Boat loads of bass

[pezvela]

The early ice off on Utah Lake has created great opportunities for early fishing. The white bass and channel cats are being caught now at the lake. If you are looking somewhere close to fish with expectations of catching something, Utah lake is a good choice.This short video highlights this weeks fishing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ha6P-a3IUs
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[gripy111]

Thanks for the video, been waiting for that kind of report on the big lake.
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[Tin-Can]

Awesome report !! Guess it's time to put the TinCan back together
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[Springbuck]

Thanks! I usually do very poorly this time of year and always think I'm just jumping the gun. Gleaned a couple good bits of info, too.
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[Marathonman]

Looks like Lincoln beach. Has anyone ever used corn for cats and bass? Since its legal now, I wonder if its effective.
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]I know cats eat corn. Used to catch them on it in Arizona fishing for carp.

Also, some of the cats I catch out from the feed lot at Willard have undigestd hard corn in their stomachs. The seagulls eat the corn at the feed lot. Then they fly out on the water to rest and [/#0000FF][#0000FF][#0000FF][b]and pass it through undigested. The kitties slurp it off the bottom and I don't think they digest it either. No gizzards.

However, fish can easily process canned and frozen corn without it blocking their innards.
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[Piscophilic]

Another great video! Thanks for the update and for the time and effort to make the video. I suspect that the research was the most fun!
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[Cessna150]

Great video. How do the fish in Utah Lake taste? I caught some there when I lived in Prove 20 yrs ago and they tasted like mud. Is it a seasonal thing or has water quality improved or something else? Years ago I caught a nice trout in early spring in a lake on Nebo Mtn and surprisingly it tasted like mud.
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[pezvela]

We were out on the water yesterday for three hours fishing around Lincoln beach and the orchards. Not a bite! Water temp was 39 degrees. Still cold water. We couldn't find the white bass nor a walleye. Our time might have been better spent fishing for channels.

Sooner or later the walleye will appear so for now all we can do and keep trying. It beats sitting at home.

There is a little bit of night fishing for walleye at Sandy Beach going on and an occasional walleye being taken. The lake continues to rise and it is a muddy mess down there so waders are in order. Good Luck. Steve
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[Piscophilic]

That's quite difference from last week. Thanks for the update. I still don't get to choose sitting at home, but if I did, being on the water would beat it[]
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[TubeDude]

[quote Cessna150]Great video. How do the fish in Utah Lake taste? I caught some there when I lived in Prove 20 yrs ago and they tasted like mud. Is it a seasonal thing or has water quality improved or something else? Years ago I caught a nice trout in early spring in a lake on Nebo Mtn and surprisingly it tasted like mud.[/quote]

[#0000FF]Until Geneva Steel ceased operations just after Y2K they poured lots of foul-smelling effluent into Utah Lake. Most fish caught anywhere near Lindon took on the smell and flavor of overused 30 weight oil. But even fish caught in other parts of the lake often had an "off" taste.

The good news is that this shallow lake gets flushed every year of good runoffs. The main remaining problems are algae blooms in late summer and lingering PCB levels in large long-lived fish like big carp and catfish. All other fish are clean, healthy and taste good. Actually cleaner and healthier than trout from some of our more "pristine" waters where they have residual mercury and other lovely stuff left over from mining operations.

That being said, there are other factors to the taste and texture of fish from any water. The fish will get nasty if they live in nasty water...like shallow, weedy warm water in late summer. That is true of trout, bass or any species.

Also a lot to be said for methods of care, preparation and cooking. Lemme know if you'd like info on specific species. Got lotsa pictorial recipes.
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[1Cast1Fish]

Great video...looks like a lot of good catching going on []
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[Cessna150]

Thank you for the information.I didn't know that. I wonder what they dumped?
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]I have never heard of anybody doing a qualitative analysis of the stuff coming out of the pipe at the bubbleup. But it was a virtually unprocessed (cleaned up) soup of many different chemicals and residues used in the steel smelting process.

That was in the days before "Silent Spring" and there were hardly any concerns about chemicals in the ecosystems. That, plus Geneva Steel being the major employer in the Utah Valley, pretty much gave them a free ride on dumping whatever they had to dump.

In the late 70's I had moved back to Utah for a few years...after being away a while. A fishing buddy took me down to fish the bubbleup when the "pike" (walleye) were running. About the only fish caught were "dorsal diners" (snagged). But there were a lot attracted by the warm flow and I eventually caught a legal fish. Took it home and put the fillet knife to it. I almost barfed when I smelled the tainted flesh. What a travesty to ruin such a beautiful and great eating fish.

I never fished anywhere near there again...until returning to Utah again in 2004...a few years after Geneva Steel shut down. There was no longer any heavy outflow issuing from the pipe. The only water coming out was a slight flow of spring water from a fresh water inlet into the former cooling ponds. And the really good news was that the white bass, walleye and catfish I caught and put to the fillet knife all smelled and tasted great.

If you have never seen it, I suggest you watch the video [url "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUwTPmFBAkA"]UTAH LAKE LEGACY[/url]. I am also attaching the intro chapter of my writeup on Utah Lake. Hope you enjoy it and are able to glean a few tidbits from it.
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[Cessna150]

Thank you.
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