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My dad flew in last week from North-Central Arkansas to spend a week with us here. He is a guide on the White River back there, and when we go visit, we always do a lot of trout fishing. So I have wanted him to be able to go fishing with me out here for some time now. Well, he finally got the chance during this trip.
Newton is extremely low right now. But fortunately, I am still able to launch my little Coleman Crawdad without issue. It is light enough to slide around when needed. We hit Newton Wednesday, Friday, and Monday mornings, with Friday being the best.
Wednesday was still good even though we got out there about 10:30. We managed to catch our fair share of bass, as well as a few perch. We saw about 6 muskie or so swimming around on the top of the water with their heads out too. My dad had never seen tiger muskie before, so he said just seeing that was a treat.
Friday was great. We got on the water around 7:15 am or so. Not long after we were out, my dad had a hook up, and I could tell it was a nice fish. Before too long, he pulled this 17-inch, 3 lb largemouth out.
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A few minutes later, we really got into the bass, with the average size being about 12-14 inches. We caught about 5 or 6 that were pushing 15 inches too. Best day for bass I have had at Newton.
Right when we started getting into more bass, my dad set the hook, and I asked him if it was a decent one. He told me it felt like it, but I could tell from his rod that it was a very decent fish. I told him he has a muskie, and he replied, "Really?" About right when he said that, it shot right up out of the water. Sure enough - muskie on! He got it to the boat, and I got it in the net. His biggest fish of his life. I was so happy for him. I didn't care if I didn't catch anything the rest of the day. I just wanted him to be able to land a tiger, and he did at 40 inches and barely over 13 pounds. It was healthier looking than some others I have seen this year, but still not as fat as you would think a 40-incher would be.
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Still, it was a beautiful fish.
Not long after that, some guys fishing on shore near the southeast corner landed a muskie. They obviously didn't know what they were doing, nor did they want to get any mud on their precious shoes. They drug the muskie up the bank, only to have it flop back in the water. Then they drug it up again, then finally unhooked it. They then proceeded to walk up the bank about 30 yards, carrying the fish vertically, to a flatter spot. They started sinking in the mud and quickly ran back up the hill. They walked back to their original spot, still carrying the fish vertically, and threw it down the bank back into the water. The fish flopped all the way down the bank into the water. It splashed a few times in the water then was off - or so I thought. When we came back Monday morning, there was a dead muskie in that exact spot. Lesson learned - next time I see anything like that, I will go over and check on the fish and try to help it revive itself enough to swim off.
Monday was a lot slower. I did hook a muskie and got it to the boat - probably about 34 inches or so - but in moving around and getting the net ready, I lost him. It looked like a pretty healthy one too, which was good to see. We caught more bass and overall it was a great day. But it was just good to get out with my dad for a few days and fish.
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Congrats to you for taking dad and congrats to dad on a nice musky. I bet he was thrilled. Not a bad looking bass either. He may just come out and visit a bit more often if you are going to treat him to that kind of fishing trip. Enjoy them as long as you can. Awesome report, Thaks for sharing!!!
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I was hoping you would post up a picture of the 40 incher. Nice fish. It's always fun when you take family/friends out for a new fishing experience and you successfully get them into your target species. Not easy to do with muskies.
You seem to catch some nice size bass there. Still haven't got any bigger ones, but I also have been targeting the bass with smaller baits.
Too bad about those irresponsible fishermen.
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thats just awesome nice bass and tiger! thats messed up that those guys killed that tiger! makes me sick!
well good job!
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Way to go - good on ya getting your Dad into some serious fish. Bet that bass fought like a Musky! Seems like yer dad does ok with that fishn stuff!
Glad you put up a post. Was hoping you would.
Someone else told me about a couple shore tanglers who hooked up a musky, but didn't know what they were doing - ended up tossing it up the bank to try to get the hook out.
You'd think if they are going to make regs to protect those fish they could use getting someone out there to enforce or check on that lake more often!
If it was dead already - you shoulda taken it home and filleted it! (not serious).
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I fully agree they should do something more to protect the musky population there. I just don't have any ideas on how to do it. There was a fish cop up there on Monday evening, he seemed to be lurking instead of just making the rounds and speaking to everybody. It was disappointing because he was up above a group that caught a musky. They had paddled to the west shore in kayaks and one of them caught it from shore. When they got it to the bank, his buddies jumped in their kayak, shouting for him to keep it there and keep it alive, then paddled back to the ramp to get a camera, then paddled back, then I would guess it took them 10 minutes after that to get it unhooked and back to trying to revive it. Any guesses on survivability? That's right, belly up. To their credit, I think they went out in the kayak and tried to revive it more. On their way out, they were talking about how it might have survived, as it went to the bottom, and at least one of them was choosing to think it survived. Most frustrating to me though, was when someone over by this group asked if they caught anything and he said he caught a musky but it died because it took him too long to get the hook out. I also heard the comment on the way out that next time they should bring a jaw spreader.
Please, anyone that decides to scratch that Musky itch, go prepared to catch one and release it. The banks are muddy, you will get dirty if fishing from shore. You will need to let it go too, so bring needlenose pliers at a minimum.
Bama Boy, that looks like an awesome day out.
Oh, and the perch fishing was great that night too. My daughter and I kept about 1 out of every 3 perch,and came home with about 25. They were delicious.
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I think I have run into that same fish cop about 4 times out there this year. All he asked me is if I filled out the mussel form. Surprised he never remembered me since I have been one of the few out on the water with a boat. He even looked my boat over one day. Not once did he ask me for my license. Monday morning, he was out there too. A guy asked him if he wanted to see his license, and he said no, he wasn't worried about that.
It was a fun day out. Sounds like you had fun too. And yeah, I am sure those perch were delicious!
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Is that guy a fish cop or just a worker for the mussel aware boater program? I talked with him once and never payed attention to his shirt. But when I asked him about what happens to people who don't fill out the certificate, he stated that he will give warnings and "they" might give the person a citation. He made it seem like he did not cite them, it was someone else. I could be wrong though.
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I have no idea. He talked for a while with those two guys that were in the canoe on Monday. I don't think they filled anything out. I have never really payed attention to his shirt either. I have seen his truck too, but just assumed he worked for the DWR.
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i don't have any magical ideas either. But education may be one way to help a few of the muskies out. I do believe that guy can't cite anyone for anything, especially not a license violation. But I do believe that he could make a difference if everytime he talked to someone at Newton he highlights some of the ways to reduce musky mortality.
He told me he fishes Newton as well, but hasn't had success catching any muskies. So he has a motivation to keep the fishery healthy. No matter what you are fishing for at Newton, there is always a chance you could hook into a musky. So why not mention to everyone (or provide a one page handout on proper musky handeling) that you should not pull the muskies up on land or into the mud, you need to revive them for a while, don't pull them out of the water by their gills, support their body, keep them out of the water for a short time etc etc (these are all things that you don't have to buy to increase muskie surviving). Wouldn't hurt to highlight the other important factors of keeping muskies alive like proper tackle, but I think the handeling part is one of the biggest factors.
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Looks like you had a great time. Nice bass! I sure wouldnt mind if they did away with some of the musks. Newton used to be a great bass fishery. Ever since they put those toothy wolves in there the quality bass fishing has declined continuously. Great to see there are a few big bucket mouths left in there. They sure have a great spawn success though... millions of baby bass in that lake every year it seems..
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I don't know if he is a fish cop or mussel awareness guy, but I hope the state isn't paying him just to check for mussel certification when most boats can't even launch. And particularly at a lake where enforcement of boating laws is so lax in general.
He never came down to talk to me, but someone walking by said he had been up top by my car and asked someone else how long I had been there.
On the opposite side of the lake from me, some folks that were fishing wandered over to where the musky hero was dealing with his fish maybe 150-200 feet away. While they were there, I don't know if they left rods in the water, but the guy came down the hill in his truck right to where their gear and 4 wheeler were, and spoke to them for a few minutes. It is frustrating whatever his official title that a public officer would rather just lurk and try to catch someone he can ticket than to interact with, and educate the public.
The sun was low enough I couldn't even make out the color of his truck, so I don't know what department he might be with.
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Can you still put in to the left of the ramp on the dirt???
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No. It is almost a vertical drop there. I put in on the west side, and but push my boat off the trailer and thru the mud into the water.
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So from the west side will I be able to put in my 16"Nitro bass boat???
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I doubt it. The mud is so soft when you get within about 10 feet of the water. The levels are extremely low. To give you an idea - up where the "island" normally is, the water is only a foot deep and it is dry before you even get to the north side of the island. The deepest spot I have ever marked was 55 feet. The other day, at that same spot, I marked 12.5 feet. And it is still dropping. It dropped about 18 inches from Friday to Monday.
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WOW, thats shallow... Its a 2 hour drive for me from Tooele.... I think I am still gonna try... thanks..
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Ha - only if you have some Tensers floating disks, or a good levitate spell.
I'm hoping once they quit drawing it down, we might have a good fall wet-up and bring the level up some before ice-time sets in.
Seen a DNR guy out of Benson marina the past couple fridays. All he was after was muscle certification. Don't forget to sign the form, if you have the annual one completed.
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Good luck with that. I got stuck out there a couple of weeks ago on flat ground. That is how bad the clay is. It is awful once you get within 10 feet of the water. my boat and trailer probably weigh about 250 pounds all together, and the tires sink at least 3 inches when I get that close. And it is only softer under the water. Just be careful when you try.
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Who knows when they will quit drawing water out of it. We saw someone open the gate Monday while we were there. I am heading out Saturday morning to fish there. I will try to get some pics.
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