# The UDOT shuffle.



## Catherder (Aug 2, 2008)

I spent a couple of hours on the river yesterday for some quick fishing before my son's birthday dinner. It was one of those days where the fish were well fed, sluggish and not biting much. I still caught a few, but it was notably slow. I blanked completely in some of my favorite holes. Anyway, near where I parked, UDOT was dredging out a small tributary stream that went under the road. The noise of a banging backhoe and heavy equipment echoed everywhere. In a hole just below this noisy activity, there was a line of muddy water coming from the trib that covered about 1/4th of the channel with a thick, cream colored mud. I approached this hole with zero expectations. The proximity alone to the excavation was discouraging enough. Anyways, I started fishing here for a minute. Right away, fish on! I kept at it and after landing 5 nice fish and losing another one, (4 bows and 1 brown) plus a few more hits, I was stunned. The bites mostly came by drifting the fly just outside of the mudline between clear and muddy water. The construction noise continued and was almost irritating to fish in. I took the camera out a couple times for viewing pleasure. ;-)





After I was done, it was food for thought.

1. When fishing for warmwater species in lakes, mudlines are great places to work for species like bass and walleyes as the predators will ambush baitfish coming into or out of the muddy water. I've never seen this work for trout before. Maybe it does? Have you guys seen this to be the case for trout?

2. Noise is a commonly used excuse for when we aren't catching as many fish as we'd like, be it banging on the bottom of the boat or the obnoxious kids nearby. Perhaps this is an overrated excuse?

3. Am I a worthless, degenerate flyfisher for fishing a spot that is undergoing some sort of "(San Juan)shuffle", even if it is from a government agency making a ridiculous amount of noise and commotion in doing so? Should I repent forthwith? ;-)


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## bekins24 (Sep 22, 2015)

I wonder how long the construction has been going on? It could be that the fish have gotten use to the noise now but initially they were skittish from the noise. Would be an interesting study to look into with noise and fish reaction. Nice fish though!


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## brendo (Sep 10, 2013)

They are probably gorging on all the insects that are falling in the water from construction. I don't think the fish on the Provo mind noise or movement much.


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## wyoming2utah (Sep 12, 2007)

Catherder, when I was a kid, I first learned to fish streams with my father. We used 9 foot fly rods and bait with automatic reels. Some of the year's best fishing came early in the year when streams were off-colored because of run-off. Many times we would be wading up or down a stream and come across a tributary entering the main stream that was clear. So, the clear water would mix with the muddy water. My father and grandfather always taught us that the best place to fish in these situations was off the mudline or where the murky water met the clear water. I have seen the same thing in many trout reservoirs in Utah in the spring as well. I don't think the concept applies just to warmwater fish. Trout, like other species, like cover. The cover a murky portion of water creates is enough to keep trout comfortable and feeding. Those mudlines act almost the same as undercut banks!


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## HighNDry (Dec 26, 2007)

They say that trout will feed out of the seams: places where slow water meets the fast. Maybe the mud created an artificial seam? Plus those planters may have just figured the vibration reminded them of the vibrations of the hatchery when the workers went out to feed them. Kind of like Pavlov's dog.


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