Still tubing in November

[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]While I lived in Arizona, tubing year round was no big deal. It was actually tougher in the summer than in the winter. July tubing expeditions would find us on the water before daybreak and then headed home by 9 or 10 in the morning. Air temps would be over 90 at launch and over 100 by the time we boogied. Water temps reached 90 degrees and we always tubed "wet" (no waders). Even then, there was sweat dripping from us as we kicked around the lake.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Now back in Utah, I still tube 12 months a year, as long as I can find open water without having to use an auger. Most years there is at least a couple of lower elevation ponds, like Utah Lake or Willard Bay Reservoir, that have an open spot or two.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I started out in January by hitting Utah Lake just after a snow storm had left about 8" of fresh snow around the lake, but it was still open [url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?post=178414;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#unread"][#000000][size 1]TUBE SLEDDIN' LINCOLN BEACH (1/6/05) .[/size][/#000000][/url][/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]In late February, I hit Jordanelle Reservoir, and fished around the edges of an ice shelf, in one corner of the lake that was still frozen. In March and April, I hit mostly Utah Lake for spring walleyes and white bass. By May, the cats were getting active and we fished them once or twice a week.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Very active summer, with some night fishing thrown in. Late summer and fall found us hitting Mantua, Willard, Yuba and other waters too. Haven't missed many weeks, much less any month, for tubing.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Yesterday, TubeBabe and I hit Yuba Reservoir again. It was only 20 degrees air temp, with cold fog coming off the 49 degree water. We definitely needed our fishing gloves and our exposed fingertips needed some occasional warming to keep the feeling in them.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The fog was so heavy on the water that TubeBabe and I could not see each other more than about 50 feet away. It stayed until the sun was high...about 10 AM. It also stayed cold enough that there was ice in the guides until about then too. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The fishing was great (always) but the catching was slow. TubeBabe's only fish was a small carp...but it was the first fish and at least replaced the skunk smell with a fish smell. She kept it for me to cut into bait strips.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I worked over into an area that had produced for me on another trip, and tied on a spinner that always works best in Yuba for me...my "winner spinner". It is a silver inline spinner I make, with a single hook "fly" attached by split ring. The fly has a hot pink "head" and a white sparkle body and tail. Tipped with a piece of crawler, it really seems to appeal to trout in many waters.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Several casts after switching to that spinner, I caught a small rainbow. In fact, it was one of the smallest I have ever caught in Yuba. That came right after I took a bite of my sandwich, about 9 AM. Works a lot of times.) Then, nothing for the next hour.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Just about the time the fog was lifting, I could see another guy in a small pontoon. We chatted and he admitted that he had not had a touch all morning. I moved farther away from him, and out into deeper water than I had been fishing. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Then, on one cast, I had a hard smash about ten feet away from the rod tip. I was surprised I did not hook the fish. I immediately cast back out, beyond where the fish had hit, and started retrieving again. There was a series of bumps and then heavy pressure. I set the hook and had to put up with about five minutes of hard runs and heavy head shakes. No jumps, but that was okay. When I netted the fish, the spinner was hanging by a thread of tissue from the fish's mouth. A jump would have finished the battle prematurely.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The bow was a fat 21" female. I kept her for our dinner, since these fish have beautiful pink flesh and are great on the table. I did get a surprise later, when I filleted her. Her stomach was full of sticks, and not the minnows upon which they had been feeding in previous weeks. Yuck.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]No more bites and not much on sonar, so we packed up and headed home about noon. The air temp had made it up to 46 and the water to 51. Positively balmy. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]It is getting cold enough at night that even the lower reservoirs might get an ice covering this year before December is over. But, as long as there is open water, you will find me dunking my donut...errrr, Fat Cat.
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[zonker]

Great report! Love the pics! Why would people in their right fishing mind let a little cold, ice, fog, and things otherwise miserable stop them?

z~
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]There are plenty of people who would agree that the words "right mind" and "fishing" do not belong in the same sentence. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I also have an "original" philosophy. That is "Any question that begins with the word WHY, and has to do with people, is not likely to have a good answer."[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I agree with you, my friend. I would rather be miserable fishing than miserable doing yardwork...or just about anything else. I am sure there have been some steelhead trips for you, when after the ten thousandth cast, with freezing fingers and rain finding its way inside your raingear, that you feel that magic tug and you are suddenly warm and cozy.[/#0000ff]
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[doggonefishin]

Great report! I did have a question. I noticed on Tube Babe's Fat Cat, that you have a new seat modification design. Your work on this has been mentioned in previous posts. How has that version been working for you? Improving the infernal seat on my "little pet" will be my wintertime tubing project.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]TubeBabe has the Fat Cat, with rigid foam seat and backrest. I have the Super Fat Cat, with inflated seat and backrest. Both of them have backrests that are only 13" high. That is too low for larger people or anglers who enjoy leaning back a little. It has always left me with lower back pain after a full day of fishing.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]For awhile, we were both using the PVC "insert", to raise the effective backrest. It works great. TubeBabe wouldn't be without hers. However, I just keep messin' with stuff. I had been watching for one of those molded plastic seats, like you find in waiting rooms. I found one recently, stripped off the metal legs and came up with the one you see in the attached pics. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I use a bungee cord to stretch around behind the inflated seat and the hooks fit into holes I drilled in the edges of the seat. I wasn't sure I liked it the first time out. I sat up a couple of inches higher. But, it was very comfortable, once I got used to it, and I can fish longer without backache and without having to keep shifting around. It adds a little weight, but when you can launch right where you park, it is not a problem.[/#0000ff]
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[Kraizee_Skot]

[font "Impact"][#ff4040][size 3]Hey Pat, are you sure that was you in that last picture, or did you find John Madden fishing Yuba too???[] Great report BTW.[/size][/#ff4040][/font]
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Nah. Madden's a wimp. He could never take the cold. Heck, he won't even fly in an airplane. Never get him in a float tube.[/#0000ff]
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[LuvFshn]

That is a pretty nice trout. I am impressed, however, I am more impressed with the number of fishing poles you have on your float tube pic. Do you really use all those poles? It is already a pain for me to fish with two poles, especially when I have a double hook up.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Thanks for the kindly comments and welcome to the board.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I have my rig set up to carry five rods. Of course I usually only use one at a time, unless I am fishing on a lake that allows me to take advantage of my "two pole permit". In those cases, I may drag a piece of bait on one rod, while casting lures with another. It is seldom that I have two fish on at once, but it happens, and then the fun begins.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Each of the rods is usually a different size and action, with different types of reels and lines. Each has a specific application. On some trips, I may use only one rod most of the time. On other trips, I may keep rotating through the rods until I find a combination of rod, reel, line, lure and presentation that the fish respond to. On many trips, there is a variety of different conditions to be fished, and you can seldom fish all conditions effectively with only one rod.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Hope that explains a few things. I am attaching a picture I took just this morning or my current "tricked out" tube, just before launching. You will note that all of my rods are rigged with spinning reels in this pic. On many trips I may have a couple of baitcast setups...or even a flyrod.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]If you have good tackle, and know how to use it, you CAN "get by" with only a single rod and reel setup. BUT WHY????????[/#0000ff]
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[LuvFshn]

Nice set up TD,

I especially like the tray table made from a rubbermaid container.


Just of of curiosity, how long does it take to set everything up? Do you get some interesting looks from people when they see you out on the water.
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[smallmouth89]

I like that tray to as you can see here. I went out for probably my last tube session of the season as we are getting some serious ice on the trout ponds I fish up here in Ontario. Here's a nice rainbow I got casting one of Tube Dudes "roadrunners" on my 8 weight flyrod.
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[Kraizee_Skot]

[font "Impact"][#ff4040][size 3]That's a nice bow Smallmouth89. Congrats![/size][/#ff4040][/font]
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Good question. How long? About the last thirty years, if ya wanna get technical. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Much of the time involved in putting the different pieces together depends on having a plan, the materials and the understanding of what is necessary. That takes time. However, once you are ready to go to work, it is pretty quick and simple. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The latest version of the 4-tube rod holder only took about 30 minutes to cut and assemble...after a lot of time drawing up some plans and a trip to Home Depot.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The rigid plastic apron (sushi board) also takes only a few minutes to drill the holes and string the stretch cord.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Rigging up my sonar, with the PVC shaft for the transducer, probably took the longest. The first time I rigged one took a lot longer than others since, but it takes an hour or so to set up both the display mount and the transducer.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]"Interesting" looks? One of my favorite sayings is "INTERESTING is an interesting word." Yeah, I have had a bunch of wierd looks and heard a lot of jokes and laughter about my "interesting" setup over the years. But, I usually shut them up when I am the one catching the most fish. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]What bothers me most is some boat running right up onto my fishing spot to ask stupid questions. They think that because I am in a float tube I am not a serious fisherman and that they are not really causing any harm by their presence. If I am in a good mood, and they are polite, I courteously answer their questions and offer whatever help I can...especially if they have kids. But, if they are rude and obnoxious, and have a load of barley pop working, I let them know what I think of their actions. And, with my size and loud deep voice, I usually get my point across. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]NOW...DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER INTERESTING QUESTIONS?[/#0000ff]
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