The Babe and I on Utah Lake

[TubeDude]

[#0000ff]TubeBabe finally finished up her annual fall family traveling schedule and wanted to go fishing this week. Today looked good, weatherwise, so we opted for Lincoln Beach. Supposed to meet up with Utwalleye but...like his namesake...he was a no show.

Launched our tubes about 7:30 am. Air temp 29 and water temp inside the boat channel 42...warming up to about 46 by 1 pm. Utah Lake has come up almost a foot in the last few weeks...since they closed the outlet gate of the Jordan River. Water depth inside the boat channel was just under 3 feet in most spots. Slightly deeper in others and about 5 feet just outside the channel entrance.

TubeBabe headed kinda easterly...to prospect for cats or ???? I motored around to the rock shelves and gravel bars off Lincoln Point. Zig zagged from 3' to over 7' of water on the way...watching sonar. Thought my sonar was broken. No fishies on the screen.

Made some casts around first spring with assorted plastics. Got some good "rockfish" but nothing that resembled the targeted walleyes. Worked all the usual past productive hangouts with nary a sniff on the plastics. The rocks that have been covered with water since 2005 are now emerging above the surface again. Hope we get some good snow this winter.

Moved out to deeper water (6') and began to drag some bait...small whole white bass. Hoping for a walleye but willing to settle for a nice channel cat. Had to deal with a "bull-eye" instead...a nasty little mud cat that snarfed my whitette. About that time TubeBabe announced on the walkie talkie that she was also being pestered by the pesky mudders.

As I moved down the shoreline of Lincoln Point I moved in to pitch lures from time to time...moving back out to drag bait and pitch small jigs the rest of the time. Picked up a few small white bass on the little jigs but nothing larger on larger stuff.

TubeBabe worked her way over to where I was fishing and we stayed close for the slow return back to the ramp. We both dinged a few more mudders and whities. I set the hook on one bullhead and it had shoulders. Turned out to be the solo channel cat of the day...about 23 inches. Kinda slow fight in the cold water but much better than anything else we brung in.

It was a pretty late fall day with mild temps and very little breeze. Almost glass most of the time. One of the highlights was a small plane that came by very low. If I had my 3" magnum loads I coulda dumped him fer shure.

Water was warming in the channel when we got out after noon. An old gent was just getting set up for the afternoon shift...soaking worms off the ramp. He advised that the white bass had been coming in late in the afternoon on warm days and that several folks were catching the heck out of them.

Had a nice outing with my child bride and got to stop at the "Lehi temple" to pick up an order I had waiting. What a great day.
[/#0000ff]

[url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=100435"]DAYBREAK.jpg[/url] (359 KB)
[url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=100436"]LOW WATER FLEET.jpg[/url] (302 KB)
[url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=100437"]NEED MORE SNOW.jpg[/url] (409 KB)
[url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=100438"]VICIOUS WINDS.jpg[/url] (343 KB)
[url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=100439"]TUBEBABE AND TIMP.jpg[/url] (548 KB)
[url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=100440"]TRICKED OUT TUBEBABE.jpg[/url] (435 KB)
[url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=100441"]BULL-EYE.jpg[/url] (287 KB)
[url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=100442"]UGLY MUDDER.jpg[/url] (338 KB)
[url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=100443"]SOLO CHANNEL CAT.jpg[/url] (274 KB)
[url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=100444"]BIG DAMN DUCK.jpg[/url] (451 KB)
[url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=100445"]TUBEBABE'S HAUL.jpg[/url] (612 KB)
[signature]

[albinotrout]

Not bad for a slow November day. I like the idea you have with the floaty thingy on the net so it don't sink if it get away from you.
[signature]

[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]Yeah. Anything heavier than water is likely to go in the water at some time. TubeDude's second law of tubing physics. A piece of foam noodle can save those things from a watery grave.

One of the other things I do with the nets is to shorten the original length of the handle and then fill the hollow metal part with expanding foam...like for insulation. Keeps the water out and adds to the floatation. Also adds some strength...for all those big bullheads and white bass.
[/#0000FF]
[signature]

[pontoonman]

Thanks for the post and pics, TD.
Have you ever used foam on your spin rods/reels for sink proofing? I use pipe foam insulation which is carved to a thin taper shape and taped, velcroed or glued in place, depending. Doesn't interfere with the action of the rod and is not as bulky as the similar commercial products. Have to make sure there's enough foam to float the rod though. Many years ago, I saw a tiny spool device that attached to a fishing rod and released a float at the end of some line. When submerged, the float would pull out the coiled line so you had a marker/retriever for your sunken rod and reel.

I like your TD fish basket design. Ever had a bladder puncture from the fish inside the basket? Do you bring the basket aboard when motoring for a distance?

Thanks,

Pon
[signature]

[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]Knock on wood...errr PVC...I have never lost a rod over the side. My system of rod holders...active and inactive...keeps the rods safely stowed when not in my hands. And I have tried to add sink-proofing to some rods but found it to be too bulky and problematic...compared to the infinitesimal chance of dropping one over the side.

Can't say I have never had a puncture from fishies within the basket. But they usually happen when I am lifting the basket out of the water...to show off or to make a move...or while unloading at the end of the day. Gotta be careful not to let the loaded basket make contact with the air bladders. Wish I could always remember that before I see bubbles. Howsomever, the foam ring around the top acts as a bumper to keep the basket away from the tube while in use.

The trick to adding the foam ring is to start at the back and zip tie the foam to the basket. Then bring it around and zip tie each side before finishing the front. Easier than just trying to tie it all in place. I use the large 19" X 30" basket with the wire lid...not the floating lid. The twin handles tuck down inside the foam ring to hold it upright and easy to use while tubing.

I usually do not bother with lifting the basket aboard during most fishing and short moves. But for a long run I may lift it up and hold it on my rigid apron (sushi board). It does create some drag on the electric motor if allowed to remain in the water. But having a basket full of fish is a good problem to have.
[/#0000FF]
[signature]

[dayhut]

Really spectacular scenery and some seriously clever adaptations.
The amount of PVC alone you carry afloat would plumb my house!
[signature]

[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]Thanks. That stuff is the end result of about 50 years of tubing...and playing with PVC modifications. It works. Or, as I tell folks who admire it on the water "It's great for fishing but I can't tow a water skier."
[/#0000FF]
[signature]

[dayhut]

Well you are are certainly the man to have as moderator!
[signature]

[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]Thanks again. My co-mod...FFG...is highly experienced and qualified in her own right. She is only a few years younger than myself and has also been fishing and tubing for several decades. Her preference is tooning...and in recent years she has gravitated toward the frameless models made by Dave Scadden. But she has used many models of tubes and toons and is a wealth of information based upon her personal experience.
[/#0000FF]
[signature]

[flygoddess]

Why thank you. Still waiting on my newest edition, but when it arrives, we have to plan a trip so you can try it out.
[signature]

[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]Sure 'nuff. I talked to Dave last week about looking at a Predator. He referred me to the video and told me to also lookee at the Fusion. Veddy intermesting. Not sure if it would meet my fussy qualifications but it definitely gets you down on the water. Don't know how much standing I would do. I would make a good actor for one of those commercials..."Help, I've fallen and I can't get out of my float tube."

I noticed a comment from you on another post that you were ready to add walleye to your fly-caught list. I plan to work the Lincoln Beach area hard starting in March. There are usually plenty of feisty and willing males in there...although the big females will be more available post spawn...about Junish.

The walleyes in Deer Creek are more elusive. But I know I could get you hooked up at Starvation...not only on walleyes but on some tank-sized carpkind too. And there are grundles of rainbows and some BIG browns. Got a report from Tom Ogden (a fly flinger from Price) last week. He fly fished Rabbit Gulch with Jim Carter and another guy. They got 5 browns, 34 rainbows and Tom's personal best walleye at about 4#...all on deep-dredged flies on type 7. That fishing holds up just about all year.
[/#0000FF]
[signature]