Utah Lake Abyss 2-1-13

[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]Again, this is Waljustia's call on how much info he wants to give out on a public forum. I have already divulged far more than he would like.

Sorry
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[IceFishing801]

Where is the abyss located at
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]Welcome to BFT. One of our rules is that if someone does not give specific directions to a spot it is their right to not do so. In a previous post I declined to provide directions, and in truth I cannot give GPS waypoints because I do not have them. I go with another BFT member who has them and agrees to take me as long as I do not divulge too much info to others.

This spot was discovered by others after our trip last year, when they followed out our tracks. Within a few days that small spot was overrun with other anglers and it became covered with trash. That is what happens when we "hotspot" a favorite fishing hole. It is not a big area and when you cannot even fish your desired spot because of a bunch of happy harvesters it is discouraging.

There are quite a few worthwhile places on Utah Lake for ice fishing. But they are all very small areas and the folks who work hard to find them are usually not willing to share that info on a public forum.
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[FishingLunatic]

Wow, that spring hole is really cool, I've never seen anything like that! Next year I'd like to learn to fish UT lake beings as everything I catch in the Jordan River near me comes from there. I Got to either get me a motor for my float tube or talk my dad into taking out the boat so I can cover a decent distance on the lake and learn the depth of various places, structure, and just in general where the best fishing is. Last year the 1 time I went ended in utter disaster.

Long story short: my friend and I went there for the first time not knowing anything about the lake. He gets the tube that pumps air into my float tube stuck in his float tube(don't ask me how). We spend hours trying to get it unstuck and I was about to just say screw it and give fishing a shot off of the bank when all the sudden he gets the plug tube unstuck. We head out on our tubes and both nearly fell on our faces LOL! I knew Utah Lake was shallow but I was expecting it to be at least 2 or 3 feet deep where we were. It was so shallow that we could barely walk(and it was in that disgusting stinky sink mud) and it took forever to get out deep enough because of the poor walking conditions. We had to walk out at least 100 yards before it was deeper than than like 5 inches and and probably 100 or 200 more yards before it was like 4 or 5 feet deep.

Luckily I didn't get skunked and got me a whitie but we didn't stay for very long because by then it wasn't early, the fishing was slow, it was hot, and we were both hungry and grumpy lol. It was one of those it sucked at the time but its fun to rethink about moments. But yeah, I need to learn that lake better because I also see your posts and how it treats you very well. Thanks for sharing your trip.
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]Utah Lake can be a fun lake to fish...or it can be very frustrating. It is a different lake every time you go, with varying seasons and different water levels. But after fishing it for a half century I have managed to learn enough about it to make educated guesses on where to go and how to fish on most of my trips. During the current low water conditions it is more difficult.

When launching a float tube there are not many places around the lake that are tube friendly. I usually prefer to launch from the ramps at the various harbors. But there are other spots where you can launch from gravel shores or at least from faster slopes.

Here's something for you.
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[Flyfishinglover]

If you ever want too head out to the abyss you know who too call[].

Might head up there next week.
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[Drillguy33]

I was out there today I didn't do real well but there were a lot of fish being pulled out.
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[MrRojoneck]

Nice to see your report on 'The Abyss' again. I've always enjoyed reading them. I appreciate how detailed they are and also enjoy the picture to give us "slower" folk some visual aids. I sure do wish the Whities had more size to them but I know it'll take many moons for that to change.

I went out there last week with the little nieces and nephews who have never been ice fishing before and watched them pull dinks out for hours. They had fun and learned the basics of ice fishing, knots, jigging, baits, and the whole 9 yards. It was sure fun to see them , laugh and have a good time on the ice. I think I became the coolest uncles in the world that day, so that's all that matters.

Anywho, thanks for sharing. See y'all on the ice!

For anyone who wants to watch a few video clips of the action from this past week here' the link:
[url "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGOSaqscIKg"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGOSaqscIKg[/url]
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[Fin-S-Fish]

Yeah it seems like a bunch of people have figured out where good ol abyss is. Saw a small armada a few days ago out there and they brought plenty whites back but I decided I was too lazy to walk for 40 min as fast as I can walk. lol. I walked about a mile to a hidden crappie hotspot instead. You guys should maybe launch from the west side to mix things up a bit so it's harder for these guys to find the tracks haha.[] Looks like I'd better hit it soon before more guys clean things out lol. Love the pics!
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]That post was from early last year. Haven't been this year. I guess I have to take the blame for "spilling the beans". No problem with harvesting the whities but it is nice to have a spot or two where you can fish without making a hundred new friends.

That launch...from more heavily visited inlet park area...was for the sake of being able to get the wheeler on the ice. It was too iffy where we usually embark if we are just hiking and dragging sleds. The wheeler tracks in the new snow pretty much sealed the doom on our formerly quiet venue.
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]Thanks for the kindly comments. I also enjoy your contributions.

The past couple of years of low water have hit the whities hard. Poor overall spawn and poor feeding conditions in most parts of the lake. But the whities are like Jurassic Park dinos...they find a way. There are still quite a few footlongs or better, but the majority of this year's catch has been much smaller. Hopefully they will feed well this summer and will get some length and girth on them by this time next year.
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[BigEZ]

Pat, have you heard anything about the future of the Knolls? If you've already addressed it and I missed it I apologize.

Also, with your experience fishing the lake over the years have you witnessed a drop in white bass numbers like this before? Does it take a few years to get the schools back up to the wild numbers of the past?
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]The Knolls. Last I heard there were still amiable talks going on between DWR and the landowners...along with Utah County commissioners and other parties...to work out mutual agreements for getting the Knolls restored to public access...with some really nice improvements. But when so many agencies and individuals are involved...with attorneys...the wheels grind slowly. I am anxious myself. One of my fave areas.

In the 5 decades of my experience with Utah Lake I have seen several up and down cycles with the water levels and white bass populations. The last real downer was at the end of the last big drought which ended in the winter of 2004-2005. The white bass population got so low that a large part of the walleye population actually starved to death. But once the heavy snowpack of that winter filled the lake again it only took a couple of years before the white bass and walleyes were showing up in numbers...and in good sizes within another couple of years. It is not as bad now as it was then. Once conditions get a little better the white bass numbers will explode.
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[albinotrout]

Good info as usual. I hope the knolls issue is resolved soon as well. Also hope this winter snow pack helps the water levels out as well. Last time I was out on the water at AF it was really shallow way out.
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