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[#0000FF]Today was supposed to be a two way get-together between r2u2 and myself. Word got out and a whole bunch of other BFTers showed up to lend immoral support...and to raid my flig stash.
Goose 716 did not go fishing with the rest of us, but grabbed some fligs and socialized a bit before heading back home. Wiperhunter2 and Wiperslayer both restocked their flig supply and then cruised out to baptize them. Ditto for Humpy and his guest. And both r2u2 and Fatbiker launched their yak and tube respectively. Sorry, I did not take a pic of Humpy.
Lovely day fer it. A cool early 40 degree air temp at 7:30 launch...but no W. Water temps started off at 55 and warmed to 58 by the time I boogied about 1.
As far as I know, everybody caught at least some catfish. But turns out they were scattered over a wider depth range today than they have been in cooler water. We caught them from 10' to over 20' deep.
I didn't get my first hit until after 8:30. Started out deep and did not see anything on sonar...or on my line. Worked in closer to the dike and finally found some willing kitties in 11-13 feet. First one came on the trusty fire tiger flig...and a LHBE minnow. After that I started rotating colors to try some of my new creations. Purple fire and purple peril both got votes from the kitties...including a couple of doubles...one on each color. Got one on a pink but it swallowed the flig so no picture.
Got off to a slow start but once I found the zone I got lotsa kitty love. Began with 2 dozen minnows and gave my last 5 to Humpy as I was heading in. Only had a few hits/runs/errors...no fish...so I guess I brought about 12-13 to net. Kept a few for the smoker. Been getting requests (demands) for a first batch of smokitty this year. Got the fixin's.
Pretty bluebird day with only light breezes. Lots of birdlife flying over and a grundle of rock chucks all along the dikes. As they cavorted and jumped I could imagine they were my own personal cheering section every time I caught a fish.
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Pat, I left a little early but also had a pretty good day. Invited three kitties home as dinner guests and released another four or five. Also bagged a couple nice wipers as I approached the marina inlet. Couldn't find any FLIG love today. All were caught on the fly rod. Black and red bugger with red lead eyes did the trick. Like you, I couldn't get any excitement out in deeper water. Kicking in 10 FOW and bouncing the bugger off the rocks worked for me. What a great morning to be on the pond.
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Pat & Larry looks like a great day at the bay. Got to say I'm pretty jealous but no way I could sneak away from work today. Might of even earned my money today. Been hearing rumors of wipers starting to be taken so good to hear Larry found some. Just driving by the bay and looks like a good boat crew out fishing tonight. Hope to get there soon. Later J
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Jeff, thank you for working. I certainly appreciate and enjoy your social security payment each month 😁.
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[#0000FF]I noticed you were gone early. Hoped it wasn't for lack of action. Glad to hear you got some tugs. Good on ya for the wipers.
Should be getting your new ride finished soon.
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Kitty wings for dinner. It was excellent! When you get a chance send me your smoker recipe and kitty wing recipe.
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Thanks for the hand off of another order of fligs Pat. Of the 9 we got in the boat, 7 came from the purple with red eyes but since we did not try the green eye purple fligs, those might have been just as good. After we talked to you, as you were going in, we tried trolling lures for the last hour but no luck. A great day out there, with little wind most of the morning, good to talk to you again Larry, Jon & Richard, glad I got a chance to meet Bob too. Had on what was likely a wiper but it took off so fast, it took a flig with it, so who knows what it was.[mad]
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You didn't tell every one that I caught 12 and only brought three home. That's a better story than what I told you. As we were talking, the sun was in my eyes and the wind wasn't blowing in the right direction and then on top of that the water was too deep. Should I go on?
I checked my catch and they were as big as yours.
A good day to be on the water.
RJ
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Looking forward to giving it a try tomorrow. Had to play responsible adult today. Should be able to go Thursday and Friday so its all good. Thanks Pat for letting me buy some of your creations looking forward to getting them wet.
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My brother and I were there yesterday from 1-5 and never got a sniff from a fish. Looks like I should have waited a day and mooched off of you! It was my first skunking of the year and it felt crappy (or crappie)!
I did see a couple of fellers at pelican beach with a stringer of fat wipers that were caught on mussels from shore.
Good job on the kitties, I guess I'll have to go back and try it again.
Mike
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Well glad to make your payment. Got home and had to try it myself. 2 channels tonight 27"&24" but the 24 seemed as big as the 27. Had another one snap that dang line so I'm going to get rid of that crap and get me some power pro on this pole. That's three good fish lost on that pole this year. If the dang line wasn't so expensive and cast so well I would have ditched it a couple years ago, but oh well it was nice stuff while it had its strength. Now it's getting too unreliable. Glad you guys had a good outing. Later J
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[quote FatBiker]Kitty wings for dinner. It was excellent! When you get a chance send me your smoker recipe and kitty wing recipe.[/quote]
[#0000FF]Here ya go. Enjoy. Oh yeah, when you smoke catfish don't light the filter end.[/#0000FF]
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"Had on what was likely a wiper but it took off so fast, it took a flig with it, so who knows what it was.[mad]"
[#0000FF]The rule my wife and I have is that a lost fish can be whatever you want it to be...as long as nobody else saw it to dispute your claim.
I also lost a "freight train" right after the strike yesterday. Glad I had the drag set light on the rod in the holder. Still pulled my tube around as the fish hit and peeled off line...then it just went slack. But it didn't get away with my flig. Just an inexperienced fish that didn't know how to hang on.
Good to see you and Ira again. I will be making some some of those "Gorilla Fligs" for you guys to try on Bear Lake...or the Gorge. Here are some pics of some of the new things I have been doing with them...like adding spinners, glow and rattles.
Oh yeah, I am going to be making up some of those purple and orange models.
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[#0000FF]Glad you could get out with us yesterday. Also glad you got all those fish...at least by your story.
Also glad you remembered our little discussion on having a good supply of excuses handy. Sounds like you have them "down Pat".
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[#0000FF]Willard can be a fickle mistress. Sorry you din't get no love.
Good to hear the happy harvesters are starting to get in on their annual wiper removal program with the mussels. Once the water reaches about 60 those fish start cruising closer to shore and getting ready for their wiper whoopee thing. As Fatbiker found, they are also starting to show up along the dikes.
Should be getting better now...if Mama Nature doesn't go seriously off her meds.
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Oh yea, those look like they will be a good addition to our Bear lake arsenal, look forward to giving them a try.
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Pat, just wondering a little about your neutral bouncy jigs on a sinking fly line... Think that would work for an approach like Larry is using over there? Or would a guy be better off to use those good looking minnow flies you hooked me up with last summer?
Just thinking a wiper on a fly has got to be a hoot to catch... In fact a cat wouldn't be bad either... Not sure my skills are polished enough to land too big of one on a fly rod yet... Maybe if I use my 8 WT it will not be too much of a challenge, but don't want to bust my 3 WT... Do you think the 5 WT would be over taxed?
I did land that cat yesterday on an ultra light spinning rod, but it sure took longer than usual... I'm looking forward to getting my rod tips back so I can get my good stuff back to work... Sure appreciate you doing that for me, been fishing around dark lately and I think they will be just the ticket after the sun sets...
Don't know why, but I can't get the cats on the bobber this year and I prefer that method but the cats don't seem to... Haven't tried them for a couple days, maybe I need to try the bobber again... I love to see a lighted bobber cruising away at full speed...
Pat, have you noticed anything that you can do that results in bigger cats being caught? Or do they just show up while you're doing what you usually do to catch cats?
My current method seems to catch bullheads to 27's... I thought going to cut bait would weed out the bullheads, but last night they were sucking down big ole chunks of carp... I gave up worms to try and get away from the pests, but they are still raiding my hooks.. Bad part is I can't hook most of them either... so I'm constantly having to pull in and check my bait... (I'm using 4/0 hooks so I'm amazed they can get them into their mouths) Shouldn't complain because there are nights that they save me from the skunk, but I hate to be playing with a mudcat when a channel could be taking it... Sorry for the run on post I'll quit... Later J
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"Pat, just wondering a little about your neutral bouncy jigs on a sinking fly line... Think that would work for an approach like Larry is using over there? Or would a guy be better off to use those good looking minnow flies you hooked me up with last summer?"
[#0000FF]Are you referring to my "hot heads"? (see attached writeup) The short answer is that they cast and fish no differently than a bugger or streamer of similar size. The main difference is that they have a jig-sized head you can paint, glitter and put eyes on. Extra visual attraction. For fishing the rocks at Willard a sink tip line would be better than a full sink. Only when you want to get down deeper would you want a full sink in type 5 or 7.
For throwing a wind resistant larger fly, and with the potential for hooking "substantial" fish, I wouldn't use a rod smaller than about a size 6. A 7-8 would throw the flies better and would handle larger fish better without killing them from exhaustion if you plan to release them.
You should arrange to get together with Fatbiker and let him show you his setup. He has it pretty well dialed in. [/#0000FF]
"Pat, have you noticed anything that you can do that results in bigger cats being caught? Or do they just show up while you're doing what you usually do to catch cats?"
[#0000FF]There is an old saying "Big baits...big fish". While that can apply to fishing for bigger cats, it is not always so. I have caught some of my best cats while just fishing for "anything" with average size baits or lures. On the other hand, I have had a lot of mudders and small cats chew up my big cat baits.
But that is one of the positive things about soaking a bigger bait. You may get some nuisance munchers, but when a big fish takes it you know the difference. My biggest Utah cat (24#) came on a whole 12" white bass. It was the third bait I had soaked during a long night out by Bird Island. The only other cat I caught that night probably weighed about 15#. Quality over quantity. PS...that was in the days when we could only use one rod.
When using two rods it can be a good plan to rig big with one rod and "standard" with the second. That gives you a shot at the best of both worlds.
But if you keep using old degraded line you are risking losing all the big fish that come to play. Fish don't break lines...fishermen do.
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[#0000ff]Good to meet you Bob...and to contribute to your delinquency. Hope the trinkets treat you well.
Thanks for sharing the pic of that big ol' bow you caught at East Canyon last week. You had guessed it might weigh 3#. After seeing it I would say you can add at least a pound...maybe more.
If you remember, I told you that I thought I remembered that the state record C&R rainbow came from East Canyon. I dug up a pic of old BFTer "XMan" with his 29" bow...and the listing on the DWR record charts. It was caught back in December, 2000...on a black marabou jig.
[inline "XMAN RAINBOW.JPG"]
[/#0000ff]TROUT, Rainbow 12/30/00 29" Enich Mockli
East Canyon
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Thanks for another great report and pictures. It sounds like it was as a get together enjoyed by all.
I was at golden pond yesterday evening. A friend of mine came along and got enough kitties for a couple of meals. The cats seemed more scatter there today than they were on the weekend, but when we found them, they were willing to play.
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