Yuba Tubin' 10-22-05

[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Man! October 22 and I had not caught a trout yet this year. Took care of that at Yuba this morning. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Launched with TubeBabe about 7:30 AM, under the bridge. Still lots of water. Air temp 35, water 52 at launch. Mist coming off the still water. Very clear. No ducks flying.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]No surface action visible anywhere on the lake. Tried a variety of lures in front of the spillway and then started working up the face of the dam. About halfway down the dam, got a huge whack, a surface flurry, a long run, some underwater rolling and a long line release. Got my heart going anyway.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]After a couple of non-hookup pokes, I finally got the single hook on my homemade spinner solidly into a nice rainbow. Love to hear the drag sing on a light reel. Those Yuba bows put on a show. Netted my first of three four pounders.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]A few minutes later, my retrieve stopped dead and then my little rod arched over and my reel screamed at me. A bodacious bow jumped about six times in a row before flinging my spinner back at me. No probs. I got the fun outta that bad boy. It was probably the largest I hooked all day. Easily over six or seven pounds.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I kept moving around to the end of the dam and then onto the sand and gravel shoreline, casting my spinner close to shore and beginning the retrieve almost as soon as it splashed down. Had several hits within seconds. Handcuffed me on a few, but I did keep another 4 pounder and "released" a few more.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Hooked and landed my six pound 23 incher just off the rocks across from the ramp. My spinner landed within inches of the rock and the fish was on and jumping as soon as I made the first turn on the handle. Took me almost 10 minutes to convince that porky lady troutski to climb into my net.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]That was about 9:30. The sun was growing higher and warmer and the fish seemed to leave the shoreline. Although the trollers, working out farther, never had a bite that I could tell. There were about 4 trollers and several "bank tanglers" TubeBabe saw one guy catch one from "Ocean's Spot" right at daybreak, but that was the only fish we saw taken besides ours.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]TubeBabe had scored one 20 inch 3# bow, and had a couple of other inquiries. Oh yeah, she snagged a yearling carplet too. I figured the trout action was over for the morning so I rigged up with a chartreuse roadrunner jig and started casting and jigging for perch. On about the fourth or fifth cast into deeper water with the bright little bit of paint and spinner, I was hooked up into another reel screamer. A third 4# bow went into the basket, along with two others and the six pounder. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The last trout came at 11 AM. We picked up the kicking pace and started moving back along the dam toward the launch point. I had a couple of more thumps on the chartreuse Roadrunner. Just before we got to the end of the dam, and the channel, I had a solid take and the battle was on. I handed the rod off to TubeBabe, to fight the fish. Low and be old. It turned out to be a little 20 inch northern pike...on that dinky little Roadrunner. He posed for a picture and got TubeBabe's hands slimy before being slipped back in the water.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I took my rod with the deadly tidbit on it back, and started fanning casts around before we headed in. Two more hard hits, but no hookups. I changed to a spinner with a single hook and lots of chartreuse. A few casts later, a second northern. Got a few pics of him and sent him back to join the others. Looks like a population is underway.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]As Ocean has observed, the rainbows are glutting on minnows. Every fish I hooked was barfing up minnows. And, every one that hit the fillet board had a gutful. They also had surprisingly pretty pink flesh for meat eaters. (see pic)[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Another surprise turned out to be that every fish we kept was a female, and all had well developed roe. (see pics) I carefully retrieved that roe and plan to introduce it to some (new) friends at Scofield. I understand the big fishies there really enjoy caviar.[/#0000ff]
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[Kraizee_Skot]

[font "Impact"][#ff4040][size 3]Sounds like you two had a great trip. Maybe I might make a trip down there one of these days. I have never caught a pike and would like to get one. That would be cool. I don't care if it's small, just want to feel the fight. Those bows of yours are pretty darn bulky. Looks like they have been eating very well down there.[/size][/#ff4040][/font]
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[fuzzyfisher]

nice job dude!
i sure am glad to see the pike makeing a good come back there at yuba!
them slim rockits sure look like they have been eating good there..
sure hope yuba frezes up this year looks like the ice fishing should be very good there..
could you tell what kind of monnows the fish were eating?
i'll have to get back soon and go give yuba a try. my boy is diying to get out and do some fishing and can't wait for me to take him.. lol
again great catch dude and babe well done..
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[ocean]

Bet you and tubebabe had a ball!!Arent those yuba troutskis fun!![] I love the way they slam your lures.Man three pike in 3 days at yuba wow! We caught 2 the last 2 days and ended up keeping one that was gonna die because he inhaled the lure too deep.But it was good eating though. I also have seen trollers and have talked to them and they dont seem to have any luck. I think its because the fish there are gorging on all those minnows. Its funny that every fish you caught was a female and all the ones i catch are males with the hooked jaw.Fish4fish caught 2 females tonite and the one i caught was a male.[] By the way how do you prepare the roe for fishing?
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[fish4fish]

Man you got the variety bag going on. Ocean and i hit it this evning and the trout were still in the playfull mood. 3 fish in just over an hour.

Are the bows in yuba sterile like in strawberry?
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[utwalleye]

Nice Pat, glad to see the pike comming on like this. looks like you two had a great time. Oh, I liked the chain letter.
later chuck
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[Out4Trout]

[cool]Wow! What a blast that must have been, getting a good tow in the tube from those big fat slime rockets! Man, a six-pound 'bow. That's amazing considering they were just planted in there what-two years ago? After I get this new job, I'm definitely going to go down there a time or two before ice on. Bet it sure beat the crowds up at the berry today! That is good news about catching two pikes today. That place sounds like it's already a healthy fishery, but after the perchies get more established and the 'eyes get going in there, it's going to be an INCREDIBLE fishery with your chances of landing a huge 'bow, pike, walleye, perch, and maybe even a channel cat in about 5 years or so. That is such great news that Yuba is coming back the way that it is!

So, TD did you and TubeBabe have enough fun down there to make another trip down there this fall??
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[Out4Trout]

[cool]Fish4fish, I'm not a biologist, but I don't think that they are sterile like the ones in the 'berry. The main reason the 'bows in Strawberry are sterile is so that they won't interbreed with the 'cuts. The secondary reason is so that they will focus most of their efforts into eating and getting big, since they don't have to focus any effort on the spawn. And, they ARE getting huge in the berry. In that article the other day in the Trib, it said that there have been bows caught the last year or two in the 'berry that have been close to or around 20 lbs.

As for Yuba, I do recall reports last Spring (when 'bows spawn) of lots of bows gathering in the gravel areas of the river above Yuba.
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[Hellsangler69]

Nice fish Pat . I like it .
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[lurechucker]

Remind me again what the measurement is across that blue tray you use?



lurechucker
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Hey Ron, I thought those pics might get ya anxious to get back and play with some Utah fishies. I was just wonderin' if we are due for a return match on "top secret" pond. I'm betting the fish in there had a good year with all the water.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Sorry, I meant to take pics of some of the minnows for some discussion on their species. None of the ones I retrieved were in real good shape. They do not look like shiners, but they are long and thick, and have real small mouths. They are golden colored but with no lines. There sure must be a lot of them because they are feeding a lot of fish. I saw some on my sonar at about 3-5 feet, but not any around the shore or on the surface. I took my cast net and dip net but the only minnows I saw were some 1" to 2" fry around the docks at the launch ramp. They were too small for the 3/8" mesh in my cast net and they were in less than a foot of water.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The way those little northerns are chowing down, they will be in the five pound bracket next year and maybe double that the year after. Really a surprise to see them back so quick, but I know from experience on other lakes that it does not take them long to explode if the groceries are there.[/#0000ff]
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Roe? I really do not use it, but I have a couple of fishing buddies that will. I used to use it a lot for steelhead and salmon in California but I almost never soak bait for trout here in Utah. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]To answer your question, you can use the roe fresh (frozen), without any additives. Or, you can "cure" it to add color and toughen it up for holding on the hook better. There are commercial roe cure mixes, but I just use a simple home remedy.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]First, I do not cure the roe before freezing. I pack it in small plastic bags...one or two "skeins" (ovaries) per bag. Squeeze all the air out (vacuum sealing is good) and freeze. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Thaw the roe in the refrigerator or at room temp (no microwaves...puhleeeeze) the day before using. When thawed, use a SHARP knife or shears to cut the membrane around the eggs into "berries"...bait-sized chunks.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Spread the pieces on a paper towel and first sprinkle on some sugar. Then sprinkle on some plain old borax (20 Mule Team laundry stuff). That makes the eggs turn darker in color and toughens the membrane around them, as well as the eggs.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Shake off the extra powdered stuff and put the eggs in a rigid plastic container, to help protect them from crushing. Keep them cool.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Some folks like to wrap them around a treble hook. I fish them on a single hook, tied with an "egg loop", which cinches the membrane down onto the hook. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Those eggs not only work well for trout, but cats like 'em too. (so do crawdads)[/#0000ff]
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]The rainbows in Yuba are not sterile. They are regular old hatchery pets, dumped in to provide some kind of fishery until the perch, walleye, northerns, cats and "other species" make a comeback after the lake was drained. It kinda ruins the thrill to bring in a big beautiful trout with the rubbed off fins of a hatchery fish.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Those fish will run up the Sevier River in February and will dump their eggs if they find some gravel. If the current keeps the eggs aerated and they are not all eaten by other trout, suckers, chubs, carp and other scavengers, there will be some natural recruitment. The River does have some gravel but it is mostly mud bottom. Not ideal trout habitat, but the lake is feedin' em good.[/#0000ff]
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Those blue trays are the rigid aprons we have adapted to replace the wimpy aprons supplied on our Outcast Fat Cats. TubeBabe got me to make her one first, and I called it her "sushi board".[/#0000ff]


[#0000ff]It worked well, though, and I have made several experimental models for myself. The one I currently use is just over 22 inches from edge to edge. I epoxied down a ruler that I cut off at 18 1/2 inches.[/#0000ff]

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[wiperhunter2]

Looks like you and Tubebabe had a great day at Yuba. Those sure are some fat bows, it's amazing how fast they grow in Yuba. Was there anyone else tubin on the lake?
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[CBR]

Nice pics! And great fish. Some fat bows in there. Thanks for sharing. I still have yet to hit Yuba, but I am thinking now is the time of year.

Guess I will rally up a group of tooners and tubers and get out there.

Thanks again for the stellar report and pics.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Weren't nobody else tubin' or 'toonin', but Yuba is ideal for it. Many places to launch off clean gravel and generally manageable wind conditions. Like most Utah ponds, it can get "airy".[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]With the lake just filling after being emptied, I did not hit it much my first year back up here, but I am sure I will change that. I used to love Yuba, year round, when it was possible and probable to catch a hundred perch, all over a pound, and walleyes galore on most trips. We never fished for northerns apurpose, but caught quite a few on lures meant for walleyes.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Those rainbows make it well worth a trip, if you can find them and time it right. Some days the bite is an evening thing. It has been that way recently, but you can still get some reaction bites on spinners and spoons, like we did Saturday.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I have tubed just about every square foot of Yuba over the years. I look forward to getting back to some of my old favorite spots and seeing what they serve up. Once the perch population gets healthy enough to open the fishing and keeping, I predict a potential new state record within three years. That abundant minnow base right now will turn out some pigs.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]We had planned to make a return trip as soon as possible. Looks like "iffy" weather next weekend, but anytime after that will be fine. Kent and I had a good trip in mid November last year, and the first ice showed up about two weeks later.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]There were several years in the past that I had to push away floating sheets of ice on my last tubing trip to Yuba. Silly.[/#0000ff]
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[CBR]

Let me know when, I will figure out a way to tran sport my pontoon. Hopefully I will find my new SUV before then.
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[Theekillerbee]

Hey Pat, sounds and looks like you guys had a very good trip down there. I'll bet just about every worthy fish in there is chuck full of those minnows. Should be a couple of really good years coming up. I just wish it was a little closer.
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[twolves]

anyone know how long of a drive it is from orem to yuba. i would love to get out there before the ice.
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