Causey, Tigers, and Moose...oh my

[AFFamily]

Headed out to Causey Reservoir this morning at 530 and arrived at the arm on the Cub Scout Camp side at 615. There is a good 50 yards from the inlet to hard deck of open water (thanks for the PM tip!).




Temperature outside was a crispy 27degrees with a water temp of 33. I setup near the inlet and started working through the tackle box with the spin reel/rod. Causey was being her usual evil mistress to me and I was getting zero bites and not seeing any surface activity of the fishies. The BSC pond was a different story. I eyed the MANY trout I could see working the surface and just under the surface on that side, but the warning signs to stay out get the message through loud and clear. No soup for me.



It was only an hour or two in so I wasn't entirely discouraged at this point and kept on casting. It was very peaceful out and I had this arm of the lake to myself so I was pretty content. I started to hear breaking sticks behind me but couldn't locate the source or see anything so I went back to fishing. All off the sudden I hear a branch snap and looked over my left shoulder (towards the very steep mountainside) and MOOSE! Not just a moose but a female and her calf were about 10 yards from me just over the bridge coming down the trail. Pucker factor 15. I figured it would be quite fortiutous to pack up my gear and move to the other side of the lake. Not before I got a few pictures though! Mind you there is no zoom used on my camera for the first photo, the other 3 photos are as I'm moving away.






And back to the fishing. On the other side of the inlet now I'm still working through the tackle box trying to get anything to work. I even tried bubble and fly to no avail. Finally tried the one thing I hadn't yet, my old trusty Blue Fox Silver/Blue #1. Bingo! Got my first ever Tiger Trout and what a beauty. Measured just under 15" and I was pretty surprised on how it fought. After taking a few pictures and gawking at it I threw it back so we could meet another day.

That was my only hit, bump, bite of the day but it was a victory for me, cross another one off the bucket list.

On a side note today was the first time using braided fishing line. I picked up two different brands from Sportsman's both in 'low visibility' green. GARBAGE. In 20 years of fishing I've never had so many issues with a fishing line. I don't know if it's operator error or that this type of line HATES cold water but I had more tangles, snarls, and 'wind knots' than I could count. I got so frustrated with the first set of line I had on that I stripped it off and loaded on the 2nd brand. The 2nd brand of line held up better for a little longer but the performance eventually turned out just the same. I definitely think I'm going back to mono!
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[joshomaru]

What brand/test did you try american fork family? []
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[AFFamily]

First brand was Sufix, 2nd was SpiderWire.

6lb (listed as 30lb on the box I think) test on both
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[Southpaw]

Im going to go with "operator error." I don't know your fishing technique's but in my own opinion, you should have kicked out a couple extra bucks and bought fire line, I have used it for around eight years and it is the best line I have ever used, I have never had any problems with knots or tangles, I usually use the fire line crystal and I hardly ever tie on a floro carbon leader. Just my opinion, try it out and let us know how it goes.
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[Droolz]

Those tiger trout sure are a pretty looking fish. I need to catch one some day.

Mother moose and calf!!!!! Man I had that once while deer/grouse hunting long time ago. Coming down a ravine and I got between the mother and calf. I honestly thought that was going to be the end of my line. I have NEVER been so scared in my entire life. Man that get's the ole blood pressure and heart rate up eh?

Beautiful pictures! Thank you for sharing. I have never really messed around with braided line. I have heard they work better out of a baitcaster reel rather than a spinning reel. But I don't have any first hand experience. I have used mono most my life. Picked up some flouro recently and it seems to perform well. At least the berkley vanish.

Posts like this get me through my busy work schedule, I get to pretend I was there with you. Keep the reports coming!
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[TyeDyeTwins]

Great story and the report was well done. I had a moose sneak up that close to me at Tibble Fork last year. I left my tackle there and waited the moose out. Not the worst moose encounter but the closest while fishing.

I hate braid line. Fish can see it even in Utah Lake.

Tigers sure are pretty and great table fare. I will admit I was hoping for an ice report. Oh well this was great!
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[EvilTyeDyeTwin]

Great report. So what is next on the bucket list? Maybe we can help you out on getting some more off that list. When in doubt....use the Blue Fox on the trout. Those things are killer if used right.
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[CarlF]

In reference to the issue you are having with braided line, I found an article that might help you out.

"In spooling super braids on reels you have two options to prevent line slipping, better casting and less backlashes. If you choose to spool your reel entirely with a super braid tie the line on the reel arbor, wrap a piece of electrical tape over the line and complete the spooling with tension applied, the other option is using monofilament as a line backing spooled on the reel arbor first and tied using a uni-knot to the super braid also applying tension upon spooling. (The lb test of mono should match the diameter of the super braid for uniformity and tying) Using a line backing conserves line usage as well as filling the spool, take in to account that super braids have small line diameters and the line filling amounts listed on the reel are based on monofilament diameters. Use the lb/yards amount listed on your reel as a guide for spooling the super braid; for instance if a 50lb super braid has the diameter equivalent of 12lb mono and the line capacity on the reel is 175 yds/12lb with the filler spool at 150 yards you will need to add approximately 20 yards of mono backing. As with all fishing lines the proper amount to fill a reel spool is within 1/8 of a inch from the top of the spool rim. "
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[Fish-or-die]

Try mono first on then uni-knot the braid. I have tried them all, powerpro is my preference. Use a uni-knot at the tip with 3+ feet of florocarbon or mono the "hide" it.

On that type of lake I would probably just fish 4-6 lb. mono with a good reel. I feel the drag system on a reel can make a huge difference. My opinion is if you have a good drag and set it right you can catch alot bigger fish then you think on alot smaller line then you think. Granted you set drag right . I've gone back and forth with braided and mono, they both have they're pro's and con's. Braided is more sensitive to me, no stretch so you hit'em quicker. I do feel mono is thinner and less visible than both braided and floro.

Tubedude told me about Shakespeare excaliber (I think it is) it is an awesome line but sometimes hard to find in the weight you want without ordering it online. I need to get some of that

Thanks for the post and at least you one.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]That is [url "http://www.lurenet.com/brands/silverthread-fishing/silver-thread-excalibur-filler-spools"]SILVER THREAD Excalibur[/url]. Great line but neither Sportsmans or Cabelas carries it. Cabelas did sell it online but too many other brands more popular so they discontinued it...along with a lot of other stuff I used to buy from them. Getting so I have less and less reason to shop Cabelas.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Never had a knot break and never had a fish break off. Super abrasion resistance but also clear enough to compare to fluoro. At least I manage to fool my fair share of fishies.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Only semi complaint is that it can stiffen up a bit in super cold conditions. But in ice fishing strengths of 4 or 6 pounds it is not terrible.[/#0000ff]
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[jer_fishes]

Simply awesome! Gorgeous tiger. Sorry you didn't get into more fish, but what an experience with the moose!! Good times!
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[AFFamily]

Thanks for the tips on line and I'll give the braid (different brand this time) one more chance on my baitcaster reel.
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