I made the trip to Starvation today. Had a campsite reserved for two nights and picked one that looked right on the beach. Intended to launch my kayak and park it overnight while I blissfully slept in my tent.
Wrong.
Got there and learned that my site was indeed 15 feet from the water's edge. Fifteen feet above it. No way to launch or park my kayak. Trade for another site? Nope - all reserved.
Okay, I'll launch at the official ramp and just hits it back atop my vehicle in the evening. Drove there and got the 'yak unloaded - just in time for the entire horizon to go deathly black. Fished for a half hour and got one nibble before the first bolt from above. One thing I do NOT mess with is lightning.
Found dubob in his snug camper. He told me of the deluge that came the night before, and tonight looked worse.
Tent camping in violent weather is for 20-somethings not somebody staring at 70. So I drove home. Oh, well...
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Oh well maybe another day. Which campsites did you look at? There are a few primitive ones located around the lake.
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Bummer, can't say I blame you for leaving. I don't think I'd like staying in a tent with that kind of weather either. I started out in a tent then went to a camper then a trailer then back to a tent (one time, sold my trailer) then bought another trailer but sold it last year. I think my camping days are over. Now I fish in the mornings and then go home. I just turned 70.
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I was in the Indian camp area. On the map and even on Google Earth, the spot I picked looked right on the water. It was, if I had only brought a derrick...
On the bright side, I got a free car and boat wash on the way out, complete with high speed blow dry. I thought about looking at Bunny Gulch, but if the paid side of the park was chock full, Bunny Gulch by mid Friday afternoon would have been cheek by jowl, I'm sure. And that still would have meant tenting in bad weather.
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Long drive to do a U-turn and come home. I think I would have been tempted to sleep in my vehicle for at least one night.
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Starvation is an evil woman like that and momma nature has been weird with seemingly endless scattered t-storms this year.
Sorry to hear she ruined your night.
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I believe there is one up near night hollow as well. Oh well it's a nice drive as well. I probably would have kept going and ended up at red fleet or steinaker.
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The kicker is that when I got home, the radar was clear at Duschene. I probably could have waited it out in my car and then pitched camp.
That still would have left me with the chore of unloading and reloading the kayak (a 20-minute job each way) twice a day to get to the launch site because my designated campsite wasn't on the beach.
I gave semi-serious thought to staying at Soldier Creek, Strawberry, Deer Creek, Jordanelle, Echo, Rockport, Currant Creek, or East Canyon - ALL of which I drove past on the way home. But once I give up on a plan, I'm stubborn about it.
Besides, none of them have walleye.
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[#0000FF]Bummer. Sorry I missed all the fun.
But I have had my share of Starvy blowouts. Several when the forecast was for "still and clear". Turned out to be STILL blowing with waves CLEAR over my tube.
And by the way, there are walleyes in Deer Creek. Just not as many or easy to catch as Starvation.
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True about "Deereyes" but until they get the mussel scare settle, I'm staying clear of it.
I'll probably wander up to East Canyon next week and try for smallies and those elusive crappie up there. They both are as good as walleye on the table. I have a couple hanger rigs with weightless tubes tied up for those mysterious fishy-looking clouds I see on the finder.
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Whether you are looking at 70 from the front side or the back side, Just chalk it up as an adventure.
Tom Bodett leaves the light on for me if I'm over 200 miles out.
I think maybe you could get in some topwater action on the smallies at East early in the morning this week. If the weather stays ok.
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