Solo Ninja Tubin'

[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]This is a tough time of year. Pacific weather fronts keep the barometer bouncing and the wind huffing...and fishermen frustrated. Sometimes if ya wanna go fishing ya gotta just go. If ya plan something Mama Nature is gonna mess you up fer sure.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I had no fishing plans for today. Last night the weather forecast for Jordanelle looked promising. When I woke up early this morning it still looked good. TubeBabe was out of town and all my regular fishing buddies were quiet and had not been trying to plan a trip. Sooooo...I jammed my gear in the Jimmy and headed for Jordanelle, hoping I hadn't forgotten something. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I figured I might just sneak in a bit of fishing before Mama Nature figured out that I had tricked her. I put on my black fleece tubing pants and hoodie, slipped into my neoprenes and launched my ninja tube. Stealth mode.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Water calm and 53 degrees. Good clarity. No fish hitting the top and NOTHING on sonar. I guessed that most of them must be up in the Rock Cliff arm. Figured I could go up there later if I didn' find something at the PWC ramp area.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]But, I did find "something". First fish was a nasty old chub on one of my "fligs"...floating jigs. I was dragging it around for trout or perch, while bouncing another jig off the bottom. The chub hit hard and fought hard...but it was still a %&^$ chub.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I also found a grundle of dinkster perch. Lots of them in fairly shallow water...13 to 16 feet. Instant debaiting as soon as I lowered a worm sweetened jig to the bottom. Some were barely 4 inches. Quite a few were bait sized 6 - 7 inchers. Only a very few for the day were larger than 8. The only "toad" I got out in 35 feet. It was a footlong. Saw other promising blips on the sonar out there but couldn't find any more big dumb ones.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]No trout today. I dragged flies around several times in several places...from shallow to as deep as 70 feet. Nary a bump. Again, maybe most of the slimers are up in the RC arm.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]No smallies either. I suspect they have moved deeper and have their little winter coats on. Don't like to fish for them in deep water. Air bladder problems. The one larger perch from today had a protruding air bladder coming up from the mid 30 foot range.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Saw perch and caught perch all the way from 12 feet to as deep as 40 feet. Most were not worth the trouble but I kept hoping to find some bigger ones. Kept delaying my departure to Rock Cliff in hopes of finding perch. Then the wind came up and I decided that I had all the fun I could stand. Not terrible wind and not unfishable cold wind. Just enough that it ruined my touch fishing and I was done.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Saw one boat on the water today. Nobody else fishing around the PWC ramp...not even bank tanglers. Wimps. Us ninjas can take it.[/#0000ff]
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[peter805]

Very nice ninja boy ! []
Hey whats wrong with that Chub ? Looks like a nice size
fish. Not that I would keep it but a nice fight for sure.

Peter
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[albinotrout]

Nothing like getting out and floating around the lake for a while.
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[TubeDude]

[quote peter805]Very nice ninja boy ! []
Hey whats wrong with that Chub ? Looks like a nice size
fish. Not that I would keep it but a nice fight for sure.

Peter[/quote]

[cool][#0000ff]There is nothing wrong with a chub on the end of your line. Especially if it is the biggest fish you caught all day and it outfights most wimpy trout. In truth, I hooked it near the bottom and it fought pretty good. I actually thought I might have a smallmouth for a few moments.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]You just have to understand the Utah angler mentality. Chubs are a native species that are very prolific and compete with hatchery pet rainbows for food and habitat...as well as raiding nests and eating trout fry. That is sacriligious in trout oriented Utah. Anything that does not have spots, stripes or purty colors (trout) is a second class citizen of the water. On the positive side, a lot more Utah anglers are now flinging flies for carp, bass, walleyes and other non-trout species. They just have a tough time admiting that they like it.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Most die-hard trouters would have killed that chub before releasing it. I gently removed the hook and sent it on its way to make more chubs. They are a vital part of the ecology in Jordanelle. They used to be overpopulated but the predators now eat most of the babies each year before they can grow as big as the one I caught today.[/#0000ff]
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[TubeDude]

[quote albinotrout]Nothing like getting out and floating around the lake for a while.[/quote]

[cool][#0000ff]Keeee rect.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Sure beats the heck out of just about anything I can think of doing around the house.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Way ahead of root canal work.[/#0000ff]
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[albinotrout]

I would rather be bobbing up and down on some water in a tube than work on the house. (probably why nothing got done over the summer on the basement[:p]) As it is starting to get colder my excuses are getting harder to come by.[:/] Oh well still have one more week left before I put the tubes and toon away for the winter. Then I can pull the ice gear out and come up with new excuses.[sly]
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[pontoonman]

Some of my greatest inspirations have come while solo tubing. Go South young man (instead of West as the saying goes)? You never have to give up on the bobbing and put your tubes and toons away.....

Pon

[quote albinotrout]I would rather be bobbing up and down on some water in a tube than work on the house. (probably why nothing got done over the summer on the basement[:p]) As it is starting to get colder my excuses are getting harder to come by.[:/] Oh well still have one more week left before I put the tubes and toon away for the winter. Then I can pull the ice gear out and come up with new excuses.[sly][/quote]
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[flygoddess]

I am thinking i have another month or better still, but the river is always there.
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[peter805]

Right on TD. There is a reason (or two []) why I like
you.[]

Peter
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