Smoky Starvation 9-1-09

[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]TubeBabe and I met up with LloydE and Wildcat94 at Rabbit Gulch on Starvation this morning. The layers of smoke in the atmosphere made for a red sunrise and some low light conditions until later in the morning.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]We all got launched by about 7 AM, with water temps right at 64. Cooling down and water levels have been dropping about a foot a week now. That usually means that if it has been a few days since your last trip, you may find the fish in a different spot. It took us a while to find more than onesies or twosies.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Wildcat94 caught the first fish. Heavy fish and a good fighter. I could not identify it from the distance but Bryce claimed it was about a 5 pound chub. I told him it would be a state record and maybe a world record. Turned out to be a carp.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The first fish jinx did not hurt Bryce at all. He got into a couple of nice perch and then went bendo on a decent walleye. 24 inches of teeth and great fillets. He was a happy boy.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I waited until all the others had brought at least one fish to the tube before I got started. Then, I found a fairly productive area and worked it most of the morning. One here, one there. Rarely two close together and no doubles. All perch except for one walleye that went about 7...INCHES. But, most of the perch I caught were over 8 inches and I did not keep anything under about 9 1/2". Let's say 10.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Wildcat94, TubeBabe and LloydE worked a school of perch in only 22 - 25 feet of water. Between them they caught quite a few, but many were small. My fish were up further in the channel, in water from 30 to 35 feet deep, and they were almost all decent size. Good fighters too. I got them on a variety of lures, but my floating jigs (fligs) accounted for the most and biggest. Also got a bunch on red and chartreuse plastic tubes. I mostly tipped with crawler but the other folks were doing well with perch meat.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I was fishing from my OLD tube..."Jaws"...since I had not yet got a replacement for the one I trashed last Friday on the way to Lincoln Beach. It still remembered how to help me catch fish. I brought in a full limit of 20 chunky perch. No walleyes, no smallies.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Couldn't have asked for nicer weather. Flat calm most of the morning with only light breezes by the time we got off the water about noon. Water temps had only risen about 1 degree...to 65. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]But, there was something frighfully wrong on the lake today. I had this feeling that there were strange forces at work and that at any minute we might encounter something dreadful. NOPE. I finally figured out what it was, as we were loading up to drive off. WE DIDN'T HEAR OR SEE ONE POWER CRAFT ALL DAY. One small boat trolling behind an electric motor. That's it. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Great day with great companions.[/#0000ff]
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[ironworker]

great report and pictures TD. glad the weather was good for ya all. thanks for sharing. [cool]
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[waljustia]

Nice Report! 20 perch around 10" that's a good day!

Now that the 565 has sustained a good "Drop test", how did it perform?
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[FOD]

Nice sounds like I can have the lake back to myself now that school has started, minus a few fellow fishermen and all. Thanks for the report. I will be out as soon as possible. Nice walleye to the big guy. I hope they are ready to eat my lures.
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[lavaman]

Great pics, TD. Thanks for sharing
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[TubeDude]

[quote waljustia]Nice Report! 20 perch around 10" that's a good day!

Now that the 565 has sustained a good "Drop test", how did it perform?[/quote]

[cool][#0000ff]I am even more impressed with the sonar now than when I first got it. It did not actually get run over...like the float tube did. But, it did hit the road at high speed. It sustained some "road rash", and the connector bracket had a damaged corner, but the sonar performed flawlessly from 1' through over 40' of water. In fact, I doubt I would have done well at all without the 565. Time after time it identified fish on the bottom or in the weeds and I was able to drop down to them and get bit. I can only hope that I survive as well if I ever get dumped on the road at freeway speed.[/#0000ff]
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