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+--- Thread: Deer Creek Dam Slow 10-7-14 (/showthread.php?tid=900386)
Deer Creek Dam Slow 10-7-14 - TubeDude - 10-07-2014
[#0000ff]Okay. Everybody else on the board gets away with interchanging dam for damn, etc. My turn.
Met up with HighNDry at the Island ramp about 6:30 this morning. Air temp 39 and water temp 60. Light breeze and some wisps of fog coming off the water. Cool. Actually kinda chilly until the breeze died down and the sun came up.
Seems like maybe the predators dined by the light of the moon last night. They sure weren't hungry after daylight. In fact, we dammed near got skunked. But not quite.
Actually, I got my first of two rainbows within a couple of minutes of leaving Glenn to finish prepping for launch. I pitched out a jig and fly combo in the predawn darkness, set the rod in my "quick draw" holder and started getting ready to put out a second rod. WHAM!!! A ferocious 16 inch rainbow slammed the copper/rootbeer jig and tore line off the drag. As TubeBabe says, "He fought bigger than he was." I was expecting to see a fish twice its size but was happy to help him into the net.
I figured it was gonna be a bananner day. I figured wrong. First time ever. I promise. Only had two or three "hit and run" inquiries until the last half hour before we packed it in. Inexperienced fish. Didn't know how to take a hook properly.
Glenn was right behind me and he hooked and lost a rainbow before sunup too. And then he also kept a straight rod for at least a couple of hours before he dinged his first and only landed rainbow.
We both sonared many acres of Deer Creek lake bottom, searching for perch, bass, walleyes...ANYTHING. No schools of fish anywhere and only a very few singles...with no married ones. (sorry) Tried bottom bouncing, vertical jigging, mid-depth presentations. Nada, zip, zilch. Had one small fish about halfway to the top from 30 feet of water. I suspect perchkind but cain't prove it.
I think we verified for ourselves that the bass have packed their summer bags and have headed for winter quarters. We both peppered the banks and worked shoreline structure up to about 25 to 30 feet deep. Nary a smallie whisper.
Quite a few bank tanglers both around the Island/peninsula and along the shoreline below the highway. Didn't see any of them reel in a fish or show any kind of excitement.
Also quite a few boats seemingly trolling for trout. I heard one angler in a small boat whooping and hollering...cranking on a bent rod. I got ready to take his picture with a big rainbow. But all he brought aboard was a long string of cowbells. Hey, tugs is tugs. Right.
Didn't see any fish come aboard any of the boats but did talk to one group of 3 anglers that claimed to have caught 5 trout...on shallow-trolled spinners. That prompted me to drag one for the last half hour too. Glad I did.
I had just used the walkie talkie to tell Glenn that I was going to give it another half hour...trolling a spinner. Then, if that did not improve fishing I would be ready to boogie. He agreed. So did a silly rainbow that was the mirror image to the one I caught earlier...and the one Glenn caught too. But even though I caught one more quickly, nothing else happened over the next half hour and we headed in.
Some doofus with a long noisy inboard (power squadron) had been parked on the ramp, blocking access to us tube and toon types to be able to beach our tubes and drive onto the gravel to recover them. Finally he backed his monster noisemaker into the water and practiced sending sound signals into outer space for a few minutes. Then...GET THIS...he backs the boat off the trailer, leaves the truck and trailer there and heads off up the lake. Glenn and I were debating whether or not the guy owned the lake or just thought he did.
The truck and trailer were still there when I drove off.
Beautiful weather but we came dammed close to smelling skunk. Glad we didn't.
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Re: [TubeDude] Deer Creek Dam Slow 10-7-14 - wagdog - 10-07-2014
Sounds like you got mooned. Wait. Not...nevermind. No skunk though. Nice report. Love those pics. The rainbows looked healthy. Did you take a gander at what they were feeding on?
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Re: [TubeDude] Deer Creek Dam Slow 10-7-14 - albinotrout - 10-07-2014
Bummer on the slooooowwww day dude. Don't ya just love it when someone thinks a ramp is a parking structure?
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Re: [TubeDude] Deer Creek Dam Slow 10-7-14 - high_n_dry - 10-07-2014
It was damn relaxing out there even though we couldn't locate any school type fish wanting to play. It certainly wasn't from a lack of looking either because we covered a lot of water.
Just getting out in the brisk fresh air, taking in the changing colors on the hillsides, and no power squadron to deal with. A truly enjoyable morning on the water.
Thanks for the company.
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Re: [TubeDude] Deer Creek Dam Slow 10-7-14 - flygoddess - 10-07-2014
Saw the full moon last night and was a little concerned. Woke up with a headache and couldn't breath so crawled back in bed. My boat is still in my car!
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Re: [flygoddess] Deer Creek Dam Slow 10-7-14 - high_n_dry - 10-07-2014
Bummer. That sounds like the same bug my wife stayed home with today. Get well soon so you can enjoy some more fall fishing. Ice over will be here soon.
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Re: [wagdog] Deer Creek Dam Slow 10-7-14 - TubeDude - 10-07-2014
[quote wagdog]Sounds like you got mooned. Wait. Not...nevermind. No skunk though. Nice report. Love those pics. The rainbows looked healthy. Did you take a gander at what they were feeding on?[/quote]
[#0000FF]I only use the full moon as an excuse when I can't come up with something better. I have had both good and bad trips during full moons. But this morning exhibited all evidence that the fish had been feeding and then shut off when the sun came up. They do that, ya know?
The bows were nice and healthy. Didn't do a complete CSI on them but it looked like they were still dining on their favorite green soup...cream of zooplankton. That is one of the reasons they get and maintain such a nice red flesh in Deer Creek. They eat lots of nutritious invertebrates rich in vitamin A. Didn't see any lumps or bumps in the innards that indicated anything else. There is not the healthy population of micro perch in there anymore but both bows and browns used to rely on baby perch for bulking up. Dammed smallies eat all the baby perch before they can get big enough for the other munchers.
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Re: [albinotrout] Deer Creek Dam Slow 10-7-14 - TubeDude - 10-07-2014
[quote albinotrout]Bummer on the slooooowwww day dude. Don't ya just love it when someone thinks a ramp is a parking structure?[/quote]
[#0000FF]Think is the operative word. Does not apply here.[/#0000FF]
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Re: [high_n_dry] Deer Creek Dam Slow 10-7-14 - TubeDude - 10-07-2014
[#0000FF]Have you watched the Kevin Costner movie "Bull Durham". He coaches a rookie pitcher and part of the training is all the "catch phrases" you gotta use when giving interviews. Reading your rundown of "anyways" I was reminded of that. Those are the things you say to make a graceful landing after a tough day of catching. How do I know? I use them all myself.
But it really was a nice day on smooth water with good company. Too bad a couple of fish came along and ruined a perfectly good pity party.
As we agreed before departure, we gonna do it again some more before hard water sets in.
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Re: [TubeDude] Deer Creek Dam Slow 10-7-14 - albinotrout - 10-07-2014
Ok so he may not think, but he sure seems to believe it is his own space. Last time I saw something like this was at yuba but during ice fishing.
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Re: [flygoddess] Deer Creek Dam Slow 10-7-14 - TubeDude - 10-07-2014
[#0000FF]We missed you but you din't miss much fishin'. But of course if you had been waving your magic wand over the water it would have all been much better.
I'm glad you listened to your inner doctor and stood in bed. That was a lot better for you than coughing up a lung in cold damp air. Plenty of good times ahead.
But I had to bring home that package of smokitty I brung...just in case. Glenn got his.
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Re: [flygoddess] Deer Creek Dam Slow 10-7-14 - albinotrout - 10-07-2014
Get feeling better soon there will be entry of other days to fish.[
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Re: [TubeDude] Deer Creek Dam Slow 10-7-14 - Northman - 10-07-2014
Should of taken the restrooms sign and re-hung it on the truck.
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Re: [Northman] Deer Creek Dam Slow 10-7-14 - TubeDude - 10-07-2014
[#0000FF]In my younger, more destructive and foolhardy days I might have filleted his tires. Gave up all that stuff. Not because I didn't want to but because I got too slow in my old age. Can't outrun a bullet. Heck, can't even outrun a mad old lady.
In the "wisdom" that comes with increased years I have come to realize that doing something to someone else...just to get even...makes you less of a person than they are. They do bad stuff because they are mean or stupid...or both. How can we maintain our ascendency if we contrive a mean and stupid retribution?
But it sure would be fun to sit back and watch the expression on his face when he found his truck full of %$@#...or his tires down on the rims. The
thing is that he probably just went on his merry way and didn't give a thought to any inconvenience he may have caused others. Kinda like some of our elected officials.It's okay. I gotta get all philosophical once in a while. Keeps me centered between fishing trips.
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Re: [TubeDude] Deer Creek Dam Slow 10-7-14 - flygoddess - 10-08-2014
I would have questioned the I. Q. of the driver, but my dear sweat mamma's voice in my head says maybe it was an emergency thing. I know when we were there and that canoe was sinking with a father and small child. The rescue was there quick. Maybe. Can't imagine anyone this self absorbed.
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Re: [TubeDude] Deer Creek Dam Slow 10-7-14 - utwalleye - 10-08-2014
With scenery like that the fish were just a plus. very nice pics.
thanks for sharing them.
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Re: [flygoddess] Deer Creek Dam Slow 10-7-14 - TubeDude - 10-08-2014
[#0000FF]The only emergency was that he didn't want to drive his truck up, park it and walk back down to his boat...and then have to walk up to get the truck and back it in again. The guy was youngish (compared to me...who isn't?) and appeared to be in good health. He just plain didn't seem to care about inconveniencing anybody while he went out and noise polluted the whole lake.
If that had happened during a busier time the folks who run the rentals would have probably had him towed...or worse. They get nasty if anybody from the general public creates stress for their rental clients.
I agree that one shouldn't jump to conclusions in the absence of facts. But we watched (and listened to) that guy first take a half hour prepping on the ramp and then roaring off in his boat with the trailer still in the water. No good reason for it.
At least we launched and beached from the gravel between the ramp and courtesy dock so we wouldn't get in the way of any impatient boaters.
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Re: [utwalleye] Deer Creek Dam Slow 10-7-14 - TubeDude - 10-08-2014
[#0000FF]I appreciate your appreciation.
Saw quite a few "suspicious" fishy marks just off the bottom in about 30 feet of water. But they all had their jaws clenched and their middle fins upraised. I just love my sonar 'cause I have trained it to show those details. If they would have had their mouths open I could have seen the teeth.
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Re: [utwalleye] Deer Creek Dam Slow 10-7-14 - flygoddess - 10-08-2014
[quote utwalleye]
With scenery like that the fish were just a plus. very nice pics.
thanks for sharing them.[/quote]
I try to look at it that way, or even the ol' bad day of fishing better than any day at work, but it just doesn't work for me[
]Like going to a grocery store for an item. It doesn't matter how nice the store is if they don't carry what I want, I am going to leave a little mad or at least disappointed. But, chances are I would return,[laugh]
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Re: [TubeDude] Deer Creek Dam Slow 10-7-14 - gofish435 - 10-08-2014
Hey Pat,
Great report on fishing, catching not so much. It was a good day to be on the water even if the fish didn't cooperate.
I would have thought that the State Parks guys would have left a greeting on the guys truck. Stupid is as stupid does.[
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