Fishing Forum

[cool][#0000ff]I hadn't been fishing since my last trip to Starvation a month ago...on the 5th of November. Not a big fan of swimming in ice water without waders so I have not ventured onto the ice yet this year. Since Deer Creek is still open water I thought I would celebrate Pearly Harbor Day by attacking the Island boat ramp in my tube. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Launched about 8:30. It was lonely. A few boats showed up later to troll for the abundant slimettes. Air temp was about 25 and water temp was 41, Calm at launch but the breeze that came up from time to time definitely put a chill on the festivities.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Worked out to about 25' to start bottom bouncing jigs. Saw a few individual fish just off bottom. Probably trout. No bites. Kept working deeper and deeper as I got toward the outer end of the island. The bottom was like a desert. Nada, zip, zilch. But, there were abundant bitty bows cavorting on the top...swirling and jumping all over the calm surface.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I only got a couple of decent hits on the bottom all morning. I worked out as deep as 65 feet and I did see a couple of small schools of fish that looked kindy perchy. But none that wanted to join me in my tube.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I did manage to bring in a few of the hostile and aggressive little bowettes. They hit my jigs on a lot of the drops I made to fish the bottom...and again when I reeled them back up to make a move or to check my bait. None of them were over about 12 inches. The term "DWR Walleye Feeding Program" kept passing through my mind. I imagine that more than a few of the 80,000 of those little guys planted a couple of months ago have found the innards of a big toothy critter.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]When I packed up to leave about noonish there were several boats working the area off the first point to the south of the launch ramp. They all seemed to be trolling. Probably a gathering spot for the slimers. Seemed to be pretty active in that area on the surface earlier. One boater came to the ramp as I was getting ready to leave. He admitted that he had caught a grundle of trout but nothing over the "footlong" standard.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The water is rising in Deer Creek. Quite a bit higher than my last trip over a month ago. And, as deep as it is...with surface temps still over 40 degrees...it is going to take some prolonged heavy cold temps to put a cap on it. I have seen many years in the past when DC did not freeze at all. This might be one of them.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Will probably post another tubing report tonight. Was debating between Pineview and Willard. I think Willard won. Gonna try the South Marina. Maybe the north too. Chatter chatter.[/#0000ff]
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Glad you got out in the tube again before ice up. I am a little worried that someone will find a man in a tube caught in a large ice cube in a few hundred years....looks cold. Glad a few fish wanted to play. It will be fun to see if we can hook up this ice season.

Shawn
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Was wondering when we'd see a TD report. It's unusual to go a month without gettin a report. Too bad it wasn't better fishing
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Thanks for the wallpaper, like always. Pat, if it were possible to 'tube on the ice', I'm sure you would find a way.

Glad you finally got out again. Going this long, we were wondering if you gave up fishing.
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Was wondering if ya were gonna get out on the tube this winter. I always find myself stumped when fishing soft water in the winter seems like only the stockers want to play if that. Thanks for the report n pics[cool] take care
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I dont mind tubin in 40 degree water but 25 degree air temps with a breeze would freeze up my water works. Glad ya got out and found a fish to play. Im not that tough but if the weather stays warm may have to break out the tube if I am gonna fish
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[cool][#0000ff]Most years I get to launch my tube at least once in every month. The last couple of years have messed me up in January and February. But this time of year I keep both my tube and my auger ready. You never know when you might need an auger to get your tube launched...like today's report on Willard Bay. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]It was even colder today...22 degrees air temp and 35 water temp. Without proper gear and layering that would not be doable for most folks. I definitely felt the chill but it was not unbearable. I guess as I get older I get numb-er and dumb-er.[/#0000ff]
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