11-14-2013, 10:41 PM
[#0000ff]Almost cancelled my planned trip to Willard Bay (Utah) this morning. Weather forecast was for 7-8 mph winds early and getting worse later. My wuss point is about 5-6 mph for my float tube and I usually bag it if the wind is going to be more than that. Glad I didn't.
Hit the north marina as the gate was opening at 6 am. Geared up and launched just after 6:30. Just getting light as I exited the mouth of the channel and began fishing. Air temp was 32 and water temp was 44. Only reached 45 by noonish.
Dragged a chub minnow on one rod and pitched tandem tube jigs on the other. Had my first inquiry on the minnow within 5 minutes. Turned into a nice 20 inch channel cat. Woulda preferred a walleye or a wiper but I got no pride. Basketville.
A few minutes later I got a whack on my jigs and had a good tussle from a porky perch. Bigger than a footlong. Looking good.
Continued to work S turns on either side of 8' of water...where I had caught my first two fish. Nada mas. Gradually moved out a little deeper and a little further north from the channel. Bang, bang. Another cat and then another perch...this perch coming on the bling beads rigged with a minnow.
No more perch for a long time but I did have a brief tussle with about a 20 inch gizzard shad that chomped my chartreuse jig and went airborne. Much fun...for about 10 seconds. Then I had a heavy chomp on that same jig...on the light rod... and watched line melt from the small spool. Finally stopped the run and worked the heavy fish back to the tube. Big whoop. About a 10# carp (toothless golden walleye).
Suddenly found myself in a slightly deeper spot...about 10.5 feet...as opposed to the 8 to 9 foot depths I had been working. That's where the kitty condo was. Started getting chomped on minnows as fast as they would settle to the bottom. Kept a few and released a few. I guesstimate I brought about 14 or 15 to net and eventually kept a limit of 8. I need to smoke up a batch before winter sets in.
Only planned to stay until about midday. That's all my old back and butt can tolerate. I put up the bait rod and dragged two jig rods back down the outside channel toward the ramp. When I got back into about 8 feet of water one of the jig rods got busy and I brought in my third porky perch of the day.
At 11 am it was glassy calm. As I started back in, Mama Nature got the message and began tuning up her wind machine. By 11:30 there was a strong south wind blowing...with waves building...and popcorn all over the lake by the time I hit the ramp. For once Mama Nature and I worked it out in my favor. And sometimes I like it when the weather forecast gets it wrong.
[/#0000ff]
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[url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=100509"]FIRST LIGHT FIRST CAT.jpg[/url] (189 KB)
[url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=100510"]PORKY PERCH.jpg[/url] (330 KB)
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[url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=100513"]TOOTHLESS GOLDEN WALLEYE.jpg[/url] (405 KB)
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[url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=100516"]WE'RE DONE HERE.jpg[/url] (474 KB)
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Hit the north marina as the gate was opening at 6 am. Geared up and launched just after 6:30. Just getting light as I exited the mouth of the channel and began fishing. Air temp was 32 and water temp was 44. Only reached 45 by noonish.
Dragged a chub minnow on one rod and pitched tandem tube jigs on the other. Had my first inquiry on the minnow within 5 minutes. Turned into a nice 20 inch channel cat. Woulda preferred a walleye or a wiper but I got no pride. Basketville.
A few minutes later I got a whack on my jigs and had a good tussle from a porky perch. Bigger than a footlong. Looking good.
Continued to work S turns on either side of 8' of water...where I had caught my first two fish. Nada mas. Gradually moved out a little deeper and a little further north from the channel. Bang, bang. Another cat and then another perch...this perch coming on the bling beads rigged with a minnow.
No more perch for a long time but I did have a brief tussle with about a 20 inch gizzard shad that chomped my chartreuse jig and went airborne. Much fun...for about 10 seconds. Then I had a heavy chomp on that same jig...on the light rod... and watched line melt from the small spool. Finally stopped the run and worked the heavy fish back to the tube. Big whoop. About a 10# carp (toothless golden walleye).
Suddenly found myself in a slightly deeper spot...about 10.5 feet...as opposed to the 8 to 9 foot depths I had been working. That's where the kitty condo was. Started getting chomped on minnows as fast as they would settle to the bottom. Kept a few and released a few. I guesstimate I brought about 14 or 15 to net and eventually kept a limit of 8. I need to smoke up a batch before winter sets in.
Only planned to stay until about midday. That's all my old back and butt can tolerate. I put up the bait rod and dragged two jig rods back down the outside channel toward the ramp. When I got back into about 8 feet of water one of the jig rods got busy and I brought in my third porky perch of the day.
At 11 am it was glassy calm. As I started back in, Mama Nature got the message and began tuning up her wind machine. By 11:30 there was a strong south wind blowing...with waves building...and popcorn all over the lake by the time I hit the ramp. For once Mama Nature and I worked it out in my favor. And sometimes I like it when the weather forecast gets it wrong.
[/#0000ff]
[url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=100509"]FIRST LIGHT FIRST CAT.jpg[/url] (189 KB) [url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=100510"]PORKY PERCH.jpg[/url] (330 KB) [url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=100511"]FOOTLONG.jpg[/url] (232 KB) [url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=100512"]CAT ON GLASS.jpg[/url] (281 KB) [url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=100513"]TOOTHLESS GOLDEN WALLEYE.jpg[/url] (405 KB) [url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=100514"]11 AM.jpg[/url] (406 KB) [url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=100515"]20 MINUTES LATER.jpg[/url] (350 KB) [url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=100516"]WE'RE DONE HERE.jpg[/url] (474 KB) [url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=100517"]MIXED BASKET.jpg[/url] (411 KB)[signature]
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