Fishing Forum

[cool][#0000ff]After catching a few perch from a boat, while fishing Yuba with Bassrods last week, I decided to make a special shot at it with the tubes this week with TubeBabe along for assistance.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Hit one of those rare days on Yuba for this time of year. Air temp above freezing, no wind at all...all day...and water temps ranging from 49 to 53. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Interesting start. Decided to launch in front of the bridge, since the low water had the water's edge way out in front of the bridge...usually has water under it. We have done that many times in the past. But, as we drove toward the dry underside of the bridge there were sand berms I had never seen before. Stopped the Jimmy and got out to look before proceeding. Good I did. The north side of the bridge pilings was blocked by a deep trench cut into the road, to keep vehicles from passing. It wasn't marked and not possible to see before you dropped into it. The south side had no trench, but the soft sand would require 4 wheel drive and a fast shot to make it through. We plowed through and hit the beach. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Just about the time we were getting ready to launch, we heard the sound of another vehicle coming down the access road and to the bridge. I saw that he was barreling toward the trench side and waved my arms to stop him. He waved back and KERPLUNK. His front wheels disappeared into the "sand canyon". [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Turned out he was from St. George area and just came down to see the lake. He saw a lot more than he wanted. We had no tow rope or shovels. He had a jack and a small shovel. He was eventually able to get out by jacking up the front end and piling rocks from the dam under the wheels. Close call.[/#0000ff]

[#0000ff]As we were trying to come up with a plan, we noticed the "No Trespassing" sign that someone had torn down and tossed into the weeds, So, after getting the tubes ready to launch, I took our vehicle back up and parked off the road. Man. I have fished Yuba for over 35 years and it seems as if one by one they are closing down all of the access points for tubers...without having to pay a fee and use the ramp. I have a season pass, but it is no good anywhere but at the parks.[/#0000ff]

[#0000ff]The fishing? We started by throwing crankbaits and spinner baits along as much shoreline and dam face area as we could reach with our tubes. Nary a sniff from any pike, trout or walleye. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]So, we rigged for vertical jigging for perch. Started in the same area that Bassrods and I had found a few last week. Nothing doing. Worked out into deeper water and finally found a few isolated fish in 35 to 40 feet of water. Also saw schools of baby perch on the sonar. Figured the bigguns would be in there feeding on them. We were right. Almost every large perch we caught was barfing up freshly eaten 2"-3" perchlets. In fact, one small perch I caught had the tail of a smaller one sticking out its mouth. As I took the picture, I noticed the tail of the smaller one wiggling. I pulled it out of the bigger fish's mouth and it was flopping around. That is fresh. Took another picture of predator and prey before releasing both...and both dove to the bottom.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Fishing was not fast. One here and one there. Most perch were right about 11"...and fat. We kept a couple about 10 inches and several between 12" and 13". Tried a variety of jigs and tried both crawlers and perch meat as bait. Just about all of our perch were caught on 1/4 oz. chartreuse "ultra minnow" jigs...with TD custom recipe perch strips.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Oh yeah, we saw grundles of fish on sonar, but a high percentage of them were probably carp. We caught several carp on our jigs and perch meat combos from as deep as 41 feet. Including one pic of a mirror carp with light coloring.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]We started out near the dam and worked back and forth from shallow to deep...25' to 43' (deepest spots in the lake)...from the dam to the ramp. At one point I got out near the ramp and hiked back to get the car and bring it down. We finished right out in front of the ramp and got our last 4 keepers in that area. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]There were some "dock danglers" fishing minnows off the end of the dock. I did not see them catch anything for the entire time they were there, but when they got ready to go they hoisted a small pike on a stringer...see pic.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Only about 3 or 4 boats on the lake. One turned out to be Brad Cutler...president of Rocky Mountain Anglers..and his boatmate. When asked if they had found any pike, his answer was "We were just running stabilizer through the motor to get it ready for winter." Sheesh. Took him all day to do it. Best excuse for a skunk I ever heard. [/#0000ff]
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Nice basket of perch!

A friend & I went out Saturday and fished the mid part of the day and all we got was a few nibbles, our water was 43 deg and only around 12 ft deep. Beautiful day just no catchin.
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[cool][#0000ff]Thanx.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Where were you fishing? If it was SFC then you were probably fishing WAAAAY too shallow. Cain't ketch 'em where they ain't. The perch go deep until after the ice forms and then they move somewhat shallower...but seldom as shallow as 12 feet.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Do you ever fish Magic for the perch?[/#0000ff]
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Yes you are right we were way to shallow. We put in at Norton Bay on SFC for 2 reasons, wanted to work the Crappie Point cliff on the southside and to see where to water depth was in anticipation for ice fishing, but it was only showing 8' where last year during hard water it was 20'. Did mark fish along the cliff but no takers.

Yes up until last year that is where I went for ice fishing because of the perch, but with the low water years the perch have been to few and small for the drive. Especially with SFC putting out some nice perch. last year. Then you also have the excitement of a walleye coming around, which a few did last winter.

I do have another sonar question. I have the eagle 168? think that the #, anyways, I have my "sens" at 50% and on auto and I intermitingly but fairly regularly I get bounces at 2'-3' and when the bounces come they are there for fairly long periods of time. It doesn't seem to matter what the depth is cause these bounces are there in 5' or 20' and if the fish indicator is on it's beeping all the time. Any ideas what this might be?
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[cool][#0000ff]We fished Magic in the fall two years ago and all we could find were a few small perch too. It WAS a lot more fun catching the bigger perch and the walleyes at SFC.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]You can't ever rely on where you found fish the year before, unless water levels are pretty close to the same. On some lakes it is almost a completely different pattern every year, depending upon the water conditions. The fish have their own rules and you have to play by theirs...not yours. You gotta find 'em to ketch 'em. Sometimes takes a bit of drillin' and searchin' to figure out where they are and what they want.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I also use the Eagle 168...the EX model with the bigger display screen. I have also noticed that I get "false readings" in shallow water. There have been times my sonar is showing fish in less than six feet of water and I can look down through the clear water and see nothing. This can happen because of bubbles, chunks of algae (most likely in SFC) or even density differences in the water caused by temperature changes.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]You either need to tweak the sensitivity, and give up some fish finding ability...or learn to tune out the false readings in the shallow zone and concentrate on the bottom few feet only. Better yet, for ice fishing, invest in a good flasher unit, with real time display. That will allow you to see your jig and know when fish are going to bite. We don't use the flasher technology much when tubing, but it can make a big difference for ice fishing.[/#0000ff]
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Yumm im hungry!!! Those are some really nice looking perch!! i bet you got some great meat off those boys.
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[cool][#0000ff]Yep. Got a nice bunch of good thick fillets. Made up my first batch of "Pig Out Perch Chowder" for the cold weather season. Good stuff.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Recipe attached below [/#0000ff]
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That sounds lovely!! I got some perch i froze in water at home. I just printed that recipe out, cant wait to try it! Thanks for sharing []
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[cool][#0000ff]Hope you like it. I put it together about 40 years ago and have expanded a lot of waistlines with it since then. Kinda like Sara Lee..."Nobody doesn't like it."[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Good to see you participating on the tubing board and congrats on your recent moderator promotion. With all the extra money we make as moderators it allows us a lot more time and funds for fishing.[/#0000ff]
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Im sure it put a few pounds on a few people!! lol! O well I like fishing and eating, if thats the worst of my habits bring it on lol. I well let you know how it turns out.

Thanks for the Warm welcome. I already bought a new bass boat with my first BFT check [laugh]
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Served up some your perch chowder at our Magic Valley Fly Fishers Christmas Party, hardly a drop left in the pan.
I used Bear Creek Creamy Potatoe soup mix with chicken broth instead of water added, that was the only change and it is a hit[cool] It's going in the keeper box[] Thanks TD
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[cool][#0000ff]Glad everybody liked it. Kinda like Sara Lee...nobody DOESN'T like it.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]One of the great things about it is that as long as you start out with a good creamy potato soup recipe, everything else is very flexible. You can add just about anything to meet your own personal perferences. Just don't forget the fish.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]One of the things we have found is that it is great to make up a big batch the day before you are going to serve it and then let it chill in the refrigerator. It almost seems better when reheated because all the flavors have longer to blend. That makes it ideal for taking along on an ice fishing trip...to heat and serve out on the ice or after the fishing. It will warm you up from the inside.[/#0000ff]
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I agree on the letting it sit for a day, the flavors to come together more. As far as ice fishing, I'm losing hope in the temp getting cold enough for ice. Not really there still Jan & Feb but it will probably be a short season.
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