tooning the gorge

[mateo]

I've never been to flaming gorge, but I'd like to try it this year. Has anyone here ever fished it in a pontoon? Where's the closest or best place to stay, either in an rv or motel? How much fun would it be to land a 30lb mac in a toon? Am I masochistic or what?
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[polokid]

You can stay in Manila. There is a few places there: My suggestion is the

[font "Comic Sans MS"]Flaming Gorge Cafe & Motel
18 E. HWY 43
Manila, Utah
(435)784-3377[/font][size 1] [/size]

[size 1]The place isnt a 5 star hotel by anymeans, but for $40 a night, it suits you just fine. another place with a RV is lucerne valley campground. [/size]

[url "http://www.flaminggorge.com/"]http://www.flaminggorge.com/[/url]
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[DKSRenegade]

Check out the Flaming Gorge Lodge web site. Those folks can put you up and give you great information about fishing the Gorge and also the Green River,while you are there. Also you may want to go to the Red Canyon Lodge web site. A lot of folks don't know about this gem. It is located about 12 miles before you get to the dam. It has a private lake and a great restaurant. It is hidden in the pines close to a breath taking over view of the Gorge. Best kept secret in Utah!
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[mateo]

That's great info, especially the link. Thanks.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff][size 1]The Gorge is definitely "toonable". Back in the late 70's a guy named Del Canty, from Colorado, used to spend a lot of time on the Gorge fishing from a float tube. He was a big fish specialist and took a 26 pound kamloops rainbow in full spawning colors one trip. He also bagged quite a few of the big browns that were more plentiful in those days. I do not recall that he fished much for the macks, since he used a heavy flyrod and sinking line for most of his fishing. Tough to dredge deep enough for big macks with fly fishing gear.[/size][/#0000ff]

[#0000ff][size 1]If macks are your target, be sure to install a good sonar system. It is difficult to find those fish in the Gorge without sonar, and you can't catch them where they ain't. [/size][/#0000ff]

[#0000ff][size 1]Once you find them, it is easier to stay on top of them and vertical jig for them in lighter craft...unless the wind comes up. But, I don't think there is much chance of wind at the Gorge. It is always so calm there. HA.[/size][/#0000ff]

[#0000ff][size 1]When the fish are in a neutral or inactive mode, you often need to make a very slow or even "deadstick" presentation. A slowly drifting boat or toon, using sonar to maintain the right depth with a plastic or bunny fur jig, is the ticket for finicky fish at that time. Remember to keep the offering above the level the fish are holding. They will come up to look at it, but will seldom go down to check out something below them. And, there will be days when you go wacko seeing fish rise up to look and then go back down without munching.[/size][/#0000ff]

[#0000ff][size 1]By the way, I met Del Canty over there once, and he was putting in from the Antelope Flats area.[/size][/#0000ff]

[#0000ff][size 1]Good luck, have fun and stay safe.[/size][/#0000ff]
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[mateo]

DKS, thanks for the tip. I seem to recall seeing their web page at one point. I'll have to check it out again.

Tubedude, something told me that you'd reply to this post. I figured that if anyone had any knowledge or experience on this, it'd be you. The only issue I see with using a toon on the gorge, is not being able to cover as big a distance as the larger boats. I don't know how much of a handicap that would be though, since it should be easier to target a smaller area more effectively, at least in theory.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][blue][size 1]Hey mateo, one of my favorite all-time sayings is from Dirty Harry: "A man should know his limitations". When you are tubing and tooning that is good advice. [/size][/blue]

[#0000ff][size 1]Small portable craft are at their best for getting into spots not easily accessible by boaters or bankers. When it comes to fishing big waters you just gotta realize that you can't compete...for speed or range.[/size][/#0000ff]

[#0000ff][size 1]But, that doesn't mean that you can't fish big waters from small craft. It simply means that you need to have a good map of the roads that will provide access for launching and beaching in the areas you choose to fish. In effect, you treat each cove, point or stretch of accessible shoreline as a separate small lake. Fish only what you can easily reach, without leaving yourself at risk in the event of bad weather.[/size][/#0000ff]

[#0000ff][size 1]The real challenge comes in getting good uptodate info on where the fish are and how to find a suitable launching and beaching site nearby. Nobody puts that kind of thing together for light craft anglers. You just about have to invest a lot of personal time in driving and sampling to find those spots, and then monitor fishing reports before you go.[/size][/#0000ff]

[#0000ff][size 1]Even lakes the size of Willard, Pineview, Deer Creek and Jordanelle are best fished in "pieces". If the fish are not cooperating in one spot, take your craft out and move to another access point. Saves a lot of wear and tear on the bod.[/size][/#0000ff]
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[Gumbo]

If I were fishing the Gorge from a tube, I'd start out targeting small mouth bass. They're everywhere along rocky shorelines. You could also fish for rainbows. Macs are close to shore across from Manila at Antelope Point. Start graphing straight from the Antelope Pt. ramp.

[Coldfooter]

Shortly I hope to be doing the Gorge for Mack from a float tube for the first time, possibly heading up in a week.I will most likely be in the Anvil Draw/Pipeline area fishing and camping.
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