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[#0000FF] With apologies to Mr. Dickens...it was the best of times and the worst of times.
Took TubeBabe out for her first kitty-chasin' trip of the year. Launched at Lincoln Beach about 8ish. Water temp inside the channel was 45 but dropped to 43 on the main lake. Only warmed a couple of degrees through the day thanks to a constant light breeze on the water. Depth in the channel was at least 3 feet all the way down the middle.
TubeBabe cleared the channel and headed for the flats off the mouth of Benjamin Slough. I went the 'tother direction...toward Lincoln Point. She had her heart set on whiskers. I was lusting after teeth and glassy eyes.
Shortly before I reached the point Boatloadokids motored up and we had a little chat. Then he roared off to join TubeBabe in hot pursuit of kittykind. I found later that he had caught a couple of smallish cats and that Da Babe had also scored one cat and pre-released a couple others. She can be such a good conservationist at times.
Although I sometimes dragged a bait behind my tube, I was mostly slinging plastic and working crankbaits. Not much on the sonar and not much love on my offerings neither.
After a couple of hours of non-stop nothing, I picked up the rod rigged with a home-painted fire tiger Ratltrap. Had watched a program a while back about jigging them for walleyes...lift and drop rather than the customary retrieves. At the end of one long cast and allowing the lure to bounce off the bottom a couple of times I lifted the rod tip to find that I had a snag. But when I tugged a couple of times to try to get it loose the snag tugged back. No flashy fight. Just a humongo big fat egg-laden mama walleye. She was too big and too old to be too inexperienced to know how to hold on. She just din't wanna. So she gave me a big wide-mouthed snaggle-toothed grin, shook her head at me and gave me back my purty painted lure. I had already decided I would gently release her to dump her eggs but I really woulda liked to catch that toothy  on camera first. Wouldn't even stick around for a selfie.
That was my last chance at wallie love. I did get a few light taps on small plastics but doubt it was more than inexperienced white bass or other small critters. And I also got a few pop and drops on bait. One actually streamed off a few feet of line before dropping the bait...never to return.
Bottom line? I got my annual early season skunk out of the way. Usually it is Willard. Can't remember the last time I went fishless at Lincoln Beach.
Only reason TubeBabe agreed to ride home in the car with me (smelling like skunk) is because I came to her rescue. As she tells it, a catfish ran around her tube and wrapped up around her trolling motor. It got off but left enough line in it that the motor was "acting funny". Not wanting to ruin the motor TubeBabe called me on the walkie talkie and begged for a tow back in. She was a fair distance from the channel entrance when I tossed her the end of my green tow rope and took her skipping across my wake. Yeah, right.
Beautiful day and the water temps are climbing again. Shoulda been more active fish, but there weren't. Next time. Right? That's what keeps us coming back.
Got in another short visit with BLK back on the ramp. He came in as we were loading up our gear. Nice guy. I look forward to joining him to gang up on those big kitties when they finally wake up.
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Ah you have the rescue tube. I have a rescue too. At times.bi have a strap and carabiners to tow kids and family back to shore. Had to do it to a guy that fell out of a canoe once.
I also see that I am not the only one who can get bested by his significant other.
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Thanks for the info, TubeDude. Don't worry about getting out-fished by TubeBabe. At least you get to fish with your significant other AND she let's you sleep indoors. I'd say you have it made!
Earth, Wind, Fire and ICE......
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Good to talk to ya today TD, also nice to meet your better half. Good fisher and a classy lady. Hope you didn't notice my snicker when you had to fess up that the little lady had out fished you....again.
Love it when the big pond is glassy calm like that.The slight breeze that came up later did nothing more than keep my shady side ear cold. The sun felt good and I noticed that even the carp had seized upon the opportunity to bask in the sun -- saw several carp clusters that would have provided a great flock-shot with my bow...next time.
I had a few good whacks that I missed but still, was only able to extract two 23-24 incher cats from the flats. Had one good bite that hit and then charged my boat. By the time I caught up with him he had decided he didn't like carp meat any more.
When the water temps finally reach up into the 60s the cats will wake up and then we give them a real serious thrashing. Lookin' forward to it.
I'll be after 'em again tomorrow and maybe give that area you suggested a try to see if I can stir something up there.
The best is yet to come.
BLK
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TubeDude skunked on Utah Lake? I refuse to believe what I'm reading.
How long was the babes kitty?
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[#0000FF]The solo cat was about 23 ".
If she had been able to catch more I would have put a hook on my line so I could catch some too. It was her first trip so I felt obligated to let her have top rod honors. That's my story and I ain't backin' down.
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It was about the same story for us, 2 white bass, 2 carp, and a few missed hits.
pretty slow day, seen 1 walleye that was caught by a wader. most of the fish we seen were in 8 feet. should have been more active, hmmm.
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[#0000FF]I was hoping that with your knowledge of the lake and those toothy fish that you guys would have done better. Guess the walleyes are just being walleyes. But they gotta turn on soon.
I was working mostly the depths between 7 to 9 feet but did not see much on sonar at all. I tried working some of the 5-6 foot ledges but all I did was donate some bling to "Rocky". Only a couple of light whitie bites in shallower water.
Lemme know the next time you have a spot open in "Chuck's Cruiser"...and you need some more misery for company.
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Dang...I thought this post was going to be about potatoes, you can take the fisherman out of Idaho but you can't take Idaho out of the fisherman I guess.
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[#0000FF][#000000][size 3]"you can take the fisherman out of Idaho but you can't take Idaho out of the fisherman I guess." [/size][/#000000]
Why wouldja wanna do something silly like that. I wear my spud state heritage proudly. And if I hadn't been immersed in family fishyology at an early age who knows what I might have become? Sure glad I din't get into politics.
If all the politicians in our country were laid out end to end...we'd be a lot better off.
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THANKS CHUCK I HAD A BLAST..... this low pressure could have been our downfall...[:/] I did catch the biggest carp of my life. dang thing took the black and green twister tail clear down.... gulp. pat that an ice fishing pres with the crank. nice way to think out side the box....
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[quote TubeDude][#0000FF]
After a couple of hours of non-stop nothing, I picked up the rod rigged with a home-painted fire tiger Ratltrap. Had watched a program a while back about jigging them for walleyes...lift and drop rather than the customary retrieves. At the end of one long cast and allowing the lure to bounce off the bottom a couple of times I lifted the rod tip to find that I had a snag. But when I tugged a couple of times to try to get it loose the snag tugged back. No flashy fight. Just a humongo big fat egg-laden mama walleye. She was too big and too old to be too inexperienced to know how to hold on. She just din't wanna. So she gave me a big wide-mouthed snaggle-toothed grin, shook her head at me and gave me back my purty painted lure. I had already decided I would gently release her to dump her eggs but I really woulda liked to catch that toothy on camera first. Wouldn't even stick around for a selfie.
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I found out how deadly this tactic works a few years ago and it is one of my go to methods for catching fish... it works for a lot of species, but walleyes seem to like it in particular. In warmer water you can rip it faster... it is surprising how fast they react to a ripped lipless bait!
I really like Rapala's "rippin' rap" for this purpose but really any lipless rattle style bait works!!!
This method works good on the ice too.
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[#0000FF]Actually, I first started using that system...lipless crank lifted and dropped...over at Starvation about 3 years ago. Discovered it by accident. Had a "professional overrun" on my baitcaster on a long cast. Got it picked out and reeled down to the resting crank. Gave it a jerk, let it settle and started bringing it in. Some silly walleye decided it wanted to keep it there...in his jaws. After that I caught several more the same way. Some smallies and a couple of big rainbows too.
One thing I also discovered on that trip was that you definitely need a good split ring or crosslock swivel on the eye of the lure...so that it can swing and rattle easily. One lure I tied on without a split ring felt funny and did not get any love. As soon as I retied with the same lure...after installing a good split ring...I was back in business.
And I have also tried it through the ice. But my experience has been that it works better to bring fish in so you can catch them on the second rod...either dead sticked or lightly jigged with a smaller offering. I know some guys in the midwest regularly catch some real porker walleyes on the jigged cranks.
I also know that they work well through the ice for pike at Yuba.
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[quote TubeDude][#0000FF]Actually, I first started using that system...lipless crank lifted and dropped...over at Starvation about 3 years ago. Discovered it by accident. Had a "professional overrun" on my baitcaster on a long cast. Got it picked out and reeled down to the resting crank. Gave it a jerk, let it settle and started bringing it in. Some silly walleye decided it wanted to keep it there...in his jaws. After that I caught several more the same way. Some smallies and a couple of big rainbows too.
One thing I also discovered on that trip was that you definitely need a good split ring or crosslock swivel on the eye of the lure...so that it can swing and rattle easily. One lure I tied on without a split ring felt funny and did not get any love. As soon as I retied with the same lure...after installing a good split ring...I was back in business.
And I have also tried it through the ice. But my experience has been that it works better to bring fish in so you can catch them on the second rod...either dead sticked or lightly jigged with a smaller offering. I know some guys in the midwest regularly catch some real porker walleyes on the jigged cranks.
I also know that they work well through the ice for pike at Yuba.
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I have always loved lipless baits, rattlin' rapala's, clackin' raps, rippin' raps, there are dozens of them these days almost every company makes a lipless rattling crank. I started out using them just cast and retrieve. At night especially, a slow steady retrieve with the lipless rattling baits can work really well for walleye. Caught a lot of fish doing that before I switched to swimbaits doing the same thing...steady retrieve. They both work well for me.
But one day I was casting and thinking about the name "rippin' rap". Decided to cast out let it hit bottom, rip it... and repeat... only got a rip or two in and nailed a nice drum. It was fish after fish. I think the pulsing vibration on the upswing and wobble on the fall, with the clud of hitting bottom... really gets them going. Get lots of drum fishing them that way but plenty of walleye too. They'll hit it on the lift, the fall, and often smack it on the bottom.... it is a fun way to fish.
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It's good to see several friends fishing. It's been a long time since my last fishing trip. In fact, it has been a long time since I have been able to even check the bigfishtackle site. If I can learn how to fish again I will be able to join some of you this season. I'm a little glad that the walleye are a little slow moving into Lincoln Beach. I need to get some walleye action this Year! I am spending some time today searching for the lures TubeDude has crreated since I was last able to do any fishing!
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Nice to see your return.[cool]
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[#0000FF]Hey ol' friend, glad to see you back amongst us. I guess you were finally released from your "internet curtain".
Get your gear checked out and tuned up. Lots of good fishing ahead...until the lakes dry up.
Oh yeah. Lots of new trinkets since we last met up.
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I am in the process of getting my flotation devices checked out, and getting "legal" with the Utah Tax Commission. I can't wait to get back on the water. P.S. I would love to see some of those new trinkets you have created during my long absence.
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[#0000FF]You know you are always welcome in the tackletorium. PM me if you need new directions or to let me know when you might like to visit. It will be good to see you again.
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