First Walleye of 2012

Fishing Time: 6:00 pm to 9:30 pm
Weather: Partly cloudy, strong winds from the south, T-60's
Moon Phase: 93% Moon
Location: Provo River (above Deer Creek)
Bait: 1/8 to 1/4 oz curly tailed grubs, rapalas, crankbaits
Who Went: Tim Duke, Rick, Me

With Utah Lake producing no walleye the past two trips, Rick and I took a chance and hit the Provo River above Deer Creek a little earlier this year to see if the walleye have begun spawning up river yet. This winter and spring has been mild giving us hope that it might begin a little earlier this year.

Upon arrival the river looked great in comparison to last year. Last year the flows were three times the average at 900 cfs, and made fishing almost impossible. This year it’s around 300 cfs, which is more typical for this time of year. With the slower moving current on our side, our confidence was sky high. Not to mention the fact we met up with Tim Duke from The Rocky Mountain Anglers who tipped us off on this place to begin with, and has had a lot of success up there in the past. We hit Tim’s favorite holes casting 1/8 oz jigs in assorted colors along with rapalas and crankbaits. The idea was to retrieve your lure very slowly keeping contact with the bottom as much as possible. We hooked up with multiple rainbows including one bruiser that Tim caught probably pushing the 4 pound mark, but still we were without a walleye.

Just before dark we made a big move and headed to the Charleston Bridge that sits right at the mouth of the Provo River entering Deer Creek Reservoir. I had on a 1/8 oz jig in tequila sunrise (black and chartreuse) and on the first cast I landed my first walleye of the year (picture above). It was an average male at about 16-18 inches, but made my night. With my first cast producing a walleye we thought it was going to be a good night, but as usual, it ended up being the only walleye caught. We casted for another hour or so and then called it a night.