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I went to Porcupine Saturday afternoon for the first time. I have driven up there a couple of times in the last 10 years just to look, but didn't have a boat and didn't bother trying from shore. Having recently upgraded my canoe with an electric motor, having a son who was anxious to try it, and being just a few miles away Saturday morning, it looked like the stars had aligned.
We got on the water around 4, and motored out across the lake to start trolling clockwise around the west end of the lake. There were a lot of recreational users with SUP's, kayaks, and canoes. The east ramp was a real party with lots of people set up right on the ramp with trucks, cars, chairs and the like, so we went to the first, very steep ramp. We parked off the side of the ramp as there is no parking area got the canoe off the roof and loaded up and headed out.
My son trolled a jakes spin-a-lure, and I ran a pink casting spoon 2 feet in front of a 1-1/2' pink tube jig. I know this is not dedicated koke gear, but this was my first time fishing for them and I used what I had. I ran 3-4-5 colors of lead core line out alternately, but neither of us ever got a recognized hit. We decided to go home after spending all day in the sun about 7, empty handed but having enjoyed our day together. Putting the canoe back on the car on the steep ramp was interesting as the boat kept sliding downhill until we got it tied on.
My son Josh is old enough to enjoy the effort almost as much as the catching. He is a decent fisherman, as I am reminded when he can take a skunking in stride. Last year he gave me a note for fathers day that I keep in my wallet even a year later. It brings me great comfort every time I read it. He didn't sign it, perhaps to maintain plausible deniability, but I remind him of it often when we have a slow day. It says "You are an even better fisherman than Josh." Good times...
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Hey glad you guys got a day out to be together, sorry the fish didn't join the party for you... Kokes can be rather tough quarry... In fact kokes are the reason I bought my first fish finder... If you're not fishing right where they are located, then you're not going to catch them, they don't seem to move up and down to take your offering so you have to pull it in the right depth and have something they will smack on... The pig has been rather slow too, so I wouldn't feel bad about a rough first attempt... Lots of experts having a tough year up there and they know what to do to put fish in the boat.... Don't give up, but watch the reports to see when a few start biting, then try again... Good luck... J
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Until the DWR starts planting 10+" fish like they do at Causey and Jordanelle etc. fishing will be tough. Perhaps they acknowledge it will just be a trophy brown fishery and leave it at that.
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I'm pretty sure they will never plant the Pig, it's the lake where they take the kokes from, to plant them in other lakes or at least they use to. Things could have changed but as recently as two year back there were so many kokes in the Pig they have a 12 koke limit there. If this trend continues for much longer that 12 koke limit might change. I've never heard of the DWR planting kokes in Causey, are you reading this in the stocking reports?
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I think that he was saying 10" trout
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Live to hunt----- Hunt to live.
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OK, that makes sense, the pig has never been that good for trout fishing but planting 10" trout would likely make a difference.
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Sorry to hear you had no luck with the kokes. I think I may have talked to you briefly as you were headed towards the dam, I was in a yellow kayak.
My luck wasn't any better even with using a downrigger. I just don't think the fish were in the mood but it was a beautiful day to be on the water.
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I think we did talk to you, thanks for the suggestions on depth. We didn't find any fish, but did see a few jumping. While I would love it if everyone was catching fish around me and I just needed to dial them in a little, there is some consolation in not being the only person smelling of skunk.
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With the exception of 2013, they appear to have stocked around 21000 rainbows per year there, in addition to some occasional splake. You are right about the size though, 5.5 inchers in 2015 was the big year. All others in the last 5 years appear to have been 3.5" or less.
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Maybe they are trying to keep the big browns fed through the winter.
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Causey was only stocked the first few years for introduction of the Kokes. It is now a self-sustaining fishery.
As of last weekend it was still muddy though. Lots of water coming in. Koke fishing is tough with visibility at around 5 feet.
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Thanks for the info Brandon. I'm not sure who told me this but there is a rumor that a boat ramp is in the works for Causey, have you heard that as well?
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If they build a ramp, you can bet they will launch boats capable of producing over 100 decibels of that stuff they call music.
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Whaaaaat? A boat ramp?
That place is already a zoo in the summer with swimmers and paddle boarders. If they do put one in I hope they make the place wake-less or it will turn into Pineview. -Just my two cents-
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It's a wakeless lake now, you just have to carry your boat to the water. Who knows if it will even happen but it could just be a dirt ramp, like the ones at the Pig.
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I wouldn't be surprised if they outlawed gas motors after building a ramp. Build a ramp, people bring big loud boats, outlaw motors. For lakes that small ramps are bad news.
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[quote wiperhunter2]OK, that makes sense, [#ff0000]the pig has never been that good for trout fishing[/#ff0000] but planting 10" trout would likely make a difference.[/quote]
I have to disagree with that comment, porcupine in the eighties was incredible, we used to catch full limits of 20+" cutthroats up there. It used to be so good, but then they got trendy with all the splake and etc. and ruined what used to be a great lake... Of coarse that was back in the days of seasonal fishing with no winter or ice fishing so who knows what put the hurt on the lake, but it was a great pond in those days... Still find one of those nice cuts every once in a while.. But I guess that's when Newton was a great trout pond too, so things change... Later J
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[quote SkunkedAgain]I have to disagree with that comment, porcupine in the eighties was incredible, we used to catch full limits of 20+" cutthroats up there. It used to be so good, but then they got trendy with all the splake and etc. and ruined what used to be a great lake... Of coarse that was back in the days of seasonal fishing with no winter or ice fishing so who knows what put the hurt on the lake, but it was a great pond in those days... Still find one of those nice cuts every once in a while.. But I guess that's when Newton was a great trout pond too, so things change... Later J[/quote]
It could be I just did not fish it as much back then but I never did that good back in the 80's but that was when I did catch my biggest fish there a 25", 5 lb brown[  ]. I do remember those toads that came out of Newton, there were some fat pig bows being caught there during those years and if you were not careful they would pull your pole right in, with they took your bait[crazy]. Been lots of changes every where in Utah since those days.
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My guess would be the brown trout population is out competing the cutts. Porcupine is one of the few reservoirs in Utah where it is mostly comprised of brown trout. Other reservoirs they are considered somewhat rare and rainbows or cutts are the predominant catch. Porcupine has a very healthy population of wild browns. A few years ago I fished the pig at ice off and probably caught 20-30 trout. All of them were browns, and one was a cutt. There are a lot more trout in there than you think, but they don't exactly hit power bait or are active at the times people expect them to be.
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Yes there are lot's of changes since then, look at Bear Lake... Don't know if you remember back then when all you could catch was long snakey looking cuts... Man that pond has sure improved ... At least in my opinion... Later J
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