08-15-2004, 06:59 PM
The fishing fates 
d on me yesterday and I was able to get off work early enough to fish. Deer Creek was packed with waterskiers so I headed to the Rock Cliffs. I stopped and talked with the ranger at the pay station and found out that vehicle travel is prohibited past the closed gate, but foot traffic is permitted. There were several folks who walked along the road and shore fished the North side. The ranger said it was fine to carry a float tube down and launch. I did so, removing all but essential gear. I crossed the Provo bridge and walked along the South bank of the Provo down to the lake. (The North side has an osprey nest that the DWR requests you avoid getting too close to.) It wasn't too bad a portage but I have a pretty basic Caddis brand tube. Started fishing about 5:15. The lake was down 6 feet from when I last fished it. It was worth the hike. Once I got a feel for water depth and structure with the lower water I strung up a pumpkin senko and had fun! They hit senkos hard until about 7pm when that cooled. I experimented with a few other lures and found they had a taste for chartreuse grubs fished slowly (the perch did too) and picked up a couple more. I quit at 8 PM. I ended up with 15 smallies and a number of perch. Size was good; 1 at 17 in. 2 at 16, and 3 at 15, with only 2 under 12 inches. They are making good progress on the road and the improvements there so in the long run I think we will be happy with what they are doing, but in the mean time, I guess I will just need to get a little more exercise to catch my chunk smallies from a tube. One last note, There was a guy anchored in the channel getting good trout action with the usual concoctions. Good luck to all this weekend.
[signature]
d on me yesterday and I was able to get off work early enough to fish. Deer Creek was packed with waterskiers so I headed to the Rock Cliffs. I stopped and talked with the ranger at the pay station and found out that vehicle travel is prohibited past the closed gate, but foot traffic is permitted. There were several folks who walked along the road and shore fished the North side. The ranger said it was fine to carry a float tube down and launch. I did so, removing all but essential gear. I crossed the Provo bridge and walked along the South bank of the Provo down to the lake. (The North side has an osprey nest that the DWR requests you avoid getting too close to.) It wasn't too bad a portage but I have a pretty basic Caddis brand tube. Started fishing about 5:15. The lake was down 6 feet from when I last fished it. It was worth the hike. Once I got a feel for water depth and structure with the lower water I strung up a pumpkin senko and had fun! They hit senkos hard until about 7pm when that cooled. I experimented with a few other lures and found they had a taste for chartreuse grubs fished slowly (the perch did too) and picked up a couple more. I quit at 8 PM. I ended up with 15 smallies and a number of perch. Size was good; 1 at 17 in. 2 at 16, and 3 at 15, with only 2 under 12 inches. They are making good progress on the road and the improvements there so in the long run I think we will be happy with what they are doing, but in the mean time, I guess I will just need to get a little more exercise to catch my chunk smallies from a tube. One last note, There was a guy anchored in the channel getting good trout action with the usual concoctions. Good luck to all this weekend.[signature]