UL Kitty's

[Bmason]

With this warm winter and the ice already melting on a lot of the lower lakes. Does anyone have any pointers on winter Cat Fishing from shore in Utah Lake, I have a spot near the Provo marina during the warm summer month's but with the lake only being 60% full and a little on the cold side I have no idea what the kitty's are up to. Any help would be appreciated!
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[perchpile2]

With as low as it is, and as much trash as there is along the shore, maybe they are stocking up on kitty litter. Sorry... I couldn't help myself. []
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[joevanoni]

I have had good success in the past around the American fork boat harber, just have to be willing to spend the hours there.
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[Gemcityslayer]

[quote Bmason]With this warm winter and the ice already melting on a lot of the lower lakes. Does anyone have any pointers on winter Cat Fishing from shore in Utah Lake, I have a spot near the Provo marina during the warm summer month's but with the lake only being 60% full and a little on the cold side I have no idea what the kitty's are up to. Any help would be appreciated![/quote]

Make sure you have fresh bait. 2-3 worms on a hook can be very good for them in the Spring if you can't get fresh cut bait.

They could be pretty shallow on warm days but move around until you find them.
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]Don't get in too big of a hurry if you are fishing from shore. I am usually one of the first cat chasers on the water each year...after ice out...and I seldom find fish in shallow water until water temps have gone above about 50 degrees. Of course there can always be a stray cat or two wandering in closer but not likely.

Fishing in anything less than about 5 feet of water is probably not going to produce much...except maybe a white bass or two. And with the current low water conditions you might have to be two hundred yards or more offshore to find that depth...at least along the east side of the lake. That is a long cast.

It has been a "warm" winter...but not THAT warm. Even though the ice is coming off early the water temps will stay cold for a while yet. Until daytime temps get in the sixties with nighttime temps above 40 the kitties will be staying in winter mode.

That being said, March is sometimes surprisingly good for awakening cats. And also surprisingly they are often active after dark...near shore. The rock dikes at Lincoln Beach can produce some big cats early in the year. I often catch some of my biggest cats of the year before the other guys even start fishing for them.

Your spot near the Provo River that is good to you in summer is not likely to treat you very well in the cold weather. Cats usually come into much shallower water in the summer...both for spawning and for feeding. Totally different in colder times.

Watch the boards. There are a few of us cataholics that will be starting the prospecting process soon. We will report on the areas and depths where we find active kitties. Even in a boat or float tube it often requires working a large area to scare up some willing cats. Plunking down and casting from just one spot kinda handicaps your efforts unless you get really lucky.
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[FishMcFisherson]

I never do much damage on the cats until April, but I'm sure you could catch some here and there.

I'd recommend shrimp or carp meat out as far as you can cast.
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[albinotrout]

Get your tube or toon ready if you have one. This will give you more flexibility when hunting early cats.
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