06-10-2010, 11:59 AM
[quote WyomingMoose][#500000]Thanks for the report TD - sounds like a good time. Any trip where you catch some crappie is a good trip to me. They are the most prized fish I can think of - love the way a grundle of them look in a basket. Lovely.
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In some regards I think the trolling motor actually aides in safety. If a huge storm came up and TD or other tubers are really far away from shore sometimes it can take hours and hours to get back to shore. If you get a charlie horse or start cramping up it can be even harder. If you have never gone too far away from shore and then had the wind whip up in the other direction (in a tube) you just don't understand. It can be quite the workout.[/#500000][/quote]
[cool][#0000ff]Crappies are not MY personal favorite but I DO enjoy catching them. They look pretty good on a plate too...and they go down easy.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]You touched on one of the key reasons I added a motor to my ride. Actually two reasons...comfort and safety. I try to plan my trips carefully but this is still Utah and Murphy was a fisherman. Wind, rain and lightning sometimes happen even when not forecast. Sorry, but the weather guys are not always right...and there is no Santa Claus or Easter Bunny neither. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I have lost count of the times I launched in calm weather, kicked a long ways from my launch spot and then had to power my way back through wind that was not supposed to happen. And it is almost always blowing directly against you...from the direction you need to go to get back to your vehicle. How many times I have lusted for some auxiliary power.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I have been tubing for a lot of years and I am a big guy with pretty strong legs. I can handle some nasty conditions...but I would rather not. In case nobody but me has noticed, I ain't gettin' any younger. Every marathon tubing session takes more and more out of me. The past few trips with the motorized tube have definitely left me in better shape at the end of the day.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Yesterday really helped seal the deal. When the weather kicked up I was clear down by the "hog farm". On a clear calm day it still takes me about an hour to kick my way straight back in to the ramp. I have had some "wrong-way-wind" trips that took over twice as long...and left me trashed. Yesterday the wind was blowing the right way but the waves made it tough to kick with any power. But I cranked my 30# thrust motor up to 5 and watched the rocks on the dike fly by as I boogied for the channel. Only took me about 20 minutes and I still had plenty of energy left for fishing inside for a few hours.[/#0000ff]
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In some regards I think the trolling motor actually aides in safety. If a huge storm came up and TD or other tubers are really far away from shore sometimes it can take hours and hours to get back to shore. If you get a charlie horse or start cramping up it can be even harder. If you have never gone too far away from shore and then had the wind whip up in the other direction (in a tube) you just don't understand. It can be quite the workout.[/#500000][/quote]
[cool][#0000ff]Crappies are not MY personal favorite but I DO enjoy catching them. They look pretty good on a plate too...and they go down easy.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]You touched on one of the key reasons I added a motor to my ride. Actually two reasons...comfort and safety. I try to plan my trips carefully but this is still Utah and Murphy was a fisherman. Wind, rain and lightning sometimes happen even when not forecast. Sorry, but the weather guys are not always right...and there is no Santa Claus or Easter Bunny neither. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I have lost count of the times I launched in calm weather, kicked a long ways from my launch spot and then had to power my way back through wind that was not supposed to happen. And it is almost always blowing directly against you...from the direction you need to go to get back to your vehicle. How many times I have lusted for some auxiliary power.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I have been tubing for a lot of years and I am a big guy with pretty strong legs. I can handle some nasty conditions...but I would rather not. In case nobody but me has noticed, I ain't gettin' any younger. Every marathon tubing session takes more and more out of me. The past few trips with the motorized tube have definitely left me in better shape at the end of the day.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Yesterday really helped seal the deal. When the weather kicked up I was clear down by the "hog farm". On a clear calm day it still takes me about an hour to kick my way straight back in to the ramp. I have had some "wrong-way-wind" trips that took over twice as long...and left me trashed. Yesterday the wind was blowing the right way but the waves made it tough to kick with any power. But I cranked my 30# thrust motor up to 5 and watched the rocks on the dike fly by as I boogied for the channel. Only took me about 20 minutes and I still had plenty of energy left for fishing inside for a few hours.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
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