Win Some Lose Some

[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Wanted to try to hit Willard between storms. Forecast was for south winds...6-10 mph. Standard. Went anyway. Good I did. Expected to see the gate still closed on the south marina at 6:30. Nope. Win one.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Win two for the weather. Calm at 7 AM launch. Water temp 46 degrees. Expected colder. Scored two kitties before getting my minnows out of the boat channel. No hits on plastics or cranks on the way out. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Headed down the dike north of the marina. Fished in and out from 8 feet to 15 feet. Saw a lot more fish on sonar than on the end of my line. Suspect mostly shad and carpkind, but some of them looked suspicious. Kept getting molested by cookie cutter kitties every time I cruised through 10 feet depths. Love them little tykes. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]About two hundred yards from the channel entrance I got a wham on a white plastic tube. Brung in a chunky little wallie. Win one. Look out folks. Gonna be a barnburner day. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]After several more kitties on the minnows, I got a pop - zing on the bait rod and hooked up to a freight train wiper. Got it almost to the net before he forgot how to hang on to the hook. His loss. Lose one.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Played around with my new small crankbaits. Small and light. Really a floating diver. And, they dive fast when you pull on them. But, as light as they are you gotta cast them a long ways...and you can't. Probably better for trolling behind weight.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I tried rigging one "Carolina crankbait" style, like I used at Starvation last year. Used a 1/4 oz. painted spinner body weight slipped on the line ahead of a swivel and 3 feet of leader to the crank. About the third or fourth "cast, splash, sink and crank", I got thumped and had my second walleye...another 20 incher. Win one. But, shortly after stuffing that fish down in my wire basket, he rocketed back up through the unfastened lid. Lose one.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]No more action on the cranks. Tried several colors. Good wiggle but no more whacks. Kept catchin' kitties though. Probably caught somewhere between 20 - 25. Just about went through two "long dozen" bags of minnows. Finally kept my eighth and put up the minnows.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Really started concentrating on throwing plastics on the way back to the marina. Had several bumps but no hookups. Then, I felt weight and set the hook HARD. Hoping for walleye, but reeled in a whiplashed crappie. Flopped off the hook about six feet from the tube. That would have completed my 4 species "grand slime". [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I did manage to land a wiper just before reaching the channel buoys. It took a small pearl Maniac minnow. Strong fight but not flashy. Cold water. I was thinking carp. Nope. 17" Wiper. Win one.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Water temp was up to 52 degrees as I hit the channel going in. A couple of folks just going out claimed to have been getting walleyes in the evening with regularity. All spawned out. Looks like the post spawn is on.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Another guy just coming in when I was loading up also had a couple of nice 23" walleyes...trolling Freeway Bay.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Quite a few bank tanglers, but all they were hooking was brush. Brutal. Might be good for some bobber fishing when the crappie move in to spawn, but right now it is hopeless.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Had to battle my way back in against 1" JP ripples. I feared for my life. Ha. Banana belt sunshine. Thought I was back in Arizona, where I spent last week.[/#0000ff]
[url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=46754"][#212126]7 AM LAUNCH.jpg[/#212126][/url] (202 KB)
[url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=46755"][#212126]CHANNEL IN THE CHANNEL.jpg[/#212126][/url] (182 KB)
[url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=46756"][#212126]WALLIE 1.jpg[/#212126][/url] (245 KB)
[url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=46757"][#212126]AVERAGE COOKIE.jpg[/#212126][/url] (177 KB)
[url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=46758"][#212126]BIGGEST KITTY.jpg[/#212126][/url] (151 KB)
[url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=46759"][#212126]HOUDINI 2.jpg[/#212126][/url] (276 KB)
[url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=46760"][#212126]SOLO WIPER.jpg[/#212126][/url] (247 KB)
[url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=46761"][#63626b]TAKE HOME PLAY.jpg[/#63626b][/url] (295 KB)
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[flygoddess]

Very nice score! But then , what else is new. I have GOT to join you on one of these outings! Just give a heads up before hand, I do seem to be more mobile these days.
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[smallmouth89]

Wish I could join you to Pat. The several thousand miles between your fishing territory and mine gets in the way every time.

God Bless,
Don
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[KrzMoFo]

Great day you had. I am looking forward to a "Win some Lose some", day. Great post.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]You would always be welcome to join us/me. The water will be warming quickly and it will soon be wiper time. If the lake finishes filling, the north marina can be great for tubing and tooning for wipers. They come inside to chase the shad and you can start casting within feet of where we launch. the best part is that all the power squadron blasts off out of the marina and it is almost like having your own private pond at the back of the harbor. TubeBabe and I have had some great wiper days back there.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I am also planning trips soon to Utah Lake...for white bass and walleye (maybe some carp)...and to Deer Creek and Yuba. Waiting for better reports. It will be a while before the smallies move in at Jordanelle.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Shoot me a PM and we can get our dance cards together.[/#0000ff]
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[IrishFloatTube]

>> [#0000ff]But, shortly after stuffing that fish down in my wire basket, he rocketed back up through the unfastened lid. <<[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Priceless ! [][/#0000ff]
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[albinotrout]

[fishin]that would have been interesting to see![cool]
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[flygoddess]

I am presently waiting for my NEW ride. We sold the Pontoons and bought a couple of the new puppys.
Still got the Navi so I guess I can make a showing in that.
I just know the Carp are calling my name!!!!![laugh]
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