Utah Lake - Bad Fishing But Good Eating

Fishing Time: 9:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Weather: Clear, no wind, 80's
Moon Phase: 18% Moon
Location: Utah Lake
Water Temp: Main Lake - 57, Harbor = 60, Bass Hole = 63
Bait: Walleye = jigs, Bass = jig & trailer, drop-shot, Catfish = bobber and worm
Who Went: JJ, Dad, MeMy dad wanted to go fishing this Saturday before he heads back to work after recovering from heart surgery, but unfortunately most his favorite trout waters are still under a thick layer of ice. He said he was willing to go anywhere so I gave him 4 options… Willard Bay, Pineview, Deer Creek, or Utah Lake. It surprised me when he said Utah Lake, but I happily obliged and that’s where we headed.

We got there bright and early around 9:30 (early for my dad) and began the day drifting jigs just north of the dikes at Provo Boat Harbor to see if we could get lucky and pick up a walleye, but it didn’t happen. We headed over to my new secret bass hole and found that it wasn’t a secret at all! There were multiple bass boats in there and they all acted ticked off that everyone else new about the spot. I talked to most of them and they were not having much luck. One guy said he got there early that morning before everyone else and landed 4. I caught one largemouth and that was it. My dad spent his time trying to catch a carp! Don’t have a clue why, but in his mind a big carp has more allure than a largemouth bass, weird! It looks like my honey hole is an early in the year location because it was more than annoying having all those boats in there. I waited in line behind another boat to try the inlet where the fishing is usually best, but didn’t even get a bite. It looked as if it had been hammered all morning. One fisherman said there were 3 boats trying to fish it at one time earlier in the day! No thanks, I’m done with that spot!

With perfect weather and not a ripple on the water we cruised out to Bird Island to see if any kitties wanted to play and were greeted by 8 other boats. Sat there and fished for about 2 hours and didn’t even get a bite. Never saw any other boats land a fish either and they all left before we did. Obviously it’s still too early for the kitty cats.

Best part of the trip was the spread that my dad brought for lunch. When he showed up to my house, it took us 10 minutes to load the grocery bags full of goodies. He had everything from peanuts and snickers to my new favorite candy... sweet and sour twizzlers! We sat out by Bird Island while my dad made us the best sandwich that has ever graced the presence of my boat! Marinated steak and chicken with all the fixins from fresh sliced tomatoes, pickled peppers, horseradish and sprouts. You name it and he had it. The fishing was bad, but the eating was good, just like always when I'm with my old man! I don't know if he would admit it, but I think that's his favorite part of the trip, making and serving good food to me and my buddies. Well done dad, and I wish I could have returned the favor by being a better guide and helping you land a fish!

On our way in from Bird Island we did some scoping around down the shoreline along the airport dike road to see if I could find those clear open holes that Rick and I found last week. Really tough to see from the lake so I gave up quickly. Headed back to the harbor and battled 8 other bass boats to fish along the rocky dikes inside the harbor for bass. Again didn't catch any fish or see any landed. One interesting note was that the dikes are about 1 foot from being covered in water. In one spot the water has already made it over to the other side. The lake is already past full pool and it’s becoming evident that flooding this year is inevitable. We loaded the trailer and went home disappointed in the fishing, but any day on the water with the old man is a good day.

One word for this trip… BUSY! There were boats everywhere. Probably due to the fact it was the first nice day in May for people to get their boat out. It was a warm day pushing 80 degrees. Water temp at the bass hole was 63 and the main lake was 57. Inside the harbor was 60. The lake should go bonkers next week for white bass!