06-20-2014, 07:44 PM
[#0000FF]Didn't know how the weird weather might affect the fishies but TubeBabe and I decided to do some research. Launched at Lindon about 6ish. Air temp 52 and water temp 66. Water level in the harbor is down to 3.5 feet. No action inside on the way out.
The Kitty Queen wanted to bend her sticks on some whiskery fish. So what else is new? I did not even take catfish gear. Rigged her up with the right stuff and some minnows. I took all light rods and a few crawlers. Figured I could play with a few white bass and maybe a stray walleye. Figured right, kinda. More on that later.
After going biteless inside the harbor and out along the rocks I headed for the bubbleup. Dragged some cranks and larger plastics on the way. Arrived at the buoys unmolested.
About my third cast near the end buoy on the bubbleup I got a nice whack and a spirited tussle. It turned out to be the cutest little footlong kitty. Took his picture and sent him back to grow a bit.
Moved along the pipeline, throwing larger plastics and then smaller plastics...and some crankbaits. Nada, zip, zilch until i was about halfway to shore...at the 4th bouy. Then I started getting some hits from whities. Brought in a few but all were under about 10 inches. Kept a couple for bait.
After the white bass left me I got two more fish...ugly mudders on the same small jigs. Hit hard and fought well on the light gear though.
TubeBabe had caught one 20 something channel cat on minnows and had a couple more missed inquiries. Then a long dry spell. Me too. So I started working small plastics in big S curves on the way back to the harbor...trying to find something substantial.
I changed plastics and tipped with fresh bait every few minutes...trying to repeat my catch of a nice walleye late last month. I was finally just about even with the channel entrance when I got a THUMP...followed by the characteristic head shakes of a walleye. Anybody who says walleye don't fight much has never hooked one like that one. It bored down and ran line off the drag on the light reel. Then it turned me around two or three times in my tube. I finally got it up near the surface and got confirmation on species. And WOW! It was a big fat mama. Guesstimate 28 - 30 inches and between 8 and 10 pounds. As I was lifting it to the surface for a final pull over the net it looked me in the eye, opened its mouth so I could see the little jig deep down inside, shook its head, cut the line and swam away with my jig...and my breath. I actually was able to reach out and touch the lower jaw with the end of my net before it pulled the Houdini routine.
Hey. I didn't cry. I consoled myself by saying I would have probably released it anyway. Prolly. But it didn't have to steal my jig to make a point.
TubeBabe and stayed in an area between the bubbleup and the harbor. She was getting some more bites and had landed a couple more cats. She finished up with 4. We have done better but that was respectable on a slow day. Oh yeah, she got a 7" crappie at the bubbleup too...but no whities for her.
The forecast breezes were starting to whisper up so we made an early day of it. Tried again inside the harbor and got no love later.
With the already low water levels it looks like another tough fall and winter on Utah Lake. Hope the white bass got off a good spawn. The ecology of the lake needs some more baby whities in the food chain.
[/#0000FF]
[signature]
The Kitty Queen wanted to bend her sticks on some whiskery fish. So what else is new? I did not even take catfish gear. Rigged her up with the right stuff and some minnows. I took all light rods and a few crawlers. Figured I could play with a few white bass and maybe a stray walleye. Figured right, kinda. More on that later.
After going biteless inside the harbor and out along the rocks I headed for the bubbleup. Dragged some cranks and larger plastics on the way. Arrived at the buoys unmolested.
About my third cast near the end buoy on the bubbleup I got a nice whack and a spirited tussle. It turned out to be the cutest little footlong kitty. Took his picture and sent him back to grow a bit.
Moved along the pipeline, throwing larger plastics and then smaller plastics...and some crankbaits. Nada, zip, zilch until i was about halfway to shore...at the 4th bouy. Then I started getting some hits from whities. Brought in a few but all were under about 10 inches. Kept a couple for bait.
After the white bass left me I got two more fish...ugly mudders on the same small jigs. Hit hard and fought well on the light gear though.
TubeBabe had caught one 20 something channel cat on minnows and had a couple more missed inquiries. Then a long dry spell. Me too. So I started working small plastics in big S curves on the way back to the harbor...trying to find something substantial.
I changed plastics and tipped with fresh bait every few minutes...trying to repeat my catch of a nice walleye late last month. I was finally just about even with the channel entrance when I got a THUMP...followed by the characteristic head shakes of a walleye. Anybody who says walleye don't fight much has never hooked one like that one. It bored down and ran line off the drag on the light reel. Then it turned me around two or three times in my tube. I finally got it up near the surface and got confirmation on species. And WOW! It was a big fat mama. Guesstimate 28 - 30 inches and between 8 and 10 pounds. As I was lifting it to the surface for a final pull over the net it looked me in the eye, opened its mouth so I could see the little jig deep down inside, shook its head, cut the line and swam away with my jig...and my breath. I actually was able to reach out and touch the lower jaw with the end of my net before it pulled the Houdini routine.
Hey. I didn't cry. I consoled myself by saying I would have probably released it anyway. Prolly. But it didn't have to steal my jig to make a point.
TubeBabe and stayed in an area between the bubbleup and the harbor. She was getting some more bites and had landed a couple more cats. She finished up with 4. We have done better but that was respectable on a slow day. Oh yeah, she got a 7" crappie at the bubbleup too...but no whities for her.
The forecast breezes were starting to whisper up so we made an early day of it. Tried again inside the harbor and got no love later.
With the already low water levels it looks like another tough fall and winter on Utah Lake. Hope the white bass got off a good spawn. The ecology of the lake needs some more baby whities in the food chain.
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[signature]
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