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Saturday we went to Yuba to see if we could get in one last open water fishing trip, but it was iced over except a few very small pockets of open water by the Oasis ramp. We tried it for a while and then gave up. Strange that the day before the reservoir was largely opened and froze with skim ice in one night.
Sunday I drove to Utah Lake to check out conditions. Arriving at Lincoln Beach I was fortunate enough to witness a flock of gulls diving on bait near the warm springs. The air was full of screeching birds that were diving on bait and their efforts were very successful. The bait fish I could see them take appeared to be about 3 or 4 inches at best. Probably white bass based on the efforts of two fishermen fishing there who were catching fish with nearly every cast.
The birds would flock up and dive much like a boil in the ocean and then dissipate only to come back again. Occasionally they would leave the warm springs area and dive close to shore in the open water north of the springs and almost on top of where the fisherman were. It must have been a huge school of white bass based on everything I saw.
In salt water when diving birds are present it means predators have driven bait to the surface and generally these conditions can provide great fishing. Due to the shallow waters of the warm springs and nearby open water in the lake this might not have been the case, but I was thinking Northern Pike or walleye might be laying under the bait fish. Who knows, but it was interesting to witness.
The birds in the air might be hard to see. I used my phone instead of the camera. Video would have been better as the sound effects add to the sight.
Merry Christmas and be safe on the ice.
[url "http://www.handinhandoutdoors.org"]http://www.handinhandoutdoors.org[/url]
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The warmer water will attract the fish nicely. Thanks for the report.
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[cool]Nice report, Pezvela! It looks and sounds to me like the white bass (and probably other panfish) are schooling up right there around and in the springs. I would love to catch some catfish bait for next summer and nothing catches them better than fresh white bass meat. I think I might need to make a trip out there in the next couple of days before it freezes up again (for good this time) for the winter, as cold temps are on their way after tomorrow (Tuesday).
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I went down again yesterday. The birds were once again feeding on the small white bass. The schools of small WB must be very large.
When the birds were feeding the fishing for larger WB dropped off and as they moved out again, the bigger fish would bite once again. It would have been a perfect opportunity to throw a round net to gather up some bait, but I didn't have one with me and I wasn't sure if it would have been legal to gather them that way.
The mature fish were healthy and aggressive. When I arrived there were 4 or 5 fisherman who were catching buckets of fish. The majority of fish I saw caught were taken on small tube jigs or grubs in white or red with a chartreuse tail.
When I get another opportunity I think I will go back down and catch some bait. Nothing catches channel cat on Utah Lake better than white bass as bait.
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[#0000FF]Hey Steve. Thanks for the intel. A couple of comments on the baby white bass.
1. There was a poor spawn again this year for white bass. They did not show up in any numbers at all at all the usual places. Those of us who fish for them for catfish bait had a tough time even catching enough for a trip or two. Overall numbers are low and it does not bode well for future years of white bass. With the survivors being concentrated around the warm inflows it makes them vulnerable to all their predators and the numbers will be even further reduced.
2. Even though there is no limit on white bass, they are still a "protected" species and may be taken only by angling. If one catches them incidentally in minnow traps or cast nets they must be released. I think this is silly in a lake where they are usually overpopulated and need constant thinning (except during the tail end of a long drought). But I have brought it up at a couple of RAC meetings and the DWR folks just roll their eyes heavenward and fail to bring it up for vote...just like the use of corn in Utah Lake and Willard...for carp.
You are right about white bass being a foolproof bait for cats...in Utah Lake. I try to always have some with me. Sometimes the fish preference leans toward carp meat but at some point in any day on Utah Lake the cats will slurp up white bass...either whole small ones or strips or chunks of larger ones.
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[#0000FF][#0000FF][b]Looks like Mama Nature is going to stack up some lake filler (snow) in the mountains this winter. Hope it is enough to refill Utah Lake and allow some good spawns again before a massive walleye dieoff like there was at the end of the last drought...in 2004.
Hope there will be enough water to float the Freedom Maru again this year.
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I caught Pezvela's post just after it hit my puter and immediately dropped the egg nogg I'd been nursing all morning and headed for the springs to see what was going on. Sure nuf, saw three gents there hauling in wb about every other cast. Didn't take my fish pole with me but still walked out and talked to the fellers. Their primary language was different than mine but they were friendly chaps and shared what they were using. They had a five gallon bucket full of wb and were in the process of adding it to a large cooler in the back of their vehicle. Hmmm......
I could really use a dozen or so wb for the early start of the catfish season so I was at the springs at 8:30 this morning. Cold, pert nigh froze my butt off. Stiff wind and sleet seemed to go right through my water-proof gear. Caught three wb with maybe a dozen or so casts before I had to give up. Awkward fishin' cause I have a big cast on my right paw from some trigger finger surgery. Had to wear a bread bag over my hand so casting was a little haphazard. Lost two of my TD red heads in the rocks, ouch. Plan to give it another go as soon as weather and paw permits... slow the freeze up just a little please.
While I'm postin' I'll take the opportunity to wish all a merry Christmas. Hope Santa gives you everything you need for a good year of fishin'.
BLK
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Thanks for the report Lynn. You are a die hard that's for sure.
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