Bass Fishing at Jordanelle

Kevin and I took his duck boat to Jordanelle last week to do some bass fishing. The rivers are all running so high we thought lake fishing would be our best option. After launching the boat, we motored over to the dam where I caught a bunch of bass last summer for the Corporate Olympics. We started out in the cove on the side of the dam, nothing. The wind was blowing hard and we were hoping this would give us some protection. Then we fished all along the rocky shore. Then we fished another cove on the other side - Still nothing. We were using different kinds of jigs that either worked last year or were recommended by the tackle store. We then started using big spinners but to no avail.

We then went up the arm of the reservoir where the Provo River comes in. Within minutes I hooked something huge. This fish just kept taking out line. I tightened the drag a bit and started gaining on him. I told Kevin to grab the net, but just then it got off. Ooh, it would have been nice to see that fish. This excitement got our spirits up. We also noticed the wind had died down.

We started fishing alongside the muddy water that the river was bringing into the reservoir. For a while we would drift through the current from the river, and then we would tie onto a branch sticking out of the water and cast into the current. Kevin caught two nice cutthroats, one 17 inches and one 18 inches.

I ended up catching a 20 inch brown trout.

Kevin filleted the trout and the next day at work gave me the brown. It was packaged in a thermo seal plastic bag. On one side you could see the nice pink meat, and on the other side the skin. That evening, I cooked it up for dinner. First I made some tartar sauce and placed it in the fridge. Then I dipped the fish in an egg-milk batter, then coated it with Shake N’ Bake. I then placed it in canola oil in the frying pan. I cooked it on medium heat for five or six minutes. Pulling the fish out of the frying pan, I checked the meat and it was flakey and cooked all the way through. This made a wonderful dinner and in fact, provided so much meat that my wife and I were only able to eat half that evening. We had the other half for dinner the next day. This was a good lead in to Mother’s Day.