04-23-2018, 04:03 PM
ES: I launched at Lincoln on Saturday at about 3 P.M. with air temp about 65 and little or no wind all evening. The channel depth was just over 4 feet at that shallowest. Water temps ranged from 58 to 63.5 and I caught fish in 1.5 to 6 FOW. The bait of the day was cut WB but I also got a few on the crawlers and dough balls I was using to try to get fresh carp for bait. Some were taken slow dragging and others under a bobber. The final tally was 1 bullhead, 2 whites and 16 channels ranging from 18” to 27.5”.
FS: Saturday was supposed to be spent with my wife getting some needed shopping done, but I caught a break. Her sister came up from Saint George and took her to SLC for the afternoon. I got to go fishing and with one day warming trend I went to Lincoln.
I made a couple of last minute calls and as usual I had to go alone. I got to the ramp a little before 3 and the was encouraged to see parking lot and bank were both fuller than I had seen them since before school started last fall. I figured with that many out fishing there must be good things happening.
At the ramp I talked to 3 different boats on their way in. 2 had skunks on their decks and one had found a bullhead and some whites in the shallows by the reeds. When I said I was after cats, the latter kindly gave me his left over (but fresh) shrimp. I dragged it for several hours, but the bait of the day was cut WB.
Once on the water the temp was a balmy 61. I had planned to go out and fish shallow for the first hour and get a carp for bait and then travel up Goshen Bay or over to Provo Bay but my big motor started up fine, idled a bit rough for a minute or two and then died. It repeated the same sequence about 4 times during the evening, so I didn’t go far from the harbor.
I went screaming out of the harbor with my electric wide open and headed for the reeds on the south shore. As I approached I saw a spot where a couple of carp jumped several times on the edge or in the reeds. I anchored and tossed out a two hook setup with a corn sweetened dough ball on one hook and piece of crawler on the other. Next I tossed a boober with cut white bass. In 18” of water, the temp had gone up to 63.
I was still organizing when my “carp rod” got a pop and drop. It was more like a slash and slack, but I missed my first “carp.” 5 minutes later same thing, only this time I got a little weight but it came unbuttoned just as a tail came out of the water. It wasn’t orange, but looked strangely like a catfish. Just then the bobber started swimming away, another set more weight and a whole cat came out of the water, then returned my hook without further comment.
In the next hour things got slower, but better. I landed 3 channels. 1 on the dough ball, 1 on the worm and 1 on WB. All were eating size, less than 23”) so it was a decent start to the day. Also, I got a white and a bullhead. If I could just catch that carp I would have a slam.
After that bite slowed I pulled the anchor and headed North East, dragging 2 flaits, one shrimp and one WB. I went from 3 feet to 6 feet and nothing. As the depth slowly increased the water temp slowly decreased to 59. Due north of the slough mouth I turned back south east. When I hit 5 FOW the WB rod went off and I landed a 22-inch cat. Half way to a limit if eaters and I still 5 hours to quitting time. One boat had anchored off the slough in about 2.5 FOW. I don’t know how they did, but they left after a few hours.
After watching the water cool as I went deeper I just couldn’t help but think shallow meant warm and warm was important in the spring. I kept heading SE until I was a short cast from the reeds. Again I had seen some carp jumping and again I anchored and tossed out the carp rod and the bobber rod. Again I got cats on the carp rod and the bobber rod. I used the think carp were easy to catch.
The fish came in little waves and right at dusk I got a good spurt. I had given up on carp and gone to 2 WB/bobber rigs. Just as I hooked my seventh keeper on one rod, the other one went off. I hooked that one and put the rod in a holder. I ended up getting both fish in, a double! Then things got really interesting. A wave of larger fish came though. I go no doubles, but the next 3 were 25.5, 27 and 27.5. Great fun!
As Dusk turned to dark the bite stopped at my spot so I pulled the anchors and went to dragging WB back toward the harbor. When I left the shallows, the water had cooled to 61 and by the time I made the harbor 2 hours later is was at 58. Just at dark my phone battery ran out so I got no more pictures. Those last 2 hours yielded 4 more cats and the last one gave the best fight of the day. It was smaller than the earlier ones, at just over 26”, but hit like a train and fought for several minutes to stay on the bottom. A fitting end to a great spring outing.
Perhaps the motor problems were a blessing in disguise.
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FS: Saturday was supposed to be spent with my wife getting some needed shopping done, but I caught a break. Her sister came up from Saint George and took her to SLC for the afternoon. I got to go fishing and with one day warming trend I went to Lincoln.
I made a couple of last minute calls and as usual I had to go alone. I got to the ramp a little before 3 and the was encouraged to see parking lot and bank were both fuller than I had seen them since before school started last fall. I figured with that many out fishing there must be good things happening.
At the ramp I talked to 3 different boats on their way in. 2 had skunks on their decks and one had found a bullhead and some whites in the shallows by the reeds. When I said I was after cats, the latter kindly gave me his left over (but fresh) shrimp. I dragged it for several hours, but the bait of the day was cut WB.
Once on the water the temp was a balmy 61. I had planned to go out and fish shallow for the first hour and get a carp for bait and then travel up Goshen Bay or over to Provo Bay but my big motor started up fine, idled a bit rough for a minute or two and then died. It repeated the same sequence about 4 times during the evening, so I didn’t go far from the harbor.
I went screaming out of the harbor with my electric wide open and headed for the reeds on the south shore. As I approached I saw a spot where a couple of carp jumped several times on the edge or in the reeds. I anchored and tossed out a two hook setup with a corn sweetened dough ball on one hook and piece of crawler on the other. Next I tossed a boober with cut white bass. In 18” of water, the temp had gone up to 63.
I was still organizing when my “carp rod” got a pop and drop. It was more like a slash and slack, but I missed my first “carp.” 5 minutes later same thing, only this time I got a little weight but it came unbuttoned just as a tail came out of the water. It wasn’t orange, but looked strangely like a catfish. Just then the bobber started swimming away, another set more weight and a whole cat came out of the water, then returned my hook without further comment.
In the next hour things got slower, but better. I landed 3 channels. 1 on the dough ball, 1 on the worm and 1 on WB. All were eating size, less than 23”) so it was a decent start to the day. Also, I got a white and a bullhead. If I could just catch that carp I would have a slam.
After that bite slowed I pulled the anchor and headed North East, dragging 2 flaits, one shrimp and one WB. I went from 3 feet to 6 feet and nothing. As the depth slowly increased the water temp slowly decreased to 59. Due north of the slough mouth I turned back south east. When I hit 5 FOW the WB rod went off and I landed a 22-inch cat. Half way to a limit if eaters and I still 5 hours to quitting time. One boat had anchored off the slough in about 2.5 FOW. I don’t know how they did, but they left after a few hours.
After watching the water cool as I went deeper I just couldn’t help but think shallow meant warm and warm was important in the spring. I kept heading SE until I was a short cast from the reeds. Again I had seen some carp jumping and again I anchored and tossed out the carp rod and the bobber rod. Again I got cats on the carp rod and the bobber rod. I used the think carp were easy to catch.
The fish came in little waves and right at dusk I got a good spurt. I had given up on carp and gone to 2 WB/bobber rigs. Just as I hooked my seventh keeper on one rod, the other one went off. I hooked that one and put the rod in a holder. I ended up getting both fish in, a double! Then things got really interesting. A wave of larger fish came though. I go no doubles, but the next 3 were 25.5, 27 and 27.5. Great fun!
As Dusk turned to dark the bite stopped at my spot so I pulled the anchors and went to dragging WB back toward the harbor. When I left the shallows, the water had cooled to 61 and by the time I made the harbor 2 hours later is was at 58. Just at dark my phone battery ran out so I got no more pictures. Those last 2 hours yielded 4 more cats and the last one gave the best fight of the day. It was smaller than the earlier ones, at just over 26”, but hit like a train and fought for several minutes to stay on the bottom. A fitting end to a great spring outing.
Perhaps the motor problems were a blessing in disguise.
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