12-27-2010, 11:32 PM
[cool][#0000ff]Before I moved to Arizona, back in '84, I used to fish American Fork Harbor a lot. Many good trips and some of my biggest fish from Utah Lake came outta that little nook. Always tubed it right up until it froze each year and then drilled it when it capped. But it has been a whole lotta years since I fished it last and I figured it would be a good spot to make my last tubin' trip of 2010.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Didn't wanna be a fanatic about it...with the cold night and all. Waited until almost 9 AM to launch. That's late for this kid. But there was still lots of ice in the parking lot and on the ramp. Just about did a triple klutz a couple of times. Also lots of skim ice floating around. The next couple of cold nights might just recap the whole harbor.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Air temp in the low 20's at launch. Water temp only 35. Body temp cooled rapidly but I hung in there for the usual 3 hours or so until frigid digits (cold toes) suggested I would be more comfy out of the water.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]AFBH can be very good or very bad. Seldom in between. You either catch lots of fish or nothing. It was great for a few days right after it capped the first time this year but has been slow since. Today was slow. I covered the entire harbor slowly and methodically...using a wide variety of baits and lures. I managed about a dozen white bass and none of them was bigger than 10 inches or so. But, at least I did not smell skunk.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Hardly saw anything on sonar today. Even around the docks. The fish are elsewhere for the time being. Maybe they will come back in after the harbor refreezes in the upcoming deep freeze.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]There was a steady procession of "dock dunkers" who drove up, walked out on the docks and worked them over for whatever they could find. Nobody found anything that I could see. Most did not stay very long. One small group of "aggressive jiggers" became agitated when I caught several small whities in a row...out in the middle of the channel. They began to heave casts in my direction...almost hitting my tube. They got even more upset when they saw me releasing the fish I caught.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]A couple of boats with duck hunters motored back in after the skies cleared and the birds quit flying. Both indicated they had some decent shooting for a while. There was one large flock of high flying geese that went overhead but I did not see any other flyers.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Now I guess I am ready to put up my faithful float tube and break out the ice fishing gear. But the way this wierd winter has been going it might be ice free again in a couple of weeks.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Didn't wanna be a fanatic about it...with the cold night and all. Waited until almost 9 AM to launch. That's late for this kid. But there was still lots of ice in the parking lot and on the ramp. Just about did a triple klutz a couple of times. Also lots of skim ice floating around. The next couple of cold nights might just recap the whole harbor.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Air temp in the low 20's at launch. Water temp only 35. Body temp cooled rapidly but I hung in there for the usual 3 hours or so until frigid digits (cold toes) suggested I would be more comfy out of the water.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]AFBH can be very good or very bad. Seldom in between. You either catch lots of fish or nothing. It was great for a few days right after it capped the first time this year but has been slow since. Today was slow. I covered the entire harbor slowly and methodically...using a wide variety of baits and lures. I managed about a dozen white bass and none of them was bigger than 10 inches or so. But, at least I did not smell skunk.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Hardly saw anything on sonar today. Even around the docks. The fish are elsewhere for the time being. Maybe they will come back in after the harbor refreezes in the upcoming deep freeze.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]There was a steady procession of "dock dunkers" who drove up, walked out on the docks and worked them over for whatever they could find. Nobody found anything that I could see. Most did not stay very long. One small group of "aggressive jiggers" became agitated when I caught several small whities in a row...out in the middle of the channel. They began to heave casts in my direction...almost hitting my tube. They got even more upset when they saw me releasing the fish I caught.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]A couple of boats with duck hunters motored back in after the skies cleared and the birds quit flying. Both indicated they had some decent shooting for a while. There was one large flock of high flying geese that went overhead but I did not see any other flyers.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Now I guess I am ready to put up my faithful float tube and break out the ice fishing gear. But the way this wierd winter has been going it might be ice free again in a couple of weeks.[/#0000ff]
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