01-09-2014, 03:19 PM
[#0000FF]Most reports from Starvation the last week or so have been less than stellar. But there have been a few perch and walleyes caught. On my trip with Pikeman last week we only caught a few trout. So I reluctantly accepted another invite from him to go back for a rematch.
There was a forecast for snow at Starvation from about 10 am on. It was semi-flurrying over Parleys and in Heber at 5:30 meetup time. We agreed that we had both driven and fished in worse so we headed out with the wheeler in tow.
Air temp 15 degrees, with no wind, when we rolled onto the ice at Rabbit Gulch about 7ish. Headed for our first targeted spot and were set up and fishing as it got light. We each punched three holes with Glen's new ION electric auger. Sweet machine. As usual, Pikeman was first down the holes and was marking fish on his Vex. He put his first perch on the ice before I made my first drop. I'm kinda used to that.
I had set up a couple of feet deeper than Glen, in about 65 fow. While he continued to see fish on his flasher and occasionally reeled up a light biting perch, I was not seeing much on my sonar at all. Sometimes a few feet of depth or distance can make a lot of difference in catching fish.
While it was still low light conditions, Glen announced that he was reeling up to intercept a "trout" coming through at about 20 feet. He got bit, set the hook and brought the fish quickly up onto the ice. Whaddayaknow? 'Twern't a trout at all, but a footlong skinny walleye...cruising shallow over deeper water. Who woulda thunk it?
Glen's action dropped off somewhat after about a half hour. And since I was not seeing much on my sonar...and nothing on the end of my lines...I picked up my Showdown and a jug of water and started wandering around the area...shooting down through the clear hard ice. I found where the water shallowed up nearer shore and looked there. Nada. Ditto for deeper spots and for several other spots that were about the same depth Glen was fishing.
I had found a couple of spots that had brief flickers on or above the bottom and drilled holes and fished briefly at each. One bite at the first spot. Nothing at the second. Went back to my first three holes near Glen and we fished a few more minutes before deciding to fire the wheeler up and move a ways to the next spot.
At our second location, Glen caught one small perch just as we were getting ready to write it off and move again. So we wasted another hopeful half hour...waiting for a bite that never happened.
Our third spot was a longer ride back toward Bunny Gulch. There were quite a few other holes in the area and we were hopeful. But, again, almost nothing on sonar and our rods remained unbent. Once more, just as we were contemplating a move, Glen went bendo...on a trout. Had it right to the hole before it gave him back his jig. That was Glen's only close encounter with troutkind for the day.
About noonish we decided to return to where we had at least found a few fish earlier...hoping to catch the "lunch" bite. Yeah, right. We set up on our original holes and decided to just wait it out. If anything, the sonar screens were emptier than they had been when we last left the area.
Up until 1 pm I had only been "sniffed" a couple of times. No hard hits and no hooksets. I was starting to wonder how much tomato juice it was going to take to remove the smell of skunk.
I should mention that all during the day we had both been watching sonar attentively to try to see at least a few trout swimming through at some point above the bottom...as they typically do on a day at Starvation. But, brief trout blips had been very scarce and neither of us had any bites at the depths where the infrequent slimy visitors had made their presence known.
THEN...while I was reeling up one of my rods to make a(nother) change in jigs and/or bait...I noticed a thick line near the bottom on my Showdown. As I reached for my other rod, to give it a couple of coaxing wiggles, the tip bounced. I set the hook into something substantial. Hoping for maybe a walleye (on the bottom in 65 feet) but quickly deciding it was a trout, by the way it was fighting. I finally convinced it to put its head in the hole and slid it's lovely 18 inches onto the ice. Skunk be gone. Amazing how such a normally easy catch can become such a great prize at the end of an otherwise fishless day.
We toughed it out for another hour or so. But there were no more marks on the screens and a cold breeze was beginning to freeze the ice holes faster...along with our exposed fingertips. So we packed up and headed for the truck.
Ice thicknesses had ranged from only about 7 inches...not too far from the bridge...to over 12 inches further uplake. We got some popping and singing at times...and noticed an ice ridge growing between us and Indian Bay. There is also a week area around the point at Bunny Gulch...with a depression in the ice and open water on top. Probably not a good place for a machine or a heavy angler to try their luck.
When we got back to our vehicle, we found that expanding ice had pushed the previously flat ice-shore connection upward...making a 2 foot ice berm that was not friendly for a wheeler getting on or off the ice. We had to look for a new place to get off and had a tough time loading the wheeler and sled back on the trailer with the reduced area between it and the ice. But Glen knows his stuff and we succeeded...at least better than with the fishing.
Fishing is always good with Pikeman. Too bad the catching is not always equal to the enjoyment of his company. Thanks again for the invite, ol' buddy.
[/#0000FF]
[signature]
There was a forecast for snow at Starvation from about 10 am on. It was semi-flurrying over Parleys and in Heber at 5:30 meetup time. We agreed that we had both driven and fished in worse so we headed out with the wheeler in tow.
Air temp 15 degrees, with no wind, when we rolled onto the ice at Rabbit Gulch about 7ish. Headed for our first targeted spot and were set up and fishing as it got light. We each punched three holes with Glen's new ION electric auger. Sweet machine. As usual, Pikeman was first down the holes and was marking fish on his Vex. He put his first perch on the ice before I made my first drop. I'm kinda used to that.
I had set up a couple of feet deeper than Glen, in about 65 fow. While he continued to see fish on his flasher and occasionally reeled up a light biting perch, I was not seeing much on my sonar at all. Sometimes a few feet of depth or distance can make a lot of difference in catching fish.
While it was still low light conditions, Glen announced that he was reeling up to intercept a "trout" coming through at about 20 feet. He got bit, set the hook and brought the fish quickly up onto the ice. Whaddayaknow? 'Twern't a trout at all, but a footlong skinny walleye...cruising shallow over deeper water. Who woulda thunk it?
Glen's action dropped off somewhat after about a half hour. And since I was not seeing much on my sonar...and nothing on the end of my lines...I picked up my Showdown and a jug of water and started wandering around the area...shooting down through the clear hard ice. I found where the water shallowed up nearer shore and looked there. Nada. Ditto for deeper spots and for several other spots that were about the same depth Glen was fishing.
I had found a couple of spots that had brief flickers on or above the bottom and drilled holes and fished briefly at each. One bite at the first spot. Nothing at the second. Went back to my first three holes near Glen and we fished a few more minutes before deciding to fire the wheeler up and move a ways to the next spot.
At our second location, Glen caught one small perch just as we were getting ready to write it off and move again. So we wasted another hopeful half hour...waiting for a bite that never happened.
Our third spot was a longer ride back toward Bunny Gulch. There were quite a few other holes in the area and we were hopeful. But, again, almost nothing on sonar and our rods remained unbent. Once more, just as we were contemplating a move, Glen went bendo...on a trout. Had it right to the hole before it gave him back his jig. That was Glen's only close encounter with troutkind for the day.
About noonish we decided to return to where we had at least found a few fish earlier...hoping to catch the "lunch" bite. Yeah, right. We set up on our original holes and decided to just wait it out. If anything, the sonar screens were emptier than they had been when we last left the area.
Up until 1 pm I had only been "sniffed" a couple of times. No hard hits and no hooksets. I was starting to wonder how much tomato juice it was going to take to remove the smell of skunk.
I should mention that all during the day we had both been watching sonar attentively to try to see at least a few trout swimming through at some point above the bottom...as they typically do on a day at Starvation. But, brief trout blips had been very scarce and neither of us had any bites at the depths where the infrequent slimy visitors had made their presence known.
THEN...while I was reeling up one of my rods to make a(nother) change in jigs and/or bait...I noticed a thick line near the bottom on my Showdown. As I reached for my other rod, to give it a couple of coaxing wiggles, the tip bounced. I set the hook into something substantial. Hoping for maybe a walleye (on the bottom in 65 feet) but quickly deciding it was a trout, by the way it was fighting. I finally convinced it to put its head in the hole and slid it's lovely 18 inches onto the ice. Skunk be gone. Amazing how such a normally easy catch can become such a great prize at the end of an otherwise fishless day.
We toughed it out for another hour or so. But there were no more marks on the screens and a cold breeze was beginning to freeze the ice holes faster...along with our exposed fingertips. So we packed up and headed for the truck.
Ice thicknesses had ranged from only about 7 inches...not too far from the bridge...to over 12 inches further uplake. We got some popping and singing at times...and noticed an ice ridge growing between us and Indian Bay. There is also a week area around the point at Bunny Gulch...with a depression in the ice and open water on top. Probably not a good place for a machine or a heavy angler to try their luck.
When we got back to our vehicle, we found that expanding ice had pushed the previously flat ice-shore connection upward...making a 2 foot ice berm that was not friendly for a wheeler getting on or off the ice. We had to look for a new place to get off and had a tough time loading the wheeler and sled back on the trailer with the reduced area between it and the ice. But Glen knows his stuff and we succeeded...at least better than with the fishing.
Fishing is always good with Pikeman. Too bad the catching is not always equal to the enjoyment of his company. Thanks again for the invite, ol' buddy.
[/#0000FF]
[signature]
].