Fishing Forum

[cool][#0000ff]Lotta reasons why I shouldn't have gone fishing today. TubeBabe's Birthday for one. But she signed off on the pass since she had commitments and couldn't make it. Mumbled something about "Good riddance". What a girl.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Full moon? No problem. Monday after a big holiday? No problem. Forecast for "iffy" weather by midmorning? On Starvation...nothing unusual.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Launched about sunrise...6:30ish. Clear, calm, light breezes, air temp 62 and water temp just under 68. Water had dropped over a foot since last Tuesday.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I wanted to test some new double drop shot rigs for prospecting for bigger perch. "Rocketed" across the channel with my trolling motor setup until I started back up the other side of the channel. Pitched out one of the dropshot rigs, set the rod in the holder and was getting ready to vertical jig with the second rod. Down went the tip of the dropshot rod and a silvery rocket (rainbow) exploded out of the water about 3 times before giving me my drop shot plastic back. Those things are wild. Only one I hooked all day.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]As I kicked slowly up onto the 30 foot shelf on the other side of the channel I began to mark fish in the area where I had caught them last week. On cue, my dropshot rod took a dive and I had a heavy whack on the vertical jig rod. Two rods, two fish. The drop shot rod produced a porky perch. The vertical jig rod brought up a dink walleye...an "under footer". [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]That was the beginning of a perchapalooza. I had to put up the dropshot rod and concentrate on fishing only the vertical jig rig. I tossed out a marker buoy and stayed in the one spot for over two hours. During that time I was hooking a fish every drop...often as the jig touched down. I would flip the bail lift the rod and there would be a heavy pull down. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Today was the first time this year I caught way more large perch than small ones. And they were aggressive. In past weeks they have been touchy and required finesse. Today all you had to do was deliver some worm or perch meat and they did the rest. Caught them on every jig I fished. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I caught a grundle of widdle wallies on worms. Also plenty of perch, but I caught more big perch on perch meat. The larger perch were all barfing up the remnants of perchette dinners so I reasoned they might want MEAT. It was tough catching a small perch to cut up for bait. Once I had perch strips every drop produced a footlong.[/#0000ff]

[#0000ff]I did catch one nice 19" walleye on a worm tipped jig before I began to fish only with perch meat. And I caught a couple of small wallies on meat but no bigger ones.[/#0000ff]

[#0000ff]I had a basket full of perch by 9 AM. I was keeping a rough count and estimated I had about 40. I began a countdown and had the last ten in the basket within minutes. Then I released a grundle more. Man, where were these fish the last three weeks?[/#0000ff]

[#0000ff]About 9:30 I noticed that the stress on the fish from the full basket was making them all go belly up. So, I motored back across the channel to my vehicle and dumped the fish in my cooler. I counted 47 perch. Close enough for gummint work. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Figured I would go back out and work along the rock ridge with the buoys on it. That's where I caught my largest walleye last week...at 1 PM. About the time I got out there the "potential" wind started coming up and clouds were building. I got a few dink perch and some more under footer wallies but nothing keepable. I also got a feisty 13" smallie that tried to make me think he was a big walleye. Didn't work. He fought too hard.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]When I heard some thunder I looked to the west and saw a column of dark stuff under some dark clouds. I also saw a couple of lightning bolts and heard more rumble rumble. My mama drowned all the dumb ones so I powered back into shore and packed up to leave. I drove through that little cell on the way home. Whoooooooieeeee. Biggest raindrops I ever done seed. About washed a group of bikers off the road.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Yep. All the indicators were negative. But I went anyway. Sure glad I did. [/#0000ff]
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What a day !!! Very nice.
What do you do with all those fish if I may ask ?

Peter
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[cool][#0000ff]TubeBabe and I eat a lot of fish ourselves...at least two to three times a week. We also have a pretty large extended family and they all like fish. We have regular family fish fries.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]No problem with the ecology when it comes to perch. They are prolific spawners and will overpopulate and stunt if not heavily harvested.[/#0000ff]
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Nice eatin's there Pat!

God Bless,
Don
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so how did you tie up the double drop-shot[crazy]

I have done it with a jig on the bottom and then a drop-shot hook above

Nice eaten perch you got there, awsome deal and Happy Birthday TubeBabe.
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Wow what a day and report. Thanks, now when does the schedule allow for the next trip to continue the trend? []
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[quote TubeDude][cool][#0000ff]TubeBabe and I eat a lot of fish ourselves...at least two to three times a week. We also have a pretty large extended family and they all like fish. We have regular family fish fries.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]No problem with the ecology when it comes to perch. They are prolific spawners and will overpopulate and stunt if not heavily harvested.[/#0000ff][/quote]

Hmmm, I like fish too. When can I come over ?[]
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"so how did you tie up the double drop-shot[crazy] "

[cool][#0000ff]I'm attaching a diagram and some pics.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Like yourself, I fish tandem rigs a lot...and caught several sets of doubles on them yesterday. I also fish a jig and fly combo...with either the jig on the bottom or on the dropper...with the fly trailing a couple of feet behind.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I started using the double dropshot rig in Starvation about 3 years ago...to help counter the layer of weeds that seemingly carpet the bottom almost everywhere. You can't cast and retrieve or drag jigs without bringing in "salad". So, by using a long thin weight...to slide through the weeds without hanging up too badly...and rigging jigs or flies above...you get in more fishing time and less greenery on your hooks.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I make a whole line of painted body jigs and weightless drop shot flies. They work very well for this kind of rig...when you add worm or perch meat. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Over the past year I have been rigging with a small tube jig on a plain hook...no weighted jig head. It has worked very well but the tube tends to slide down over the hook. One of the new things I wanted to try yesterday was my new idea for putting a small round bead of hot melt glue on the hooks...Aberdeen or jig hooks...to keep the tube from sliding on the hook shaft. Hey...it really does the job and catches more fish before the tube gets trashed and you have to replace it.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I also experimented with sliding on a colored bead or two above the plastic...and adding eyes to the plain white plastic with red lure dye. Not sure how many more bites it produced but last week I got one of my largest perch and largest walleye on a plain white tube on the dropshot rig.[/#0000ff]
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"Hmmm, I like fish too. When can I come over ?[]"

[cool][#0000ff]You would be welcome anytime, my friend. If you CAN come over I will both take you fishing and feed you well.[/#0000ff]
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[quote Hnaf]Wow what a day and report. Thanks, now when does the schedule allow for the next trip to continue the trend? [][/quote]

[cool][#0000ff]Weather forecasts and personal commitments make the rest of this week questionable. Will plan next week over the weekend. TubeBabe is open all next week so a return trip to Starvation is a definite. She insists on it. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Most likely Tuesday or Thursday of next week. PM me your preference and we will try to get Mama Nature to play nice on your choice of days.[/#0000ff]
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TubeDude wrote:[/quote]
"Hmmm, I like fish too. When can I come over ?[]"

[cool][#0000ff][/#0000ff]You would be welcome anytime, my friend. If you CAN come over I will both take you fishing and feed you well.[/b][/quote]




Thank you TD. Few years ago we went to Utah few
times . Camping, slot canyon exploring, hiking, back
road driving and stuff like that. Escalante and Moab
area. Very beautiful. Now we have a house and jobs
and "stupid" stuff like that.
BUT never say never.[]

Peter
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Man, I hate it when my basket gets so full of fish I have to kick back in to make a deposit in the ice chest. Horrible problem to have. Thanks for the report and pics. I plan on harassing utah lake next week if the weather cooperates. This week's weather looks iffy at best.
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[quote wagdog]Man, I hate it when my basket gets so full of fish I have to kick back in to make a deposit in the ice chest. Horrible problem to have. [/quote]


Me to[crazy]
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[quote wagdog]Man, I hate it when my basket gets so full of fish I have to kick back in to make a deposit in the ice chest. Horrible problem to have. Thanks for the report and pics. I plan on harassing utah lake next week if the weather cooperates. This week's weather looks iffy at best.[/quote]


lol, yeah me too []
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Very Nice!!!! Now that is what I call a perchy day![cool] Thanks for the info on the drop shot. Wondered how you did that.
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