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[cool][#0000ff]TubeBabe's gonna be traveling a lot, starting next week. She wanted a good cat-rasslin' session before it was too late in the year...so she could go waderless in the tube. Since the Knolls treated me well last week I figured that would be a good place for the Babe to score a few. Figured right.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Launched about 7 after stopping at Pelican Bay to pick up a few baby white bass off the ramp. I let TubeBabe catch the first kitty...one of the first of many 20 plus inchers. Once she got the first fish jinx out of the way I followed up with a match to hers. And so it went through the morning. Back and forth...first she would catch one and then I would.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]But once we got out into the ZONE the "kitty whisperer" took over. I caught several more than she did over an hour of hot action. And, I caught the biggest of the day...about 26 inches and maybe 7-8 pounds. Meow.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]We decided before launching that we would each keep a limit for the smoker. My last batch "went up in smoke". Can't keep enough of that stuff for my own enjoys. Too many friends and family members who beg, plead and grovel until I give it up. So we wanted to make up to batches. Most of one batch will be part of a birthday present to TubeBabe's son (my stepson) Ron Duncombe...the guy who drives the Maverick Monster Truck. He's a good boy.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]So, we kept a few and we tossed a few back. Kept only the 20 to 22 inch fish that make the best smokers. Brought home an obscene pile of fillets after a stop at the Saratoga Springs fish filleting facilities. Off the water by 11 and home before 2.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Didn't catch any fish in less than 5 feet of water. Best action...like last week...was in my super top secret spot...between 6 and 7 feet deep. There were several times we were both hooked up at the same time. And I actually brought in a fish on each of my two rods at the same time. Silly circus.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The first few fish came on chub minnows. Then a couple on carp meat. But when it shifted into high gear they really wanted those small white bass. I got about 10 for each of us and I got eight fish on them...wasting only two. In fact, my last five fish were all on whitettes.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Saw some trespassers (Posted signs everywhere) fishing up under the trees on the way back in. They were catching lots of dink white bass and keeping everything they caught. They knew what they were doing and almost had heart attacks when I motored in close and took a couple of pics of them.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Water temps ranged from 70 degrees at launch to 72 before noon. A slight easterly breeze kept the water temps right at about 70 most of the morning.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Sure was good to be able to fish all day without having a lot of company...and trashers. Worst "power squadron" member was a lone guy on a sailboard. Pretty quiet with no bow wake.[/#0000ff]
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Looks like you two love birds had a great day out that's cool that you both like to fish together. I wish my sweetheart liked to fish with me but I guess that's one thing we don't do together except for an occasional ice fish'en trip. Congrats on another great catch and I enjoyed the report as usual. Later J
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TD: Great report - greater trip - better company. Glad to see you're having FUN. Need to visit with you about the T-n-T group when you have a chance.
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awesome dude you really know how to drag a minnow
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Nice report TD you and the babe can put the hurt on those fish. Love the pics especially the one with the illegal harvesters.
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Great write up as usual, and nice that Babe had a good outing before her travels. Thanks for sharing.
What size are the WB you are harvesting at Pelican Bay, and how are you acquiring them? Net, Lure, etc?
I assume a larger WB cut in legal size strips might work pretty good as well?
With all the postings in the area are you still exiting the main road at mile marker 19 to get down to your launch site?
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summed up: wow.
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Hey tube dude I think you gota clear out all of those kitties from your stomach and go after some perch, trout, or bluegills. You and your white bass & kitties. Its like your going to get married with utah lake or have already married to utah lake. There are more then 4 lakes in utah if you noticed [laugh]. You should go and explore some new places.
If you got the hiking power still go hiking to an amazing place and fly fish if you do fly fish.
Nice job on the fat kitties [cool]
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You giving Tubedude suggestions on fishing is almost as funny as you teaching an English class. Just saying [:p]
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Dude he need to go somewhere else instead of utah lake. He goes to only like 4 lakes. I dont know how he can even keep going to the same lake with out getting sick of it. [  ][  ][cool][crazy][laugh][sly]
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I think you'll find that TD has done it all very well and there is a time and a season for each adventure in life and just because you and I still like trout doesn't mean everyone needs to. One day we will probably catch so many trout that they bore us but for now I'm glad I still get a kick out of a great trout fight. Hope I always will enjoy it. TD knows how to bring in the big numbers consistently on the cats and whities and that is a challenge if you haven't tried it, it's worth some frustration to learn how difficult that can be. Plus if you have ever fished a toon or tube it's dang fun. I don't blame the dude for wanting to fish where he can put that sweet ride to work. Just saying your poking a hornets nest. Good luck. Later J
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True true I might start do a small hunt for carp fly fishing on Jordan river but I have been catching other types of fish not just trout. Perch, trout, bass, ugly mud kitties, sun fish, bluegills. I just wish I could of landed my first walleye from the Provo river it's still haunting me, just to watch the lure fly out of its mouth. Not a happy day. I have a 12 ft toon and a uboat 2000 float tube so ya I know how fun it is ha ha ha
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This is almost as funny as watching a criminal tell a judge what the law says.
While most of us fish, TD just tells the fish union how many and of what species they must sacrifice to appease him.
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TD, once again great post. Looks like you and the babe had an excellent day. I am going to try your smoker recipe possibly this next week. Thanks again for another great post.
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He fishes where he enjoys to fish and allows you to do the same WITHOUT COMMENT!!!!! Beyond that I will bite my .
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[quote high_n_dry]What size are the WB you are harvesting at Pelican Bay, and how are you acquiring them? Net, Lure, etc?
I assume a larger WB cut in legal size strips might work pretty good as well?
With all the postings in the area are you still exiting the main road at mile marker 19 to get down to your launch site?[/quote]
[cool][#0000ff]I am attaching a pic of the size whitettes I got at Pelican Bay and how I hook them. They are in all the harbors right now and are about an inch shorter than they were at this time last year. Late spawn.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Illegal to keep white bass caught by any method other than hook or line...no nets or traps. I think that should be changed. No limit on them and they need thinning by whatever means.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Best way to catch them is to find them under a light at a launch ramp...right at daybreak. Then use a couple of tiny flies or small ice jig with a bit of worm. You can catch a bucketful in a hurry. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]No size restrictions on the size of strips you can use on white bass. Only on lakes where there are tiger muskies will you find bait size restrictions and it is illegal to use white bass in any waters except UL and the Jordan River. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Serious big cat chasers often use large whole white bass...or cut them in half. I like to fillet them and either use a whole fillet or cut the fillet into a couple of long fluttering strips. Use smaller pieces and you will catch anything and everything in the lake.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Don't know how familiar you are with the Knolls. Yes, you do make the same exit...at mile marker 19. And if you stay on that same gravel road all the way to the water you are okay. The posted signs are mainly to the west of the road...all the way to the fence line. Unlimited access (for now) to the east. And you can drive west on the shoreline "road" about halfway to the fence...but posted signs from there on. I launch off the beach just before the little reed island. It is too shallow beyond that.[/#0000ff]
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[quote Flyfishinglover]Hey tube dude I think you gota clear out all of those kitties from your stomach and go after some perch, trout, or bluegills. You and your white bass & kitties. Its like your going to get married with utah lake or have already married to utah lake. There are more then 4 lakes in utah if you noticed [laugh]. You should go and explore some new places.
If you got the hiking power still go hiking to an amazing place and fly fish if you do fly fish.
Nice job on the fat kitties [cool][/quote]
[cool] [#0000ff]Your comments make me  ...and remember. As you are now, I once was...all energy, enthusiasm and often misguided and reckless expression. That's not a bad thing. It will help you accumulate your supply of prerequisite life experiences that much faster...if you live through the process.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]As my old friend Dirty Harry says..."A man should know his limitations." I know mine. I now fish for enjoyment...not endurance. I go where I do because I have the greatest expectations of having a good fishing day without having it turning into a survival experience. Been there and done that too many times. My "stupid ticket" should have been punched a lot of times and I am properly grateful to still be around to keep fishing.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]For what it's worth, I have hiked (and fished) the full length of California's Sierras. I have also fished a good part of the Uintas and the Wind Rivers. Also fished throughout the high country of Idaho and Montana. I know what it is to carry a heavy backpack for several days at a time and to fish remote mountain ponds that have not seen another human being for...for a long time. Wonderful experiences but forever relegated to my past.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]During my working career my job assignments and my income took me all over the country and allowed me to fish in all but a handful of states. I have caught virtually every species of fresh water gamefish in the USA...and many of them on flies. And since I have also fished all of the coast lines around the country my fishing resume also includes many of the saltwater species. I have also fished across the borders of the USA...both north and south...fresh water and salt.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]All that is not just bragging. It is presented as a foundation for my current fishing world. I live in Utah as a concession to my family. TubeBabe was born here and we have a large extended family in Utah. Of course the fishing ain't bad so that makes it better.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I have caught many fish over a hundred pounds in my life...some several times that. But I can still get my enjoys from catching perch, bluegill and white bass...and of course, catfish. I ain't no fishing snob and definitely not a purist. I still like catching trout but there is no novelty. They are the fish I grew up with...as a kid in Idaho...but they do not "light my fire". I always enjoy them but seldom target them specifically.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The trip to Utah Lake was not about me or what I wanted. It was a trip put together to make an old lady (my wife) happy. She has also probably caught more fish of more species than you will ever hope to. But she also has downshifted a lot. And she loves her kitties. So when she was offered her choice of where to go and what to fish for it was Utah Lake...the Knolls...and catfish. Done.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I enjoy your posts. I see a lot of my former self in your young ambitious trips. Keep up the good work and never let anybody get to you with criticism of your favorite fish, waters or techniques. We all have our own outlooks and we are each entitled to do things our own way for our own reasons. That is the only way we will progress through the various stages we all seem to go through. Then, someday, you might just know yourself well enough to know exactly who you are and what you want to do...and why.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]And hopefully you won't have to put up with a bunch of harassment from some young pup who still has a lot to learn. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Then, someday, you might just know yourself well enough to know exactly who you are and what you want to do...and why.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]And hopefully you won't have to put up with a bunch of harassment from some young pup who still has a lot to learn. [/#0000ff]
Well said[laugh]
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As always, great post. Thanks.
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Didn't know diplomat was on your resume as well, but I wouldn't doubt it. Well handled. Later J
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