Return to Lincoln Beach 4/21/06

[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]TubeBabe and I had planned to hit Lindon this morning, for the shakedown cruise on my Cougar toon. The gate was closed and locked just after 6 AM. Don't they care about fishermen?[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Drove on to Lincoln Beach. Forecast was for light south winds (again). Breezes were from the east and then died down, before coming in from the north and northwest. Typical.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Water temp was 53.8 at launch. Mostly calm. Lots of carp rafts all around the shoreline, but no visible spawning efforts. Close, but no carplets. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I started by casting plastics, hoping for a white bass or walleye. Had a good hit and hooked up to a large fish. Hard fighter. Hoped for a big walleye, guessed catfish. Wrongo. Nasty old bugle mouth with the jig in its kisser. Provided the customary free gillectomy and released it unharmed.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]TubeBabe started out dragging bait, but it was a long time before she got any inquiries. The fish were out of the shallower water where we had been finding them. The last few had come from water over 5 feet deep. She was out in over 7 feet when she had a series of "pop and drop" hits. She finally got the hook into a nice 23" 4.8# channel that gave her a good whuppin'. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I was trying to get used to fishing from the toon. Things were different and not all for the better. I was pleased with the speed I could get by laying on the oars but the larger toon was definitely not as easy to maneuver to maintain position with fin power alone. It was not the simple hands free fishing I enjoy from my tube.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I missed several strikes, mostly because I was not used to the toon and I was usually stuck with an oar up my armpit when I leaned forward to grab a rod. Not fisherman friendly. I finally finessed a fat mud cat. At least the skunk was banished.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I tried to finesse fish my baits like I normally do in the tube, but to no avail. With even the slightest breeze I had to keep rowing or kicking to maintain position. If I let up for a second, the toon would swing around in the breeze and it took major effort to get back in position.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]TubeBabe went through an area that had some white bass and she picked up two in quick succession. That was about it for her.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The north breeze got stronger. Stick a fork in me, I'm done. I could not fish at all in the breeze. Pontoons are good for getting from point A to point B faster, but they are not good finesse fishing platforms.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I put the hooks in the keeper rings on my rods and got back to point A in great time. The water temp had risen to 56 degrees, by 10:30. The freshening north breeze had dropped it back down to 54.5. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]For some reason, I have never done well on cats at Lincoln Beach when the north wind blows. I should know better. Every time I plan a trip down there, based on the forecast for "light" south breezes I get cold north winds. But then, I did not plan a trip down there this time. I planned to go to Lindon. maybe I should have waited for the gate to open.[/#0000ff]
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[ironworker]

great report.
don't give up on the toon yet. it took me a few trips before i got the hang of it.
good luck on the next trip out
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Oh, I know all about toons and how to operate them. I am literally writing "the book" on 50 years of experience. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]My comments are strictly a comparison between tubing and tooning for one type of fishing. Both have their places and different folks have different strokes...or something like that.[/#0000ff]
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[road]

I hear that TD, now starts the learning curve again. Since i started using the toon, I feel like the ole lady put the big hex on me. But the last wind trip we had I learned more then than on all the other trips combined. I was able to hold the beast in place, stay over fish, but still unable to hook-up. Was planning a trip tomorrow, but now have to take daughter to physical therapy, get wifes car fixed (its sitting at Big O with broken wheel studs -- gotta love them kids).
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]I'm not laughing at you, old friend, but I am chuckling in recognition of the travails that I also "enjoyed" while trying to get the messy younguns out of the danged nest. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Best to ya.[/#0000ff]
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[road]

But this one is out of the nest. She just returns home when she needs to see the doctor, runs out of money, or is just slumming for a few days.LOL
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[Kent]

[#0000ff][size 1]"With even the slightest breeze I had to keep rowing or kicking to maintain position."[/size][/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff][size 1]Pat, how about trying a small anchor?[/size][/#0000ff]
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[Theekillerbee]

Anchors are against his religion! I asked about using on once and he just about threw me out of the vehicle! To make matters worse, I was the one driving! Crazy donut fisherpeople[cool]
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[Kraizee_Skot]

[font "Times New Roman"][#ff4040][size 3]So now that you attempted to cruise your toon, the big question is what ride are you going to pilot on your next outing?[/size][/#ff4040][/font]
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Anchors work...to keep you in place. There are times that they are okay for tubing and tooning, but they totally eliminate the main advantage of "floatation fishing"...being able to silently, efficiently and effectively cover large areas of water in the search for willing fish. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]When the fish are scattered and inactive, as they are right now, you might as well just go home and fish in your bathtub. Same potential for success. An "average" trip for us is covering literally miles of lake bottom, dragging our baits in and out of the zones where we THINK we have the best shot. Most trips, this time of year, catching one or two fish is a good day, and boaters who anchor up and fish usually smell skunk.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]As we both know, when the fish become active and either set up shop in a defined area or cruise in and out looking for food, you can anchor up and have some expectation of success. Those are the times when tubers and tooners can drop over an anchor or a bag of rocks to hold them in position during a troublesome breeze. It is easy to move a few yards and anchor up again.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Another problem with anchoring in a tube is that there is sometimes the tendency for the tuber to keep kicking, and get their legs tangled in the anchor line. And, there is definitely the potential for fish to find that rope too. It is tough to fight a fish and haul in the anchor at the same time, but if you don't, Murphy's Law takes over.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]As always, I appreciate your care for my welfare. I factor in that you have never tubed and seem to be resistant to my efforts to initiate you. Maybe if you truly believed that tubing might offer you a shot at your elusive 10 pound kitty you might lower your standards.[/#0000ff]
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Hey...I resemble that remark.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]You take everything too personal. I coulda never got those hands unclenched from the steering wheel anyway. And all that screaming. I probably scared you with that.[/#0000ff]
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[Kent]

[size 1][#0000ff]"As always, I appreciate your care for my welfare. I factor in that you have never tubed and seem to be resistant to my efforts to initiate you. Maybe if you truly believed that tubing might offer you a shot at your elusive 10 pound kitty you might lower your standards."[/#0000ff][/size]
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[#0000ff][size 1]OUCH![/size][/#0000ff]
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Sorry Junior. Nuttin' pers'nal.[/#0000ff]
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[fishluvr]

I couldn't agree more with your assessment of toon fishing. I tried it twice last year on Utah Lake with Carp Punisher. Each trip I was so aggravated by the end that I was ready to pop a hole in the toon, then I remembered it wasn't mine. Each trip I wished I had been in a float tube instead.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Thanks fer yer support. Judging from some of the similar comments on the tubing board, there are a lot of tubers happy with their craft and not suffering from "toon envy".[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]As with most things related to fishing, it is a matter of personal preference. Sometimes one works better than another, and vice versa. I just simply prefer the tube as a fishing platform. Much better for unencumbered hands-free fishing.[/#0000ff]
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