# Rockport Blues 1/14



## jwalker (Jan 3, 2012)

Me and 4 other guys hit Rockport this morning. It was my first time ever ice fishing. But going there was a poor choice considering the timing. With the 3 day weekend, the nice weather and the tagged fishing contest going on, EVERYONE was out there. I've never seen the place so crowded to the point that finding parking was somewhat difficult at 6:45 AM. There were literally hundreds of people on the ice for as far as the eye could see. 

The ice was 6-8 inches thick in most of the holes we drilled. The first half hour, my buddy caught a 12 inch rainbow and his cousin caught about the same size rainbow. After that, it died off completely. It appeared nobody else around us was having luck at that point either. Right before we left, my friend hooked about a 14 inch rainbow on a bit of a fluke. I still enjoyed myself despite getting skunked.(Rockport is the only body of water that I get consistently skunked at. I just can't shake the skunk perfume there.) It was a beautiful day, it was nice to be out and at least learned a little on how to ice fish. Still a good day in my book!

In short, don't go to Rockport any time soon unless you don't mind fishing close to hundreds of people. I have a feeling those crowds are there to stay for a while longer.


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## tye dye twins (Mar 8, 2011)

Looks like you should come with me for the Smallmouth bass spawn in the spring and shake off that skunk.


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## k2muskie (Oct 6, 2007)

Congrats on the first hard deck trip. Yea the 'Rock' is getting pounded without a doubt but you got on and by the report had a great time plus your party iced a few...nothing like being on the hard deck. 

Thanks for the report and exploring thats whats its all about. I'm sure you'll be addicted to hard deck fishing...don't let the crowds discourage you...get out explore and you'll find as the season wears on there will be fewer folks...at the Rock possibly not but whole lot of other waters not getting the Rock pressure.


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## Bears Butt (Sep 12, 2007)

Sorry to hear about the blues my man...pm sent!


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## #18Fan (Jan 3, 2012)

Is there small mouth at the rock?


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## Grandpa D (Sep 7, 2007)

#18Fan said:


> Is there small mouth at the rock?


Shoosh! People think that there are no Bass in there.


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## OPENCOUNTRY (Jan 25, 2009)

Also my first time on the hard deck today! went to rockport! fished from 7 am to 2 pm! i didn't get a single bite! Idk what the deal was!
I tried, powerbait of all colors and like 6 different colors of tube jigs tipped with either a butter worm, wax worm, or a mill worm!
I'm a bit disapointed! I was thinking that i would take my girlfriend but idk if want to know cause, she's never been fishing at all and i don't want to ruin her! 
Oh well! maybe better luck next time!
Any suggestions?


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## Grandpa D (Sep 7, 2007)

If you don't have a fishfinder, just drop your jig down about 12' to 15'. Loosen the drag and strip out the line, 3' at a time, till you get about 12' out. If you don't get a hit at 12' drop down 3'.
If you are fishing in water that is under 20' deep you can fish right on the bottom.
Drop the jig down till it hits the bottom and then close the bail and reel in the slack but keep the jig within 6" to 1' of the bottom. This is where we have been getting the trout at Rockpoprt.
Be sure to use a wire strike indicator on the end of your rod. It's a must for the very light bite that you get through the ice.


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## jwalker (Jan 3, 2012)

Admittedly, I was nervous about fishing on ice but I'm sold on it now. I'm already setting plans in motion for a trip to Strawberry next Saturday. You're certainly right k2muskie, there is nothing like being on the hard deck. Completely different experience. 

I caught a handful of bass there over the Summer. I'll have to try fish for them when they spawn. I hear it's a blast. 

Sorry to hear you got skunked too Opencountry. I tried about the same stuff you did. With everyone fishing that day, anyone who caught anything seemed to catch fish on the merit of luck rather than skill considering how close everyone was to each other. But I'm betting you would enjoy it more when the crowds die down a little bit more. 

Thanks for the advice Grandpa D! Hopefully that will help wash off the skunk stench I seem to attract at Rockport.I'll be there again in a couple of weeks.


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## Bscuderi (Jan 2, 2012)

Thought I wore your rock port skunk off when we went on my boat! It's always 1 water for all of us all though. For me it's Utah lake ha ha I have not caught nearly enough fish in relation to utah lake trips ha ha


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## fishawk (Aug 23, 2009)

We got skunked today as well. 6 of us fished near the dam from 7:30 till noon and could only muster 1 nibble. Other than being a beautiful sunny day, it SUCKED! The place looked like a Walmart parking lot on black friday. CRAZY!!


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## Narient (Jan 9, 2011)

Pretty much the same story for levi & I.


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## EvilTyeDyeTwin (Aug 9, 2011)

tye dye twins said:


> Looks like you should come with me for the Smallmouth bass spawn in the spring and shake off that skunk.


+1 to that! That day we went last spring was AWESOME for SMB action. Can't wait for this spring...with all the new bass gear we have, we are gonna knock them dead!

Sorry to hear about the masses being out there....this year is pretty bad thanks to the tagged fish. It is hard to imagine over 100 people out there on a friday (that is when we went there). You could say on the web that the fishing is HOTTER THAN HOT and you still would not find numbers like that on the ice. So far I have heard about 3 anglers getting a tagger....that leaves 17 to go.


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## leviwin (Dec 7, 2011)

I have never seen so many people on this lake as there was today. I ended up with one fish. Definately not my best day fishing at Rockport.


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## Bscuderi (Jan 2, 2012)

I guess for some people the reward of a good day fishing isn't quite enough to keep them interested in fishing. This is difficult for me and the other addicts on this forum to understand....


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## tskorc (Jan 13, 2011)

Also had bad luck at Rockport. Went with my daughter and we each had slow success until about 8:30. By about 11, she was starting to get a little bored and was playing in the snow by her hole when WHAM! her pole and holder get tipped over and down the hole goes her pole. It happened so fast I couldn't save it. Have to chalk it up to experience, I guess. Tip to other parents out there - make sure you and your kid's holes are close enough to fish them both. 7-8 feet was too far for me. 

Still a good day otherwise though. I love going fishing with her.


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## Grandpa D (Sep 7, 2007)

tskorc said:


> Also had bad luck at Rockport. Went with my daughter and we each had slow success until about 8:30. By about 11, she was starting to get a little bored and was playing in the snow by her hole when WHAM! her pole and holder get tipped over and down the hole goes her pole. It happened so fast I couldn't save it. Have to chalk it up to experience, I guess. Tip to other parents out there - make sure you and your kid's holes are close enough to fish them both. 7-8 feet was too far for me.
> 
> Still a good day otherwise though. I love going fishing with her.


You can loosen the drag, which will allow the fish to make a run and not pull the rod into the water. You will hear the drag when a fish runs with your hook.
I have found this to be very useful.
Loosen it just enough that you can strip some line out but still be able to have some control when reeling it back in.


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## OPENCOUNTRY (Jan 25, 2009)

The exact same thing happened to my mom's pole! Went right down the ice hole!


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## billybob (Oct 27, 2008)

I'm a little worried about holding the bash at Rockport with reports like this. I want to go to the bash, and bring my kids, but if parking and lack of fish is going to be a problem, we may have to go elsewhere. Is there a chance we could get the DWR to put some planters in there just before the bash? If we are going to fight the crowds, I at least want my kiddos to catch something.


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## Grandpa D (Sep 7, 2007)

Rockport is full of fish. 
There isn't a need for more. The heavy pressure from ice anglers has got them spooked. I hope that they will settle down by Feb 4th.
The best chance of catching something there right now will be to get away from the crowds.


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## moabrocks (Nov 11, 2007)

We went out on Saturday also and there had to be 400+ people on the lake. It was pretty crazy. The fishing was slow. We had 12 people with 10 poles in the water all morning and got two. There were fish on the finder but didn't like what we were offering. Also the ice was really noisy later in the day. Popping and shifting ... making us pretty nervous. Other than that weather was great and we had a good time ... fish or no fish.

- B


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## Fish2relax (Mar 3, 2011)

Sorry about the skunk. I haven't heard too many people anywhere that caught fish on Saturday. Maybe it was because of the storm that was coming in. Better luck next trip.


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## jwalker (Jan 3, 2012)

billybob said:


> I'm a little worried about holding the bash at Rockport with reports like this. I want to go to the bash, and bring my kids, but if parking and lack of fish is going to be a problem, we may have to go elsewhere. Is there a chance we could get the DWR to put some planters in there just before the bash? If we are going to fight the crowds, I at least want my kiddos to catch something.


No need for planters. They planted 2,760 in November and 48,145 in October alone. That place definitely gets a lot of pressure but people haven't killed/kept 50,000 of them. 

Grandpa D is right. They are just spooked with all the people out there. Give it a couple more weeks when people lose interest with the large crowds and no one catching a tagged fish. After the fish don't have 500 lures practically side by side from each other to choose from, they will start biting again!


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## billybob (Oct 27, 2008)

Alright Grandpa D and jwalker, but if my kids get skunked at the bash, I'm gonna find you and steal your fish.


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## firedawg (Dec 20, 2007)

Fished Rockport on the 15th.....only 2 fish in 3 hours....went to another lake close by...did much better there


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## Bscuderi (Jan 2, 2012)

billybob said:


> Alright Grandpa D and jwalker, but if my kids get skunked at the bash, I'm gonna find you and steal your fish.


jwalker this sounds like bad joo joo I'm not sure you should promise it will get better


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