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[cool][#0000ff]Put Princefisher in a Fat Cat (float tube) this morning on Starvation. His first time in a tube for serious. We were on the water a little after 8 AM, water temp 73 and light breezes. Clear skies and no people or boats on the whole lake that we could see. It was like fishing in our own private pond.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]PF needed a few minutes for a shakedown cruise, to learn how to paddle around and control direction. But, he took to it like a duck to...well, water. Before I could even get launched he was out whipping the water to a froth, trying to get the first fish before I got out there.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]He was good enough to wait until I was within earshot and easy sight range until he sneaked in his first of several small walleyes. It was followed soon after by a larger one...he said about 14". [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The water has dropped about two feet since my last trip, a couple of weeks ago. It took some sonar exploring and some lure changing before we finally found THE ZONE. Actually, PF got into them pretty good while I was still playing with the tiddlers. He got several "basket perch" in short order and called me over on the walkie talkie.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Once we found the right area it was nonstop action. We both caught lots of doubles on our tandem rigs, often by just lowering them less than 10 feet in 20 feet of water. The fish were cruising at middepth a lot today.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]We only kept perch over about 9 or 10 inches, but we both had a nice basket for the fillet board when we got back to the car. We also both had a few small wallies. My largest perch ran 13" and my largest walleye was 16. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]No smallmouth today, but I did manage one chubby chub about 14". Fought good.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The weather stayed nice all morning with only light breezes. Then, about noon some clouds to the south sent some strong southerly breezes that got some water slopping over the backs of our tubes. We had overfunned anyway.[/#0000ff]
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did i read that right? you threw back the walleyes? i sure hope not. take as many small eyes as possible with out going over the limmit. please take the small eyes. give em away to freinds or fammily. those perch dude are the future at starvation at least till the next drout. but with 13 inch perch and weeds under water the real walleyes in there are going to fatten niceley. i have a buddy thats caught 2 over 14 pounds in the last 3 yr and many around 10. supper long and skinny. my 9 pounder is way fatter than either of his 14,s they are just 34 and 35 inches long. can you just immaguine how those bigger fish are going to fatten up. can you say new record eyes in utah. we could possibley see a 20 pound eye from utah. o ya and sept is big fish month at starvation.
i just went back and re read your post. just knew i missed something. thanx for havesting those small eyes. you know im walleye crazy and the potental for bigger eyes here is realy looking up now.
oya you guys are fishing realy close to a walleye huny hole. i see it in one of the backgrounds. you could a loaded them up to. a well next time. thanx again pat.
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great report and pictures dude. you sure have been tearing up the waters this year. keep it up.
thanks for sharing. [cool]
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That perchie is super plump! I'll bet he'll be mighty fine on in the old skillet! Thanks for the report Pat.
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Those fat perch seem to have spread across the lake thanks to some good water years. I am surprised that you didn't get into the smallies. I wish I could have been there. What was the deepest water you caught fish in?
That's my friend's 'cabin' in the background of Pf holding up the perch. It's a pretty neat view from up there.
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[cool][#0000ff]Hey Ken, my mama din't raise no fools. I did keep a few walleyes. Tossed back some six inchers, but shoulda given them a gillectomy. Too many of the little buggers.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Good to hear there are still some bigguns in the lake. I haven't fished it much, but you can bet I will be working it more seriously for the larger fish this fall.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I did find a couple of good walleye spots...rocky humps out from shore. I have marked them for future reference.[/#0000ff]
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[cool][#0000ff]The water level has dropped a couple of feet, but is still high. We tubed all the way across the upper end of Rabbit Gulch and the deepest spots were about 20 - 21 feet. We found fish from 12 feet to 20 feet...both on the bottom and suspended. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]When we found a hot school they would come up under our tubes and we couldn't get a jig down through them. I even put on one of my heavy lead casting spoons and it would get nailed within six feet of the top on the drop. At one point, I caught 8 perch in less than a minute, by just dropping the jig without letting out line...dipsticking. And some of them were keepers.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]PF has a new "handle" now...FLOATING STRUCTURE.[/#0000ff]
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Nice report! Man, those are some FAT perch!! Great pics too. You'll see them soon on utahfishinginfo.com.
Thanks Pat!
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A few things The Tubester left out. [ol] [li]The place where we launched isn't called Rabbit Gulch for nothing: We saw several cottontails and one big jack just prior to launch.
[/li] [li]Can you say "hands-free fishing from a rocking chair"? Fishing from a tube and letting your feet and fins do all the work has got to be the most care-free and relaxing fishing I've experienced. I was able to fish all day without dropping my rod to anchor, motor around, or fight the wind. I believe I will soon be one of the converted tube-fishing faithful as soon as I can convince my wife that I need to spend an additional $300 on fishing "necessities."
[/li] [li]Starvation is a gem (I guess TD didn't leave that part out). Beautiful red rocks, calm water, blue skies, and fast fishing for 'eyes and perch. Fun!
[/li] [li]And without question, the best part of yesterday: Fishing with The Dude himself. He graciously shared some of his homemade jigs with me, let me borrow TubeBabe's craft for the day (thanks Delores), and made sure the sonar was functioning, his homemade rod holders were in place, etc. How could I not catch fish?[/li][/ol]P.S. As Pat said, a few times when we'd float stationary for long enough, the perch would gather under our tubes, and the bite was an almost sure-thing thereafter. Thus, from now on, I'll answer to both "PrinceFisher" and "Floating Structure." [sly]
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[cool][#0000ff]You done good, lad. All you needed to do was get the hang of working the fins and fishing from a tube. Your already well-tuned fishing skills helped you put a whackin' on the perch and wallies.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]How did your legs feel this morning?[/#0000ff]
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Thanks for the compliment on my fishing skills, sir.
Though I don't look it, I do exercise quite a bit. Honestly, I don't feel nearly any discomfort or stiffness in my legs or calves at all right now. I hadn't even noticed any change in feeling until you asked. My lower legs just feel like they had a good workout yesterday.
About the only discomfort I'm feeling this morning is on a couple of patches on the back of my neck and hands, where I must not have applied ample sunscreen.
My wife had some errands to run last night and took the kids, so I was left to hunt and gather dinner for myself. Had a little walleye and perch with some rice and steamed carrots, and the whole time I was eating I thought I was in heaven.
Thanks for everything yesterday. It was certainly a red-letter fishing day, for many reasons, for sure.
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[cool]Congrats on a great day you guys! That place sounds like lotsa fun. I'm hopeing to fish there in a few weeks or so...
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[cool][#0000ff]We gotta get up a ride-sharing wallie floatilla in September. Great place to set up a group camp and do a full day of fishin' and fryin'.[/#0000ff]
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[cool]That sounds like a great plan! I'm free on Sat. the 2nd, 30th, maybe the 16th, or could take a weekday off during the first 20 days of the month or so...
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[cool][#0000ff]Of course a lot will depend upon the weather. Let's plan for either the 16th or the 30th. We will go for the 16th, but if the weather is not looking good for that long drive we can bag it for a couple of weeks.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Actually, the later in the month the better for the walleye. They really turn on when the water cools down.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]There will be plenty of perch available too. Fishing for walleye will put some big perch in the baskets. Some folks might just want to target perch and catch the occasional wallie. Works both ways.[/#0000ff]
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[cool]I'm there, dude! Weather permitting of coarse as to which day...
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you guys should plan on sticking around a while after dark. for 1 big reason. and dont forget the j13,s. know what im saying?
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[cool][#0000ff]Good suggestions. Those who really wanna target the larger eyes should plan on making a full afternoon and evening of it.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Maybe we could meet up at midday, grill some burgers and dogs and then hit the water until the last tired tangler comes ashore. By then it will be getting dark earlier so the day won't be too long.[/#0000ff]
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Count me in. I'm already starvin' to get back to Starvation, and it's not even been 48 hours!
Hopefully by then I'll have a tube my own self.
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I will have to see if I can come, I was planning a trip to powell for the striper boils at bullfrog. Little bit more of a drive but lots of striper action.
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