Starvation Thursday, 02/02/2012

[TopH2O]

Three of us from Price fished Starvation yesterday and had mixed results. First I want to discuss the ice conditions. The patch of open water near the main boat ramp has expanded and it's getting a little larger each afternoon with the warm temperatures and wave action. The main body of the lake is still capped with ice that is at least 10 inches thick. Anyone going to Starvation should keep in mind that portions have thawed and refrozen, so the ice thickness is not consistent all over the lake.
We were very careful when he headed out from the boat ramp. The edges are OK but they could get soft if the day is warm or if the lake level changes during the day.
We walked across the lake to the far side and started fishing for the Starvation Steelhead in 35 to 45 feet of water. We saw rainbows passing through at depths of 15 to 30 feet. All three of us did well on the trout and I think we caught about 18 and 8 made it home to be treated to a sauna in the smoker. Here's the four I took home. They are between 17 and 19 inches and all 4 of these are females. We released the males because their flesh is not high quality this time of year as they head toward spawning mode.

[url "http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc127/topwater52/4RBTStarvation02022012.jpg"]http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc127/topwater52/4RBTStarvation02022012.jpg[/url]

I moved into shallower water at noon and started fishing for perch. My Showdown was telling me there were plenty of perch on the bottom in 24 feet of water but I was having a hard time getting them to hit. I think the increasing pressure due to the passage of the latest storm might have caused tight jaw. I finally started picking up the perch when I downsized my presentation and used a very small ice jig tipped with a perch eye or small piece of perch meat.
The other guys joined me when they caught the trout they wanted to keep. We fished all afternoon in the shallower bay north of the rainbow location. We probably caught about 60 to 70 perch and we kept about 15 for a batch of perch chowder for the next outing. The weather was very nice during the day with highs around 34 and little to no w**d.[]
I'm concerned about the ice conditions and the potential for an accident, so please use common sense and caution if you fish anywhere on the ice this late season.

Mike
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[LurkinLizard]

Thanks so much for the report, Mike. Daughter and I are planning on heading there super early tomorrow morning so very grateful for the ice update.
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[TopH2O]

Good luck tomorrow. I forgot to mention I was using two rods while fishing for the trout. I caught equal numbers of fish shallow and deeper. I had a jig with worm on one line and the other line was a jig with a piece of perch. Bait didn't seem to matter if the fish could see it. I would jig the rod a little when I saw a fish in the vicinity on my Showdown. Gotta love the video game.

Mike
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[zipp]

how was the ice looking south of the bridge
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[dwayneb]

nice catch, did you bag any of that spawn coming out of those females?
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[wyoguy]

Hey Mike, sounds like a good outing. Nephew and I fished Rabbit Gulch on Sat the 28th and found the ice conditions much as you have mentioned. There is open water where Rabbit meets the main lake, and it's extending farther into the gulch all the time. Hope to run into you before the ice is gone altogether.
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[TopH2O]

We didn't keep any of the eggs coming out of the fish. I found something interesting when I filleted the fish this morning. The really ripe females that were slightly darker in color had flesh that was not as red as the more silver and sleek females. I believe spawning brings on changes in the quality of the flesh for both the males and some of the females. Two of the fish had very red and high quality meat that I prize in my smoker. The other two females had a pasty white flesh that I think will not be of the highest quality. The later will be what I give to the people who bug me all the time for smoked fish but don't contribute to the smoker stockings.[:p]

If you look at the photo I posted you'll notice the first and third fish from the left are noticeably darker than the other two. The darker ones are the ones that had the poor quality meat.

I have always released the dark colored males at this time of year, I may start releasing the dark females and just keep the silver ones.

Mike
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[TopH2O]

I haven't been over by the bridge for about 10 days. The last time we fished the area the ice was fine when you walked up the bay to the southwest of the bridge. The edges were a little soft but we didn't have any problem getting on the ice downhill from the parking area on the west end of the bridge. I always carry an 8 foot 2x6 to span the soft edges when necessary.
I also read the report from the DWR Outreach Manager and he mentioned the road chemicals dropping from the bridge has possibly weakened the ice immediately under the bridge.

Bottom line: Be careful and don't go out unless you know the ice is safe. ALWAYS carry a throwable floatation device attached to about 75 feet of sturdy nylon rope. We usually have two of these in our group when we ice fish-------NO EXCEPTIONS!
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[TopH2O]

I have been hoping to run into you over there this winter. We are looking at going over next Tuesday if the ice is still OK. We'll make a decision by Sunday evening. I think it will be OK on at least the area above the bridge. I noticed the open water right off shore from the boat ramp campground is getting bigger. If it keeps spreading to the east it will make it difficult to get on the ice in that area.

Mike
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[LurkinLizard]

Thanks for the insight again, Mike! We both have a 2nd pole permit (gotta go get daughter's renewed tonight) so we'll try the jigs and worm/waxie/mealie additions. I just have a little Hawkeye but it lets me know if there are fish, and what depth. Thanks and I hope you have a great weekend fishing![]
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