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[#0000ff]Met up with old fishing buddy Pa at the south marina this morning. It has been about a year since he has been able to go fishing...with health and family issues. The doc just cleared him for action so we hit it.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Air temp 60 and water temp 77 at 6:30 launch. Shoulda stood in bed a while. I didn't get my first bite for almost two hours. Water is dropping and I had to keep going further out to find the fish. Started seeing some at about 12 feet and missed the first two light inquiries.
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[#0000ff]Finally hooked my first fish sometime after 9...the smallest cat of the day...on a pale perch flig with crawler. That was the same flig and rig I usually use at Starvation and Deer Creek for perch and walleyes. But the cats on Willard today liked it too. Caught several on it.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I covered a lot of water...and different depths. Never did find any concentrations of active fish. Saw some balls of shad...with their bigger "fans" under the schools. But the predators were full and not eating either fligs or dragged minnows.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]About 9:30 I reached an area a couple hundred yards straight out from the feed lot...in 15-16 feet of water. There were more fish on the sonar screen than I had seen in most areas...and some were active kitties. Action wasn't fast and furious but I did manage about a dozen cats in the net...keeping eight for the smoker.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Speaking of smoke. It was nice to be able to see the surrounding hills today...even if it was a bit hazy. Much better than the choking smoke of recent days.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Felt sorry for Lee. Before launching I had downloaded some fligs and some LHBE minnows for his use and enjoyment. I think he said he got one hit. I ran him through a refresher course before we launched..."This is a pole. This is a hook. Now you always want to cast out into the water...etc." But we agreed at the end of the day I had failed to cover how to hold your mouth right. Hey, that is advanced stuff. You need to go slow when getting back into the groove. Should be better next time.
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Glad you found some, but then you usually do. As soon as the Dr. says it's OK I will be back at it. At least another week. Maybe it will start cooling down by then. I hope.
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[#0000FF]Water levels are dropping and temps are staying high. I will probably not hit Willard again until toward the end of the month...or into September.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]Let me know when you are ready to get back out and we can gang up on them.
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[#0000FF]Forward them to my email...tdude@centurylink.net . I will touch them up for you and send them back to you in Jpeg format so you can save them in a file and post them.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]I'm jealous of you living in Oregon. I have spent a lot of time up there...fishing both fresh and salt water. You are in a fisherman's paradise.
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Crazy how you can make a twelve fish day sound like it was slow.... That's usually one of my better outings... Oh well glad you can suffer through such a tough trip... Thanks for the report... Later J
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It was great to be out on the water with you my friend. And thanks for the Fligs. No doubt in my mind they are effective. Its just those fish were still mad at me for not feeding them for a year!! Being out on a float tube and bobbing like a cork is great therapy. and tug therapy is the best for sure. Thanks for the trip Pat.
Pa
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[#0000FF]It's a dirty job, but someone gotta do it.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]I covered a lot of water to scratch out the fish I did. On recent trips I caught a lot more fish in a smaller area. Ya do whatcha gotta do. And I am properly grateful for every fish that comes to play.
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[#0000FF]Glad we were able to join up for some "hydro therapy". Only sorry the local denizens did not provide the full treatment specified.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]If you believe Sir Isaac Newton , he said "for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction." As a fisherman, I take that to mean that whenever you have a bad trip the laws of the universe owe you a good one. Of course, it works the other way too...at least sometimes. You have a good trip and start to feel like you really got it dialed in. Then on your next trip you get humbled.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]Hoping our next trip treats you better. Glad you have been cleared for takeoff.
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TD, I fished the same area Friday morning and found fish in 12 - 15 FOW. Ended up with four or five kitties, the largest was 24 inches. About ready to fire up the smoker.
Larry
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[#0000FF]Glad to hear you also found a few. They are out farther and scattered more now.
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[#0000FF]The fish I had scheduled for the smoker got voted in for a fish fry. So now I gotta do it all over again. Darn. Hate it when that happens.
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Got mine brined and in the fridge. Smoker in the morning! Let me know when you're headed this way. We haven't fished together much this summer.
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[#0000FF]Whose fault is that. I've extended a couple of invites but you're always off playing golf with Trump...or something.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]Was thinking of hitting Echo next week but might settle for Willard North Marina. Let's do a schedule and weather check the first of the week and try to get our dance (float tube) cards together.
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I'm glad you found some even if they were widely scattered.
That is a great picture of the sonar showing the shad and fans "waiting for the dinner bell."
I was at golden pond yesterday and the fish were farther between than I'm used to. Dave and I ended netting 6 kitties, but I bet we had 20 pop and drops between us. ice_sled was out there and said he had the same thing, fewer fish and lots of half hearted inquiries.
Several of them had really been eating well, almost looked like pre-spawners. I'll get a report posted later today, I hope.
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[#0000FF]I'm betting the "pop n drops" were white bass. They were doing the same thing to me at Lindon. But I did hook and land a couple on minnows to let me know what was going on. The hits were the same with a lot of the ones that didn't come back after the initial "inquiry". As a general rule the larger cats will "gulp and go", but I have caught some of them while trying to finesse "white bass" that were just playing with the bait. Bullheads are also notorious for ruining baits and frazzling nerves without getting a lip piercing.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]Glad you and Dave are still in business. Hope the algae declines but the water level doesn't drop any more. But I doubt I will get either wish. I gotta get a new genie or magic wand.
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Understand its one of those days you have to work harder. I have those days most of the time. Later J
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It's been a good year for the kitties at Willard, if it wasn't for them, it would be slim picking this year.
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[quote wiperhunter2]It's been a good year for the kitties at Willard, if it wasn't for them, it would be slim picking this year.[/quote]
[#0000FF]If you ain't with the fish you love, love the fish you're with.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]I've always enjoyed the cats. Hit and fight hard...and pretty good on the table or in the smoker too. They're kinda like the homely girls with rich daddies.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]I've always enjoyed the cats. Hit and fight hard...and pretty good on the table or in the smoker too. They're kinda like the homely girls with rich daddies.[/#0000FF][/quote]
Well the 2 "girls" we caught today were pretty healthy looking, but I've seen their daddies a few times............UGLY
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"OCD = Obsessive Catfish Disorder "
Or so it says on my license plate holder
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