Got my 30 lber!

[DonInDenver]

[#191970]Made a solo run to Flaming Gorge for 4 days last week to jig for lakers. Wednesday and Thursday I didn't even touch a fish. But Friday and Saturday were the best 2 days I've had for big fish.
Friday morning started with a 10 lb. fish right off the bat, then a 27 a few minutes later, and ended with a 29 lb!

Saturday was even better - a 32 and a 25 lb. landed and another fish in the low 20's to the boat.

All on tubes in 60-65' of water. Sorry no pics. Those fish are just too big to have thrashing around in the boat while I'm fumbling with the camera and they just get way too stressed.[/#191970]
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[theangler]

YOU STUD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!
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[DonInDenver]

Thanks Mike! Those last two mornings were a hoot!!
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[DonInDenver]

Thanks Aaron. My next goal is to get my daughter into one of those big fish.

We fished hard up there for 4 days last June and she never did get a hook into one, and I had tagged several. The third day I suggested we go fish for bass so she could at least catch some fish and without even hesitating she responded "I can fish for bass at home", and went back to working her jig for the macks.

So I really want her to get into a big fish!
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Congrats on a good trip. You are going to get spoiled on the big fish and will be disappointed on those "dinks" under 20 now. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The great thing about that lake, and that kind of fishing, is that it never gets old. Every trip is a new learning experience.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Good on ya for respecting the fish by not overstressing them. Probably almost a wasted effort when you see those guys ripping the guts out of them in the next few weeks when they stack up on the spots.[/#0000ff]
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[DonInDenver]

Thanks TD-

I don't believe I'll ever think of a double digit fish as a "dink". And hopefully most of the big fish caught over the next couple months will get released. Maybe that's overly optimistic thinking, though.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]I'm not sure if I made my meaning clear. There are a lot of snaggers that beat up on the macks when the fish stack up on some of the humps. That happens a lot later in the year, during the spawn. You can see them jerking their rods upward after dropping heavy spoons with big treble hooks down into the fish.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]C & R plays no part in that "sport". And, a lot of fish get badly injured, even if they are not brought to the surface.[/#0000ff]
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[DonInDenver]

Okay, now I understand. I knew the snagging went on during the spawn. I didn't realize it was a Spring thing, too. Disgusting.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]I have never been able to understand the mindset of snaggers. I have seen it on several species in several states. Something about big fish that can't be caught by poor fishermen causing them to resort to illegal and unethical fishing practices.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Probably the worst examples I have ever seen were people chasing spawning salmon on some of California's rivers. Some folks used heavy rods, lines and big treble hooks. Others went right to the spears and clubs. While I lived in Sacramento there was a picture in the local paper of a wild-eyed guy running across the spawning redds with a big claw hammer raised over his head. The telephoto pic clearly showed that he was crazed with blood lust. The pic was taken by a fisheries officer, and of course the hammer swinger was BUSTED...big time.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The slaughter was disgusting. What made it even worse was that the fish were in bad shape during the spawn and were not even worth keeping to eat. it was strictly a brutal killing spree. Not only that, but many spawning redds were destroyed by the maniacs running through them.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The dedicated snaggers on the Gorge are nothing more than killers and criminals. What they do cannot be remotely considered as sport. All they do is kill some of the big fish that others spend lots of time and money trying to catch...legally.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I've said my piece.[/#0000ff]
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[DonInDenver]

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[#0000ff]The dedicated snaggers on the Gorge are nothing more than killers and criminals. What they do cannot be remotely considered as sport. All they do is kill some of the big fish that others spend lots of time and money trying to catch...legally.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I've said my piece.[/#0000ff] [/reply]

Well said. I hate it when I accidentally snag a big fish. I can't imagine thinking there is any "sport" in doing it intentionally.

I'd sure like to see those folks targeted aggressively by the enforcement people.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]I have not personally been back on the Gorge since moving back up to Utah from Arizona. But, one of the things that holds true of all waters in all states is that if enough concerned anglers get involved, there can be something done about a problem.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]With today's technology, most of us have GPS, cell phones, radios and digital cameras. There are cases all over the country where irate anglers have zoomed in on violators, taken incriminating pictures and then radioed or called authorities to come apprehend the bad guys. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Before you go out, know the channels or phone numbers you need to call. It does not hurt to communicate in advance, with the proper authorities, that you intend to do something about the problem and advise them of how you will handle it. They may have special requests or procedures to follow.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Just as important is to use good sense and proper caution. Lawless anglers are sometimes armed and not afraid to use weapons to protect their "sport". No sense becoming a statistic while protecting some fish. Sometimes there will be several boats in the same area, all snagging, and with everybody in the party working together. That could get ugly if you forced a confrontation. Discretion is the better part of cowardice.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]After several close calls with wackos and criminals, I seldom go anywhere without my "45 friends". But, I do not care to provoke anything if it is avoidable. Who needs the OK Corral at High Noon in the name of fun and fishing?[/#0000ff]
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[JasonMcMillin]

Is it always good fishing there for lakers? I have yet to get into a nice one.
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[DonInDenver]

It can certainly be good on any given day. Best big fish months are May through mid-August and again after they finish spawning in late November for several weeks, but the weather can be brutal. I've never fished it then. You can catch large numbers of smaller fish in September and October.

Check out [url "http://www.fishflaminggorge.com/"]http://www.fishflaminggorge.com/[/url] and particularly the 2005 and 2006 pictures and the fishing reports for 2006.
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[lone_wolf]

Don you must be afraid to put this up on coloradofisherman.com I take it?! Please don't put up posts about Henry's lake in Idaho there either in the future like you did last year.

Thanks!
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[DonInDenver]

lone wolf-

I don't have a problem giving folks general information about large bodies of water that everyone knows about anyway (like the Gorge and Henry's Lake). But I'm not giving out my "secret sruff" to thousands of pairs of eyes, some of whom I know won 't take care of the resource. And I generally don't post much about small metro area waters for the same reason.

I've told lots of folks about the Gorge and my opinion that Jim Williams is the best guide on it and I've posted that info on several sites. And Henry's is awesome!
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