Weather: Hot, clear skies, high 90's, got windy at night
Water Temp: 70-72 degrees
Who Went: JJ, Ed, Me
We went out to Utah Lake for what was to be an all night catfest, until the bugs changed our plans. We got there at 5:00 p.m. and launched out of Provo Boat Harbor, heading straight for Mud Lake. We fished quite a few areas in Mud Lake but couldn't find any kitty cats that were hungry enough to bite. So, we moved to where the Spanish Fork River comes into the lake and again the same luck there. I was not going to be denied today as I have had a rough time finding Channel Cats this year so we made the jaunt out to Bird Island where I usually have success. Bird Island was a little harder to find this year with the water so high there wasn't much of an island left. It's scary though cause you know there is an island just below the water.
We spent a half hour trying to find the right spot to fish until we found an area that had a lot of humps and dips. This seemed like the perfect structure for catfish to hide in so we threw anchor. I rigged one pole with weight and carp meat and sent it to the bottom and then one with a bobber and shrimp. Shortly after both poles were out I had my first hit on the carp meat. I set the hook and the ride began. I could tell it was a good fish and was excited when we landed this guy.
The Belly on him was huge and he weighed in at 7 pounds. Not more than 3 minutes after putting this one in the livewell I looked out and couldn't see my bobber. I looked down and my line was tight so I grabbed my pole and fish on. It was another good fight and this one was just under 7 pounds.
Cari finally found time in her busy schedule to come fishing this weekend so we planned an all day trip to Yuba Reservoir. The day before we left I talked to my father in-law and he told me that there was a kids for cancer charity walleye and bass tournament going on up at Starvation Reservoir. John and Linda were both going up there as John's company Marine Max was sponsoring the tournament. We changed our plans and headed to Starvation. We didn't fish the tournament cause it was $250 dollars a head. We got there around 8:00 a.m. to find no parking, and a very busy marina due to the tournament. We finally got it figured out and were on the water at 9:00. I headed over to Saleratus Wash to see if we could locate any Walleye only to find 20 boats in the spot I wanted to try! This seemed to be the way the story went for the first part of the morning, every point and cut was filled with tournament boats. I finally found a good cove where I have done well for smallmouth in the past straight across from the main boat ramp. Cari let me do the fishing as she decided to get a cold Pepsi and lay out on the back of the boat and soak up some rays. I started out throwing a roboworm rigged drop shot and soon landed this feisty smallmouth. 
Shortly after I landed the biggest smallie of the day with a nice 2 pounder. This fish got Cari pretty excited and now she was wanting in on some of the action. I rigged her up drop shot style and put on a live earthworm and within 5 minutes she had on her own smallmouth, but she wanted to take a picture with the big fish instead.
We picked up John and Linda from the docks and off we went in search of some more smallies. They really liked our new boat and were excited to finally get out on it with us. They enjoyed the day and relaxed in the shade under the bimini top!
We fished for another hour catching a few here and there and then headed back in to see how the tournament fisherman did at the weigh in. We relaxed under the pavilion and looked at all the prizes for the winners. The fisherman had some decent bass but nothing to get to excited about. We loaded the boat, cleaned it up and headed for Mapleton for the Duncan Family Reunion. We drove down Indian Canyon merging into highway 6 and the scenery was absolutely gorgeous. We snapped a few photos but only this one came out okay.
Once the excitement wore off from finally seeing a Largemouth caught out of Utah Lake we started realizing how hot it was! We packed up and got out of there. It was the busiest I have ever seen the AF Boat Harbor! I guess that's what happens on the first Saturday of the year in the 90's!
Then I found this guy tucked back in a little shaded inlet full of thick reeds. He was the big boy of the day coming in at 3 pounds. He was the same length as the others but had a full belly.
If this change sticks at the I-80 Pond it may make for fewer bass to catch, but man the possibilities on size are endless!
We used one of the bass and cut him up for bait, as JJ wanted to try for some catfish. We had many blown opportunities as his bobber would go down but we were to busy reeling in White Bass to notice. That is until Jaws decided to hit and took his bobber down to never come up again. I saw it just as it happened and screamed at JJ. He grabbed his pole and the fight began. The fish took a few runs making it so that we couldn't see him, but we all figured it was a big ole cat. We finally got the net on him and JJ was thrilled as this is the biggest fish he has ever caught. A 5 and a half pound Utah Lake Channel Cat! He held it up proud for a pic!
He ended up catching one more small mud cat, but other than that it was all White Bass. We must have caught close to a hundred and could have caught more if we took it more serious. As it was getting dark the sunset was absolutely gorgeous, so I will leave you with these pics. What a fun trip, and finally Dave and JJ have a good time with success fishing on the boat!
