Utah Lake Walleye Trip 3-9-07

[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000bf]TubeBabe and I "unlocked" the gate at Lindon about 6:30 this morning. Dropped our envelope with $5 in the "iron ranger" and drove out to launch off the point of the dike. Bummer. Ice jam right up into the mouth of the channel. No tube fishing outside today. Didn't wanna paddle around in the house sized open spot in the harbor. $5 wasted. Shoulda looked before paying.[/#0000bf]
[#0000bf][/#0000bf]
[#0000bf]Remembering that Lincoln Beach was opening up nice a couple of weeks ago, we headed south. Took the "faster" back way and got stuck behind a school bus and a bunch of cars. Stop, start, stop. Over a half hour to travel 10 minutes.[/#0000bf]
[#0000bf][/#0000bf]
[#0000bf]Drove out to the end of the dike to launch our tubes. Bummer. Ice jam right up to the dike. No launching or fishing from the end of the dike. At least we didn't have to pay any money to be disappointed.[/#0000bf]
[#0000bf][/#0000bf]
[#0000bf]Drove around to the big shallow cove on the other side of the pump house. The warm springs coming in there had kept it open, with a narrow open channel around the end of the pump house. It was launchable, but shallow. Maybe?????[/#0000bf]
[#0000bf][/#0000bf]
[#0000bf]We got geared up and launched off the shallow beach. Took a long ways and a lot of shuffling backwards to reach enough depth to be able to sit down in the tubes. Worked over to the edge of the ice. Sonar said 2.5 feet and 38 degree water temp. Didn't look too promising.[/#0000bf]
[#0000bf][/#0000bf]
[#0000bf]But...having taken a few fish in that shallow cove before, I tried pitching a couple of casts up onto the ice and dragging them off. Thump. Walleye? Nope. Only a toothless golden walleye. Lots of them in Utah Lake. Quite a few fewer after our trip today.[/#0000bf]
[#0000bf][/#0000bf]
[#0000bf]They were in there fairly thick. Almost every cast we had a "dorsal diner", "tail taker" or "side smacker". We actually caught quite a few that slurped in the little worm tipped jigs we were casting into open water between us and the ice shelf. Lots of fun on med. light rods and six pound line. Of course we released them all unharmed...after performing complimentary gillectomies or prefrontal lobotomies through the anal vent.[/#0000bf]
[#0000bf][/#0000bf]
[#0000bf]Had quite a few definite whacks, even in the shallow water. It was never more than 2.8 feet, but there were a few white bass that cruised in to get a couple more degrees of warm back where the springs flowed in...up to 42 degrees. I managed to stick a couple and had some enjoys with them.[/#0000bf]
[#0000bf][/#0000bf]
[#0000bf]Weather forecast was for light southerly breezes. The cold north wind chilled us off the water by 1 PM. We had a fun time stretching our string and bending our sticks with old buglemouth. I brought 15 or so to net, and longline released many more. Also left a few naked when I stripped off their scales with my jig. They probably froze to death.[/#0000bf]
[#0000bf][/#0000bf]
[#0000bf]I caught one "mirror carp" with the patches of naked skin and only a few large scales. Including a picture for those who have never seen one. [/#0000bf]
[#0000bf][/#0000bf]
[#0000bf]Stopped back out at the end of the dike before we left. There was a guy fishing in a bathtub sized opening in the ice, next to shore. That's almost as pitiful as the tubers chasing carp in skinny water. [/#0000bf]
[#0000bf][/#0000bf]
[#0000bf]Bird Island was impressive. Lots of ice had accumulated from the wind blowing ice sheets around the lake. Looked like a big iceberg in the distance. [/#0000bf]
[#0000bf][/#0000bf]
[#0000bf]Also saw a bald eagle sitting on a chunk of ice, out next to some open water. Always great to see those big birds.[/#0000bf]
[signature]

[Theekillerbee]

Silly little carp! I'm so glad they got released unharmed back into the water![] I like unharming them!
[signature]

[Flycasting]

Nice report and pics TD. []
[signature]

[flyanddrive]

That "mirror" carp is one ugly fish! I am surprised that it has the correct number of eyes. It looks like something you would find swimming in a pond near Three Mile Island.
[signature]

[qsilver]

Nice job, I would like to see you release a bunch more of those.
[signature]

[maniac]

Nice Walleye T.D!
[signature]

[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]The mirror carp are just a mutation of the "regular" old buglemouth. They pop up wherever carpkind exist. In the olden days a high percentage of the carp in Yuba showed the mirror tendencies.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]You want gross? Check the attached pic of a European mirror carp.[/#0000ff]
[signature]

[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Do you want me to spread the word that those toothless golden walleyes just LOOOOOOOVE Maniac lures?[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Better not. That could kill sales.[/#0000ff]
[signature]

[Theekillerbee]

I'd like to "implant" a little dynamite in the belly of that dude, and see what happens when he swims off![cool]
[signature]

[CROSSINEYES]

wow. dude you is the rocky mountain salmon slayer today!
[signature]

[maniac]

Maniac Lures will catch pretty much any fish!
[signature]

[proline]

Great report, like always. You always have the best fishing stories. I enjoy reading your posts. Sounds like the golden walleye fishing was fun! Wouldnt mind doing that with my bow.
[signature]

[Out4Trout]

[cool]I'm reporting you to PETA, man! Excellent report as usual, TD. Did you just get two whities, or were there more? Hopefully your next trip out there will yield more gamefish. Those dang carpinski's!!!
[signature]

[SledFisher]

Would that be the PETA that I belong to? People for the Eating of Tasty Animals[]
[signature]

[Out4Trout]

[cool]No, but I belong to the same one as you, LOL!! I used to have that as my signature on this board a couple of years back...
[signature]

[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Nope. Only caught the 2...early in the morning. I suspect they were up in there during low light, feeding on the little water bugs in that warmer water and boogied when the light levels got higher. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I was surprised to find anything in that shallow water, but I was properly grateful for the fish I caught...even the ugly ones.[/#0000ff]
[signature]

[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]I ventilate a few with my arrows every year too. That same area we fished is popular with carpkind at spawning time. We can hear them thrashing around in there while we're fishing out in the open water. Then, when we come back in from fishing I bring out the bow and go settle them down a bit.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Actually there are several areas around Lincoln Beach that provide good carp shooting for a good part of the year, even before and after the big splashy spawn. One of the best is the south side of the north dike. There are lots of reeds growing next to the road and carp like to wander around in there, making easy targets all through the day.[/#0000ff]
[signature]

[road]

Hey TD looks like ya had a fun trip even without the walleyes help! I know how much fun them carp are. Nice report and pics.
[signature]

[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]I thought about you a couple of times whilst I was down there. Mostly when I looked at one of them carp puckering up...only with no facial hair. Yeah, they don't win no beauty contests but they stretch your string,[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]The biggest I brought to net probably weighed 15 pounds. That's a load on a light rod and 6# line. The cold water kept them from being as "active" as they would have been in warmer water.[/#0000ff]
[signature]

[road]

But still more fun than an ole slimer from DC anytime! I bet you had your hand (rod) full with a 15 pounder. Ya gotta love them lights and ultra lights at UL.
[signature]