The Walleye Spawn is On

Fishing Time: 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Weather: Record warmth, T-80s, no wind, clear skies.
Moon Phase: 79% Moon
Location: Utah Lake (mouth of Provo River)
Bait: Curly tailed grubs (assorted colors), rainbow tube jigs.
Who Went: Tim Duke, Rick, MeThe spawn is officially on at the mouth of the Provo River entering Utah Lake. Rick and I met Tim Duke down at the mouth of the Provo to do a little walleye fishing, but first made a stop up river to see if the walleye might be up their spawning. Sure enough the river is filled with spawning walleye, including some monsters. You could see the big females sitting in the current with 2-3 smaller males frantically waiting their turn to get close to her. It was an awesome sight to see. After spending close to an hour drooling over some of the bigger fish, we headed down to the mouth of the Provo where it’s actually legal to fish. The upper river is closed this time of year in order to let the walleye do their “thing” in peace. It keeps the snaggers at bay!

Rick and I got their first, and began casting our classic Utah Lake walleye jigs in ¼ oz and an assortment of bright and natural colors. A half hour later, Tim showed up and had a bite on his first cast. On his second cast he landed the biggest walleye of the evening at 24-inches.It was a beauty, but looked like a spawned out female and a bit on the skinny side. On Tim’s third cast he landed another smaller male that got off right as he reached down to grab it. Talk about a 5 minute clinic on walleye fishing. This gave us hope that the night was going to be gangbusters, but as usual with walleye fishing, things change quickly. We all continued fishing for the next 2 hours with no fish to show for it, other than a couple solo white bass. Tim left around 7 p.m. and Rick and I kept casting in hopes of landing a walleye of our own.

Just as darkness fell upon us, Rick finally landed an average male about 16-18 inches.I went home without a bite. 4 hours of casting and no bites can really take a toll on you. Wanting to get my spirits up, we went back up to the Provo River where the walleye were spawning and shined a flashlight down on them. The instantaneous glow from their big illuminating eyes was awesome! The whole river was glowing. We hung around for another half hour mesmerized by the amount of walleye in one place. It was by far the highlight of the night.