Fishing Forum

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]Hit Bear Lake again today and hand a little excitement today. My friend, Ron, Had just bought an older used boat, put it in the shop to change the impeller / water pump and tuned up the motor. This would be her maiden voyage for him. He was pretty excited to finally get his new boat out.

We hit the ramp about 7:30 and you would of swore it was a holiday weekend in July. The parking lot was pretty much full. Saturday during the cisco run; what fun!

We went out to the rock pile with the 50 other boats that were anchored on it and picked up a limit of cisco for my buddy. While we were in this mayhem of overloaded boats and rip snagging fishermen, the guy in the boat right next to us dropped his rod in the water and barely got it back after sticking the whole length of his arm in the 35 degree lake. Another guy on the same boat caught a nice laker jigging for cisco. Getting Ron's limit took about an hour and then headed out to do a little fishing.

We checked on Crestliner and they had just got out there to start fishing so he had no whooper stories to tell yet. While we were idling the boat talking to Crestliner the heat alarm went off in Ron’s boat. Oh great! We shut her down and talked with Crestliner for a while. After a little bit we went to yesterday’s spot I had marked on the GPS. We decided to start there since we had caught a few fish there. The motor started up and the alarm was blaring but after 100 yards it quit. What ever was plugged blew out and the water was coming out of the motor once again.

We had just got anchored up and dropped our lines and I got hooked up on a pretty good fish. Ron got the net and we landed the fish. A 10-½ lb mack. Cool! While we were both on the same stern corner monkeying around with the fish, I looked down at the floor and there was water around my feet! Oh no! We’re sinking!

We looked under the floor and we must have had 100 or more gallons of water in the bottom of the hull! We knew the plug was in so the leak had to be somewhere else. We started looking around and found a hole low in the transom from a previously mounted motor had not been plug and was leaking water in at a pretty good clip. It had been covered by a board that had been mounted to the transom for added suporrt and caulked around it's edges.

Well, so much for fishing! Dang, it was stacking up to be a pretty decent day. We thought it would be a pretty good idea to head back to the marina so off we went. Well, with 800 lbs of additional weight in the hull, no access to bail with the bucket we had, and no bilg pump, our top speed was a dismal 8 mph.

We got back to the marina, got the boat on the trailer, and pulled the plug. It took 15 minutes to drain all the water out of that boat. We made it back alright but if there would have been heavy waves we might not of had it so lucky. Sitting so low in the water we could of taken a few over the transom and swamped her. Not fun in 35 degree water.

Anyway, here’s the pic of the one and only fish we caught today. Notice how calm and beautiful the lake was today. This is one strange January…… [center][font "Cooper Black"][size 1][/size][/font][/size][/font][/center]
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Wow mac, Glad ya'll are all right, did the thought of life vest ever enter your mind?

and once again, nice fish[]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]Mine was right on the seat, Teroy. I had taken it off to shed some clothes because it was so warm up there. My luck in other guy's boats is not too good this year! I must jinx'em or something![/size][/font]
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Hey BLM , I got a older 64 18'Starcraft with a 85 hp Merc . It takes on some water and the last time out is when I found out that my bilge pump was froze up . But if you want to show me bear lake on it let me know . I never can find anyone crazy enough to go with me . JUST KIDDING !! You are the master of Bear lake , you can't go down with the ship it just wouldn't be right .
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What was it we decided after last weeks boat loss incident? Oh yeah, never break routine. Maiden voyages seem to be out of the routine. I shouldnt be laughing, just glad you are back alive. Probably couldnt have been a better day to get swamped though, lots of help around.
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Glad you made it back, sorry the boat cut into your fishin time, but if you are only going to catch one fish, that's not a bad one to catch.
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I resemble that remark. Just because we had a few problems, the last time we were out, gee some people never let you forget, ha ha. I'm glad you were OK and caught a nice fish. Like you said yesterday, "to do good at bear lake you have to put in your time" but the more time you spend on the water the more the chance of a problem. Hopefully the next time we go out your jinx will be gone. WH2
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Hey BLM as many boats that were out there today it looks like you could have just stepped in to another boat and kept fishing!!Talking about people looseing stuff in the water, I saw a couple of net handles fall victim to those cisco beach rocks and the tip of one guys pole go flying off,there were a lot of laughs over there today. A lot of fish also,I havent seen the cisco that thick for years. We got our 3 limits in 15 min. Nice pic on that mac!! later,MH.
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]Tell me about it! I bought a new net so I had two and I loaned it to my friend and he bent the handle within 15 minutes. I have never bent a handle but every net I've ever lent to friends has ended up kinked![/size][/font]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]I should of went to Cisco Beach but it so much easier to launch, go get cisco and then fish on the west side. The launches on the east side suck right now. I've launched at cisco several times but the state park marina is so nice that I have a hard time getting over that way. Also if the wind comes up the eastside, it can be a bear (notice the pun,[]) to get a boat back on a trailer in the waves.[/size][/font]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]I must admit though, dip netted cisco handled correctly are a superior bait to snagged cisco handle just as carefully. They seem to hold up better and don't get mushy as easily. The nice thing about snagging cisco is that the chance to get them spans a longer time frame then the chance to dip net. [/size][/font]
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foregive me please for my ignorance here.

1st I am grateful that you made it back ok gosh what a spookie thought

2nd does the Bear Lake not freeze? just curious if this is a off year or does it ever?
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sounds like you had a great day fishn'[]. Good luck on better days and more fish up there. glad you made it back in one peice, so now you can teach me how to fish the bear.
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]How could I say no to a great kid like you? Heck if I didn't, you'd unleash a paintball army on me! We'll have to take a look at this and work something out....[/size][/font]
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okay, but whatever we work out it will have to wait till at least the 28. thats when my dad gets home and I will need his permission. talk with you more during the dinner on ice, and better luck.



p.s.

Taking me fishing is an automatic insurance policy against my "paintball army".
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It does freeze but not every year, BLM can give a better answer
because he has fish it more but I think it has open water more years than it freezes. WH2
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]Hey SoUtDuckHntr![/size][/font]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]Two years ago, was the first time Bear Lake froze up in seven years. It froze two years ago and last year but not until February. It definitely will not freeze up this year unless something unforseen happens. So to answer your question in recent history the lake only has froze over about 20% of the time or twice in the last 10 years![/size][/font]
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