Utah Lake cats...Report

[hustler898]

Went out to Utah lake, AMBH this morning with the intention of catching some largemouth. Didn't catch any thing. at about 10:00 Aquaman showed up and we pitched some rattle traps for a while. Got plenty of bites but only managed one white bass. Aquaman left at about 12:00. As I was preparing to leave at around 1:00 this guy drives up and asks me if I caught anything then asks if I would like to see a 15 pound channel cat.

He had 4 or 5 chanels and one was huge. I'm not a good judge of weight but it was big. The others were half the size. We got to talking after I offered to take pictures. I would post them but it's too cumbersome and I wouldn't feel right without his permission. He told me they were rolling in the rocks all morning in 6" to 1 foot of water and he was just hanging the bait in their faces waiting for the bite. He was using shimp under a bobber with 1/0 hooks.

I decided to take a walk along the shoreline and lo and behold their was one right in my face! About a foot off shore it kind of rolled over and just kind of layed there even though I couldn't see the whole fish I could tell he was a big one by judging the distance from what I believe was the dorsal fin and the tip of the tail (about 2-2 1/2 feet) How big do you estimate this guy was?

I quickly dangled a worm in his face and just when it looked like he was going to take it (began to swim forward).....

NOTHING!!! Just my luck or wrong bait...whatever. Got a good adreneline rush going though []. I'm still dying to catch some big channels!!!

Wife and I are heading out early to AMFBH tomorrow morning in an attempt to retrace that guys steps and catch some giant channels.

If anyone has had some luck and can offer some advice, please do so, I'm all ears.

Al
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[TubeDude]

[cool]My guess is that the cats are trying to spawn in the rocks. Normally these would be in deeper water, but in low water years there are no good rocks or structure offshore...except for areas like Bird Island, Pelican Point or around Lincoln Beach. In the harbors, the spawn-ready fish are desperate and are making themselves vulnerable by spawning in the only rocks they can find...right in the shallows.

I hate to suggest it, but I have known excited fishermen to snag fish that were easily "force fed" when oblivious to anglers. I'm sorry if I unjustly accuse the person with the fish, but when those cats are in a romantic mood, they usually don't dine much. It is much more common to shove a lure or hook down their mouths...or in their sides...when they won't eat what you are serving. That doesn't mean they won't occasionally slurp a juicy bait stuck in front of their noses, but it is less likely.

Once the spawning is over, the fish go back out into deeper water...except for some of the males guarding nests. Then they go back on the feed and all of the traditional baits will work well.

Utah Lake has long been a body of water that encourages "subsistence" fishing...by individuals or groups more concerned with harvesting spawning fish for food than simply enjoying the sport and leaving some fish for others. Walleyes used to be slaughtered by the thousands, all around the lake, by "pike snaggers" during the spawn. There are still many, each year, that go home with treble hook marks on their bodies. Largemouths and channel cats can also be subject to illegal fishing methods, if they make themselves visible within range of meat-hungry non-sportsmen.

Sorry about the soapbox. I hope you find some with open mouths and open minds, and that you are able to coax a few bigguns to accept your hospitality. I also hope that if you witness unlawful harvesting that you properly report it. Otherwise, enjoy the spectacle of some of the lakes larger denizens showing off for you. Just don't take unfair advantage of them, in one of their most tender moments.

TubeDude
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[Curtisfish]

I had posted on this a few weeks ago. I used to fish on the dikes in the Provo harbor. We would just fish worms on 1/0 treble hooks in 1-3 feet of water in the rocks this time of year and catch a good number of cats. We averaged 6-7lb fish. We would hang the worms under a bubble about 1.5 feet (about 6 inches above the bottom) and just set the pole down. No casting involved. We would be fishing right under other people (with their permission). They would chuckle when we asked, then scowl a few minutes later as we drug the fish out of the water. Like TD said, they don't eat much, but can be talked into an easy meal once in a while. Not sure if it matters, but we always did better using this method in muddy water. If the water was clear, we just didn't get as many bites. The afternoon was better than the morning also. We would go down after the day shift at Geneva. Arrive about 4:30 and fish for about 4 hours. Bite would usually start up about 6:00.

You get a great fight when you hook them with 4-5 feet of line out. Hold on tight, and take a tough reel, with a good drag!
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[hustler898]

I didn't make it out there as planned []. I'm shooting for tonight if possible but I'm not sure how good the fishing will be because of the rain and recent cold front. Do these conditions have an adverse effect on quality of fishing?

Al
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[Kent]

Both the cold front and especially the wind that we have been having could put a damper on catfishing at Utah Lake for a few days. When the wind blows at Utah Lake the mud gets stirred up and can turn the catfishing off for about three days (I have heard the die-hard cat fisherman down there claim this to be true).
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