Fishing Forum

[cool][#0000ff]TubeBabe's outta town, tired of trash talk and feeling masochistic. Drove through a blizzard a good part of the way past Ogden. Saw a couple of folks making friends with tow truck drivers. Nasty stuff.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Launched on Mantua about 7 AM. Air temp 30, water temp 46. Lots of coots and a few other ducks...some grebes (as usual). A few shotgun blasts around the lake. No visible surface activity. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Water started out calm but had several cool breezy periods. Weeds mostly gone, but enough on the bottom that you can't work a jig very well. No visible surface activity, besides birds.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Sonared a wide area, from shallow to over 20 feet deep. No concentrations of fish anywhere. Isolated onesies and twosies up off the bottom. Occasional groups of small fish at mid depth in deep water.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]After an hour with no bites in deeper water, moved in shallower. Found some bitty bass in water 8-10 feet. Could not get bit on plastics...large or small. Went to small black bait bug with a piece of crawler, trying for perch or bluegills. Got a few of the bassettes. Actually got one 17" (see pic for proof).[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]One boat launched after I did and headed for the high hump on the east side. Either they were trolling or could not find fish because the moved a lot.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]A sneaky little snow squall came up the canyon from Brigham city and started pelting me with snow pellets about 9:30. Too much fun for me. I got out, left my waders on, stuffed my tube and rods in the vehicle and headed down the canyon towards Willard.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]There were two boat trailers in the North Marina lot at 10:30. One of those came in and left shortly after I launched at 10:45. I slipped on the algae at the launch ramp and twisted my knee...but did not take a swim.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Water temp was 51.3 degrees at launch, and 51.9 when I got out at 1 PM. I worked over the inside of the marina pretty good, with a range of jigs and lures that had produced in the past. Couldn't find any fish on sonar and there was nothing holding under the docks. I was hoping for a crappie or two, but would have settled for walleye or wiper...or even a chilled catfish. NADA...ZIP...ZIP.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Kicked and casted and dragged stuff out into the open lake. Still fairly calm on Willard. I suspected that might change. Finally, right at 12 noon, I made a cast with a little crappie jig over a hump out from the picnic area. I had a tap, but no hookup. Somewhat more optimistic, I sailed the little blue and clear sparkle tube back into the same place and let it settle. About two hops on the way back to the tube I went bendo. Line zinged off my light crappie reel and my face got a hurtin' from that .[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Turned out to be a nice 19" wiper. Yahoo. He did not have any willing schoolmates however, so after another hour of progressively less optimistic casting, I started back in. Nasty clouds full of snow were heading across Salt Lake toward Willard. The wind started picking up and I figured that was my cue to bag it. I was wored out and my knee was complaining about the pirhouette I took at the launch ramp.[/#0000ff]
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Hey its good to see a fishing related post, i bet that they wiper was a ball to land, were you using your standard UL rigging for it? Thats one dandy "7"teen inch bass you got
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[cool][#0000ff]Yeah, I was using a 6 foot ultralight fast tip rod with an Okuma Epixor 15 reel, with 4# Silver Thread Excalibur line. Coincidentally, it was exactly the same rig I used to catch the 19" 3# rainbow at Yuba last week. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Hard to say which one fought the best. I think I need to do more research.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Fishing is better than fighting...or ALMOST anything else.[/#0000ff]
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[size 2][font "Comic Sans MS"][black]THanks much for that good report there TD.[/black][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][black]OUCH ... on the knee. Sounds like vitiman "M"otrin for you tonight.[/black][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][black]Glad you hooked up with one of my favorites ... the mighty wiper. (And just so you know ... it fought harder than tha trout. Anytime you are not sure, just ask me, I'll be glad to tell ya ... he, he, he.)[sly][/black][/font][/size]
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Thanks for the report Pat. At least you caught some "big" bass! I hope the Wiper was invited home for supper!

If you knee gets to buggin' you too much, give me a holler and I'd be happy to take a look.
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Thanks for the report . I been pondering Willard or Utah Lake or somewhere close for tomorrow . Put some ice on that knee .
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[font "Impact"][#ff4040][size 3]Great report Pat. At least you got out fishing, unlike myself who has to work the whole weekend. Well at least I'm off next week so I hope there is some fishing in my planbook.[/size][/#ff4040][/font]
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[cool][#0000ff]Hey BeeMan, that wiper was definitely given an engraved invite (hook in jaw) to join me for dinner.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Appreciate the concern and the offer of assistance. However, that would mean that you would have to come down here...maybe as far as Yuba next weekend. Hopefully I will be okay by then.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]No real damage and no swelling. As a lifelong athlete and outdoorsman, I have worked my way through a few of those things.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Sure does mess up my tango lessons and my marathon running though.[/#0000ff]
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Wipers always give you a run for your money. Thanks for the report!
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[cool]Hey Pat, glad you were able to get outta the house today.

I need to get out and get fishing again, so I think I'm headed out next Saturday. Don't know yet where though. Since the 'eyes aren't cooperating very well this fall, I just want it to be ICE FISHING SEASON already, but may do one last tubing trip to Jordanelle, or somewhere like that that will be nice and quiet but not too far of a drive.

That sucks about your knee, but at least you caught your dinner for tonight and got some great fresh air. Glad to hear that it sounds like you didn't mess up any ligaments, etc.

Good luck on your next trip out. I would head to Yuba but after my last trip there with no (trout anyway) bites and CBR's and bass ackwards report from today I'd have to say that I'm not too encouraged about driving 1/4 the way to Vegas to get skunked. Think I'll hit Lake X but in search of 'bows and browns. A few perchies to fry up (and eyeballs for ice fishing) wouldn't be bad either!
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Pat I've seen a few inches added but seven.[] Maybe if you did'nt provide the photo.[cool] Nice wiper though [blush] we should call him a 30 incher to keep things in perspective[sly].
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[cool][#0000ff]Now John, you know we gotta get "creative once in awhile if we is fisherguys.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I just ordered a new fishing ruler off the internet. Hope it gets here soon.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]If that doesn't work, I guess I could always use the old redneck measuring system.[/#0000ff]

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So we'll call that bass three cans. Now was that 12 ou or 20 ou cans.[cool]
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[cool][#0000ff]Depends on what was in 'em, and how many you emptied before settin' up the measurin'.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Hey...are we havin' fun again?[/#0000ff]
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Yep! Thanks BLM and Pred!
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