Just a bit Early

Fishing Time: 6:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Weather: morning fog, high of 40 degrees, partly cloudy

Moon Phase: 80% moon

Location: Mouth of Provo River, and Jordan River near Inlet Park

Bait: Curly tailed Grubs, Gulp Minnows, earth worm drop shot style

Who Went: Me

Every once in awhile I get these crazy ideas stuck in my head and my mind drives me absolutely nuts until I fulfill the fantasy! I have been day dreaming all winter about catching some walleye this year, after catching a big goose egg of them in all of 2008! February is a little early to try and fulfill this fantasy, as they are very dormant during the winter months. But like I said, it's driving me nuts! So I did as any other crazy walleye angler would do and got to the lake an hour before sun up! It was freezing to say the least, but I was determined. When I pulled up to the Provo Boat Harbor the visibility was literally about 15 yards ahead. I drove in slowly trying to find my spot in the thick blanket of fog! I had a hard time finding a setting on my camera that would capture the darkness and fog together. The picture above was the best I could do. When it started to get light I tried to snap another pic trying all different settings, but I just couldn't find one that would focus through the thick fog. Its to bad as it would have been a great picture, but oh well. Okay on to the fishing. I rigged up with a black and chartreuse Mister Twister Jig and tipped it with a little sweetener (earthworm). After 3 casts I was back at the truck rigging up again. As you can see in the pictures there are trees everywhere and they extend right down into the water. This makes it really easy to donate a tackle box full of fishing gear very fast to the river! I put on another Mister Twister Jig and was back on the water. This time I got 4 casts in before my next donation, still without a bite. It was even more difficult staying snag free as it was dark and I could barely see where I was casting. I realized I needed to go to a more snag free set up, so I put on a chartreuse gulp minnow rigged drop shot style. It definitely helped with my snagging issues, but it didn't help me catch any fish. I stayed for about an hour and a half until I got that weird feeling that every fish was nestled underneath the ice of Utah Lake all cozy in their winter home and not moving. You win some and you lose some, but at least I don't have to drive myself nuts, with all my crazy thoughts anymore! I decided that my journey should not end on such a poor note, so I stopped by the Jordan River near Inlet Park where I have done well in the past catching small Largemouth, White Bass and Catfish!

As I was walking down the almost dry Jordan River, I started thinking I should be goose hunting instead of fishing. The goose hunt actually ended on January 27th, but what I saw was a goose hunters dream so I took some video.

As for the fishing, it didn't quite turn out as planned. I seem to do this every year. I get a little over anxious to catch warm water species and forget that it just isn't that easy until the ice is off the lakes and the lake water starts warming up a bit. I guess I think I'm a good enough fisherman that I can catch them anyway. Turns out just like last year, I was wrong! Unless you count the only fish I caught during the day with this 7 inch catfish.

End of February through March is the worst time to fish in Central and Northern Utah. The ice is still on most lakes but its starting to rot which creates not only unsafe ice, but extremely slow fishing! I always struggle with the month of March and trying to come up with new areas and ideas to catch fish. Last year I found Redmond for Northern Pike and that was fun, but I feel I need to explore some new places this March. Anyway, I left the peaceful Jordan River and called it a day. Next week I will be in Wyoming looking for Lake Trout.