Slow but Good

[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]I was planning a trip to Starvy about mid week. But a "little birdie" told me that Mama Nature knew all about it and was planning a Huff N Puff party for me. Actually, it was the weatherman who told me and then he flipped me the birdie. I hate it when that happens.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Soooo...I loaded up my car early this morning and hit the road before Mama Nature got up. Launched at Bunny Gulch a bit after 7 to almost calm water. Air temp was a brisk 40 degrees...but warmer than the 24 degrees as I flew by Strawberry earlier. Water temp was the same 63 as the week before but it was a bit cleaner...and none of the clumps of weeds that I have had to fight the last two trips.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The day started off good. First drop outside the rock hump got a good whack, hookset and heavy headshakes. Walleye? Nay. But a chunky 14 inch smallie. Got several more smaller smallies on the next few drops. Fun but not my primary targets.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Moved out into slightly deeper water (22 feet) and BINGO BANGO...a keeper perch and a teen incher wallie. Wow! 3 species in less than 15 minutes. Only needed one more for my grand slime. Took care of that later with some rainbows.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Only a slight ripple all morning. A pleasure to fish on a totally quiet lake. No boats, no campers. Oh yeah, Mike4Cobra cruised in about midmorning doing some prefishing with his dad for an upcoming tournament. He had caught only a few bass...no walleyes. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Found several big schools of perch but they were all small fish. Fished around them but found no larger perch or walleyes feeding on them. Started working in and out...shallow to deep...fishing a double dropshot rig on one rod and vertical jigging tandem jigs on the other. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]When I got to the area I had found so many rainbows last week they were GONE. Hardly saw any fish on sonar. But, I kept picking up a stray keeper perch here and there...along with some small smallies and wee wallies.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The weather forecast was for Mama Nature to discover me on the water about 1 PM and to get huffy about it. Right on schedule it started getting a little "airy" and putting some chop on the water. Last week that got the trout more active so I put away my perch tackle and brought out the spinner. Started slinging in the middle of the channel and got into some starvation salmon (rainbows). [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The fish were deeper than last week and I had to let the spinner drop a ways before making a fast retrieve. Actually caught a silly perch on a trout spinner. But I also caught a half dozen feisty bows. I kept 4...2 to share with the sis in law. But just as I reached shore in the chop one of those bows rocketed up out of the open lid on my basket and flipped me the middle fin as he boogied back out in the lake. Houdini bow.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Funny how things change from week to week, seemingly under the same conditions. But fish will always operate according to their schedule and not mine.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Still, even though the fishing was slow by Starvation standards it was a pretty fair day. Woulda been great on some waters.[/#0000ff]
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[idahopanfish]

Nice basket even though it wasn't exactly what you were after. I took my FC4 out Mon. at Dog creek up here in ID for some channel cats caught 1 about 10" and that was it, again on your gold ultra minnow with a worm.

I am just not comfortable in the FC4 so I guess it will be turning into a guest tube. I am just to big for it. So I will be using the ole toon from now on.

It's cooling down for sure should be time for the fish to be feeding for the winter.

Thanks TD for sharing your day.
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[peter805]

Nice Grand Slime TD ! Those rainbows look very nice.

Peter
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Thanks.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Yes, those bows are part of a large planting of 12" rainbows our DWR planted in Starvation last fall. The lake has not traditionally been a rainbow lake but has always had a good population of browns and some of them get big. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The bows are "triploids" so they eat and grow without worry about slowing down for reproduction. No spawning. Their only function is to provide a different "level" of fishing in the lake...along with the perch, bass and walleyes. They feed well on the abundant invertebrates in the lake and have a deep red flesh...great eating. And, like most rainbows, they are easy to catch, hit hard and fight well. They average 16" to 18" right now and are very healthy. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]They sure do add to the overall fishery and are often the only fish caught by some anglers...especially ice fishing. [/#0000ff]
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[eDUBz]

Cool report once again, Thank's for sharing.
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[peter805]

Nice. Thank you for the info TD.

Peter
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[albinotrout]

Sounds like a great trp. Took the cub scouts and famlly to Bountuful pond tuesday. Daughter caught a 2 inch sunfush. Everyone else skunked. Gotta watch that girl. Shes outdoes everyone lately.[cool]
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[peter805]

[quote albinotrout]Sounds like a great trp. Took the cub scouts and famlly to Bountuful pond tuesday. Daughter caught a 2 inch sunfush. Everyone else skunked. Gotta watch that girl. Shes outdoes everyone lately.[cool][/quote]


hahahah- funny ! Hey, fish is a fish. 2 inch or not []

Peter
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[albinotrout]

Yes that is true.
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