Tubing Willard Bay 9-29-06

[TubeDude]

[cool][font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1][#0000ff]TubeBabe and I launched our tubes at the south marina around 7 AM. Light north breeze, air temp 49, water temp 61.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Started fishing along the north side of the channel on the way out. Saw lots of suspended fish (shad?) but no hits until I got around the corner and started working north. Got whacked by a 7 inch smallie, but none of the walleyes I was hoping to find.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]TubeBabe had gone out on the south side of the channel and we both started throwing plastics and hardbaits for wipers. No surface activity, nothing on sonar and no hits. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]After an hour or so, I rigged a tandem rig with two 2" tubes...one white and one blue with clear sparkle tail. That has been a productive rig in the past, for wipers and walleyes both during the cooler fall months. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]About my second or third cast, I got a thump while bouncing the jigs off the bottom in about 10 feet of water. It was a scrappy 12" whitie that put a good bend in my light rod. Kinda miffed the boat that was going by at the time.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Several minutes later I got another whack and this one was SERIOUS. Fought me all the way to the tube and then took the line over his shoulder and ran off about 30 yards. Did that a couple of times. Yaaa hooo. Them wipers is fun. Turned out to be a porky 19" that weighed 3.5 pounds. Fun, fun.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Both of the wipers took the blue clear sparkle jig. That was what I caught my last ones on last fall right up to mid November. But, other than one other inexperienced wiper, that did not know how to hang on, no more wipers.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The kitties took up the slack nicely. Got several 14"-16" dragging a minnow and then they started hitting the different plastics I was still throwing for wallies or whities. I got them on 2" shad bodies and on several colors of tube jigs. I also got a half dozen cats on minnows hung below a bobber on one of my bobber head jigs. Never saw cats like those in Willard that will hit lures or bait near the top in deep water.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]TubeBabe and I both kept a limit of little kitties. Can't beat the eatin' on those Willard wascals. I probably caught well over 20 and released all but the eight for the table.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Didn't see any trollers connecting on anything, but there was one old gentleman hacking up a couple of wipers at the cleaning station when we got there. I helped him finish his filleting and skinning with my electric knife so that he would still have something left to eat.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]We got off the water about 1 PM. The water temp had risen to 64 and the air was toasty warm too. Hope the afternoon shift found some willing fish and maybe some boils. However, once the water temps drop below 70 the boils are pretty well over.[/#0000ff]
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Thanks fer the kindly comments. We enjoy our fishing and then sharing with others. I know I always appreciate getting "complete" reports and always like pictures to go along with them.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I know about the "missing Utah" thing. We lived here for many years through the 70's and 80's and then had to relocate to Arizona on business. I always tried to keep in touch with the Utah connections and monitor the fishing conditions. We were finally able to move back a couple of years ago and are trying to make up for lost time and missed fishing trips.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Be careful about making "old folks" jokes. I are one. But...I have my own repetoire of "fudd jokes" so I ain't too sensitive about it.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Like the one about the retirement community that was having a crime problem, so they set up a 9 o'clock curfew. Had to give it up though. When the siren blew at 9 it woke everybody up.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Feel free to register and hang out as much as you like. Do you do any tubing where you are now?[/#0000ff]
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[zonker]

Welcome to the board, DT. We don't get "bored" here on this board, though a few of us are as old as the Dude. There's usually somebody fishing (and reporting) somewhere. Soon the ice will choke off some of the Utah guys (TD and TB among them) and they'll long for the days of non-solid water. During those times they'll report on their ice fishing exploits. Tubedude will fish right up until the time he is starting to freeze into the lake. (One of these days I suspect someone will have to come and cut him out of the ice.) []Then he augers out a hole and drops his tube in there.

Once the hard deck season hits for the Utah guys and gals, some of the rest of us from more more mild climes will take over. At least that's my theory. I always look forward to Oregon winter trout fishing in real liquid water from my tube.

BTW, nice report and pics, as usual, TD. We should call you "Mr. Catfish."

z~
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[zonker]

I went to school in Nebraska, DT. Scottsbluff area in the middle seventies. Didn't get to fish much while I was there. My wife really liked the state. I was a California guy (now transplanted to Oregon). I kept pining for the big trees back "home."

A tube ought to serve you well in those smaller lakes. That's my primary use of mine - small lakes that you can kick around in an hour or two. The perfect fishing platform.

z~
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[Fishhound]

[black][size 3]Hey DT,[/size][/black]
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[black][size 3]Welcome to BFT ![/size][/black]
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[black][size 3]I use my tube for about the same purpose that you do. Although I have been out with it on larger bodies of water, I still enjoy the smaller ones best for tubing.[/size][/black]
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[black][size 3]You came to the right place for information on tubing - there's lot's of experience on this board to draw from as you do your 'self paced learn as you go' thing. [/size][/black]
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[black][size 3]Feel free to ask any questions you have. Also, if you get a chance to, share your fishing escapades with us here as well(you can also attach photos of all the lunkers you get).[/size][/black]
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