Starvation Tubing Trip 8-22-06

[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Hit Rabbit Gulch with Flycasting yesterday morning. On the water about 7:30, under scattered clouds and only light breezes. Water temp down to 69 at launch, warming to about 73 by the time we got off the water at 2 PM.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The water level keeps dropping. Down another two feet from my last trip, two weeks ago. That, and the dropping water temps have pushed the fish into slightly deeper water. On my previous two trips over the past month, the fish have been shallower and more plentiful on the flats in Rabbit Gulch. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]We had to work a lot of water with sonar to find any concentrations of willing fish. We finally found a pretty good school of perch in about 21 feet of water. We probably should have gone deeper still. According to Magnaman's report, he was catching them in 25 feet of water. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]We got LOTS of perch, from 6" to over 11". No real toads and lots of porky 8 inchers. We both kept about a dozen over 10" for the fillet knife. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Our big (unpleasant) surprise was that neither of us caught even one walleye. They have been thick in the Gulch, but have evidently moved out. Flycasting had one follow up a perch, at first light, but we did not hook any. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]We did not find any smallies either. The only other species was a solitary chub I caught shallow on the way back to the car in the afternoon. It was 14" long with a big gut (see pic). Fought better than many trout I have caught in my career...but UGLY.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]We used mostly small tube jigs tipped with worm or perch meat. Both worked. White was about the best color, but we also did well with orange and chartreuse two-color tubes. Actually, we kept trying different things and couldn't find anything they would not hit when they were "ON". [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]As in previous trips, when the perch got active they would rise up in the water column and suspend right under our tubes. Simply dropping a rod length of line down would get an instant hit. I had several doubles on tandem rigs.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]This was a trip when I was glad we brought the little foam marker buoys. We had only one indentified "hot spot" and Flycasting dropped a marker on it early in the morning. We kept fishing mostly around that. Whenever we moved off to try other spots we kept coming back. The best we could do elsewhere was the occasional single.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Light and variable breezes until about noon. Then some "wet" clouds started coming over, bringing little gusts of short-lived wind and some raindrops. Nothing serious, but a couple of the little cells that missed us had lightning and thunder. We joked about becoming electric anglers. That's not funny.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Had a good day with Tyler. He is good company. He brought some great oatmeal cream pie cookies too. He knows the way to keep me a happy fishing buddy.[/#0000ff]
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[Flycasting]

[] It was a very fun day, even though we couldn't manage a single 'eye. 1st fish of the day I had at the surface and 12-14" walleye chased him right up next to me. If I was fishing a tandem rig I would have had him. [laugh] Both TD and I fished large plastics, feathered jigs, and baits to try and coax one to the tube. I did have one real good pick up and run soaking a dead 3" chub, but I swung and missed.

It took a lot of work to get the fish today. Except for an hour where the fish schooled under our tubes, we had to do a lot of casting per fish. Not that I am complaining, though.... in that hour we both managed about 60 fish a piece. []

All in all it was a good day. Pat is a very accomplished fisherman and he has taught me a ton. I appreciate it. He is also great company... a laugh every 30 second or so... about the same rate as he catches catfish at Willard...LOL

Good times! []
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[CROSSINEYES]

NICE. THEY ARE MOVING DUDE SAME AS EVERY YR. NEXT TRIP STAY ON THE NORTH SIDE OF RABIT WORK TOWARDS THE BIG ROCK POINT. THERE ARE SOME HUGE BOULDERS OF THE POINT THAT FELL FROM THAT POINT DOWN INBETWEEN THOSE BOULERS. ALSO THEY WILL BE STACKING UDER THE BRIDGE SOON.
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[icing_perch]

I am thingking of taking the family up there Labor Day weekend and staying for about 3 days. I was wondering if you could tell me of a good place to camp where we might be able to get fish from shore? I will have a boat but the wife isn't to much into the boat thing though. Also is there a place where the kids can go to play in the water? Any help would be greatly appreciated. This will probably be my last fishing trip until mid March so looking to find some fun for all of us before I head to the Middle East.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]I usually go to Rabbit Gulch, near the Strawberry River inlet. It is accessed off the old Hwy 40 road. More primitive, with only a single "unisex" toilet and not much else. Lots of good shoreline camping spots and you can launch small boats there. I doubt that the fishing would be much good from shore almost anywhere around the lake, unless you fish next to a steep dropoff. The fish are going deeper and the only fish you might get from shore would be very small perch. However, as reported on another recent post, you can catch crawdads near shore.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Probably your best bet over all would be to camp at the main state park areas near the dam. There are beach access sites where the kids can fish or swim and catch crawdads. Again, most of the best fishing is going to be in deeper water, from a boat or float tube. And, the "facilities" are better for family camping.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Here is a link to a website for [url "http://www.stateparks.utah.gov/park_pages/parkpage.php?id=svsp"]STARVATION STATE PARK[/url][/#0000ff]
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[icing_perch]

Thanks for all the info. Got my reservations made for the campsite got to go tomorrow to reserve my boat then just wait for the first. Think I might even have the wife talked into spending some time in the boat fishing. How long is Starvation? I think I read somewhere that it was around 3500 acres and I know Willard is almost 10,000 so if it isn't to long should be able to run from the state park to Rabbit Gulch in less than an hour. Thanks again for the help with camping infro and fishing tips for up there.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Depending on your "point-to-point" figures, Starvation is only about 3 miles in total length. If you stay at the main state park area, you will be right about in the middle of the lake. You can go west a mile to Rabbit Gulch or east a mile or so to the Saleratus Wash area. Both have been producing well for all species...if you find the right depth.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]You could slow troll to either area in less than an hour. If you have a decent motor, it is only a few minutes each way.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Good luck on getting the Mrs. in the boat. Just remember that when you have kids, wives or newbies aboard that the trip becomes about them and not about you. Be patient and be willing to sacrifice some of your own fishing to make sure they have a good time. That pays big dividends in the future...unless you are trying to cure them of ever wanting to spoil another fishing trip for you.[/#0000ff]
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