05-18-2019, 08:09 PM
This morning I met joatmon, my brother Brett, to see what we could find for a morning fishing jaunt. He arrived at the park in Provo to find that the river was high and swift. Couldn't make out any structure and after he lost a lure he decided the conditions were too extreme to keep trying there. I agreed. I was hoping to catch a brown to reach my 15th species this year, but it was not to be today. My wife pointed out that they will still be there when the river settles down in a few weeks and I agreed.
He traveled on up to Canyon View Park while I stopped for a number 2 breakfast at McDonald's. While I was goofing off he went down to the river near the park and found much better conditions so he began casting a lure and soon had a fish on. It was a very small brown with vivid red spots. When I showed up (was doing my best to stay in the pickup out of the rain) I jumped in with him and we went to Deer Creek. We decided to fish the Wallsberg arm. On my way down the steep muddy trail I slipped and fell on my dignity. My ego was hardly hurt at all because he has seen me hit the deck many times. So far I have gotten back up every time. The worst part was that my reels were jammed down into the mud. It took a while to clean them out and nothing got into the important parts so I went to fishing in a little inlet there.
I started with a worm 2.5' below a bobber. Then I started fan casting the same chartreuse curly tail jig I had been catching white bass with. Nothing. I was hoping for a smallmouth to fill that 15th spot, but again, no seegar. I switched to a Pop-R and worked over the whole area, off a rocky point and around some submerged willows with no luck. I was impressed with the action I imparted to the lure though [
]. I don't know how any self-respecting bass that calls itself a predator could have resisted. Must have been out to lunch somewhere else.
Along about then I moved my bobber on the other rig up to 5.5 feet and cast out into a deeper part of the lake. Then I tied on a #2 silver Vibrax on the other rod. Brett had caught a rainbow on a medium-size Jakes Spin-A-Lure so that was as close as I had to it.
Several casts later I looked out and couldn't see my bobber so I dropped my rod and ran to the other one. A fish was trying to drag it in the lake and was doing a pretty good job of it. I set the hook and found myself in for quite a fight on my 4.5' ultralight and 4 lb. line. After a few jumps and other shenanigans I got him close to shore where he started to peel out line against the drag. After a few short runs I decided to lighten my drag more because I had to tire him a bit more if I wanted to land him by hand. I could see the red #10 hook in the corner of his mouth and it looked none too secure. After a few more runs I finally got his head up and got him on shore. He was only 15" long but very fat and deep.
I rebaited with a small piece of worm and cast out to the same place again. Before I could get my other rod and cast the lure again the bobber started dancing around. I set the hook then lost him. He bit again, I jerked again and the line went slack. I left it right there and the third time was a charm. I soon landed a 14"er that was not nearly as big or as feisty as the first one. Soon Brett came over to the next little rocky point and I explained what I had had success on and after a bit he had another frisky one on. I had a hit on the Vibrax but he came unhooked halfway to shore. That was the end of the action and we had to pack up and get going since he had to get home in time for a soccer game. Done before noon and a pleasant day all around--we didn't really get rained on and we didn't get skunked.
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He traveled on up to Canyon View Park while I stopped for a number 2 breakfast at McDonald's. While I was goofing off he went down to the river near the park and found much better conditions so he began casting a lure and soon had a fish on. It was a very small brown with vivid red spots. When I showed up (was doing my best to stay in the pickup out of the rain) I jumped in with him and we went to Deer Creek. We decided to fish the Wallsberg arm. On my way down the steep muddy trail I slipped and fell on my dignity. My ego was hardly hurt at all because he has seen me hit the deck many times. So far I have gotten back up every time. The worst part was that my reels were jammed down into the mud. It took a while to clean them out and nothing got into the important parts so I went to fishing in a little inlet there.
I started with a worm 2.5' below a bobber. Then I started fan casting the same chartreuse curly tail jig I had been catching white bass with. Nothing. I was hoping for a smallmouth to fill that 15th spot, but again, no seegar. I switched to a Pop-R and worked over the whole area, off a rocky point and around some submerged willows with no luck. I was impressed with the action I imparted to the lure though [
]. I don't know how any self-respecting bass that calls itself a predator could have resisted. Must have been out to lunch somewhere else. Along about then I moved my bobber on the other rig up to 5.5 feet and cast out into a deeper part of the lake. Then I tied on a #2 silver Vibrax on the other rod. Brett had caught a rainbow on a medium-size Jakes Spin-A-Lure so that was as close as I had to it.
Several casts later I looked out and couldn't see my bobber so I dropped my rod and ran to the other one. A fish was trying to drag it in the lake and was doing a pretty good job of it. I set the hook and found myself in for quite a fight on my 4.5' ultralight and 4 lb. line. After a few jumps and other shenanigans I got him close to shore where he started to peel out line against the drag. After a few short runs I decided to lighten my drag more because I had to tire him a bit more if I wanted to land him by hand. I could see the red #10 hook in the corner of his mouth and it looked none too secure. After a few more runs I finally got his head up and got him on shore. He was only 15" long but very fat and deep.
I rebaited with a small piece of worm and cast out to the same place again. Before I could get my other rod and cast the lure again the bobber started dancing around. I set the hook then lost him. He bit again, I jerked again and the line went slack. I left it right there and the third time was a charm. I soon landed a 14"er that was not nearly as big or as feisty as the first one. Soon Brett came over to the next little rocky point and I explained what I had had success on and after a bit he had another frisky one on. I had a hit on the Vibrax but he came unhooked halfway to shore. That was the end of the action and we had to pack up and get going since he had to get home in time for a soccer game. Done before noon and a pleasant day all around--we didn't really get rained on and we didn't get skunked.
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The older I get the more I would rather be considered a good man than a good fisherman.
