10-28-2006, 11:22 AM
[cool][#0000ff]TubeBabe and I launched from the main ramp area about 7 AM...still dark and air temp down to 22 degrees. Water temp was 52 and that made for some great steam pics as the sun came up. Definitely multi-layers, neoprenes and glove conditions.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Last year at this time the big rainbows were busy around the banks at daybreak, chowing down on the swarms of minnows. A lot fewer minnows this year and no rainbows early. Only a few tiddlers popping the surface out away from shore. They would not touch the spinners that usually work for the larger fish.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]On our last trip, in September, the bottom was covered with fish. Yesterday the bottom looked like a desert on sonar. I kept smacking my display to get it to work. Thought it must be the cold.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]TubeBabe stayed out in open water, throwing spinners while I moved down the shoreline casting an assortment of stickbaits, crankbaits and plastics, trying to find a pike or wallie. Not a touch, even from a pesky perch.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Saw 2fishon coming out from under the bridge as I got closer. He headed over toward the south bank in the mist/fog and I stayed to work the rocks under the bridge with my heavy artillery. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I was pleased to note that the water has come up about 4 feet since our September trip. Evidently the water users are through and the lake is rising. Hopefully it will be tip top full by the spring spawn again this year. The perch have really been taking advantage of that.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I worked my way back to the dock area, throwing spinners and jigging small plastics to see if I could at least score a perch, to get the skunk out of my tube. Only after I passed the docks and fired a spinner close to the bank did I get bit. First fish was a perch, on a trout spinner...right next to the bank. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I switched to some of my little roadrunner jigs and began bringing in perch on every cast. I hollered up TubeBabe on the walkie talkie and got her down in that area too. For the next few hours we caught a bajillion perch and had several trout takes.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]We don't keep track of numbers on perch, but we easily caught well over 100 each. Most were about 8-9", but we both caught quite a few over 10. There were several in the 11-12" range and a couple over 12. Most were fat and healthy. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I landed the only trout of the day...a slim 16" male. Long line released a couple more. The biggest I had hooked smacked my jig just as it hit the water, in only a few inches of water where the dock met the bank. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I had seen a swirl under the walk ramp a couple of times and placed my cast just right. WHAM. The fish powered out along the dock, taking line off the drag and then jumped higher than my head, right next to me. Yeee Hawwww. Only problem was that when it went back into the water it was facing the docks and screamed under them, wrapping my line around a cable. Game over. It would have been well over 20" but it looked to be kinda thin. Not nearly as porky as the fish the same size that we caught in there last year. (see pic)[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]As we were loading up the vehicle, I saw some fathead minnows swarming near the docks. Out came the casting net (with the 1/4" mesh) and several throws later we had about a quart of teensy ice fishing baits. I want all of those concerned to know that I personally conked each tiny tyke minnow on their little noggins before taking them home. No fathead minnow fuss for me.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The lake stayed pretty nice and calm all day, and the air temp and water temp were about the same...55...when we left in mid afternoon. It was interesting watching the snow line go up on Mt. Nebo, to the north as the day warmed up. Nice scenery for a desert lake.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Last year at this time the big rainbows were busy around the banks at daybreak, chowing down on the swarms of minnows. A lot fewer minnows this year and no rainbows early. Only a few tiddlers popping the surface out away from shore. They would not touch the spinners that usually work for the larger fish.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]On our last trip, in September, the bottom was covered with fish. Yesterday the bottom looked like a desert on sonar. I kept smacking my display to get it to work. Thought it must be the cold.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]TubeBabe stayed out in open water, throwing spinners while I moved down the shoreline casting an assortment of stickbaits, crankbaits and plastics, trying to find a pike or wallie. Not a touch, even from a pesky perch.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Saw 2fishon coming out from under the bridge as I got closer. He headed over toward the south bank in the mist/fog and I stayed to work the rocks under the bridge with my heavy artillery. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I was pleased to note that the water has come up about 4 feet since our September trip. Evidently the water users are through and the lake is rising. Hopefully it will be tip top full by the spring spawn again this year. The perch have really been taking advantage of that.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I worked my way back to the dock area, throwing spinners and jigging small plastics to see if I could at least score a perch, to get the skunk out of my tube. Only after I passed the docks and fired a spinner close to the bank did I get bit. First fish was a perch, on a trout spinner...right next to the bank. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I switched to some of my little roadrunner jigs and began bringing in perch on every cast. I hollered up TubeBabe on the walkie talkie and got her down in that area too. For the next few hours we caught a bajillion perch and had several trout takes.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]We don't keep track of numbers on perch, but we easily caught well over 100 each. Most were about 8-9", but we both caught quite a few over 10. There were several in the 11-12" range and a couple over 12. Most were fat and healthy. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I landed the only trout of the day...a slim 16" male. Long line released a couple more. The biggest I had hooked smacked my jig just as it hit the water, in only a few inches of water where the dock met the bank. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I had seen a swirl under the walk ramp a couple of times and placed my cast just right. WHAM. The fish powered out along the dock, taking line off the drag and then jumped higher than my head, right next to me. Yeee Hawwww. Only problem was that when it went back into the water it was facing the docks and screamed under them, wrapping my line around a cable. Game over. It would have been well over 20" but it looked to be kinda thin. Not nearly as porky as the fish the same size that we caught in there last year. (see pic)[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]As we were loading up the vehicle, I saw some fathead minnows swarming near the docks. Out came the casting net (with the 1/4" mesh) and several throws later we had about a quart of teensy ice fishing baits. I want all of those concerned to know that I personally conked each tiny tyke minnow on their little noggins before taking them home. No fathead minnow fuss for me.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]The lake stayed pretty nice and calm all day, and the air temp and water temp were about the same...55...when we left in mid afternoon. It was interesting watching the snow line go up on Mt. Nebo, to the north as the day warmed up. Nice scenery for a desert lake.[/#0000ff]
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le in one of those minnows eyes...don't think he's quite dead yet...where is that poaching hotline
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