Fishing Forum

[cool][#0000ff]Wow, talk about an epic day. Almost more fun than two old geezers could stand. But, we survived and it goes into our databases of treasured trips.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Met up with LloydE at 5 in Orem. Good fishing buddy. Always on time. We were treated (?) to a spectacular sunrise shortly before reaching Starvation. The smoke from the nearby wildfires made the rising sun a bright red. Not pink or orange. A BRIGHT red. What's that old saying? Red sky in morning, tubers take warning? [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Got to start the morning with some dumpster diving. The trash bins next to the "facilities" at Rabbit Gulch had been "accomodated" by someone who was moving or doing a major garage cleanout. Being the curious sort, I took a look. Among all of the REAL junk, there were several old rods and reels being discarded. They were mostly of the "El Cheapo" brand, made of fibreglass...which I do not use much. But, being a compassionate fisherman, I rescued them. I can always use pieces and parts for the rod repair and rebuilding stuff I do.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I knew the water level was dropping, and had planned to launch in an area that would allow easy access, with solid bottom...no mod. I blew it. As I started driving on the newly exposed lakeshore, my tires started spinning and sinking. Oops. Fortunately, I was able to kick in my 4X4...and after throwing a lot of mud and some tricky maneuvering, we were on out way over to the rocky finger of land where we launched a couple of weeks ago. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Our launch site was at least 4 feet higher out of the water. That water level is dropping fast. Starvation looks to be lower now that it ever got last year. Gonna be a long hot summer.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]On our last trip, Lloyd had not been tubing for awhile and it took him a long time to get launched. But, even for a professor, he learns quickly. He was in the water several minutes before I could get launched. If nothing else, he is enthusiastic about his fishing...expecially if there is the prospect for walleyes.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]So, I let Lloyd catch the first couple of dinky perch. Then I tried to give him some competition. We both caught grundles of small perch at the first area we tried, but could not find any "basket fish". So, we kicked across the channel to an area on the other side where I have often found fish. They were there. I got into one small school of bigguns and popped a few into my basket...along with our first walleye...maybe 12". We moved in and out, finding the occasional fish in water anywhere from 13' to 25'. Most of the better fish came from about 18' - 20'. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]That had to be the nicest weather day I have ever fished on Starvation. Calm at launch and glass most of the day. We covered a lot of water, but never had to work hard. We would have normally been off the water about noon, but the nice day lured us into staying out longer...about 20 minutes too long, as it turned out.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]As a veteran tuber, I have learned to watch the skies while out on the water. About 1 PM, I noticed little white clouds popping up on the horizon, in several areas. Some of them grew tall and developed "anvils"...thunder bumper clouds. Then, I saw a few with dark bottoms and some "virga"...rain that falls but evaporates before it hits the ground. Some of that in one of the pictures.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]When one set of clouds got darker, and I heard distant thunder, I commented to Lloyd that maybe our day was at an end...or should be. However, we had just got into a hot bite of larger perch...on some of my experimental "Perch Plunger" lures. I put several porky perch in my basket, and a couple more small wallies. Lloyd had also just scored his largest perch of the day on it too. He wasn't worried about no steenking weather.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]He should have been. We were back on the side near our vehicle, and not more than a five or ten minute kick from our launch site. The breeze started kicking up a bit, and i took that as my cue to boogie. I told Lloyd that he could fish a few minutes longer if he wanted, because it would take me some time to get the car prepped for loading up with all the grear. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I reached shore and stood up to get out when the blast of wind hit me. Picked up my rigid plastic "apron" and sailed it clear over to the car. Uh oh! I squawked at Lloyd on the walkie talkie that he had better get kicking if he hadn;t already. Then, I saw his hat come around the point of the rocks and could see that he was straining.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Lloyd had decided to "fish wet", with no waders, and had brought a smaller pair of fins that fit without waders. Bad move. In his Kennebec "pontube", which catches the wind and is hard to maneuver, his small fins were not working to help him get back to our launch site. The strengthening wind was blowing him sideways, away from the vehicle. On the walkie talkie he wailed that he was limited to going wherever the wind wanted to take him.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Fortunately, that was not too far away. But, he was bogged down in the thick weed growth exposed by the dropping water. I hurried down the shoreline to help him get up on the bank. I think he must have watched Tom Hanks' movie "Castaway" too many times. By the time I got there, he had a hut built of tamarisk branches and was calling his fish basket "Wilson". (Sorry Lloyd...had to embellish a bit) [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Fortunately, he had landed next to another finger of land that was higher out of the water, and had firm rock and soil. I was able to go back and get the Jimmy and drive around to the rescue. We survived another adventure for the day.[/#0000ff]

[#0000ff]The last "wonderful" event occured as we were on the way home. Daniels Canyon is under road construction...narrowed down to one lane and subject to long delays. We were the second vehicle stopped in a 30 minute delay, while UDOT trucks labered slowly up the hill from the other direction. they gave a new definition to the word SLOW.[/#0000ff]

[#0000ff]All in all, it was a great day on the water with a good friend. I didn't get a final picture of Lloyd and his catch. He was a bit surly after his unscheduled "cruise". But, I did get a picture of him under full sail.[/#0000ff]

[#0000ff]We finished up with a bunch of basket perch and several walleyes. My biggest perch was right at 14" and I had a couple of 13s and several twelves. Not bad. We got a total of five walleyes. None of them was over ten pounds. I am attaching a picture of one little perch munchin' walleye. The fillet autopsy revealed that he had eaten two good sized perchies. While only about 12" himself, the walleye had swallowed two perch that were about 1/3 his body length. It is true. Walleyes do eat perch.[/#0000ff]
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Nice! The big perch picture was beautiful...Makes me that we don't have any yellow perch in my neck of the woods. (Don't get me started on the white perch that have invaded an area or 2 though...errr...)

Lot's of good childhood memories of Starvation as a kid....and I am sure you most likely tubed' over my Grandpa's ashes a time or two

Did the rain help against any of the fires that are munching up your desert kingdom state?
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Tube Dude, what about Wolf Creek Pass? Would that help to get there? That is the way I went to the Lodge and it knocked off about 15 to 20 minutes, plus a much nicer drive.
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[cool][#0000ff]These early thunderstorms hurt more than they help. They often kick out lightning, that starts fires, but not enough rain to put them out. We only got about six drops of rain on the windshield on the way home.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I am sure that your Grandpa is enjoying his final resting place. I can only hope I have as nice a spot to spend eternity.[/#0000ff]
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[cool][#0000ff]That pass may have been a more direct route to the lodge, but there is no better way to reach Starvation than through Daniels Canyon...when it is not under construction. We breezed there early in the morning, but got caught two vehicles late coming home. If only Lloyd had not stopped to build his hut on the beach.[/#0000ff]
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DAMN the Lloyd![laugh][laugh][laugh]
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I knew I was going to be blamed for my adventure in the wind!
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Everything about yesterday's fishing trip to Starvation was great --even the delay on the road home. For me, that discomfort pales in comparison to the great time I had, and the things I learned. After every fishing trip with TubeDude I am make some changes in fishing gear and fishing technique that make fishing more enjoyable for me. I am even beginning to get a little bit of my "self concept" back. It is difficult though, when you constantly hear him making statements like, "Oh, that's a big one" or "That's a basket fish" or "Walleye on" while you are fishing near him and not experiencing the same kind of success that he experiences---Oh, well!

Great trip, Pat! You're a good friend!
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[cool][#0000ff]Enough of the humilty and self-deprecation. You are an experienced and competent fisherman. But, like myself, you are a lifelong student of fishing and technique. And, like myself, you truly believe that the more you learn the more you realize that there is much more to be learned.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]When we go fishing, it is usually enough to tell you what I plan to do, and how to do it. You are always able to incorporate it successfully into the day's outing. You are a quick study. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]So what if I caught more big perch and more walleyes? Deal with it. That's the guide fee. You don't think I give away ALL of my secrets for free do you?[/#0000ff]
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Fair enough!
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[#0000ff]So what if I caught more big perch and more walleyes? Deal with it. That's the guide fee. You don't think I give away ALL of my secrets for free do you?[/#0000ff][/reply]

You could always give credit to the lawn chair you have mounted on your H3
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[cool][#0000ff]Nope. Took it off after the first hour or two. While it was comfy...as long as I leaned back...it tended to allow me to slide forward if I was not "fully upright and in the locked position". Since I did not want to fall out of my tube, I kicked in and tied the chair off onto the back of my tube for the rest of the day. Only after I could really concentrate on my fishing did I begin to catch the larger fish.[/#0000ff]
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