Utah Lake 4/29 and 5/6 Catfish and White Bass (With Video)

[Backyard Boy T.V.]

April 29th: Well, the white bass spawn is officially on. Headed down to the State Park Marina on the hoping for a big kitty but needed some fresh bait so I tried the river for fresh white bass. I had heard some rumors that there may be some White Bass in the river that day, and boy were those rumors true... 50+ white bass in only a few hours. Got to love it when they are schooled up like that. After getting slightly distracted by the White Bass I finally tried for cats of the Marina Dike. 10 minutes later, hooked and landed a solid 6/7 pound kitty. That was it for the evening.

May 6th: After getting a taste of big catfish the week before, I wanted more. So, I met up with a subscriber of my YouTube Channel who lives in the area and went out on a night fishing endeavor. Bait of choice was frozen white bass and sucker. Ended up with several good bites but only landed two cats in a few hours. One was 6 pounds, the other (mine) was 8 on the dot. Good night to just relax with some buddies. 

I have a video link below for my outing a few weeks ago if anyone's interested. And pics from both outings. Hoping to make it out again this week. Those kitties are fun.

Video Link - https://youtu.be/dY3eX5fQ81E













[/url]


[url=https://postimg.cc/LJ6kBRF5]

[TubeDude]

Nice work.  But if you get caught using ANY KIND of sucker meat on Utah Lake you will get a citation.

[Backyard Boy T.V.]

Nice work.  But if you get caught using ANY KIND of sucker meat on Utah Lake you will get a citation.

Really!? I actually had no clue. Thanks for the heads up.

[Fritzfishin]

Hey pat what about the prepackaged sucker meat from the stores? I doubt many officers could tell the difference in a strip of carp and a strip of sucker?

[TubeDude]

Hey pat what about the prepackaged sucker meat from the stores? I doubt many officers could tell the difference in a strip of carp and a strip of sucker?

That is a technicality for which I do not have the answer.  I know that "processed" shad can be used in Willard...where the use of shad is otherwise prohibited.  (But it doesn't work worth a hoot) 

Packaged sucker meat purchased for bait SHOULD be okay.  But since there are likely to be "creative" anglers who simply bring along a used container and freshly caught sucker meat, skeptical COs are likely to stick with the rule of NO SUCKER MEAT on Utah Lake.  There are plenty of other good baits so I wouldn't risk a ticket.

And as far as an officer not being able to tell the difference between carp and sucker meat...I wouldn't bet on it.  However, in the last 20 years of fishing Utah Lake I have never been checked for ANYTHING.  Our DWR folks are spread so thin...with all of the territory and so many different fishing and hunting venues...that the odds are that you could probably fish with freshly caught Junies and never get caught.  There are lots of scofflaw anglers on Utah Lake who routinely fish without licenses and keep everything they catch...legal or not.

The obvious goal is to prohibit anglers from catching, killing and cutting up June suckers.  But since the genetic lines have been blurred over generations, who is to say whether or not you have caught a pure strain Junie, or a several generations hybrid of Junie and Utah suckers?  And when filleted, who can tell the difference?  Not me.

[Fritzfishin]

I did talk to a officer at grantsville last weekend and he told me on a average Saturday at grantsville 80% don't have a fishing license l, that's shocking!! I'm guessing on a Saturday 300 people come and go throughout the day

[wiperhunter2]

I did talk to a officer at grantsville last weekend and he told me on a average Saturday at grantsville 80% don't have a fishing license l, that's shocking!! I'm guessing on a Saturday 300 people come and go throughout the day

Sounds like they must hang out there a lot to have that kind of info. They should be able to hang out there on any given Sat and fill their monthly quota for giving out tickets in a single day, if they have a ticket quota

BYBTV- nice job on the whites and cats.

[Jig-fisher]

The issue of using sucker meat in Utah Lake has been discussed before on this forum. The proclamation states: 
Dead mountain sucker, white sucker, Utah sucker, redside shiner, speckled dace, mottled sculpin, fathead minnow (all color variants, including rosy red minnows), Utah chub and common carp may be used as bait anywhere bait is permitted.

Then it states in the water specific regulation: 
Utah Lake, Utah County • Limit 6 largemouth or smallmouth bass (a combined total), only 1 may be over 12 inches. • No limit on northern pike. Anglers must release any tagged northern pike they catch. All untagged northern pike must be immediately killed. • All suckers must be immediately released. Utah Lake tributaries, Utah County (a) Including but not limited to tributaries west of I-15: American Fork Creek, Beer Creek, Dry Creek, Hobble Creek, Spanish Fork River, Spring Creek and Spring Run Creek: • All suckers must be immediately released.

So it states you must release all suckers caught, but doesn't prohibit the use of sucker meat according to the proclamation. Proceed with caution, it can be interpreted both ways. Do you gamble?

[TubeDude]

The issue of using sucker meat in Utah Lake has been discussed before on this forum. The proclamation states: 
Dead mountain sucker, white sucker, Utah sucker, redside shiner, speckled dace, mottled sculpin, fathead minnow (all color variants, including rosy red minnows), Utah chub and common carp may be used as bait anywhere bait is permitted.

Then it states in the water specific regulation: 
Utah Lake, Utah County • Limit 6 largemouth or smallmouth bass (a combined total), only 1 may be over 12 inches. • No limit on northern pike. Anglers must release any tagged northern pike they catch. All untagged northern pike must be immediately killed. • All suckers must be immediately released. Utah Lake tributaries, Utah County (a) Including but not limited to tributaries west of I-15: American Fork Creek, Beer Creek, Dry Creek, Hobble Creek, Spanish Fork River, Spring Creek and Spring Run Creek: • All suckers must be immediately released.

So it states you must release all suckers caught, but doesn't prohibit the use of sucker meat according to the proclamation. Proceed with caution, it can be interpreted both ways. Do you gamble?

The language in the proclamation has been changed.  At one time it was specified that suckers were specifically not allowed for bait on Utah Lake.  In the current proclamation, if you are caught in possession of a live or dead sucker while fishing on Utah Lake...whether for bait or not...you run the risk of a citation.

[Therapist]

Remember, all of the "improvements" at Utah Lake are complements of the June Sucker, so they are a protected species ( although I doubt anyone can tell the difference between a "jun sucker" and a Mt. Sucker if they were side by side )

By the way, good to hear that the WB are still using the old river. Gives people a chance to catch a few !!

[Backyard Boy T.V.]

Remember, all of the "improvements" at Utah Lake are complements of the June Sucker,  so they are a protected species ( although I doubt anyone can tell the difference between a "jun sucker" and a Mt. Sucker if they were side by side )

By the way,  good to hear that the WB are still using the old river.  Gives people a chance to catch a few !!

Yeah, it is good! I was honestly surprised by how many whities were still in the river seems like the changes they've made really haven't made that much of a difference.