake. Get out and have some fun!
[signature]

[waljustia]

Welcome to Utah Lake kitty fishing. BTW, 30" is an excellent first Kitty, Congrats! I gave up chasing trout a few years ago, after catching my first big kitty from UL. I read TubeDudes write up on Utah lake Catfishing, decided I would give it a try...Now, it's really hard to talk myself into driving all the way up a canyon to catch a fish that cant even cast a shadow on the taste, and FIGHT of the kitties.

Don't forget to tell your friends, the Lake smells like Crap and so do the fish you catch. Oh, and you will probably die if you eat just one bite of the fish![cool]
[signature]

[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Nice work. Not bad for going to the wrong place. Now you are "forever lost"...a terminal cataholic.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Yes, your 30 incher probably weighed 10 pounds or more...depending upon girth.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Here are a couple of maps and guidelines to get you to Lindon.[/#0000ff]
[signature]

[jamon_negro]

Yes it does stink and it is quite messy filleting cats. I can't speak for taste yet, but I have some fillets soaking in Tubedudes cat smoking recipe and will hopefully be able to enjoy them later tonight. I'm sure I'll die shortly thereafter from the toxic chemicals in the fish's flesh so don't wait for a post about how good they taste. I think if I could hook a double and get them both pulling the same direction, I could give Tubedude a good run in his Ferrari. They pull like horses.
[signature]

[jamon_negro]

Thanks for the directions. I actually looked at some of your write-ups the night before to get things scoped out and figure out how to get there, but some road construction got me off my route and I saw a sign for a boat harbor and followed it to the lake. I think the big mama was over 10lbs, but I know some "experts" may have expressed their opinions otherwise, so I went with a conservative #.
[signature]

[wagdog]

I tell all my friends how toxic Utah Lake is when they ask me why I fish there. I also explain to them how awful the fish are and that they will grow extra limbs by the mere smell of fish out of the mud puddle.

Seriously though, I love Utah Lake. The first big fish I ever caught as a 5 year old kid was a channel cat from a farm pond. I've been a fan ever since. The cookie cutter channels from Utah Lake are some of the best around (I have yet to try Willard's but I will someday). I like keeping smaller fish for eating but I was assigned to fry fish for my mother-in-law this past weekend. All I had was white bass, an 18 inch channel, and a bigger male that I caught Friday night. The difference between the 18 incher and the 28 incher? I had to remove the red sensory tissue on the bigger fish and it felt like I was butchering a hog rather than filleting a fish. I started using TD's Kitty Krispy recipe this year, modified the seasonings a touch to fit my own personal taste, and my kids think they are chicken nuggets.

My mother-in-law will look funny with extra arms and legs...[][]
[signature]