Fishing Forum

[cool][#0000ff]Silly, silly, silly. TubeBabe and I launched at Rock Cliffs about 7:30 this morning. Air temp 14 degrees. Water temp 37. Warmed up a little out in the lake. Skim ice in the shallows near the inlet. Ice around the edges of the water at the ramp.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Light breeze. Some vapor mist coming off the lake early. No surface action visible in the cold areas near the inlets. We caught quite a few fish shallow last week but they seemed to have moved out of the colder water. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Worked out into deeper water where surface temps were about 44. Not a bump on any of the spinners or other lures that had produced last week. Bank tanglers were hopping up and down to keep warm since they weren't getting anything either.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Started seeing fish suspended at mid depth in 20 feet of water. Moved around, bottom bouncing a jig until I got into some bottom blips. Bang, bang. Two quick planter bows. Kept moving around and changing jigs. Finally found an area with quite a few fish from mid depth down to the bottom. Some of them had their mouths open. Heavy head chartreuse Roadrunners tipped with worm or perch got lots of whacks. Some on the drop and others on the retrieve back up. Most were close to the bottom.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]TubeBabe and I exercised quite a few rainbows, up to about 16". Most of them came in water from 28 to 32 feet deep. I lost several larger fish that came unbuttoned on the way to the surface, or just as I was guiding them toward the net. A couple of nice rainbows still swim, thanks to my conservation releases. I did manage to finesse one pretty 16" brown. Looked like the smaller spawned out sister of the 24"er I caught there last week.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Several other watercraft launched to keep us company and lend immoral support. Only saw one other fish caught, by a kid fishing with bait off an anchored boat. Nothing I could see for the fly flingers or three guys loaded into a small FolBoat that looked big enough for only two...good they were wearing PFDs. Also saw nothing happening for trollers or bank tanglers all day.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Ice in the guides a good part of the morning, but nice and sunny. Never more than a light breeze, but that breeze went right through ya. Still cool when we left at 2.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]We brought home a few of the larger silver bows with the pink meat. One of them had a six inch plastic worm in its gut when I filleted it. So much for using the tiny stuff for those guys. I caught several on an experimental "white perch" pattern Roadrunner. Looked a lot like the little perchettes that some of the trout are munching on.[/#0000ff]
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Nice report Pat, good to hear you and TB got into some today, sounds like a chilly day on the pond. Got up to 70* here in Al today[cool].
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Sure is amazing how the fish move around and change their minds in such a short period of time. Nice report as usual.
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Nice report!

Burrrrr! [shocked]
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great report as allways Dude.. i still dont know how you and babe can take that cold water like that.. i can only stay in water like that for about a hour or 2 befor it's time to get out warm up.. [cool]

good job my friend..

well i'm going to find some nice warm ice to fish on!! []
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TD - do you have more than 2 arms? I ask because you always seem to do such great pix and holding many items (usually a fish, for one) at once! What kind of camera do you have; is it a pricey one or one that can take a hit or two? Also, is it bungeed or strapped to something or someone?
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[cool][#0000ff]Don't know if we can take the cold because we are already old and numb...or because we layer properly and have boots and fins that do not restrict circulation. Maybe it is because Geritol is such a good anti-freeze.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Under my 3.5 mm neoprenes I wear three layers...combo of synthetic thermals and wool/fleece. I have a high metabolism and put out good heat and even in iceout water in the spring I stay comfy.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]There is a lot to be said for putting together a good system that keeps you warm without constriction. That is the single biggest problem with most tubers. They try to cram too much into the same waders and fins they wear in the summer. Shut down the blood flow and you chill out.[/#0000ff]
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[cool][#0000ff]Nope. Only two arms. Standard issue. But, I gotta use the arms to hold fish out for pics because I am usually by myself. TubeBabe won't get too close...radiation, ya know. And, when I try to take a picture of a fish longer than about 20 inches, I can't hold it out far enough to get the whole fish in the picture, so I have to lay it on the apron and hold the camera up above my head, shooting down. Sometimes I get it framed right. Sometimes I don't. But, the good thing about digital is that you can keep trying until you get it right, by looking at the image you just shot without having to print a picture.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]My camera is a "mid range" camera...Olympus D-550. I got mine for about $300 a couple of years ago, even though they list higher than that. It has a 3X zoom, which comes in handy for shooting fishing pics on the water. And, at over 3 megapixels, the pics come out far larger than I need to post on BFT, but I have photo software to reduce them if needed.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]There are quite a few very serviceable digital cameras on the market for around $100 that are just fine for fishing pics. Some guys are afraid to carry a camera because of the "what if" factor...what if I drop it in the water. Same with cell phones or anything else. Take them because you need them and be careful.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I have both a walkie talkie and my camera secured around my neck with a length of stretch cord. I tuck the camera down between two layers while fishing...to protect it and to keep the batteries warm. Knowing that it is there, I watch for potential "photo ops" and whip out the camera. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]By recording all of the aspects of a trip...not just dead fish pics when I get back to the vehicle...I have a lot more to help me remember each trip...and to share with others. To me, each fishing trip is not just about how many fish I caught, but all of the other things that happen to make it a memorable total experience. When you are with others, taking pictures of them and their successes (and funny moments) can add to the memories for all concerned. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Even if you buy a "spendy" camera, you can very easily justify not only the investment, but taking it with you wherever you go. Buying a camera and not using it is more foolish than not having one and wishing you did. Spend what you think you can afford, on a camera you have researched and believe will do what you want...now and into the future. Then, get some good photo software and learn to use it. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Take lots of pictures and get the hang of cropping, enhancing and editing them to display what you had intended. Cameras do not always see things the way the photographer sees them...or may not be able to shoot the picture just the way you wanted it. The photo software will let you tweak the pictures later to help them become "GOTCHAS". And, one of the great things about digital is that you can dump the rejects without having to spend money on prints before you find out they are losers.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Hope that answered your questions. [/#0000ff]
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nice report td. as always you two rock.
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Yep, great answers - as usual.
I have a Casio 7.2mp camera and and old, POS Olympus 1.3mp camera that is my designated fishing camera. That's the one I take out in the elements with the Casio along for scenery, sometimes people, etc.
Often I need to take pix to prove to my wife where I am and what I'm doing so I can continue to get kitchen passes.[]
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[cool]Nice report, TD. You did much better there on Friday than I did on Thursday (got skunked and blown all over the place, and I was on shore for crying out loud)!! I went to Huntington on Friday and caught about 25-30 tigers through the ice. Lots of fun!!

Rock Cliffs will most likely be frozen by next weekend, or darn close, and here's why:
[url "http://www.sltrib.com/ci_4725952"]http://www.sltrib.com/ci_4725952[/url]
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[cool][#0000ff]Glad you guys got into some tigers. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]You will not likely see the tubin' duo on Rock Cliff again this year. Might try the deep water off Hailstone if the temps moderate before it freezes.[/#0000ff]
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