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Took the day off and hit big blue today, but had a 7:30 call in I had to do so I was the first one at the marina but didn't launch until after everyone else that came today. The call in drug on past a hour, but I still found lots of Cisco all over when I got out there. I drifted around and jigged up maybe 15 then I decided to anchor up and try trout. Well I couldn't leave the Cisco alone until I got 25 ish then I put the cast master up and jigged with a tube until I got a 18" ish cut and that was fun so I tried harder and lucked into a nice 23" cut and 4 more Cisco. Had another big fish on but lost it half way up. It was fun today. Later J
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Jeff, good seeing you at the marina yesterday. CVFisher, his son Casey and I had the same experience with the Cisco yesterday. Not trout caught, but we each head a solid hit but didn't manage to hook them. Wind came up as you were leaving so we only lasted until about three.
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Hey Larry, good to see you Tom and Casey. Don't know if I heard you guys right, but thought you said you didn't have a finder. If so that would have been really tough yesterday. I would watch the cisco cloud go by and right behind the trout were following, at least I assume they were trout, they were big and solid marks... Had a lot go by but only a few would take my offering... The big one I caught followed my jig up off the bottom and nailed it... The other hits I had and lost or missed did the same thing, but most would just cruise right past... Don't know if I need a better looking jig, or if they might have been whitefish and I had too big of offering on..
As soon as the cisco disappeared about 12:30 I hardly seen a mark on the finder... The fish are following the food really closely now... Seemed like the hits were funny yesterday, I'd get a bump and then another bump and then they'd hammer it... They sure didn't take it on the first try... It was hard for me to not pull the jig away from them... But if I left it there, they came back and hit again...
The little trout took that one while I was dead sticking that rod about 18" off the bottom... I seen a bump so I grabbed the rod and he came back and got it.. Got that one while I was still trying to catch my cisco...
Was glad to get me some bait for the year... I think that one 8.5" cisco is one of my best ever, or at least since I started measuring them... He pulled pretty good snagged in the tail...
I think I need to find a better jigging rod. I didn't like the feel of my longer rods, I guess I've gotten used to my ice rods and they are so much better for jigging, that the long ones feel sloppy... My braid on those reels likes to twist up too, so maybe I should have tried my ice rods from the boat, they seem to have a better feel to them... and the line doesn't get all twisty... I couldn't get the line to straighten out either..
Guess I was lucky to get off there before the waves came up too much, I was feeling the effects of the waves all night, seemed like I couldn't get my land legs back..
Was that little boat and those two guys okay? Man that scared me to see such a tiny boat in Bear Lake waves... They didn't have much freeboard room and the one guy was plenty old if they capsized he would have been in trouble..
Well sorry for the run on, glad you got out and nailed some cisco, they sure are fun to catch... I sure like snagging a lot better than just dipping them, it lasts a lot longer... BTW to the cisco fishers, they were doing well from shore yesterday... seen a lot of guys fill up and leave early... Later J
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Good report Jeff, and I'm glad the lake finally treated you good this time. Those are some pretty fish.
I'm going to hit it today in the afternoon and tomorrow all day, so hopefully there are still some trout biting. How deep were you fishing when you started trying for the trout? If found that I do much better for trout if I go deeper and further away from the clouds of Cisco and fish the edges of them.
Mike
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Hey Mike I was fishing 30 FOW not too far out from the marina mouth. The Cisco were in shallower early and then groups would move through heading back out to deeper water. Sort of a transition zone but I did well there through the ice last year at the same point in the Cisco run. It was probably a lot slower than the pile but with a questionable motor I figured best to stay close in the waves. Wish I could get back there but might be next week at best. Good luck. J
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Thanks for the info. Sounds like you were smack on top of the weed beds that are just out from the marina. Good spot usually, so glad it treated you well.
Mike
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