Saturday, December 15, 2012
Break for a Pheasant Hunt
Friday, November 9, 2012
November "Just Passin' Through" Article 2012
Xplore Utah Search this site: Adventure SportsCalendarCamping & TravelFish & GameHabitatMotor SportsNational ParksTrailsVideo Trying something wild when fishing
Brad Kerr Just Passin' Through
I remember reading in an outdoors magazine many, many years ago a listing of 10 things to do when the fishing got tough. Number 10 was “try something wild” as a lure or tactic when fishing. I saw this come to fruition some weeks ago when my son-in-law rigged up a spinner bait to look like something out of a joke book.
The lure was a Rooster-Tail spinner in a large size with one hook of the treble holding a threaded on, two-inch white grub. Another hook was adorned with a gob of nightcrawler. To look at it, it appeared to be a tangle of multiple fishing lines. But to Strawberry’s cutthroat trout that morning, it was a gourmet special. I couldn’t get bit with a flatfish, Needlefish, tube jig . . . nothing else would entice a hit. But this weird rig Jon was using was getting hit every couple of minutes. He was busy the entire time we were on the water.
I figured it was mainly the crawler that enticed the bite, but a tube with a bit of worm on it did very little in the way of catching trout.
Now whether that contraption would ever work again like that is anybody’s guess. But it was indeed something wild that we couldn’t believe the results on. However, trolling at a rather fast speed enticed strike after strike that morning. I’ll be interested to see if that rig ever works again.
Needless to say, I switched to a similar contraption and caught more fish. Too weird.
Pineview panfish
The water level at Pineview is too low for me to risk trashing a boat trailer to launch a boat. So a float tube was my weapon of choice for a Saturday morning’s pursuit of crappie and perch.
My strapped-on portable fish finder was quite a helpful tool, making it easier to find schools of suspended fish. Most were crappies, and they were not in a biting frenzy that morning. But I was able to entice some bites by vertical jigging a two-inch grub in front of their noses. I picked up some perch off the bottom as well, as they seemed more willing to bite. I focused on crappies for the most part, because I just love to catch crappies. I love to eat them, too.
I moved my lure up and down the water column until I had a good presentation to the crappie below. When a bite did come, it was rather solid, and there was no mistaking that a fish was scarfing down the grub.
In spite of the colder weather, I’ve caught crappie and perch right up until it’s too cold to get on the water. Then at early ice, if schools can be located, the bite is pretty good.
Some ice anglers have that crappie fishing down to an art, and will catch a mess every time they go out. They have some hot spots marked that hold fish, probably on a GPS, and have great success. I usually have to move around to find active fish on the ice, but it’s worth it. Perch will often move in as well when a good bite is on.
Winter ice season next
Speaking of ice fishing, the season is drawing near, and it’s time to get out the gear and give your reels a shot of WD-40, or some similar lubricant. Grease will thicken in cold weather, and make your reel handle more difficult to turn. So use something lighter to keep your gear operating smoothly.
Fresh line will go a long way to stop break-offs and weakened line. The cold weather has the capability of making line brittle, especially when it’s been on a reel for some time.
Check your auger blades, too. You might as well make a tough job as easy as possible when toting a hand auger. But even power augers need new blades, and it’s worth looking into it before getting on the ice and being sorry you didn’t look before.
Look in the local fishing shops for new lures and baits to try under the ice, too. Many new designs of jigs and spoons are constantly becoming available.
Don’t forget to maintain your fly rods as well. Weber River whitefish are fun to catch in the winter time, not to mention the hungry brown trout that are eager to bite after the fall spawn. Cold weather doesn’t defeat the hardy fly rodders. They will continue to pursue their streams with as much vigor as they do in summer months. There’s just something about walking a stream, stalking good holes, and casting to a likely spot that is invigorating. Of course, when it gets so cold that the ice freezes up in your guides, it makes fishing a little tougher. Not impossible, just tougher.
Brad Kerr is an avid angler who can be reached at bradkfisherman@msn.com.
Brad Kerr Just Passin' Through
I remember reading in an outdoors magazine many, many years ago a listing of 10 things to do when the fishing got tough. Number 10 was “try something wild” as a lure or tactic when fishing. I saw this come to fruition some weeks ago when my son-in-law rigged up a spinner bait to look like something out of a joke book.
The lure was a Rooster-Tail spinner in a large size with one hook of the treble holding a threaded on, two-inch white grub. Another hook was adorned with a gob of nightcrawler. To look at it, it appeared to be a tangle of multiple fishing lines. But to Strawberry’s cutthroat trout that morning, it was a gourmet special. I couldn’t get bit with a flatfish, Needlefish, tube jig . . . nothing else would entice a hit. But this weird rig Jon was using was getting hit every couple of minutes. He was busy the entire time we were on the water.
I figured it was mainly the crawler that enticed the bite, but a tube with a bit of worm on it did very little in the way of catching trout.
Now whether that contraption would ever work again like that is anybody’s guess. But it was indeed something wild that we couldn’t believe the results on. However, trolling at a rather fast speed enticed strike after strike that morning. I’ll be interested to see if that rig ever works again.
Needless to say, I switched to a similar contraption and caught more fish. Too weird.
Pineview panfish
The water level at Pineview is too low for me to risk trashing a boat trailer to launch a boat. So a float tube was my weapon of choice for a Saturday morning’s pursuit of crappie and perch.
My strapped-on portable fish finder was quite a helpful tool, making it easier to find schools of suspended fish. Most were crappies, and they were not in a biting frenzy that morning. But I was able to entice some bites by vertical jigging a two-inch grub in front of their noses. I picked up some perch off the bottom as well, as they seemed more willing to bite. I focused on crappies for the most part, because I just love to catch crappies. I love to eat them, too.
I moved my lure up and down the water column until I had a good presentation to the crappie below. When a bite did come, it was rather solid, and there was no mistaking that a fish was scarfing down the grub.
In spite of the colder weather, I’ve caught crappie and perch right up until it’s too cold to get on the water. Then at early ice, if schools can be located, the bite is pretty good.
Some ice anglers have that crappie fishing down to an art, and will catch a mess every time they go out. They have some hot spots marked that hold fish, probably on a GPS, and have great success. I usually have to move around to find active fish on the ice, but it’s worth it. Perch will often move in as well when a good bite is on.
Winter ice season next
Speaking of ice fishing, the season is drawing near, and it’s time to get out the gear and give your reels a shot of WD-40, or some similar lubricant. Grease will thicken in cold weather, and make your reel handle more difficult to turn. So use something lighter to keep your gear operating smoothly.
Fresh line will go a long way to stop break-offs and weakened line. The cold weather has the capability of making line brittle, especially when it’s been on a reel for some time.
Check your auger blades, too. You might as well make a tough job as easy as possible when toting a hand auger. But even power augers need new blades, and it’s worth looking into it before getting on the ice and being sorry you didn’t look before.
Look in the local fishing shops for new lures and baits to try under the ice, too. Many new designs of jigs and spoons are constantly becoming available.
Don’t forget to maintain your fly rods as well. Weber River whitefish are fun to catch in the winter time, not to mention the hungry brown trout that are eager to bite after the fall spawn. Cold weather doesn’t defeat the hardy fly rodders. They will continue to pursue their streams with as much vigor as they do in summer months. There’s just something about walking a stream, stalking good holes, and casting to a likely spot that is invigorating. Of course, when it gets so cold that the ice freezes up in your guides, it makes fishing a little tougher. Not impossible, just tougher.
Brad Kerr is an avid angler who can be reached at bradkfisherman@msn.com.
Ace's Learning Curve
Monday, November 5, 2012
Time for Rooster Pheasants!
I used to just live for the pheasant hunt, but got away from it after all my good hunting grounds were developed into housing sites. Yet I found I'm still excited about it, and want to get a rooster or two this season.
Uinta Ice
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Trout & Crappie Stories from the Newspaper
Xplore Utah Search this site: Adventure SportsCalendarCamping & TravelFish & GameHabitatMotor SportsNational ParksTrailsVideo Springtime on a little stream offers tranquility
Brad Kerr Just Passin' Through
The temperature in the canyon was only 42-degrees, and wouldn’t warm up much as the day went on. The canopy of trees over the stream cast shadows on the water, and made it a little easier to sneak up on good holes in search of trout. I hadn’t been back to Diamond Fork since the big run-off a few years ago that did so much damage along the creek bed and the road; downed trees and uprooted brush were still to be seen. But the stream itself was back within its banks, and looked a little more like the fishing spot I’ve known for so long.
My plan for the day, as I was fishing alone, was to start very early with small spinning lures, such as a Panther Martin, and eventually graduate to the fly rod as the morning drew on.
My spinner produced right away; on my second cast I hooked into a beautiful brown of about 14-inches. Colored beautifully in golden brown with blue halos around the spots, I had forgotten how much and why I love stream fishing so much. I enjoy moving around from hole to hole in search of pockets that will likely hold fish. Downed logs that make for a deep hole while blocking water flow, or undercut banks and turns were quite good. Not every good-looking spot held fish, but the majority of them did. And I caught a nice number of small cutthroats and browns on spinners.
When I stopped briefly for a lunch break, I then decided to switch poles and see what I could do with flies. The quiet rush of the water made for a peaceful stop, and I took my time relaxing. Eventually, I tied on a small nymph off a dropper, and a blue-wing olive on the main line. To my surprise, both worked about equally as well. I was somewhat amazed at the success of the dry fly when little of a noteworthy hatch was going on. But I took it as a good sign of the fish population and their eagerness to cooperate with an angler’s offering.
My curiosity as to the number of fish in the stream was pleasantly satisfied, and the further upstream I went, the higher the concentration of fish presented themselves. This allowed me to catch multiple fish from some holes, while getting a look at darting fish whenever I hooked into a trout. Most fish were in the 10- to 12-inch range, but I had two really nice fish roll for my blue-winged olive, but didn’t hook either one. They looked to be about 18 inches, and thick across the back. I would have liked to have identified those fish, just to see what was up to that size in the stream. But it didn’t happen.
I must say that I had a great trip, and enjoyed having the place all to myself. This can be a common sight, especially on weekdays when most of us are working.
Check out your favorite little stream and see if the action has begun to heat up yet. You can’t beat the tranquility.
A wish to be ‘back home’ in April & May
I couldn’t help but imagine what the fishing was like “back home” in Tennessee in April. My cousin Craig will have taken note of the dogwoods blooming, and the warming water temperatures, and will be now chasing white crappies as they move into cover for the spawn.
He’s the ultimate crappie angler, and knows the hot spots on the Hiwassee River to chase them. He’ll gather up a bunch of 1/8- and 1/16-ounce jigs, with a large variety of tubes and grubs, and will have his boat in the water every chance he gets. Oh, and the minnow bucket will be hosting several dozen shiners too. I always enjoyed dropping minnows into the tops of submerged trees and bushes, and waiting on that tell-tale thump of a crappie inhaling the shiner.
Using gold or light-wire snelled hooks gives you the ability to get yourself out of a snag. But putting pressure on the line, the gold hooks will straighten out and slide loose of the obstacle. Or perhaps he’ll be casting and vertical jigging grubs in and around similar cover in search for some slab crappies.
Trolling through sloughs can also give you an idea of crappie presence. Plus, you can cover a lot of water in a hurry, and not spend too much time in a poor spot.
Sometimes we’d use a bobber in order to keep our bait at an optimal depth, and wait for it to take a dive, signifying that a crappie had inhaled the lure. Whatever method he settled on for the day, you could bet that Craig would have a stringer full for dinner that evening.
This all gets me anxious to go out in search for concentrations of black crappies in such lakes as Pineview Reservoir and Willard Bay. Fishing can be quite good if you put in the time to find the schools. And that’s where experimentation takes its place in the methodical searches for panfish. They can be found along the rocky shorelines, in weed beds and brush, or even suspended over deeper water.
I have the float tube and boat both ready, and will be out shortly in search of those delectable fillets. There’s just no time like crappie time in my book. I wish I could go back to the homeland for a few days fishing. That would be great to visit and fish together with my cousin for a while.
Brad Kerr is an avid angler who can be reached at bradkfisherman@msn.com.
Topics: Brad Kerr
Brad Kerr Just Passin' Through
The temperature in the canyon was only 42-degrees, and wouldn’t warm up much as the day went on. The canopy of trees over the stream cast shadows on the water, and made it a little easier to sneak up on good holes in search of trout. I hadn’t been back to Diamond Fork since the big run-off a few years ago that did so much damage along the creek bed and the road; downed trees and uprooted brush were still to be seen. But the stream itself was back within its banks, and looked a little more like the fishing spot I’ve known for so long.
My plan for the day, as I was fishing alone, was to start very early with small spinning lures, such as a Panther Martin, and eventually graduate to the fly rod as the morning drew on.
My spinner produced right away; on my second cast I hooked into a beautiful brown of about 14-inches. Colored beautifully in golden brown with blue halos around the spots, I had forgotten how much and why I love stream fishing so much. I enjoy moving around from hole to hole in search of pockets that will likely hold fish. Downed logs that make for a deep hole while blocking water flow, or undercut banks and turns were quite good. Not every good-looking spot held fish, but the majority of them did. And I caught a nice number of small cutthroats and browns on spinners.
When I stopped briefly for a lunch break, I then decided to switch poles and see what I could do with flies. The quiet rush of the water made for a peaceful stop, and I took my time relaxing. Eventually, I tied on a small nymph off a dropper, and a blue-wing olive on the main line. To my surprise, both worked about equally as well. I was somewhat amazed at the success of the dry fly when little of a noteworthy hatch was going on. But I took it as a good sign of the fish population and their eagerness to cooperate with an angler’s offering.
My curiosity as to the number of fish in the stream was pleasantly satisfied, and the further upstream I went, the higher the concentration of fish presented themselves. This allowed me to catch multiple fish from some holes, while getting a look at darting fish whenever I hooked into a trout. Most fish were in the 10- to 12-inch range, but I had two really nice fish roll for my blue-winged olive, but didn’t hook either one. They looked to be about 18 inches, and thick across the back. I would have liked to have identified those fish, just to see what was up to that size in the stream. But it didn’t happen.
I must say that I had a great trip, and enjoyed having the place all to myself. This can be a common sight, especially on weekdays when most of us are working.
Check out your favorite little stream and see if the action has begun to heat up yet. You can’t beat the tranquility.
A wish to be ‘back home’ in April & May
I couldn’t help but imagine what the fishing was like “back home” in Tennessee in April. My cousin Craig will have taken note of the dogwoods blooming, and the warming water temperatures, and will be now chasing white crappies as they move into cover for the spawn.
He’s the ultimate crappie angler, and knows the hot spots on the Hiwassee River to chase them. He’ll gather up a bunch of 1/8- and 1/16-ounce jigs, with a large variety of tubes and grubs, and will have his boat in the water every chance he gets. Oh, and the minnow bucket will be hosting several dozen shiners too. I always enjoyed dropping minnows into the tops of submerged trees and bushes, and waiting on that tell-tale thump of a crappie inhaling the shiner.
Using gold or light-wire snelled hooks gives you the ability to get yourself out of a snag. But putting pressure on the line, the gold hooks will straighten out and slide loose of the obstacle. Or perhaps he’ll be casting and vertical jigging grubs in and around similar cover in search for some slab crappies.
Trolling through sloughs can also give you an idea of crappie presence. Plus, you can cover a lot of water in a hurry, and not spend too much time in a poor spot.
Sometimes we’d use a bobber in order to keep our bait at an optimal depth, and wait for it to take a dive, signifying that a crappie had inhaled the lure. Whatever method he settled on for the day, you could bet that Craig would have a stringer full for dinner that evening.
This all gets me anxious to go out in search for concentrations of black crappies in such lakes as Pineview Reservoir and Willard Bay. Fishing can be quite good if you put in the time to find the schools. And that’s where experimentation takes its place in the methodical searches for panfish. They can be found along the rocky shorelines, in weed beds and brush, or even suspended over deeper water.
I have the float tube and boat both ready, and will be out shortly in search of those delectable fillets. There’s just no time like crappie time in my book. I wish I could go back to the homeland for a few days fishing. That would be great to visit and fish together with my cousin for a while.
Brad Kerr is an avid angler who can be reached at bradkfisherman@msn.com.
Topics: Brad Kerr
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Newspaper Articles
I'm beginning to wonder if I've run out my time writing fishing articles for the Ogden Standard-Examiner. Topic ideas are getting harder and harder to come by. I don't like to only write about fishing trips, but other things that relate to fishing: gear, tactics, locations, and technical aspects of the sport. But that's getting hard. I only earn $50 for each article, but that's a little fishing money on the side. I just don't want to be dull and repetitive in my writing. I've got to dwell upon this and come up with a solution to this situation.
I'm sure if I stop, I'll regret it. But if I go on without some fresh life in the stories, I'll regret that too. I want to be worthy of the money I get paid.
Feedback would be appreciated.
Brad
I'm sure if I stop, I'll regret it. But if I go on without some fresh life in the stories, I'll regret that too. I want to be worthy of the money I get paid.
Feedback would be appreciated.
Brad
October at Strawberry
The wind was quite blustery, and I only fished for about an hour. I couldn't fight the wind and fish very well, so I abandoned my pole after a big tangle with one of Jon's poles. I didn't have on the magic combo lure anyway, and hadn't had any hits at all. I changed up 3 different times, but to no avail. Also, we didn't go to our usual spot along the rocky edges because it's a long trip across the lake, and we didn't want to go far in the wind with Pax on board. So we fished the mouth of Mud Creek, and it was excellent. Fish were being marked on the finder from 10 to 25 feet down, for the most part. It didn't matter how deep of water we were in, the trout kept on biting everywhere.
The trout ranged from 17" to 20", and were scrappy fighters. Paxton brought in a couple of them himself. He seemed to have a great time. We even stopped to get him a couple of crawdads on a chicken leg, and he played with them for over an hour.
I don't wager a guess at how many fish Jon caught, even though he was getting hits continually. Many of those he landed before we headed back to Park City and the condo Jamie and Jon and the kids were staying in. Paxton's nap time.
But it was a very promising trip, and I'd like to go back one more time and try to hit a calm day.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Lake Tahoe vacation
On our vacation to Lake Tahoe, we decided to take time out for a fishing trip for lake trout (mackinaw). We also spent time sight-seeing around Tahoe and Carson City. Here is Cindy with a 9-pound mack that she caught off a down-rigger, using a Needlefish.
Cindy has the patience to fish, which makes her good at it. She always catches the biggest and most fish on any trip we take.
Any good captain will have a good supply of spoons for deep-water fishing for macks.
Cindy and I pose with one of the lakers that I caught.
You can see on the fish finder that the lake trout were stacked up on the bottom. That's those curved arches you see on the white screen.
"Captain Brad" did a great job keeping us on the fish, and made for a pleasant trip with his knowledge and expertise.
As you can see, Tahoe is a beautiful blue lake. And on this day we had hardly any wind. Perfect for trolling, and enjoying the morning out on the boat.
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Mantua for Panfish
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Diamond Fork
I went down to Utah County to fish the "Little Stream" at Diamond Fork today. Fishing was fair to good, with mostly cutthroats succumbing to my Panther-Martin spinner. I like the black body with gold blade model.I had 2 really nice fish roll at my lure, but failed to hook up. And they only gave me one look, so that was it for those guys. I also caught one of the prettiest browns I've landed in a long time. But I had left my cell phone in the truck, and couldn't take a picture of him. The blue haloes around the spots on his side were gorgeous.
The stream has changed drastically changed since the big run-off a few years ago. But things are pretty much back to normal now, with a few new features in the stream bed.
Monday, February 20, 2012
Paxton Hits the Ice
Paxton makes his first trip onto the ice at East Canyon for a little fishing. Unfortunately, we were late getting on the ice and the bite had pretty much ended for the day. So he did some sledding down the hill, and played around with his fishing pole for a few hours. We had a nice time, regardless of the lack of fish. I only saw 3 on my fish finder, and never had a hit.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
East Canyon on the Ice
My cell phone was dead, so I was unable to take any pictures. But I had a really fun day on East Canyon yesterday morning.
The truck said it was only 4 degrees, and it felt like it. The ice was slick and hard, with a spattering of snow in spots.
My first hole was over 70 feet of water. So I cut another and moved in to only 50 feet. I began here, placing my "nail tail" jig down about 10 to 12 feet, looking for cruising rainbows. I found them. I landed 5, and missed probably twice that many. The bite was rather aggressive, but they only gave you one quick shot and they were gone.
I only stayed about 3 hours. Since I was alone, I saw it as a good opportunity to get home early and do some things. The bite died off about 10:30 or so anyway. But it was my first trip out in several weeks, and I had a great time. Even though the catching wasn't that great. I caught rainbows in the 14 to 16 inch range, and they fought well.
I'm looking forward to going back soon, and possibly arriving a little earlier; before daylight.
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