Fishing Forum

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[/size][/font][center][font "Comic Sans MS"][size 4]October 11-12, 2003 [/size][/font][size 1]

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[/size][font "Comic Sans MS"][size 4]The day started just like another other day in Las Vegas except I was going to go fishing in Utah. It was a toss up to go to Boulder Mountain or Beaver Mountain Area. Both have plenty of lakes to choose from and lots of fish just waiting to be caught. I would make my assessment by the time I reached Cedar City. I knew Lower Barkers Reservoir would be higher than Labaron Reservoir, which would mean it would most likely be cooler. [/size][/font]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 4][/size][/font][font "Comic Sans MS"][size 4]As I drove I noticed the wind kicking up through the pass at Apex. This was not good news so I was hoping it was through Utah by now. The drive to St. George was pretty uneventful. When I got there it was a real nice day. I stopped a Wal*mart to get some more hooks. I bought 2 packages of 20 each. This will be important later. [/size][/font]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 4][/size][/font][font "Comic Sans MS"][size 4]When I got to Cedar City I noticed the coolness in the air and the smoke coming from the wood stoves around the city. I decided that I would go to Beaver area instead. When I got to Parowon I was starting to get worried. The fields had some white stuff coming out of the irrigation systems. Yes, it was ice. Burr… that’s cold! It must have gotten cold last night. As a good Scouter I would be prepared for the cold weather. As I got into Cedar City the same could be said for the weather. I stopped at the 66 Station before I went up the mountain. I [/size][/font][font "Comic Sans MS"][size 4]noticed the temperature gauge showing 34 degrees. I bought some gas and worms, for the brookies I would catch, and went up the mountain. Going out of the city I saw a fence that had been hit with an irrigation sprinkle and it was a beautiful site. [/size][/font]

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[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 4]The whole fence was white with icicles hanging from every inch of the fence. I finally started up the canyon low and behold what a site. [/size][/font] [center][font "Comic Sans MS"][size 4][/size][/font][/center]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 4]The oak trees were changing color. I came just in time. The magnificent leaves of different colors from yellow too red. It was so beautiful to see! I can’t wait to observe the aspens and their colors as well. They didn’t disappoint me either. What a great site to see them change. [/size][/font]

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[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 4]So I drove further up the mountain through the leisurely fallen aspen leaves and along side the swift moving Beaver River. At this instance I realize that it is going to be a breathtaking and tranquil weekend. No freeways to battle, crazy drivers gesturing to one another, work, football games on TV, NASCAR, or baseball. Wait a minute! I will miss my football and NASCAR but they will be there for me next week. I really needed to go camping and get away from it all. You see I like camping year round and least every month for the solitude I will receive. As I traveled up the mountain there was beauty along every turn. All the campsites this time of year are closed so I would have to make due with the primitive campsites along LaBaron Reservoir. As I drove next to Little Reservoir [/size][/font][font "Comic Sans MS"][size 4]there were a few people fishing it. I didn’t stop but continued until I got to Lower Kent Lake. I looked over the area and found no one was there fishing. I continued through the canyon in anticipation of getting to Anderson Meadow. I wasn’t disappointed at the view from the roadside of Anderson Meadow. [/size][/font] [center][font "Comic Sans MS"][size 4][/size][/font][/center] [center][font "Comic Sans MS"][size 4][/size][/font][/center] [center][/center] [center][/center] [center]These photos of Anderson Meadow were a previous trip to the area.[/center]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 4]This lake partially surrounded by soaring pine trees and a large meadow leading to the lake. I saw several men fly fishing here on tubes. As I drove by one angler was landing a rainbow Trout. I honked and waved as I went through. The next sign told me [/size][/font][font "Comic Sans MS"][size 4]that it would be 4 miles to Labaron Reservoir. All of a sudden out of the forest came a doe. [/size][/font] [center][font "Comic Sans MS"][size 4][/size][/font][/center]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 4]At first I didn’t recognize why the doe didn’t scurry off however I finally saw that her fawn was grazing below the road and she [/size][/font][font "Comic Sans MS"][size 4]wanted to make certain she stayed close. [/size][/font] [center][font "Comic Sans MS"][size 4][/size][/font][/center] [center][font "Comic Sans MS"][size 4][/size][/font][/center]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 4]I waited for her fawn to cross and then continued on. When I got to the turn off for LaBaron Reservoir I missed it by a few feet so I started to back up when I almost hit two girls in a red Dodge Ram pickup. Who figured there was anyone following me? Well I said I was sorry and they said that was entirely aright. They asked me if I knew where the lake was since they were meeting their husbands there. Well I told them it was right below us on the road I just missed. They thanked me and said to have a great day. Boy! If that had happened in Vegas I would have been called every name in the book and a finger gesture too. [/size][/font]

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[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 4]There are only 4 campsites that have fire rings around them so I got the second best with this view. Wow! What a view! [/size][/font] [center][font "Comic Sans MS"][size 4][/size][/font][/center]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 4]Breath taking isn’t it. I can’t wait to hit the lake fishing but I must get the campsite in order. I finally started fishing approximately at 11am till around 3pm. I didn’t even get a bite. I tried worms, Power Bait, lures, and some different colored wooly buggers but got nothing. I went back to the campsite and started dinner. Around 4 while dinner was cooking I went down by the Dam and fished there for a while. That’s when I caught my first fish a 12” rainbow on Grape twist Power Bait. Something took my worm also. [/size][/font] [center][font "Comic Sans MS"][size 4][/size][/font][/center] [center][font "Comic Sans MS"][size 4][/size][/font][/center]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 4]I continued to fish and I got an additional, but smaller rainbow. I decided to head back to the campsite and have dinner. The stew I made was ready to eat so I started a fire so I could have dinner watching the sunset and the daylight come to a close. Off in the distance I could see several cows grazing in the meadow across the lake. Finally I noticed some deer approaching from the forest of pine tree across the lake to graze and get some water. [/size][/font] [center][font "Comic Sans MS"][size 4][/size][/font][/center]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 4]Wow! Can this weekend get any better? [/size][/font]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 4][/size][/font] [center][font "Comic Sans MS"][size 4][/size][/font][/center] [center][font "Comic Sans MS"][size 4][/size][/font][/center] [center][font "Comic Sans MS"][size 4]Part 2 [/size][/font][/center][size 1][/size] [center][font "Times New Roman"][size 1][/size][/font][/center] [center][font "Times New Roman"][size 1][/size][/font][/center] [center][font "Times New Roman"][size 6]Great Weekend Part 2[/size][/font][/center]

[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]As night fell there a different perspective is encountered. I think back to how the pioneers must have done it. There would be hardships and the triumphs to inhabit this territory but they persevered. I stared at the area just thinking of the pioneers that came here. What were their thoughts of what they were seeing? I decided it was time to clean up and go to my tent and get some sleep. When I woke up I heard several extraordinary noises coming from outside my tent. I gradually opened my tent to be astonished by quite a few wild turkeys walking by my tent. They were so close I could have reached out and grabbed one. I figured if I were to attempt that, I would probably get my ass whipped by one. I slowly got out of my sleeping bag and tent and went to my truck were my camera was. By the time I got there they were gone. I walked in the forest for a while until I found them. I wasn’t able to get a clear photo but it was an experience I will never fail to remember in my mind. I got back to camp and laid out a plan I would follow. Today I would catch fish from Labaron Reservoir, Anderson Meadow, and Puffer Lake. I started with Labaron trying out several fly patterns with a fly on a bobble. I tried dry, wet, nymphs, and wooly buggers. There was absolutely no action to speak of from the lake. You could see the trout coming up to the surface and eating but they didn’t desire what I had for them. After several hours I decided to go back to camp and eat breakfast. A couple came over from the other camp and asked if I had any good fortune and told them not anything today. As I was eating I could still see the same cows grazing the meadow from where they left off yesterday. Suddenly out of the forest across the way, came some elk. They went down to the water and as quickly as they appeared they disappeared. I decided to brake down and camp and try fishing the lake again. Later I went back down to the dam and fished with worms and Power Bait. I started to utilize my grape twist Power Bait when I caught my first rainbow for the day. Later I got another bite, which felt different. It wasn’t like any rainbow I have caught before. This fish was stronger and had a wild intent to it. Low and behold I caught my first brookie. Could this weekend get any better? I caught him on a worm. I finally finished, catching several more rainbows before I decided it was time to go to Anderson Meadow. [/size][/font]

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[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]I got there and no one was there. Only the aftermath of someone’s party. Before I could even fish I cleaned up the vicinity by filling up half of a 32-gallon trash bag. I hate it when people don’t respect the great outdoors. I have fished Anderson Meadow before and know of it opportunities. I decided to test my entire line up of Power Bait on this lake. I started using Flaming Red Power Bait and within minutes I got my first rainbow. [/size][/font] [center][font "Times New Roman"][size 3][/size][/font][/center] [center][font "Times New Roman"][size 3][/size][/font][/center]

[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]I cast out again and got an additional rainbow. I went back into my tackle box and brought out some Orange Sherbet Power Bait. About 15 minutes went by when I brought in another rainbow. I ended up catching rainbows on Flaming Red, Orange Sherbet, Lime Twist, Grape Twist, and Orange Twist Power Bait. My observation is just about any rainbow trout is attracted to the smell as well as one important ingredient. Glitter Power Baits. Everything style I use has glitter inside it. If it doesn’t have some I insert it to the mixture. All you have to do is go to the store and get what the kids use. I find it works just fine. [/size][/font] [center][font "Times New Roman"][size 3][/size][/font][/center] [center][font "Times New Roman"][size 3][/size][/font][/center]

[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]After several hours I decided it was time to fish Puffer Lake. Just as I was leaving I saw a red tail hawk, my favorite animal, soaring above me. Native Americans call him the messenger of the sky, observer. Was he telling me something? Was he watching over me? [/size][/font]

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[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]This would be my first time there. It was another scenic drive through a different canyon past Elk Meadow Ski Resort to where Puffer Lake was located. When I got there the lake was extremely low. From what I gathered this lake is controlled by the Beaver City Power Company power plant below Elk Meadow. [/size][/font]

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[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]I walked downward to where a number of people were fishing and asked them if they had any luck. No one was catching anything. Some were trying to catch fish with a fly and bubble while others were using Power Bait. Experience showed me that the fish were not coming to the surface so the fly and bubble wasn’t going to work. I noticed the other anglers didn’t leave enough leader line for the Power Bait to float from the bottom. So I got out my pole and went fishing. I started to get a number of bites but they just stole my bait. About a half hour went by and I got my first rainbow. He was a fighter so I got him in a rapidly as I could. He was a good 18” long. I couldn’t get a picture since I ran out of batteries for the camera. I could see the disgusted faces of the other angler when I brought it in. I continued to cast and got another one. I finished the day out at Puffer Lake with 8 sizable rainbows. I gave 2 of them to an angler since they were not going to survive. Several anglers asked me what I was doing to catch all those fish and I told them they needed to extend the hook from the sinker by 3-4 feet depending on the height of the weeds on the bottom of the lake. Apparently they were not clearing the weeds. I decided to call it a day and go home. While I was leaving I heard one of the anglers I had helped get his first rainbow for the day. [/size][/font]

[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]What a great sensation to essentially be able to help someone. As I look back on the weekend I find myself fascinated at what had transpired. It was one the finest times I have had alone for a long time. I finally got back home Sunday night a 10 PM. It didn’t dawn on me how many fish I caught that weekend until I started to count how many hooks I had left. Remember I bought 40 new hooks. Well I only had 12 left. I lost one to a snag and 3 were left on my poles. That leaves 24 hooked fish. I only buy cheap steel hooks so I can leave them in the trout if I have to. [/size][/font]

[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]All fish were caught and released except for 2 that were not going to make it. I gave them away. [/size][/font]

[size 3][font "Times New Roman"][/font][/size] [center][size 3][font "Times New Roman"][/font][/size][/center] [center][font "Times New Roman"][size 5]Grand Total [/size][/font][/center] [center][font "Times New Roman"][size 5]23 Rainbow Trout[/size][/font][/center] [center][font "Times New Roman"][size 5]1 Brook Trout[/size][/font][/center] [center]

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[font "Times New Roman"][size 5]Now that’s a great weekend![/size][/font]
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