By Author John Olsen
Sitting in my office and looking at the snow after what seems like the longest winter, I dream of a warm summer morning and fishing for Wiper. Wiper Bass is a combined hybrid of White bass and Stripe Bass. Introduced to Utah in the 90s, Wipers have become a popular fish to catch in Utah.
Wiper is, pound for pound, the hardest fighting fish I have ever had on. Wipers are a blast to catch, and if you enjoy eating white fish, there isn't much better than a wiper.
There are quite a few places in Utah to catch wipers. In Northern Utah, Willard Bay
is the very best for Wipers and the most popular. Other bodies of water in Utah include Newcastle Res, Jordanelle Res, East Canyon Res, Huntington North Res in central Utah, Minersville Res in the south, and a few Wiper can be found in Yuba Res.
Shore fisherman best bet to catch wipers is to bait fish with mussels. You can do this all year, including early colder temperatures. Later in the warmer summer and early fall, You can also try pitching a ShadRap or other rattling crankbaits in shad colors. In August, you can walk the shoreline looking for boils. Boils are when the Wiper chase the shad into shallow water to feed on them frantically.
Trolling for Wiper is tricky at times. The Wiper can be finicky on time, speed, and lures.
In late spring or early summer, the Wiper becomes more active. As temperatures climb, the wiper metabolism grows, and they need more food. On Willard Bay, the lake's depth varies by little, and where spring Wipers in other bodies of water would be deeper, they can be anywhere on Willard bay, so you'll need to travel to find them. As a general rule, the Wiper will be where the shad are, so look for schools of shad on your sonar.
As temperatures reach 60-65 degrees, Wipers will begin their spawn. At this time, they will be found near the mouth of the river of most dams or near rock beds. Even though Wiper can not reproduce, they still go through the motions of spawning.
As temps reach 70+ degrees, the Wiper move to deeper water and again follows the shad.
When trolling for Wiper, I prefer 15-20 lbs braided with 3 feet of 8-10 lbs of monofilament or fluorocarbon leader. I like to use plainer boards, especially in spring when the Wipers are close to the top of the water column and will swim away from the sound of the boat. If you don't have plainer boards let more line out than you usually would troll with and move in a zigzag pattern.
Wiper like a faster trolling speed than most fish; in fact, it's the quickest troll I do for any fish. I fish near, if not right, at 3 mph. It can vary, but a good start is 3 mph and then very up and down until you find what the fish like.
Lures that I prefer to toll with for Wipers are crankbaits like ShadRap, Rattletrap, Rapala DT, or similar. The best is anything that imitates a shad so silver, but the highlight color can vary, and some produce better than others. In some years, a green highlight is best, but in others, a black or blue highlight work best. If you're not producing, switch it up. The constant elements for Whiper are rattle and shad patterns. Wipers like the rattle and consist of shad year around, so that is the pattern of lure to use.
Early morning before the sun hits the water is the best time to fish Wiper, that is when they are feeding, but you can pick a few up throughout the day. Also, just before sundown and dark are is feeding time.
In August, the Wiper will begin to boil. A boil is when Wiper will drive the shad into the shallows and have a feeding frenzy. The water looks like it's boiling. I like to troll near the shore looking for boils, and when I see one zoom over and start pitching directly into the boil.
For an extra challenge, I'll use my 8-weight fly pole with a sinking line and a silver steamer to flyfish the boil. Fighting a 5-6 lbs wiper on a fly rod is a fantastic experience.
I want to share one of my favorite recipes for Wiper but keep in mind there are many ways to cook them. Wipers are easy to fillet with a mild taste.
Wiper Taco Recipe
Ingredients:
· Wiper bass filets
· Corn tortillas
· Cajun style seasoning (Southern Boyz All Purpose Cajun Creole Seasoning)
· mango peach salsa
· Fresh cilantro
· Cheese
· Lime
Directions
· Heat the skillet on high heat with just a little olive oil.
· Coat the filets heavily in Cajun Creole Seasoning seasoning and cook for 2-3 minutes per side.
· Filets will start to flake apart when they are fully cooked.
· Take out of the pan and place on a paper towel; blot off extra oil.
· Fry tortillas for about 1 minute in the same pan
· Place the filet on the warmed tortillas.
· Squeeze fresh-cut lime on filet
· Add mango peach salsa and fresh cilantro and cheese.
Enjoy!
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