The Year of 2020 Just Keeps on Giving

Fishing Time: 8:30 am to 11:00 am

Weather: -2 degrees on arrival, but sunny with no wind

Moon Phase:  Full Moon

Location:  Strawberry Reservoir

Best Bait: White cutter bug tipped with a minnow

Who Went:  Bobber John, Anthony Schuler, Devin Duncan, Addison Duncan, Dayton Duncan, Dunc

It’s Christmas break and the kids want to ice fish.  The plan was Scofield, but a last-minute decision had us at Strawberry hoping for safe ice.  We slowly made our way out and conducted an ice check…  

Ice was 3-4 inches, but water depth was only 10 ft.  We kept venturing out and another ice check had us at 3 inches of ice and 24 ft deep, so we set up the tent, and rigged up the rods.  

The fish finder was not showing any fish and after a half hour with no bites I decided we needed to make a move.  We packed everything up and wandered further out into the lake.  Drilled some holes and now had 2-2.5 inches of ice and 34 ft deep.  I dropped the fish finder in and immediately saw fish.

Devin was the first to strike with a nice cutthroat and followed it up with another one shortly after.  We were in a good spot, so I set up the tent and was getting the kids comfortable when it happened…

It felt like an earthquake and the ice started shaking and rumbling.  A large crack made its way through our tent and continued across the lake.  Addi looked at me with pure fear in her eyes and said, “I wanna go home”.  Honestly, I didn’t blame her, and it was a bit scary, but we were catching fish and the weather was perfect!  I tried talking to her, but then another rumble came from below and I knew we were done. 

We started packing up and Bobber looked over to see his rod getting bites.  He ran as fast as he could, but the rod disappeared through the ice hole right as he got there.  Then 30 seconds later his boy Anthony stepped into an open ice hole and was soaked from the waist down.  It was getting better by the second. 

Then to top things off we found parking tickets on our vehicles after hauling all the gear off the rumbling ice.  We drove over to the store, paid our $12-dollar tickets and headed home.  I was complaining about the trip and Devin had a great comment.  He said, “Dad it is 2020 you know”.  I laughed and said, “Your right son, I will quit complaining”. 

Bear Lake Whitefish

Fishing Time: 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm

Weather:  Cold, slight breeze, T-20s

Moon Phase: New Moon

Location:  Bear Lake, second point

Best Baits: Curly tail grub tipped with worm

Who Went:  Rick Everson, Bobber John, Dunc

After a long drought fishing with the trio we decided we needed to get out somewhere together.  Not many options this time of year, but the Bear Lake Whitefish are always fun.  We were going to take the boat, but threats of snow caused us to take the waders instead.  We arrived to cold, but decent conditions.  Rick had a great idea and brought his ice shack and heater.  We set it up and it was a lifesaver for cold hands and feet.  The fishing was slower than usual, but we managed to pull in a few.  The curly tail grub on an 1/8^th oz jig head in any color was still the best producer.

Lake Powell 2020

Fishing Time: Thursday to Sunday (September 17-20)

Weather:  Mostly Sunny, breezy at times, T-90s

Moon Phase: New Moon

Location:  Lake Powell

Mudline: No mudline, found slightly stained water in Red Canyon

Best Baits: mid-diving crankbaits, curly tail grub, topwater baits

Who Went:  Sean Mitchell, Bobber John, Dunc

With Covid-19 ruining most things fun in the year 2020 we had to cancel our spring Lake Powell trip this year.  Lake Powell was closed in March and April due to the coronavirus.  I’ve never been to Lake Powell in the Fall.  I’ve done the summer boating/ski trips, but all my fishing trips have been in the spring time, with one exception being the dead of winter.  I was excited to see what fishing at Lake Powell would be like during fall conditions and the colors were on full display on the drive down.

We rented a little trailer in Ticaboo and skipped the camping this trip.  It’s amazing how much less gear you need when you leave the camping supplies at home.  However, nothing beats Spring camping at Lake Powell.

Thursday (Sept 17) – We arrived at our trailer around noon, unpacked, rigged up our rods, and went straight to the lake.  

We kept the fishing close with only a half day of sun left and motored across Bullfrog Bay to a shoreline near Halls Creek Marina.  We caught two nice smallies on the first two casts!  I like fall fishing already.  The action stayed consistent, but the size decreased with only a few good bass in the mix.  The curly tail grub on an 1/8^th oz jig head in assorted colors was the bait of the day.

Friday (Sept 18) – We ran north up to the Good Hope Bay.  We started fishing in Ticaboo Canyon with calm winds and bass a plenty.  

Again, it was tough to find fish with size, but the topwater action for little smallmouth and largemouth kept our interest.  We must have landed 20 a piece, with some exploding out of the water to hit our topwater baits.  

In the back of Ticaboo I switched to a crankbait and finally landed a fish with shoulders. 

By the time we made it out of Ticaboo Canyon the wind paid us a visit and we tried to hide in Red Canyon.  

Conditions became worse as we worked the shorelines in Red, so we turned to trolling.  We found the smallest school of stripers I have ever seen in the back of Red Canyon and Sean was able to check this species off his list.  

We couldn’t find a striper over 6-inches, and Bobber landed the smallest one I've ever seen.  The lure is almost as big as the fish.  

We moved up lake to the Horn in search of some bigger fish.  The wind was miserable, and we left without a bite.  We motored into Scorup Canyon (a.k.a. Ultra Canyon) to hide from the wind and try our luck for crappie.  We found quite a few willing smallmouth, but never did land a crappie.  The wind wasn’t letting up, so we headed back to the Bullfrog area and hit some shorelines that produced the day before.  The catch rate picked up, but the wind took a toll on our sanity.  We tucked our tails early and retreated to the fish cleaning station.  We filleted a good amount of fish and made a delicious fish dinner that night.

Saturday (Sept 19) – We started the morning in Bullfrog Bay where we were having the most success.  Topwater was the ticket and my new Whopper Plopper was on fire!  

We all put a bunch of fish in the boat, but it was Sean that had the chance for his personal best.  He was throwing a small crankbait and laid into a 3-4 pound largemouth.  He did everything right, but the bass made his way to the surface and spit his lure back towards the boat.  Sean was bummed, but we encouraged him to keep casting for another chance.

That evening we moved into the back of Halls Creek Bay.  There were a lot of water skiers zipping around and that was a bit annoying, but we found some back bays that looked amazing.  Unfortunately, looking amazing and fishing amazing are two different things.  We caught a couple, but not what we expected with how good it looked.  

Before dark we made our way back to the shoreline that kept producing and put some more good fish in the boat.  

Sunday (Sept 20) – Our last day and back to our honey hole.  The topwater was still producing, but I decided to try a crankbait and found some nicer fish.  Sean followed suit and got his second chance!  He made a great cast alongside a shallow island and smacked a great bass.  Sean fought it well and landed his personal best 4-pound largemouth bass.  

It was a beauty and I’m glad he got the chance to redeem himself.  We caught a few more good fish that morning , including a random channel catfish, before calling it quits and heading north back to Salt Lake City. 

Conclusion:

I was impressed with fall fishing at Lake Powell.  We caught way more fish than I expected.  The water was warm and made it nice to jump in and swim when you were hot.  Not a fun option in the spring when water is the upper 50s.  The size of the bass seemed to be smaller than what we usually catch in the spring, but we caught enough larger fish to keep it interesting and Sean landed a PB.  The weather was better than most spring trips, but that also brought out more of the ski boats to contend with, which is a bit annoying.  It made for some choppy water in the main channels, but the warm sun felt good at times.  We caught a lot of largemouth bass, although the size was typically small with only a few larger ones. The smallmouth fishing was bonkers, but the crappie were no where to be found and neither were the walleye.  We found the stripers, but the size was pitiful. 

Topwater was the highlight of the trip.  To be honest I had no idea it was so effective in the fall.  You could have used it all day long and been successful.  I was landing 2-3 fish in the mornings on topwater at the docks waiting for Bobber to park the truck after launching the boat.  Fall makes for a fun trip and I definitely look forward to doing it again.

Dayton Lands a Big One

Fishing Time: 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm

Weather:  Hot, no breeze, T-90s

Moon Phase: New Moon

Location:  Sunset Ponds, Draper, UT

Best Baits: marabou under bobber for sunfish, shiner fluke for bass

Who Went:  Alex Covili, Dylan Covili, Devin Duncan, Addison Duncan, Dayton Duncan, Dunc

Coming off the hot action at the golf course pond yesterday, Devin was begging to get back out and fish with his cousins.  I agreed to run them down to Sunset Ponds and let them fish for the evening.  When we arrived, Alex, Dylan, and Devin were off to the next pond, so I sat with Addi and Dayt while they fished the first pond.

Addi was doing well getting bites on her bobber with a marabou jig and caught a few small sunfish.

Dayton decided he was going to rig something up for bass and his creative mind impressed me.  The moss was really bad and made it difficult to throw and retrieve anything without tangling in the moss that was growing almost to the surface.  Dayt decided to use his bobber as a float and then rig up a fluke about 3 feet below the bobber.  This allowed him to use a bass bait, but keep it out of the moss as he reeled in. 

Now I have heard there are largemouth bass in Sunset Ponds but never witnessed anyone catch one or seen photos of the proof.  Dayton proved me wrong tonight as I looked over to see him reeling in something that was bending the rod more than a sunfish was capable of.  Even so I thought he must have lucked into a rainbow trout.  I was wrong.  He landed this nice bass all by himself, including the fluke and bobber setup.  Proud moment for his dad.

Devin Lands a Big One

Fishing Time: 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm

Weather:  T-90s

Moon Phase: New Moon

Location:  Hobble Creek Golf Course Pond

Best Baits: Curly tail grub tipped with worm

Who Went:  Alex Covili, Dylan Covili, Devin Duncan, Addison Duncan, Dayton Duncan

So, I wasn’t there to witness it, but I had to share a proud moment as a dad.  My family spent some time at our family cabin the last few days, but unfortunately work got in the way and I wasn’t able to make it.  Apparently, the kids snuck down to the golf course with rods in hand to try their luck on one of the golf course ponds.  Devin rigged up a curly tail grub tipped with a worm and landed a beauty of a brown trout.  I love the fact he knew how to rig up an effective bait and fish it with success.  Awesome job dude!

Slob Smallies at Pineview Reservoir

 

Fishing Time: 5:30 am to 11:00 am

Weather: Sunny, hot, T-90s, calm wind

Moon Phase: 99% Moon

Location:  Pineview

Best Bait:  Trolling Deep Diving Crankbaits, perch and multi-color

Who Went:  Bobber John, Dunc

We headed out early morning dragging Bobbers boat to Pineview in order to beat the boaters to the lake and chase some musky and smallmouth.  Bobber John has been up there quite a bit this year and it sounded like the musky fishing has been extremely slow.  We tried a different tactic today and trolled an assortment of musky lures and crankbaits instead of our usual casting techniques.

The weather was perfect, and the lake was calm all day.  We started trolling right from the boat ramp dragging J-13 Rapalas around the narrows, back to Anderson Cove, and then around Cemetery Point.  It was a long morning with no bites until we hit Cemetery point, when finally, Bobbers rod doubled over, and we landed the first fish of the day.  It wasn’t a musky, but it got us excited when he reeled in a beauty smallmouth bass.

The trolling continued around Cemetery Point and within minutes it was my turn.  The fish jumped immediately, and I was almost positive it was a musky.  Again, we were surprised with another jumbo smallmouth. 

We continued to troll around Cemetary Point and Brownings Point with no success for musky, but the monster smallies made the trip a success.  Musky hunting sure has gotten tough the last couple of years.  Not sure what’s going on, but I’m sure we will keep trying…

Where Did My Tire Go...

Fishing Time: 11:00 am to 1:00 pm

Weather: Sunny, hot, T-90s, windy

Moon Phase: 41% Moon

Location:  Deer Creek Reservoir

Best Bait:  Bottom bouncers with worm harness

Who Went:  Bobber John, Sean Mitchell, Dunc

I haven’t been fishing much lately with the new COVID-19 world we are living in, but that hasn’t stopped my fishing buddy Bobber John from getting out there.  He reported catching some walleye up at Deer Creek, so naturally, I wanted to plan a trip.

I picked up Bobber John and his new fishing buddy/coworker Sean Mitchell bright and early and we were on our way.  Just as I was turning into the marina at Deer Creek the truck behind me honked and started waving at us.  At first, I thought he was mad at my driving, but we soon figured out he was trying to warn us of what was about to happen.  We felt a big thump followed with an awful grinding coming from behind my truck.  It took a second to realize that my boat trailer tire had literally flew off into the weeds and I was dragging the boat trailer axle along the asphalt.

I quickly stopped and we jumped out to assess the damage.  It didn’t look good with my tire off in the weeds smoking, trailer axle on the ground, and the side step on the trailer bent up towards the boat.  We were so close to the ramp and fishing, but everything changed in an instant. 

We put the tire back on using a jack and limped it into a parking spot and called a mobile service to come replace my hub and bearings.  The mobile service was there quick and provided good service, but the price reflected it at a whopping $528.  Yikes!

By the time it was fixed, we launched at about 11:00 am.  The wind was blowing, and the barrage of skiers and wave runners were out in full force.

We tried bottom bouncing the flat area on the north end of the lake, and Sean had what looked to be a really good walleye right to the boat before it came unbuttoned.  Add it to the day’s blunders.  Sean did catch another rainbow, and John and I added a couple jumbo perch, but before long the wind and boat wake became to much and we left.

My mind was not in the right place after the flying tire event, so no photos were taken during fishing.  I think I was trying to wrap my head around the cost for mobile service on my tire!  Lesson learned… grease your hubs regularly!

Fly Fishing Lessons on the Weber

Fishing Time: 5:00 pm to 7:30 pm

Weather: Sunny, hot, T-80s, breezy

Moon Phase: 12% Moon

Location:  Weber River (Coalville)

Best Bait:  Rogers #24 midge

Who Went:  Roger Parks, Dunc

My coworker Roger is a good fly fisherman and I have been asking for him to get me out on the river.  Roger wants to get into warm water fishing a bit more, so I told him we can trade services.  You make me a better fly fisherman and I will show you some places and techniques for some of the warm water species in Utah.

We snuck out of work a bit early and drove up to the Weber River, which is one of his favorite spots to fish.  I have fly fished there before with little success and was excited to have him show me how it’s done.

We made our way to the river and immediately Roger showed me how it was done by hooking up with a really nice whitefish.  He’s not a fan of whitefish though, so he wouldn’t let me take a photo.

We worked our way down river and found a good spot where fish were active.  Roger set the hook on another fish and luckily it was a brown trout, so photos were okay!  I took over his spot to try and get on the board.  I had multiple hits and a couple fish on.  I even had one all the way to the bank before it came unhooked.  The fish were small and that’s my excuse, but I never did get one in the net. 

I learned a lot about tackle and how to mend my line correctly, so the trip was a great learning experience.  I look forward to getting out with Roger more to better my skills as a fly fisherman.  Now it’s my turn to come through on my end with the warm water species.

Camping and Fishing in Escalante

Fishing Time: Thursday to Sunday (June 25-28)

Weather:  Hot, windy, T-90s

Moon Phase:  43% Moon

Location:  Wide Hollow Reservoir

Best Bait:  Spinnerbait, Texas rigged senko, and topwater plugs

Who Went: Chris, Cari, Devin, Addison, and Dayton Duncan

We rented a 26-foot camp trailer and headed south to Escalante and spent 4 days camping, fishing, and hiking slot canyons.  We stayed at the Escalante Petrified State Park, which is right next to Wide Hollow Reservoir.  I’ve always wanted to try fishing there and the boys were excited to try their luck at some largemouth bass.

After a fun day hiking Peekaboo and Spooky slot canyons it was time to fish.  The kids were doing great on there own and caught a bunch of largemouth bass.  Dayton is more of a cast and reel kid, so he mainly used a spinnerbait and tore it up.  Devin was refining his skills on the plastics using a Texas rigged senko and put on a clinic.  

It was fun to have camp so close so the boys could run down and fish anytime they wanted.  Addi fished a little and caught a couple, but she enjoyed riding scooters and playing on the docks a bit more.

Most of the trip was windy and we had to pick our spots for calm fishing.  One night it was calm and beautiful, so all of us walked down to the docks to fish.  There were some other family’s fishing and it was fun to watch Devin and Dayton show up and immediately start reeling in fish.  The other families were pumping them for information.  Unfortunately, the fun didn’t last long as a wind wall come across the lake to ruin the night.  To make matters worse.  I was helping Devin with a tangle and the microburst blew my camp chair off the dock and into the lake.  I wasn’t worried about the chair, but my phone was sitting in the cup holder.  I pulled the chair out of the lake just in time to see my phone sinking to the bottom of the lake.  I jumped in fully clothed and the water was above my head.  I took a deep breath and swam down and retrieved it.  I took it to an Apple repair store when we got home but the phone was too soaked to be saved.  It had all my photos and videos from the hiking and fishing from the trip.  I was super bummed and that’s why I don’t many photos for the blog. 

Dayton turned 9 on our trip and all he wanted was to catch a bass on his birthday.  The wind had other plans and we didn’t get to fish during the day, but by late evening it finally calmed down and we walked down to the lake after dinner.  The boys tried their luck with topwater, and Dayton caught a topwater bass for the icing on the cake of a great birthday.

Wide Hollow is a super fun little reservoir, and I would love to go back and camp and fish it again.  It holds a lot of bass willing to bite a variety of baits which makes it fun for kids.  We didn’t catch any monsters, but they were healthy little footballs that put up a good fight.