Fishing Forum

[cool][#0000ff]Folks say that Friday the 13'th is unlucky. Tuesday the 13'th didn't turn out half bad at Lincoln Beach this morning.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]LloydE and I had planned a trip to Jordanelle but changed to plan B. Met up just after 6 AM on the south dike. Water has dropped a bit. Calm and clear. Air temp mid 60's and water temp mid 70's. That's what I'm talkin' 'bout.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]First fish for me came on about my third cast...on one of the new fire tiger color 2" grubs I just got from Bass Pro Shop. Nice little bluegill. Got several other fish on it today too...catfish and bullheads. No white bass or walleyes at all today.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]We were fishing by 7 AM. First cookie cutter kitty came to my net by 7:15 and then they just kept coming and coming. They smacked both minnows and carp meat like they had not eaten for a week. I had doubles several times. In spite of releasing more than I kept I still had a limit of 8 in my basket before 8:30. No bigguns today, but the cookies are just fine either on the table or in the smoker.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Kept catching and releasing until I was mostly out of minnows and carp meat. Then I put up the bait rods and started pitching plastics again...tipped with crawler. The cookies liked those just fine too. Caught a dozen or so on plastics...including a couple of belligerent bullheads.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Everything suddenly slowed a bit after 10, when the breeze started picking up from the north. Happens every time. After a half hour of nada mas I headed for the shore. Good thing too. One of the bitty kitties I released got a spine into my air bladder after bouncing off my apron and the front end of my tube. It had zapped me across the top of my finger with a spine as I was trying to release it and I made a spastic toss. My bad. Almost had to walk back to shore, but I made it before the tube got too soft.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]It was good to fish with Lloyd again. At least I think that was Lloyd. He kept a bug mask on all day and I was not sure who that masked marauder was until he came back to shore. The voice on the other end of the walkie talkie sounded like him too so I wasn't too worried. I think he ended up a couple short of a limit but he had a bent stick and stretched string often enough to have a good time...and some good eats later.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I figured I would use my cordless electric fillet knife to strip down our kitties before going home. Good plan...until we saw the fish cleaning station. Some low lifes had filled the disposal with beer cans. Doesn't help it at all. So, we took our whole fish home. Bummer.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]You can bet my smoker will be putting out some fine smells tomorrow...and I'll have some prime snackies for a few days. Love them cookies.[/#0000ff]
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You didn't happen to hook onto a pole with a kitty fish attached to it did you? I donated one last night in the same spot while unhooking one fish, another took my pole over.
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Looks like some good eats to me. Don't you love how bluegill get? I swear, they will try to stuff full-on buzzbaits in their mouths. I laugh every time I get a gill on a larger curly tail or tube jig. I can't believe the hook fits that tiny mouth.

Did you make that jig head, Pat? Kinda looks like an orange sparkle. Whatever it is, it was dang effective. Thanks for the pics.
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[quote huntnchucky]You didn't happen to hook onto a pole with a kitty fish attached to it did you? I donated one last night in the same spot while unhooking one fish, another took my pole over.[/quote]

[cool][#0000ff]Nope. Sorry about your pole. I have a theory that fish have a "Fishsonian Museum" somewhere and that it is full of tackle they have taken from anglers.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I was dragging bait on two different rods today and I had several doubles. But mine are rigged up so that the fish cannot take them. I have successfully fought and landed two ten pound cats at one time on those holders. As long as the drag is set right I can use my fins to keep the right bend on the rod.[/#0000ff]
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[cool][#0000ff]I have always been amazed at how fearless and aggressive bluegill can be. I once caught two bluegills on one big bass plug...one on each set of trebles. Their mouths were not big enough to get a whole treble inside but they each bit down on one of the three points of the hooks and got hooked.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I make those orange sparkle heads in several sizes and styles. They work great with many colors but especially with the fire tiger plastics.[/#0000ff]
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Say....would Loyde your fishin' partner mind if I sent his photo to Weakly World News or National Enquire magazine? They can make up a cool alien story about a guy in Utah that has an alien buddy fishing with him.

Seems you brought Willard cookie cutters with you...must be your karma.[]
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Nice report. Glad the day turned out to be a good catching day as well as a good fishing day.
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[cool][#0000ff]I hereby bequeath all photo rights, to use as you see fit and proper. Just remember. Truth is often stranger than fiction. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Utah Lake cookie cutters? No complaints. Ya know, I have fished that lake for several decades and I cannot remember a time in the past when there were so many healthy young cats in the lake. Those things ARE plentiful AND healthy. Lots of internal fat in their innards. A lot of utah anglers are enjoying the heck out of them. Many would probably smell skunk if the cookies were not there to play with.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Can't wait until they get a couple more years' growth on them.[/#0000ff]
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[cool][#0000ff]Let's hope that Thursday is even better.[/#0000ff]
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Dude of Tubes,

That reminded me of a question I wanted to ask you. I took home a channel catfish from Willard the other morning to try it out in fish tacos, (tasty, by the way!) and I noted upon filleting it that the flesh located right behind the head and running about 2" along the "loin" was bright yellow. I've never seen that in catfish before and wondered if you encounter it in Willard cats too?

Disclaimer......I've only ever taken catfish from the Bear River on the Idaho side, and I was just a kid then and wouldn't have known or cared what the flesh should look like, so admittedly I don't have much background in catfish-ology.
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[cool][#0000ff]The flesh of most fish species is affected by what they eat...and how much of it. The bright yellow color in the Willard cookies is nothing more than fish oil...stored like camels store fat in their humps. I have heard it said that it contains omega 3 properties too. Definitely less of a health consideration than burger fat or even chicken fat.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I cook a lot of kitties on the grill and I notice that this high heat renders off a lot of fat...just like chicken. In fact, it will flare up on you if you cook it too hot and too close to the heat.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I have eaten a bajillion Willard kitties...without ever doing anything special to remove ANYTHING...even the red flesh along the side. Without any special treatment they are still some of the best eating catfish in the country. Some guys get super sensitive and make strong claims about adverse taste or texture. I maintain that if you cook them properly...and long enough...they turn out white, flaky, firm and without any fishy taste whatsoever.[/#0000ff]

[#0000ff]One of the things probably contributing to the color of the oily patch is the fact that Willard kitties dine on crawdads a lot more than they do in many other waters. The kerotene and vitamin A in invertebrates is what colors trout flesh bright pink. Might work the same way to some extent with kitties.[/#0000ff]
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Was that michael Jackson you were fishing with?
Looks like fun. I think I am going to the cat house this weekend, I mean Brownlee. I am sick of seeing you catch all the cats. Ron
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Hey! Thanks for the "flesh" out! I wasn't concerned about eating it, just curious as to the why it looked that way.

You're right though, about how tasty catfish from willard are. That dude was excellent. I'ma go catch his whole family and eat 'em.
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I notice that Lloyd has a nice bug mask on, but his ankles are all exposed! Don't you have any ankle biters down there?
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You have a lot of 'stuff' going on there. It almost looks like a fully equipped Crestliner packed into a smaller frame.
I got the mold, work has me tied in ribbons right now but I'll give you a holler soon.
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[quote cpierce]I notice that Lloyd has a nice bug mask on, but his ankles are all exposed! Don't you have any ankle biters down there?[/quote]

[cool][#0000ff]The mask was not so much for protection against biting insects...but for the swarms of midges and other pesky bugs that get in ones eyes, ears and nostrils. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I think Lloyd went to that mode of using his head net after getting it snagged up a couple of times while using it the "normal" way. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]It also cuts way down on the troublesome groupies who mob him wherever he goes when he is not in disguise. Eat your heart out Brad Pitt.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Yes, we do have lots of "ankle biters". But in Utah they are simply known as "children".[/#0000ff]
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I didn't realize that my face cover would get so much attention. The truth of the matter was that I usually put on sun screen when I leave in the morning so I don't have the scent on my hands. I have the notion that the sun screen scent is not appealing to fish. My alarm clock go fouled up yesterday morning so I didn't have time to put on my sun screen. The mask was to protect my face against the sun. Amazingly, it worked!

I had a great time fishing at Lincoln Beach yesterday. The fishing was great, along with the company. I always enjoy fishing with a "master fisherman." I keep hoping that some of his knowledge and skill will rub off on me a little.
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I think using it as a sun block is a great idea! I haven't seen the bug nets in white before. Is it hard to see out of?

I agree on the scent thing too. Sun blocks, insect repellent, gas, oils, and others can be real fish turnoffs.
Smart move!

I have a couple of black ones that I resort to when the bugs threaten to send me running and screaming like a banshee through the trees!

Keep using it. Don't let our kidding intimidate you. We are just having fun. Otherwise all we would have to pick on is TD, and we can always do that anyway.[laugh]
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"Otherwise all we would have to pick on is TD, and we can always do that anyway.[laugh]"

[cool][#0000ff]Yeah...I'm a bigger target. And I'm so easy I ain't even any fun.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Love you too, girl.[/#0000ff]
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TD,
Nice and cool report. In the pic w/ Lloyd there are lots of reeds in the background. Do you ever cast into those?
Also, is the orange jig head another one of your secret weapon creations???

rgds,

rich aka rincon madness
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