Knocking Off The Dust

It's finally time to start cat fishing again! I dug out my cat gear, blew off the dust, and headed down to the Jordan River. The water temps are rising, so the fishing is only going to get better from here. I've been out twice for a few hours each time. If you use worms, you can't keep the little fish off, so I suggest using cut bait. Both times I went, I landed mostly bullheads, with an occasional little channel catfish. Last night I finally felt that pull and power of a decent catfish. The fight didn't last long, but it was what I needed. Here's to looking forward to a great summer of fighting kitties!

 

A small channel catfish (left) and bullhead catfish (right).

Fishing day and night.

First keeper of the year at 22 inches.

Winter River Fishing

The Weber was calling my name, so I headed out yesterday in hopes of landing some big browns. I arrived around 7:30 and fished until noon. The river was a touch low, and a touch muddy. I would say there was about a foot visibility. With that, fishing was slower than usual. In the time I fished, I landed 14 brown trout, with a few others getting off right at my feet. Most fish were in the 16-17 inch range. Two were picture worthy, with the biggest going 23 inches.

What is interesting about that 23 incher is that it bit about 10 feet from where I was standing. I was in knee deep water, and had no idea he was there until he bit. Once he hit, I got a quick glimpse of him as he surfaced next to me as he ripped down river. It took me a few minutes to wear him down before he came to the net. I'm hoping I can get a few more trips in before the river gets too muddy to fish.

First picture worthy fish of the day.

 

Biggest and last fish landed.

The Cisco Disco and Polar Plunge at Bear Lake

Bonneville Cisco are one of three species of fish that can only be found in Bear Lake. They are normally in deeper parts of the lake except for a 2-3 week window where they spawn along rocky shorelines. This happens mid January through the first part of February. Because of their smaller size, anglers are able to use dip nets to catch their limit of 30 fish.

 

The Cisco Disco is something I've wanted to do for a long time, and the time finally arrived. It is held annually at Cisco Beach, where anglers get together to catch some fish, swap stories, and experience great food. My wife and I made a weekend out of it and headed up Friday after work. We had a fun evening, first stopping by Maddox in Brigham City for a steak on our way, and arrived at the timeshare with enough time to watch a show before calling it a night.

 

We woke up early, got bundled up, and headed to Cisco Beach on the opposite side of the lake. At Cisco Beach, there was a huge crowd already fishing when we arrived around 7:30. There were sections along the shoreline that had ice, while others preferred to put on their waders and venture out in open water. We found a spot on the ice and started making our hole. The ice was 1-2 inches thick, where we cut first, making it a little dicey. Since the water was only 2 feet deep, I took my chances, even after seeing a guy go through to his knees further down the bank.

We arrived to a large crowd!



The hole is cut, so let the fishing begin.

The one and only Bonneville Cisco.



A school of Cisco entering the danger zone. Notice how thin the ice is...


 

It took a few minutes of waiting before the first school of Cisco came into view. My first attempt to scoop some up failed because I got caught up in the rocks. A small adjustment on my part, and my next try produced my first ever Cisco! After that, it was smooth sailing to get my 30 fish. I handed the net over to Chelsea, and she got three on her first try! I snapped a quick pic, and she released them back into the lake, not wanting to hurt them.

 

11 Cisco in one scoop.

Chelsea got three on her first try. Great job Chels!

 

Mission accomplished.



My limit of 30 Cisco.

Once we were done fishing, Chels and I headed up to the camp where some generous locals provided hot scones, fried Cisco, fries, and hot chocolate. One of the people cooking was a guy that has provided me many fishing tips for Bear Lake through different online fishing forums, so it was nice to shake his hand and thank him in person for the help through the years (and the delicious food).

Hot food brought the crowd together.

Hot scones and fried Cisco.

enjoying a hot lakeside breakfast.

We headed back to the timeshare to have lunch and warm up before the next activity that started at noon. It was the 5th annual Bear Lake Polar Plunge where people from all over come to jump into the icy water to raise money for Hope Kids. Lots of individuals, as well as groups took the plunge. There were prizes for best costume, and largest group among others.

 

As the people started jumping in, the crowd cheered them on and laughed as many shocked faces emerged from the icy water. There were medical personnel standing by as well as large heaters to get people warm again. They raised $2,400 for the charity at this event. 

 

Groups getting ready for the polar plunge.

Batman and Bane set their differences aside for a good cause.

A large crowd anxious for the participants to jump in.

 

People taking the Polar Plunge.

 

We headed home around 1:30 p.m. I saw a few good looking riffles that looked fishy as the road followed the Logan River through the canyon. I brushed off the urge to stop at the first two holes I passed, but temptation finally got the best of me, so I pulled over at the next good spot I saw. I promised my wife I wouldn't be long, but I had to make a few casts. Well, the stop payed off. Within five minutes I landed two hungry Brown Trout. They weren't big, but they were enough to satisfy my curiosity. This is the only time I've attempted to fish the Logan River, and with this result, I think there will be a return trip to spend more time on this river.

 

Two Browns in five minutes.

 

 

First Pike Action of 2013

Great fishing reports are coming from Yuba Reservoir for Pike, so I decided to go down and see for myself. I arrived around 9 a.m. to calm conditions, and it remained that way just long enough for me to make it across the lake in my pontoon. That's when the wind kicked in, and it got nasty in a hurry! I stuck to two bays directly across from the State Park launch ramp to stay out of the bigger waves. I was throwing Rapalas's, and worked the shoreline and flooded brush. It took about 20 minutes of fishing before I felt the strike and violent head shake of my first pike of the day. I made one hard run and jumped a few times, but he couldn't shake the hook. I soon had him in he net, and the fight was over.

The next bay produced a few more pike, but the wind won out, and I started heading back to the dock. I had to go around, hugging the shore because of the white caps that had taken over the lake. This made for a long rough ride. I attempted a few casts along the way, but I realized I had to focus on just making it back. This trip was a short one. Just two hours of fishing, with a few pike to show for it. It was great to get into some fish, but hopefully the wind won't be so bad the next time.

 

On the board! First Pike of 2013!



An average Yuba Pike.

Here's a Baby Pike. Go tell your big brother I want to fight...

The wind and waves finally won, and I called it a day.

More Succesful Trips on the Weber

Since the last post, I've hit the Weber two more times. The first trip, I met up with Rob and we fished his property. This was going to be a fly fishing trip, but I forgot the most important thing to make that happen; a fly rod! Luckily my spinning rod was in the truck so at least I could still fish. Rob had his 5 weight, and was catching lots of fish. He was using a Hairs Ear with a Rainbow Warrior dropper, landing fish on both. Rob makes fly fishing look easy, and I always learn something from him when we fish together.

 

The fish we landed on this trip ranged from around 12-17 inches. As we fished, I would usually hit the hole behind Rob, and I picked up a few hear and there. We made it up to the whole where I caught big browns back-to-back, and I was chomping at the bit for another. I made my first cast and started reeling. As I jigged my lure in, I saw a huge flash in the water and had a monster hit, but I missed him! That was the biggest flash I have ever seen, and I missed a shot at what likely would have been a new personal best! While we were there we also saw a big brown come out of the depths to sip a fly off the surface. I wish I would have got it on film, because it happened right below the bank where I was standing. We didn't pull anything from that area, but we left seeing some big fish. On to trip number two...

Brown Trout.

Cutthroat Trout.

Mountain Whitefish.

On the second trip I hit a different section of the river that I haven't fished in a long time. This particular stretch of river has really changed from the last time I was here. Some of my favorite holes don't exist anymore from how much the river has shifted. The catching was a lot slower than previous trips, but this is the first time I have seen spawning beds this year. It seems that the spawn is finally starting!

The few fish I did catch all had good size to them. The surprise catch of the day was a thick 21 inch rainbow that gave me a great fight! With the way it ripped drag from my spinning reel, I can only imagine what it would have been like on a fly rod! I don't catch a lot of rainbows on the Weber,  so I looked at this fish as a major score! I also caught a nice cutthroat, and several browns in the 14-16 inch range. These were some fun trips, but the hunt goes on for that lunker brown...

21 inch rainbow. The biggest I've caught from the Weber.

Cutthroat Trout.