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[cool][#0000ff]TubeBabe is in Arizona for a couple of weeks and my dance card did not have any names penciled in for today. So, I loaded up "Rojo Rising" and headed out for a solo shot on Jordanelle. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Made it to Rock Cliffs just after 5. Aired up and launched within a few minutes. Just getting light and the inlet end of the lake was boiling with rising fish...mostly chubs. They are spawning now. I did see a few troutskis but did not bring any flies. Threw a few spinners early but couldn't keep the chubs away. Switched to small plastic...more chubs. Musta caught at least half a grundle of them through the day.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Fished wet, trying out some new light fast drying "zip off" pants/shorts. Worked great. Water temp a lovely 68 at launch...warming to 70 when the wind and canoes chased me off the water just before noon.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]This was the day for "water activity". A team of power swimmers splashed by right in front of one area I was fishing, and a guy in a sculling craft got close enough for him to watch me land a fish. No polite conversation with any of them. Oh yeah, two or three big boats and a couple of jet skis came inside the no wake zone and waked plenty. Dimbulbs.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Can't complain about anything this morning. I just took the light stuff I had rigged from last Tuesday's trip to Starvation and let 'er rip. No large plastics...just small tubes and some 3" fire tiger tripletails...on 1/8 oz. heads. No Mojos were harmed on this trip.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]In addition to the chubfest, I also got to bend my light sticks and stretch my 4# string on some dandy smallies. Probably brought 25 to 30 fish to the tube. Most were of a fitting size for small tube jigs...under 12". But, there were some surprisingly large smallies (oxymoron) that couldn't resist my bitty bits of plastic. I'm guessing I caught at least 10 or 12 over 14". The largest was just under 18", with a couple going 17 and couple about 16. That's fun fishing, on light tackle, I don't care who you are.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I got one silly perch on a small casting spoon vertical jigged in about 25 feet of water. Couldn't find any other willing perchies, but I gotta admit I wasn't looking too hard. The smallies had me giggling. Oh yeah...no slimers either. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]The canoe floatilla pulled up about 10 AM...about the same time the predicted south "breezes" began to push me around. I got a few more chubs and smallies after the double whammy but nothing significant. And, since the wind appeared that it would get worse before it got better...I got out and went home. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]First time solo in a long time. Also first time I did not take anything home in the cooler for the fillet board. I did take home some fun memories. Them smallies pull good.[/#0000ff]
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...great story and good looking fish.. I am sure you had a blast ... that is of course until the idiots showed up in their boats..
MacFly
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That's just awesome! Really nice fish you got there, I bet that was fun on the light tackle. [cool]
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[cool][#0000ff]Fun, fun, fun.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]That was the same group that spoiled my last trip to that area. Unfortunately, you are hitting it pretty close with your term "idiots". They are actually "challenged" folks who are in a special group, and they just have to bring them down in canoes whenever I go fishing. The students/patients know nothing of how to operate a canoe...or to stay away from fishermen. They splash their way over to be "friendly", and bang the oars on the boat. Bye bye fishies. I tried to explain to one of the counselors last time, but was told "our boats don't scare fish".[/#0000ff]
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heres an idea for that counselor.. put him or her in a big plastic bubble.. sink him or her far enough down to see the fish... and then have his compadres come "quietly canoeing" into the area so he can see for himself what really happens under water...
at the lakes I go to here.. in particular Dixon since it is smaller... they rent boats .. electric motors or oars to save money.. since the park the lake is in is very family oriented a lot of people row the boats around everywhere.. in and out from shore. .across lines..etc.. very few even try to be quiet.. mind you.. these are all aluminum boats.. end result.. fish scatter...
I know the rules are posted that says watch for fishermen etc.. but most just ignore.. is what makes going to these lakes very frustrating at times to say the least...
MacFly
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I think that is when I would say You are correct you boat does not scare the fish it is all the F*(&ing noise the paddles make bang-in on the side of it does. Nice looking hall there TD. I think the Chubprince is grinning with pride at this moment. So does Chub work for the cats?
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Thanks for the report. I finally get to hit it again tomorrow. Hopefully, the crazies will sleep in a little bit. I know that cats and other species are a blast to catch afloat, but for me rassling with a big smallie while in a float tube is about as good as it gets. I am surprised that more perchkind hasn't appeared there yet. I hope that isn't a trend.
How did "Rojo Rising" work for you taday?
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[cool][#0000ff]Those big chubs work very well for bait. I keep some that I catch through the ice every winter. I scale them and fillet them and then freeze the fillets until I am ready to use them. I usually save them for a nighttime gorilla floatilla. I rig a tandem hook rig and fish a whole big fillet. Kitty candy for the bigguns.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]You can also just cross cut 1" pieces to fish under a bobber. That works great too.[/#0000ff]
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[cool][#0000ff]Whatever's bad (perch fishing) blame it on the moon. Whatever's good (smallies) credit my superior fishing skills. I really did not work the perch today. I might have found more if I hadn't been having so much fun with those everlovin' smallies. You are right. So much fun it should be against the law. Glad it isn't.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The H3 is working fine. The only problems I have had are with the seats. 90% good right now. Have had to work on the adjustments and inflation. Still seems to get soggy during the course of a morning of fishing...and there are no leaks. I think the straps stretch when wet, and they are a bugger to pull tighter once they get soaked. Not a good design for me. Others never have the problem. Nothing new. Everybody always picks on me.[/#0000ff]
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How deep were the bass holding? [cool]
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[cool][#0000ff]They were fairly shallow. I was working the steep gravel banks, casting close to the bank and then hopping my little jig down the slope. Most of the hits came within a few seconds of "touchdown" and I had more than a few "pop on the drop", while the jig was still sinking after the cast. You had to flip the bail as soon as the jig touched the water, keep a tight line and set the hook on any "tick" or pressure. The hefty pull of those big ones was a surprise after the light bite most of them put on the jig.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Okay, it's a full moon and the fish have been pressured. Nobody else was getting bit. That is usually a good time to go small and fish slow...using something they don't see every day. They sure voted for my plasticettes today.[/#0000ff]
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Those are some fine healthy looking fish TD. I am soooooo jealous I had to work and you didn't invite to join in the fun!!!! Maybe next trip.
Glad ya got into them today and had some fun doing it. Nothing like that 4# line to put a  on your face. I may be down one ultra lite (for the time being) but not down any light tackle. I 4#ed the other day also. If (when I) broke a few off it was still fun!
Gonna have to cruise over for some evening bassin. haven't done that in a couple of years now. And them little red jiggers are killer on everything <grinning and chuckling> thanks again big guy.
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Yep... I am sure you saw the Moon thread on the Utah board where I quoted "a friend". If people would just change things up when they weren't catching fish, they would be more successfull. You proved that with this post. [cool]
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[cool][#0000ff]Yeah, I read that comment, but I am not posting over there much these days.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Glad I have graduated to "friend" status...from driver, tackle supplier, bait bozo, electronics installer and tube lender. As a friend I am happy to do what I can for your fishing enjoyment. And, as you have discovered, I can be "bribed" with tidbits from McDonalds' breakfast menu.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I think we have had the discussion on "adapting to conditions" on several of our trips. It is a rare fishing excursion that does not require some tweaking of techniques to get into the fish. Fishing the same way all the time is like fishing in a bathtub. Once in a while you might get lucky, but not likely.[/#0000ff]
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You graduated a long time ago! [cool]
The only fish that are consistant for me are those Willard cats. Aggressive buggers they are. [  ]
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[cool][#0000ff]True. You can usually count on being able to take a few kitty fillets home. The only variable seems to be at what depth they are most active on any given trip. But, once you find them...and have the right bait...they are money in the bank and fish in the fryer.[/#0000ff]
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I've been using those pants too. They are a great summertime replacement for waders. Sounds like you had a blast with my favourite gamefish. (why I use the "smallmouth" handle)
If you get a chance sometime get Rojo into a samallmouth stream. River smallies are even more fun than their lake dwelling cousins.
Floats down smallmouth rivers is what has taken me so long to lay to rest the desire to aquire a pontoon boat. I think floating rivers is the niche that these boats fill rather well. (As long as you don't want to go back upstream.) However like yourself I love to "solo" so the sit on-top kayak was a much bettert choice for me. With my Tarpon 120 I can paddle a few kilometres upstream and then drift back down to my vehicle.
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Pat,
I guess I am going to have to come over to the float tube site to read of your great fishing exploits! I miss your posts of the general Utah site.
It looks like you had a great trip. Did you tip your jigs with nightcrawlers?
I have been trying to duplicate some of your jigs since we last fished together at Starvation. I changed from my regular paints to the jig paints sold at the Warehouse. When I mixed the clear gloss with the sparkle dust, the gloss and dust "ate" right through my plastic container. I am not used to this kind of power in the material I have been using. Furthermore, after I cleaned out my brush with turpentine my brush self destructed. What kind of brushes do you use? And how do you clean them? Things have been bad, and I haven't even got to the epoxy yet.
By the way did you see my addition on your Starvation post? Also I sent you an email after the post, did you get that?
Lloyd
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McDonalds? I thought it was Burger King? Now I'll be looking for the McDucks in your neighborhood.
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[cool][#0000ff]I caught my first smallies MANY years ago on streams in northern California. I always enjoy "hunting" for them in flowing water. There are quite a few lakes in Utah with smallies but no good river populations. We turn off the running water in this desert state...or at least keep it for hatchery pets (rainbows).[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I have seen fishing programs on floating rivers for smallies and it looks like a lot of fun. [/#0000ff]
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