05-08-2010, 12:12 AM
[cool][#0000ff]Fellow float tuber TubeIke wanted to get his tube wet and had some time off. Utah Lake did not look good (chocolate and cold) so we opted for Willard.
Knew it was gonna present some challenges after all the blowin' and snowin' yesterday. The frozen dandelions next to our launch spot also suggested it might be a tad coolish. Air temp 27 and water temp 49.4 at launch. TDC...too ****** cold.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Ike hit the water first. I had a lot of extra setup with my new "Fat Cat Ferrari"...my newly motorized float tube. I was still mussin' and fussin' when I heard Ike hit a high note. Never knew he could yodel. Looked out across the water to see him holding up a fat wiperette. 22" and 5.2 pounds. Not bad for his first wiper ever. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Nice start...even if it did give him the "first fish jinx". That was his first and only fish. Seen that happen a lot...to other folks. I usually let somebody else catch the first fish so I don't have to worry about it. That's MY story and I'm stickin' to it.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I was fishing by 8 AM but did not get my first poke on either plastic or bait until about 9:30. Finally found a few cookie cutter kitties that warmed up enough to open their little mouths and munch my minnows. The water temp had only climbed a couple of degrees by then but it helped.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I also had several run and gun hits that I am sure were wipers. I had one hooked briefly but it was an inexperienced fish and did not know how to hang on. Absolutely NO hits on any of several plastics or hardbaits I threw through the day. Ike caught his early wiper on a chartreuse tube jig.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Saw lots of fish on sonar in about 12 feet of water that I would guess were suspended crappies. But they would not touch anything fished either below a bobber or on a slow retrieve at mid depth. I think that if I looked closely at their images on sonar I could see them shivering.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]One dead giveaway that it suddenly got colder were the carp. Only one here or there slapping the surface. Didn't see any splashing in the shallows. Had reports of some carp getting active on warm afternoons last week. Maybe again in a few days.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]My new Ferrari performed great. It handled my (substantial) weight, plus gear, plus motor, plus deep cycle battery, plus rods and lures, etc. Surprisingly it floated almost level, even with the battery and motor in the front. Of course once I sat on the seat it leveled out even more. Trucked me around pretty good, even on low speeds. Moved right spritely on the top setting but I doubt I could tow a water skier or get up on plane.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]The small 33 AH battery was all I needed. Got me around when I wanted to get someplace faster and zipped me all the way in at speed 5 when I was done. Of course I was kicking most of the time and did not have to fight wind. Still, the meter registered 80% capacity when I got home and the 2 amp charger had it back up to 100% in less than 2 hours.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]The on and off switch definitely stays. So easy to just reach down with my thumb and turn it on or off...with the speed and direction preset on the motor. As you can see in the attached pic, I mounted the switch on a 1/2" PVC cross and ran the wires down about a foot of pipe. That pipe then fastens with the 2 velcro rod holder fasteners on the inside of the pocket.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Great day on the water. I caught about 9 or 10 kitties...keeping 4 or 5 for my sis in law. A few midges started coming out about midmorning and the swallows and terns were swooping over the water to slurp them up.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]But...no skeeters, no skiers and no PWCs. It don't get much better than that.[/#0000ff]
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Knew it was gonna present some challenges after all the blowin' and snowin' yesterday. The frozen dandelions next to our launch spot also suggested it might be a tad coolish. Air temp 27 and water temp 49.4 at launch. TDC...too ****** cold.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Ike hit the water first. I had a lot of extra setup with my new "Fat Cat Ferrari"...my newly motorized float tube. I was still mussin' and fussin' when I heard Ike hit a high note. Never knew he could yodel. Looked out across the water to see him holding up a fat wiperette. 22" and 5.2 pounds. Not bad for his first wiper ever. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Nice start...even if it did give him the "first fish jinx". That was his first and only fish. Seen that happen a lot...to other folks. I usually let somebody else catch the first fish so I don't have to worry about it. That's MY story and I'm stickin' to it.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I was fishing by 8 AM but did not get my first poke on either plastic or bait until about 9:30. Finally found a few cookie cutter kitties that warmed up enough to open their little mouths and munch my minnows. The water temp had only climbed a couple of degrees by then but it helped.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I also had several run and gun hits that I am sure were wipers. I had one hooked briefly but it was an inexperienced fish and did not know how to hang on. Absolutely NO hits on any of several plastics or hardbaits I threw through the day. Ike caught his early wiper on a chartreuse tube jig.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Saw lots of fish on sonar in about 12 feet of water that I would guess were suspended crappies. But they would not touch anything fished either below a bobber or on a slow retrieve at mid depth. I think that if I looked closely at their images on sonar I could see them shivering.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]One dead giveaway that it suddenly got colder were the carp. Only one here or there slapping the surface. Didn't see any splashing in the shallows. Had reports of some carp getting active on warm afternoons last week. Maybe again in a few days.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]My new Ferrari performed great. It handled my (substantial) weight, plus gear, plus motor, plus deep cycle battery, plus rods and lures, etc. Surprisingly it floated almost level, even with the battery and motor in the front. Of course once I sat on the seat it leveled out even more. Trucked me around pretty good, even on low speeds. Moved right spritely on the top setting but I doubt I could tow a water skier or get up on plane.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]The small 33 AH battery was all I needed. Got me around when I wanted to get someplace faster and zipped me all the way in at speed 5 when I was done. Of course I was kicking most of the time and did not have to fight wind. Still, the meter registered 80% capacity when I got home and the 2 amp charger had it back up to 100% in less than 2 hours.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]The on and off switch definitely stays. So easy to just reach down with my thumb and turn it on or off...with the speed and direction preset on the motor. As you can see in the attached pic, I mounted the switch on a 1/2" PVC cross and ran the wires down about a foot of pipe. That pipe then fastens with the 2 velcro rod holder fasteners on the inside of the pocket.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Great day on the water. I caught about 9 or 10 kitties...keeping 4 or 5 for my sis in law. A few midges started coming out about midmorning and the swallows and terns were swooping over the water to slurp them up.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]But...no skeeters, no skiers and no PWCs. It don't get much better than that.[/#0000ff]
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