its crunch time

[davetclown]

a little crunch this morn, on this day in 1974 the temp was a whole 17* sunny degrees [cool]

we are getting closer, had to pull the punkin in last night so it didn't get freezer burnt... time to put the punkin on the grill and make sum pies.

[wiperhunter2]

We had one of the guys on the Utah board make his first ice fishing trip of the season last week. He said it was one inch of clear ice, two inches of cloudy ice but he did catch two brookies.[] It's starting a little early here this year[crazy].
All I have left in my garden is some green tomatoes, everything else has been pulled. Hey Dave, do you grow okra there in in your area?
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[davetclown]

I am not much of an okra fan, but yes it dose grow around here.

the peek color change has not hit us yet. it is about two weeks late.

I see snow to the north of us, snow to west of us and snow to the east of us..

it wont be long till I see snow to the south of us. after that maybe we will get some snow. [crazy]

I still got green tomatoes on the vine, they are still picking apples here as well. I have seen years when we have picked apples up to thanksgiving, We haven't had a killing freeze where I am yet.

frosty mornings but it is gone by the time I get up.

I have been down to the rivers around my place looking for a few winter trout, not seeing anything yet.

[davetclown]

we have gone from crunch to soup...

just as well I guess, I have a couple of tons of dirt to move by wheel barrel before the ground freezes.

its raining today otherwise I would have been moving dirt today.

[wiperhunter2]

Bottled our last batch of green salsa on monday and froze out last vebtable yesterday, so the garden is done for another year.
So what is the deal with all this dirt you are moving by hand?
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[davetclown]

jsut trying to fill in the mud hole in my back yard. the township flooded me out several years back. I am just trying to keep my feet dry. This year about 10 yards, I have half if it moved already. I will probably finish it this weekend depending on the rain.

we have ice across the ponds this morning... Hints of winter to come.. It is susposed to worm back up after today so I wont be looking for ice this weekend[]
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[wiperhunter2]

I know there must be a reason, so I'll just ask, why not just have the load of dirt dumped in the spot where you are wheel barreling it to?
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[Duckbutter]

There are multiple lakes with safe ice an hour from grand junction. It's time! I have a friend that did well for Brooke's and rainbows yesterday.
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[albinotrout]

Are there any lakes around Grand Junction that freeze up enough to fish them? I should say in the grand valley.
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[wiperhunter2]

I have a friend that lives in Delta that tells me that area is one of the last to freeze but I guess you are talking up in the mountains above GJ. Have you ever fished the lakes on the Grand Mesa?
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[Duckbutter]

There are some local lakes at state parks that freeze, primarily along the Colorado River, that are in town and within 5-20 minutes of my house, but they have safe ice about as often as the harbors at Utah Lake. The elevation and average temperatures here are very similar to the Wasatch front, we just don't receive the lake effect moisture. I often compare weather for here and my parents house in West Jordan, and while they are similar, our inversions are much more infrequent in the winter time. If we're warm, and Provo is trapped in a depression session, then the ice might melt here, but in all it's pretty similar.

There are fantastic perch/pike fisheries that are lower in elevation that are about 65-75 minutes from my home, and they will have safe ice by Christmas every year, but it's always a waiting game.

WiperHunter, you are correct in I'm referencing lakes on the grand mesa. With lots of lakes over 10,000 ft, roughly an hour away, there is already reasonable safe ice on some of the lakes. Many of the fisheries up close to the highway remind me of a combination of the Boulder Mountains and the Mirror Lake Highway. I'll usually fish up there until New Years, hitting trout, and then fish for perchies/pike or go to bigger water like Flaming Gorge or Blue Mesa reservoir.

I know of at least 6 lakes on the Mesa that now have safe ice, and I'm stuck heading to Utah the next two weekends for family stuff. I have to drive past Schofield multiple times with no rods and it's going to kill me.
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[albinotrout]

Keep me posted on some of those lakes around Gjt on the ice conditions. Seeing as I am down there every weekend I may just hit the ice when safe enough to do so. Thanks![cool]
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[wiperhunter2]

How big do the perch get up to there? How close is Blue Mesa to you?
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[Duckbutter]

In both, there are good perch. In Harvey, the average is smaller, 7-8 inches, but there are more occasional bruisers. In rifle the average for me is usually right at 9 inches, but its harder to break that 12 inch mark. Both lakes put out perch over 14, but I have never been that lucky.

Albinotrout, if you ever want to meet up, let me know as I will be out often this winter. If you ever have questions about any specific water just send me a pm, and if you want to know about any of the lakes on the Mesa I will fill you in. Lots have small stockers, but I can put you on some more interesting waters.
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[Duckbutter]

Blue Mesa is two hours away from my home in Junction, but I do have an office in Delta where i occasionally work half day fridays, which means I could have some afternoon jaunts this year.

This is a typical day from Rifle for me. If any of you decided to hit these reservoirs, please let any pike over 24 inches go, as bow hunters have taken a huge toll on large breeders, and we are now seeing the average size perch go down. We need big pike to keep the perch fisheries balanced and healthy. That being said, also keep all small pike.
[url "http://s857.photobucket.com/"]http://s857.photobucket.com/[/url]

This was a typical day at Harvey [url "http://s857.photobucket.com/...nLewis/031.jpg"]http://s857.photobucket.com/...nLewis/031.jpg[/url]
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[Duckbutter]

I copy and pasted the IMG codes from photobucket, but for some reason they didn't work. I'll try again later.
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[wiperhunter2]

Nice, that would be like going to Bear lake or Strawberry for me, not bad.
I tried to fix your links but they still do not work.
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[albinotrout]

[quote Duckbutter]

Albinotrout, if you ever want to meet up, let me know as I will be out often this winter. If you ever have questions about any specific water just send me a pm, and if you want to know about any of the lakes on the Mesa I will fill you in. Lots have small stockers, but I can put you on some more interesting waters.[/quote]

Thanks! I will definitely keep you in mind. I know for a fact that I will be in grand junction every Saturday until January when it may change.
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[curt69]

I hope Bear Lake gets safe ice this year . I need a nice Mac. For the Idaho ice fish contest .I have never fished there before .
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[Duckbutter]

This was the picture of the perch I tried to post earlier from Harvey.

Here is the one from Rifle. At either, you can usually get over 20 a day, sometimes well over.


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