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utah lake cat info?
#1
ive been fishing utah lake for a few years now, about 20 or so.. looking for cats over that 10 lb range, any suggestions, seems like theres infinite amounts of 5-8 lb 22-27" cats but were are the big ones, im sure theres a hand full of 25+ pounders in there... so where are all the cats between state record size and cookie cutter size?! i know the loys that do the carp netting got one pushing 36 lbs a few years ago. thats the only large one recently ive heard of, has anyone else caught any over say 15 pounds?
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#2
6When you have as many people catching and keeping the number of cats out of a water,  you tend to limit the population to numbers rather than size.  While there are a few of those pushing the envelope of 10plus,  the dynamics favor numbers of smaller fish.  Those bigger specimans will also tend to be less active, feeding at very specific times when it suits them, rather than us.  They also feed less often, taking a bigger meal that lasts them longer.  You almost have to hunt them, like a trophy buck or bull.  Specific locations, specific times of the day, specific baits.  Good luck !!  Good hunting !!
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#3
Ya, I agree.  And not to put too find a point on it, how many of us want to toss a bait too big to tempt the cookie cutters but be right for the trophy, knowing that we might not catch but two or three fish a year.

But, if it was a trophy buck, a trophy elk, we might.  LOL
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#4
There are an increasing number of Utah Lake cataholics who lust after the bigguns.  But even those most in the know have plenty of days having to settle for "average" sized fish and not hooking anything with real shoulders.  My own experience has been that I have hooked my biggest fish right in the middle of catching some of the smaller ones.  And I have never been successful at targeting strictly the big fish and not catching any smaller ones.  Big ones will sometimes slurp smaller baits and smaller fish will often munch the largest baits you can toss out there.

I have some pet theories about how to increase the odds...at different times of the year...but none of them prove out often enough to be considered fool-proof.  So I swallow my pride and accept battle with all comers...hoping that there will be at least one or two "immovable objects" on my day's worth of hooksets.  But it's always a good idea to rig at least one rod with a bigger and juicier bait than that on your other rod.  And then accept it when the biggest fish of the day smacks a small jig you are throwing for white bass.  It happens.
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#5
I've been chasing big cats (not unlike Captain Ahab) for several years. PB so far is a 33 incher a few years back. The 36 incher I have been looking for is out there, it is just a matter of time until we converge. Wink  Good info from Therapist and, of course, TD knows a thing or two about cats.
 
When I finally catch that really big one, will it be male or female?? Seems to me that the males tend to bulk up in the head, shoulders,and gut with length sometimes appearing disproportionate to the size of their head. The females are more inclined to grow in length rather than having big heads. So, to answer my own question, I think the longest biggun will be female; the heaviest biggun will be male. Thoughts??
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#6
(04-28-2020, 06:35 PM)Boatloadakids Wrote: I've been chasing big cats (not unlike Captain Ahab) for several years. PB so far is a 33 incher a few years back. The 36 incher I have been looking for is out there, it is just a matter of time until we converge. Wink  Good info from Therapist and, of course, TD knows a thing or two about cats.
 
When I finally catch that really big one, will it be male or female?? Seems to me that the males tend to bulk up in the head, shoulders,and gut with length sometimes appearing disproportionate to the size of their head. The females are more inclined to grow in length rather than having big heads. So, to answer my own question, I think the longest biggun will be female; the heaviest biggun will be male. Thoughts??
I think you got it backwards.  Females get both longer and heavier.  But up to the 30 inch mark the males will be  longer for the same weight as females.    Never seen many males of 30" or longer.   All the heavyweights are female.
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#7
Out of 17 I got Friday and Saturday 4 were at least 26" and in the 10 lb. range. But they are back out there swimming around. Don't most of the BFTers do mostly catch and release? Before I retired and moved to Idaho I only did catch and keep mostly. And when I had 8 would quit and go home. I fished many years with the state record holder. Although he caught his record on a chicken leg. He would rather fish with shrimp and catch many; than wait for days for a big one. That's how I feel.

Oh, I forgot my main question. All the years I used to fish UL, we never caught many over 8 lbs. Mostly in the 5 lb. range. My biggest was 13 and I put it back. So I went over 12 years without making it back to Utah Lake. Last year at the Flotilla. I caught 10 on Friday and 10 Saterday. And several were those 10 lb.ders. So the question Pat: Don't you think they are bigger on average now then they were in the 80's and 90's and early 1000,s when I used to fish it hard? And if there is more 10 lb.ers getting put back, I seen Craig catch one and release one that was over 10 as I was driving by him Saturday, won't the average keep going up. Or am I wrong. Last year I only fished a total of 5 hours at the most. And this year 1 and 1/2 days.
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#8
I am not the cat purist that TD is, in fact I have not really pursued them for many years.  However,  back in my distant past I did a fair amount of Kitty fishing and it always seemed that we caught our biggest fish on live bait, specifically 3-5 inch bluegill/green sunfish.  In the days below Kentucky Dam, we used Gizzard Shad, either live or cut.  Unfortunatly both those baits are not legal for use here !!!  I would love to hook a 4-6 inch White Bass through the back with a 4/0 Circle hook and allow it to swim around out at the Island, mouth of the Spanish Fork River, or Powells Slough to see what would ingest it.  But t t t,  that is wishful thinking,  so, cut bait will have to do !!!
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#9
TubeDude will need to respond to this one himself for sure, but let me put my mindless wonderings in on this one.

1) Water quality is up from the days when untreated water was dumped into UL, so better water quality improves fish. 
Plus 1.

2) When carp numbers are up, weeds and food are down.  Right now the carp numbers are down, or so we are told.  So, in theory, more food.
Plus 1.

3) Too many predators means less food.  Lots and lots of white bass mean lots of small bass later in the year to feed on, but less food in the winter and spring.  The large number of white bass have been an impact, reducing the bluegill, Largemouth bass, perch, ...... you get the idea.  But, it appears that the last couple of years the white bass numbers may be down some.  I'll rate this a
plus zero for undetermined.

4) In the 80's few people fished for Channel cats, at least compared to what I seem to see now.  There was no BFT to spread the word, there was no social media to put people on every "secret hole".  We can now go on Facebook on the right pages and find someone posting pictures about their latest fish (all kinds) at any time, real time.  While most BFTers may release most of their bigger cats, a lot of lurkers, and in general other fishermen, do keep their limits of cats.  Some big, some not.  Most fishermen, and I suspect BFTers included, use standard J Hooks, gut hooking most fish, so released fish may survive but will suffer weight loss for some time.  All things considered, I give this a
minus 2.

5) Utah Lake is huge, and while I have my favorite places, seldom do I feel crowded in anyway.  If I want, I can go to the crowded places and catch cookie cutters.......always need some fresh cats for dinner.  Once in a while I even find a brute there.  But, if I want size, well the lake is huge and not over pressured.  I rate this a
plus 1.

In MY summary, this adds up to a marginal improvement over the past, but more pressure on the more known locations.  Do I think that a new state record exist in UL, actually no, not at this time.  But,
if the White Bass numbers do decline, and if the Carp are kept to a lower number (bless the June Sucker -- the reason they are removing carp to improve conditions), and if with increased submerged weeds the water improves more, and if other smaller food sources continue to improve in numbers and biomass, then ..... in the near future YES, I have high hopes.
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#10
(04-28-2020, 08:26 PM)fast_randy Wrote: Out of 17 I got Friday and Saturday 4 were at least 26" and in the 10 lb. range. But they are back out there swimming around. Don't most of the BFTers do mostly catch and release? Before I retired and moved to Idaho I only did catch and keep mostly. And when I had 8 would quit and go home. I fished many years with the state record holder. Although he caught his record on a chicken leg. He would rather fish with shrimp and catch many; than wait for days for a big one. That's how I feel.

Oh, I forgot my main question. All the years I used to fish UL, we never caught many over 8 lbs. Mostly in the 5 lb. range. My biggest was 13 and I put it back. So I went over 12 years without making it back to Utah Lake. Last year at the Flotilla. I caught 10 on Friday and 10 Saterday. And several were those 10 lb.ders. So the question Pat: Don't you think they are bigger on average now then they were in the 80's and 90's and early 1000,s when I used to fish it hard? And if there is more 10 lb.ers getting put back, I seen Craig catch one and release one that was over 10 as I was driving by him Saturday, won't the average keep going up. Or am I wrong. Last year I only fished a total of 5 hours at the most. And this year 1 and 1/2 days.

Your observations are on track.  I first fished for cats in the early 1960s and the "average" cat then was smaller than the average now...more like the fish in Willard.  But there were some big ones too.  When I lived back in Utah from the late 1970s through the mid 1980s it was about the same...lots of 2-3 pound cats with a few bigger fish.  But some of the bigger fish were REALLY BIG.  I got one in about 1982 that was 24# and 37 inches.  And both caught and saw others that were between 15 and 20 pounds. 

Anybody who has fished in Utah for over 15-20 years knows that there are now a lot more cat chasers than there used to be.  And there are a lot more former troutaholics who have fallen to the level of prefering catfish,...both for catching and for eating (when properly prepared).  That means that the catfish biomass is probably lower than in former times.  And fewer fish means more food for the remainder...and faster growth rates.  I would say that it was about 2010 when the "average" cat from Utah Lake went from being under 20" to over 20". ..with a lot more over 2-footers.  

No way to accurately measure how many 3-footers there might be in Utah Lake, but I suspect there are more than we might think.  They act differently and feed differently in those sizes.  For one thing, their metabolism and growth rates slow down.  So they don't have to eat as much or as often as younger fast-growing fish.  And they are more inclined to feed at night during a good part of the year...and to eat single large meals less frequently.  So unless you present a suitable meal in the right place at the right time you will never even know those big fish are there.

There are a few hardcore catters who have fished Utah Lake for years...and who regularly hook into some of the bigger fish.  But they do not hang out on rookie fishing forums and divulge their favorite places, times, baits and techniques.  There ARE cats over 20 pounds hooked every year here...but those who do the hooking don't broadcast it.  Thankfully, most of those who bring in big cats just give them a smooch and send them back.  No Tongue though.  Gross.
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#11
(04-28-2020, 06:08 PM)TubeDude Wrote: There are an increasing number of Utah Lake cataholics who lust after the bigguns.  But even those most in the know have plenty of days having to settle for "average" sized fish and not hooking anything with real shoulders.  My own experience has been that I have hooked my biggest fish right in the middle of catching some of the smaller ones.  And I have never been successful at targeting strictly the big fish and not catching any smaller ones.  Big ones will sometimes slurp smaller baits and smaller fish will often munch the largest baits you can toss out there.

I have some pet theories about how to increase the odds...at different times of the year...but none of them prove out often enough to be considered fool-proof.  So I swallow my pride and accept battle with all comers...hoping that there will be at least one or two "immovable objects" on my day's worth of hooksets.  But it's always a good idea to rig at least one rod with a bigger and juicier bait than that on your other rod.  And then accept it when the biggest fish of the day smacks a small jig you are throwing for white bass.  It happens.

That  "biggest fish of the day smacks a small jig you are throwing for white bass"  is the aweful truth Cry  Has happened to me at UL more times than I care to count...........like last Saturday. 6lb mono on a med-lite pole with a small yellow flig and a piece of worm, fan casting for the first hour or so..........nada.  Set the pole in the holder with drag loose, pick up my coffee thermos and -out goes the line screamin and strippin..... and then whatever was on it turned and headed back towards me. Could hardly reel fast enough. Got the slack out of the line about 3 feet from the boat, rod bent over almost double, and SNAP. Line broke Cry
Sure got the blood pumping for a few minutes  Big Grin 
"OCD = Obsessive Catfish Disorder "
    Or so it says on my license plate holder
                                 
Cool
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#12
(04-28-2020, 10:27 PM)Tin-Can Wrote:
(04-28-2020, 06:08 PM)TubeDude Wrote:
That  "biggest fish of the day smacks a small jig you are throwing for white bass"  is the aweful truth Cry  Has happened to me at UL more times than I care to count...........like last Saturday. 6lb mono on a med-lite pole with a small yellow flig and a piece of worm, fan casting for the first hour or so..........nada.  Set the pole in the holder with drag loose, pick up my coffee thermos and -out goes the line screamin and strippin..... and then whatever was on it turned and headed back towards me. Could hardly reel fast enough. Got the slack out of the line about 3 feet from the boat, rod bent over almost double, and SNAP. Line broke Cry
Sure got the blood pumping for a few minutes  Big Grin 
There have been plenty of times I dragged big baits around and my biggest fish might have been 24".  And then a 27" cat smacks the small red and chartreuse plastic I am throwing for white bass.  Flossing maybe?
[Image: WOBBLE-PISTOL.jpg]
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#13
That makes me so happy. My favorite place is getting better. Thank you guys for your information.  You know there might be a lot more people fishing but it is just so big, it is easy to get away from the crowd. I haven't been to Bird Island, does anyone know if it is crowded out there. I want to get out there later.
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#14
Anglinarcher wrote "... in the near future YES, I have high hopes."
I hope so too, but reality says maybe not so fast. Catfish grow a lot slower than most people realize. After the first couple of years they routinely add only about one inch a year. So it would take something like ten years for a 20"er to reach 30. And when they get really old they put on weight and girth and little additional length. I don't claim to be any kind of expert on the subject but I have read a lot of studies. BTW, I loved your analysis.
The older I get the more I would rather be considered a good man than a good fisherman.


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#15
fast_randy pid= Wrote:That makes me so happy. My favorite place is getting better. Thank you guys for your information.  You know there might be a lot more people fishing but it is just so big, it is easy to get away from the crowd. I haven't been to Bird Island, does anyone know if it is crowded out there. I want to get out there later.

I could take you out there some time its one of my favorites spots to fish.  There's some days there are 8-10 boats maybe a few more but usually when I go during the week only 3-5 and that is around the island but that was last year this year it could have picked up some. I can't get there yet with my boat as I'm still breaking in New parts and can't go fast. But soon I'll be there I hope.
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#16
thanks for the info you guys! guess i will keep searching for that honey hole full of 30 pounders, untill then 7 foot sturgeon will have to fill the void of feeling a good battle!
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