[cool][#0000ff]The PWC launch area on Jordanelle is usually pretty good for perch and smallies this time of year. We hadn't tried it yet this year so TubeBabe and I met up with LloydE this morning for a perch search. The weather was iffy, but we figured we could get in enough effort to see whether the fish were there yet.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Air temp 60 and water temp 71 at launch. Lotsa clouds and a fairly serious southeast breeze as we kicked out to find the fishies. Didn't see ANYTHING on sonar in the usual places...12-15 feet of water. Tried throwing a small firetiger spinner and did catch a couple of stray smallettes (little smallmouths). Nothing dragging bait or bottom bouncing with assorted jigs, even when I moved out into deeper water. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]TubeBabe announced that she had caught a big chub...and then finally a small smallmouth. Lloyd managed a couple of chubs and a micro smallie. I caught a couple of chubs too. One looked like a big brownie had been nibbling on him. Scales scraped off the sides and an open sore on his belly. Maybe some bucket bozo planted tiger muskies in Lake X.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]If the breeze had let up, as it normally does, I would have kicked over to the quarry to check for action over there. But, it seemed to be getting stronger and moving to come in more from the south. I opted to kick to the east of the launch ramp and fish off the gravel shoreline. Lloyd followed, but TubeBabe headed west to the shoreline with all the flooded trees. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I kept catching the occasional dinker smallie and then got on one hump that had some bigger fish. Got 13, 14, and 16 inchers fairly close together before moving off the spot. Probably caught about 10 smallies while prospecting for perch. Didn't catch a single perch all morning. No married ones either.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Worked out into deeper water, and when I reached about 35 feet the trout started whacking my little pale perch jigs. Ended up catching 4 rainbows up to 17 inches, and lost a couple of others. Lloyd got one or two and lost a couple of hefty ones. TubeBabe went out into deeper water when I clued her in and she also got a couple of bows before the south "zephyr" picked up.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Out4AFloat had joined us in his tube a while after we launched. He worked all around us and then kicked east toward the sunken island. He did not have a walkie talkie and we could not watch him, so we don't know how he did. But, about 9:30 he kicked into shore, a long way from the launch ramp, walked back to get his car and left before we did. He will have to fill in the details.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]We got raindrops a couple of times earlier, but about 10 AM some rain started blowing in hard from the south and the water got bumpy. Lloyd, TubeBabe and I all decided that we didn't need much more bouncing and hard kicking so we hit the ramp and left early.[/#0000ff]
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Nice report, looks like threating weather.
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[cool][#0000ff]The cool raindrops felt good, after the past few hot days in the valley.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Just a bit much bouncy bouncy in the float tubes when we are trying to finesse fish with small jigs.[/#0000ff]
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Love the trout pics! A couple of those looked very healthy. One of these days you're going to have to come up north TD!
Good job catchin' the troutskis!
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[cool][#0000ff]Thanks for the kindly comments. The trout were fat and healthy. The ones we kept had purty red flesh. Will make a good oven broil "faux salmon" dinner tomorrow.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Come up north? Uhhhhhh....why? I'm doin' pretty good on the lakes in this area.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]We do wanna hit Mantua with you though. And, when Willard gets back in the groove we gotta get you into some wipers.[/#0000ff]
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hey tube dude
nice report i always like reading them i look at your pictures and it looks like you always have/use the same jig/spinner may i ask what it is where you get em? i notice you catch the eyes on them and bass and what not i fish Glendale in Preston and the Narrows on the bear river i was wanting to know does that work for the eyes on the Narrows and the bass and bows in Glendale thanks.....
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[:p] Get ready!
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[cool][#0000ff]Yeah, I guess if you see a few of my pictures you will notice that the "Roadrunner" jigs are a big part of my fishing success. The Blakemore company patented the Roadrunner name many years ago, but you can buy "pony head" jig molds and make your own. I own several molds and can make them from 1/48 oz. to 2 oz. ...both with a barb for plastics and without a barb to dress with fur, feathers or synthetics.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]When the head is molded, you include a small crane swivel. After you trim and paint the head, you add a small split ring and your choice of blades. That is what elevates the plain jig head and makes it a complete lure. The blade spins when pulled through the water...or wiggles and flashes when jigged. So you can fish it a lot of different ways (see the PDF file attached).[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I have not specifically tried them on the southern Idaho lakes...except for Twin Lakes. They work there and I am sure they will work almost anywhere. I have used them in fresh water and salt water all over the US and have caught almost every species of fish on them. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The key to fishing these spinner jigs is the same as with most other lures. First, find the fish. Second, figure out what kind of presentation will work best. Then, pick the right size and color and go for it. Just like anything else you use, if you get it right and fish it right you will catch more fish. But, a good fisherman can catch fish on the WRONG lure, and a poor fishermen often can't catch anything on the RIGHT lure.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]When fishing walleyes in still water, I start by making long casts and then lifting and droping the jigs across the bottom. Sometimes a slow steady retrieve, just enough to keep the spinner working is best. But, while fishing from my float tube, I also use them a lot for vertical jigging. The extra flash and vibration helps call in the fish, and then a bit of crawler or perch meat on the jig helps seal the deal.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]There is not a species of fish in Utah I have not caught on a Roadrunner jig...except tiger muskie. And that is probably because I do not fish Pineview much.[/#0000ff]
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Good to see you guys again. Hope I didn't get too close to your spots. I had never been to that island before, and thought I would give it a try. My plan was to kick against the wind to get there. Then have an easy ride back. Well the wind changed just enough to make it a difficult kick back. And with days like that when I have to constantly kick to stay put. My knee gives up on me. So I made it to the shore line where I could and walked from there. I didn't land anything all morning, so I don't think it hurt my "big numbers" for the day.
I'll take blame for no perch there. Everytime I decide to fish for them and want to bring some home for dinner, they don't show up. [:/] You could head up there right now without me, and smack 'em good I bet.
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[cool][#0000ff]I saw you limping on the way back to get your car. I thought maybe you had a bad leg cramp. Sorry about your knee.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]We won't blame you for the perchless trip. The water is still a bit high for the best perchin' in that area. When the water drops down to the weed beds, the little perch move in and the big perch and smallies post guard out in slightly deeper water. At the current level and rate of drop it will probably be about the end of August when the water and the temps drop enough to make for better fishing.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]No worries about being too close. When you find the fish it is a vertical fishing presentation, with plenty of room for several perch jerkers.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]We will definitely hit it again and hopefully things are better all around...more fish, less wind and no knee problems.[/#0000ff]
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[font "Times New Roman"]Well I was up that way myself, I saw all you tubers.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]I was the one you guys were probably wondering what in the world he is doing, drift boat?[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]Thought I should chime in and add I didn’t do all that well myself, first time to Jordanelle as you may have been able to tell. I did manage to bring in a couple of rainbows and had a few other bites but that was about it. I got a little bit of a late start and left a little early but as OUT4aFloat said and the sounds of it I don’t think it hurt my “big numbers”.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]I am a full on trout fisherman always have been and that may be what enticed the rainbows to bit my line, but I am redirecting my focus on other species of fish and other types of fishing so I thought I would give the nelle a try. Not a very encouraging first try.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]I left early from nelle, I think I left around 9:30ish to find the trout biting my line at the berry, then when the storm picked up there at the berry around 6 I decided to give DC a try, where I then found the fish or at least a few, it was good fun, and not that I haven’t caught both perch and bass on accident before I just had never been targeting them it was great! Several perch and a few smallies and after the madness went in, I brought in my first walleye and then a couple more in to the night.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]So the search for new fish is well on its way, when the water levels drop some ill have to try out he nelle again, because the smallies I caught put up a fight I was impressed and I’m sure they are what you call “dinks” do they always put up a good fight like that?[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]One other question I wanted to ask and I think I may be in the wrong about is- did I launch at the wrong launch? Was that ok I guess I didn’t put it together in tell after I packed up that it is the PWC, I cant picture launching my little thing with all the madness. [/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]Well next time maybe it wont be such a bumpy ride and I can stick around long enough to meet you guys.[/font]
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[cool][#0000ff]I didn't recognize your "special" boat as one I had seen before. I have spent some time in drift boats on moving water, but haven't seen too many on lakes. But, hey, they are waterworthy craft and if you like the ride and the way it fishes then it's all good.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Always like to meet new BFTers, no matter how they are fishing. Don't be afraid to say howdy. We will be hitting that area more between now and the end of the year. And, the area just outside the buoy line is usually a pretty good place to troll up some troutskis. There will be more browns in the picture once the water cools a bit in the fall.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Yeah, ya gotta love those smallies. Dinks or not they all put up a good scrap. And, when we hook something over 15" on our light gear it is all the fun we can stand.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Sounds like you put in a full day...with three different lakes before you bagged it. That is dedication. You are a real fisherman for sure.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]No worries on your launch site. Lots of non PWC folks launch there. But, when there are a lot of the PWCs trying to launch, and a big pontoon craft ties up the ramp for a half hour, the rangers are likely to chase them off. I have seen them issue a ticket to a guy in a bass boat who had the whole ramp blocked off for a long time. Early and late in the year that ramp is still open when the main ramp is iced up. It faces south so it gets more sunshine and also the prevailing south breezes to keep it open earlier and longer. Everybody uses it then.[/#0000ff]
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Nice pictures and report as always TD, The perch at the Nell are few and far for any size and the bigger bass are on the thin side as well...
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Matt,
I was the one who wasn't watching where I was going and got into your territory! Also, I didn't recognize you at first; i.e., I didn't realize who you were until you were some distance away. Sorry for both mistakes!
I miscalculated the wind all day long. I fought the wind most of the morning to move to the east of the ramp only to have it change direction when I needed to get back to the ramp. I was fighting the wind all morning long. However, I had a great time. I always do!
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