Salubrious Starvation Saturday 10-26-13

[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]Oops. I did it again. Went fishing for the 4th time this week. Yeah baby. Was about hammered after trudging my tube cart up the hill at Deer Creek yesterday but couldn't resist the invite from SBennett to hit Starvation with him...in his lovely Lund. Yeah, that's right. Me fishing on Saturday and in a boat.

Shane and I have been personal acquaintances and cyber buddies for a few years but had never fished together. We finally ran out of excuses and "hooked up"...errr fishingwise.

Because of the recent lack of good reports from Starvation we rehearsed our list of excuses if we came back with few or no fish. Shane made it plain that he realllllly wanted some perch and walleyes for fish tacos. But we both agreed that it was more likely we would have to settle for trout slime on our gear rather than the intended targets. Glad we were wrong.

As we left the launch ramp we turned west, toward the bridge. We anticipated that would be our best venue for the day. However, we made a couple of detours to run the sonar over some other potential fishy hangouts. On about our third checkout we did indeed see some likely looking marks on the bottom in about 40 feet of water. We agreed that we could return to fish it if our other spots did not pan out.

Our next checkout area was a sudden inspiration. It has been a good location in the past...both for ice fishing and for late season open water action. As we made a couple of S turns we saw some likely prospects on the sonar screen. Shane set the auto position control and we geared up to sample the fishing. That's when Shane got excited and jumped up from the captain's chair...pulling out the kill switch...and then leaving the battery on so that we couldn't start the big motor later. Enough of that.

Got an inkling that we might be off to a good start when my first cast got chomped...by a teen incher walleye. Then another. Then Shane got one, and then another. We were getting pretty fast action on several different lure and bait rigs...fishing two rods. And it got busy enough that we almost couldn't use two rods each...having doubles at the same time a few times. Yeee Haww.

One of us had bumped the button on the auto control unit and we drifted off the first spot. But we repeated our first approach and found the fish again...reset the controls and started catching fish again. Only this time we started adding some nice perch to the livewell. Oh yeah, baby. Fish tacos were going to be a reality.

That was about the time we met the friendliest boat on Starvation. Another Lund...pulled right up on top of us and dropped the anchor. Shane told them, from only about 20 feet away, that we did not have an anchor down and were moving around. Their response..."We fished here two weeks ago and got 38 walleyes." In other words, we have fished here before so we can anchor here if we want to. The light breeze picked up and their tiny anchor did not hold. They drifted by us within rod distance...pretending we were not even there. I kindly offered..."You guys could get in the boat with us but there are too many of you." (There were at least six or seven in a smaller boat than we had.) Their response: "Yeah right. Probably wouldn't work too well." Shane and I looked at each other and realized that it wouldn't make much difference what we said. I won't lie and tell you guys that Shane shed big tears when they moved off. But he was shaking with emotion.

Bottom line...we pretty much stayed in one small area all day...up until about 1:30. We caught a steady procession of walleyes, perch and silly slimers. We were still getting bites when we agreed that we had over-funned and should probably head down the road so we could get our fish processed before too late at night.

We didn't catch any large walleyes. Lots of underfooters, footlongs and teen inchers...up to about 16 or 17 inches. We estimated we caught more than 30 between us...each keeping a limit of 10 for the table. We also ended up with over a dozen keeper perch. Actually, we caught nothing under 8 inches or over 12 inches. But enough fat tens and some 11s to turn into tacos.

Probably caught about 4 or 5 trout...on accident. We simply didn't have time to play with them.

A purty day on the water with a great guy and an angler of the first order. I think we agreed that we made a good team on the water...even if Shane probably got tired of me whining about how I could do it different and better if I was fishing from my tube. That'll learn him not to invite me on his boat too often.
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[albinotrout]

Nice report makes me want to go up there. But alas gotta find the time.....if it weren't for the weather this week I could probably get out a couple of times[:/].
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[PIKEMAN99]

Now that is how a live well is supposed to look out of Starvation. Way to put the hurt on em. You must be sick fishing out of a boat LOL. That's funny about you fishing in their spot and catching all them fish. I always knew you was a fish hog. Good Job!!!!!!!!
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]Thanks ol' buddy. I gotta admit I was thinking about you a couple of times while on the water...and your name came up a couple of times in our BS sessions about Starvation. We have enjoyed some good trips there together...and maybe a couple not so good.

Sorry about admitting to us stealing somebody else's fishing hole. It was funny though. As that boat drifted by...dragging their lines right under our boat...I heard one of them say "Actually", I think we were a little more over that way last time." They musta forgot to put a mark on the water...or on the side of their boat.

Not sick of fishing out of a boat. Sometimes it's the only way I can get to go fishing with some good people. A lot of boaters are a lot more hesitant about joining me in a tube than I am about climbing in their boat.
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[utwalleye]

that's funny, about fishing someone else's spot at starvation. I fished with that guy Ron (can't remember last name) that had the bait shop off the road in to the lake.
while we were driving to one of his spots there was another boat setting on it and he just about flipped out. I was stunned, and he said that's nothing you should see how (one of his friends) acts when someone is on his spots, just about fight on.
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]There seems to be guys like that on every body of water I have ever fished...all over the country. Just because they once fished a spot they feel that is theirs forever and nobody else has a right to fish it. And it ain't just on lakes...streams too...maybe even worse.

That mindset really shows up at big bass tournaments when someone has prefished a spot and has it pegged for their go-to starting point when the game begins. If a fellow competitor is there it can get noisy. If an unsuspecting local angler just happens to be on the spot they are likely to get blasted with a surface to surface missile...that looks a lot like a big crankbait.

And forget logic. When one of these dorks moves in on top of you...or tries to holler you off the spot...it doesn't matter what you say. They just don't listen and don't care. I once had a favorite spot I fished almost every Saturday morning on a lake down in Arizona...in my tube. One of those mornings a guy comes blasting back into the cove I was in...wide open with his Bass-O-Tron. He almost ran over me after an abrupt shutdown and a big wave that almost washed me up on shore. Then he yelled that this was his spot that he always fished and that he had just driven over an hour to get there. When I told him I had also been fishing it regularly...for years...and that I had driven even further...he started up the big motor and made two or three wide open turns around inside the now destroyed cove and then went screaming off across the lake. What a sportsman.

After trying several attempts at politely suggesting that those guys give us more space...and finding that subtlety was wasted on them...we just agreed to let it play out and avoid a direct confrontation. And these days you never know who is "packing" and what it will take to set them off. So .
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[fishday]

Glad you guys got into the toothed ones. Too bad a great day of fishing has to be interrupted by rude and inconsiderate dorks. It's not like there is only one spot on that lake that holds fish! You probably made the right decision not to be confrontational--hard to beat 6 on 2 especially when it comes to flinging lead or lures. I doubt I could have held my . Nobody owns the lake but there is, or at least should be, something called common courtesy. In short supply these days for sure. Had the same thing happen on LP at a boil site. Didn't hold my very well that day when the dude--not a tube dude-- pulled right up in front of where I was casting--idiots! Just like drivers who park themselves in the left lane on the freeway-- boaters who don't adhere to the 150' rule ought to be yanked off the lake and given a big fine. That might stop em the next time they think about being inconsiderate.
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]Thanks for the immoral support. The boils at Powell do become popular with the striper-crazed crazies. Sometimes even worse at Willard when the wipers are gettin' busy on shad. I have witnessed some truly epic incidents of idiots running wide open right into a boil being worked by other boats...from the proper distance.

And by the way, the 150 foot proximity law applies only to boats going over wakeless speed. If you are idling in or running on your electrics you can virtually broadside another craft without being in violation...of anything except sportsmanship and common sense. Of course you are liable if you cause any damage.

I have had guys literally bump the side of my float tube while they trolled by at Deer Creek and at Willard. They try to pretend I am not there. Then they get all hyper when I take their picture. When they ask what I am doing I simply say "I am publishing a book on &%$#@&^s in the wild. This picture is for the cover." The most common reply is "Quit yer cryin'...you don't own the lake." As if they did.
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[fishday]

I have heard that refrain about lake ownership also and am amazed people can use it to justify their inconsiderate actions. What a thought process--or lack thereof.

My bad on the 150' rule. There ought to be such a rule for wakeless speed also unless you ask another boat to come closer or if it is in the proximity of a boat launch area. I guess it probably won't happen though until somebody gets shot-- indeed. Are we headed for a required ethics course for boating just like the extended archery season?

People never cease to amaze! Maybe you should strap one on the side of your tube to deter the bumping and close calls---deterrence not aggression. Someone coming close enough to touch your tube with a boat may possibly be legal grounds to shoot. Were you afraid for your life? A boat can be--as was show by those idiots on Pineview a couple of years ago--a deadly weapon.
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]I'm a bit more mellow these days. Old age, caution, and basic cowardice (too many guns) will do that to ya. But I do admit to being a tad nastier about such rudeness and stupidity in the past. The offending boaters are usually much smaller than my 6' 3" size and two hundred and plenty pounds. And they can't tell my size while I am in my tube. On a couple of occasions they have invited me to get out on the bank with them and have a two-handed discussion. But when I do get out and start toward them they usually become more complacent. If not, I provide a left or right tranquilizer.

Here's the rudeness repellent kit I have ordered for my tube. Probably do a good job on carp too.

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[wiperhunter2]

Great report Pat, sounds like you and Shane had a great day. How do you split up a pile of fish like you guys caught there[]. 4 fishing trips in one week, your the man.[cool]
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]4 trips in one week should be the norm...not the exception. But this year the weather and other excuses have kept my number of trips way down. I'll probably finish the year with about half my "usual" numbers. There have been several months where I only got out a couple of times in the whole month.

No problem with the fish split up. We tried to keep a fairly close count on the walleyes...since it looked like we would be able to limit there. We released almost as many as we kept but both finished with 10...and they were all close to the same general size so no problem with that. Ditto for the perch. We kept pretty even on numbers and sizes.

Actually, with only one live well in service we just told our fish to stay on one side or the other. But, just like kids, they really didn't mind too well.
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[PACKFAN]

I have found that Crestliner owners are a more considerate lot.[:p]
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[TubeDude]

[quote PACKFAN]I have found that Crestliner owners are a more considerate lot.[:p][/quote]

[#0000ff]Lund vs Crestliner. Ford vs Chevy...or Dodge. It never ends.

Shane was really traumatized. His new boat is a Lund and the intruder boat severely damaged his pride of ownership. Might need counseling.

Here's a pic of a nice couple I met in a Crestliner on Willard Bay.
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And a pic of an old geezer in a Tracker who always liked to get up close and personal...to see how the dude in the tube was doing.
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[fishday]

Too funny but thanks for the idea.
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[PACKFAN]

That was a nice day of fishing, caught a few cats for dinner as well. The old geezer is a friend of mine (Skid) he spends alot of time on Willard and is one of the members of the "Friends for Willard Bay" fraternity. I think I have seen those people in the Lund that liked your fishing hole so well, we have never had them fish that close to us though, I guess I wasn't exactly in their spot. The Ol'Crestliner is put away for the winter, we are enjoying our fall hunting seasons now. It would be fun to have one of those catfish lunches that you hosted at Utah Lake a few years back again, I think Willard could support one of those if we get some water this winter.
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]How did you guys do on elk this year?

If Willard gets a bit wetter and if the fishing is halfway decent by about mid May next year we can put together a "float, fish and fry" thing again. The cats weren't too plentiful last year but seem to have been better through 2013. I did better on them anyway. In fact, I just got another limit of them last week...Monday the 21st. All good sized and healthy.

Now if they don't let the happy harvesters finish off the remnants of the walleyes at the inlet this spring maybe we can even have some walleye fillets for the shore lunch thing.

I knew you would recognize the Tracker. Isn't he retired military? I have seen him a lot...sometimes up close and personal. He works the walleyes over pretty good and I have seen him dunkin' around the docks for crappies too.
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[SBennett]

Thanks for going with me Pat, I had a blast.
I can't believe I left the key to the on position and ran down my battery.
When you had that first eye on even before I had a chance to shut down the big motor properly that was all it took for me to lose my mind. I don't care if I had to paddle back single handedly (get it?) there was no way I wasn't going to get in on that action immediately!
It sure was a blessing to keep catching fish for another hour while we let my battery 'chill' and recharge itself. That big motor firing up was a sweet sound.
Let me tell you that my fish tacos last night were delicious. The fillets I had at lunch today were delicious. And the fish dinner I am about to have in an hour is going to be delicious!
I still can't believe that other boat fished so close to us. In fact, if you didn't have photographic evidence I might have thought I dreamed it.
Thanks for the tackle you donated to my tackle boxes, it will come in very handy, very soon.
Take care, Shane
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]THANK YOU for the invite. As most folks know, I am usually not so quick to jump in a boat. But...as you said...you had me at "Starvation". Also was happy to be able to do some fishing with ya...after all of our previous communications and tackleology.

About that kill switch and battery thing. Another one of my favorite sayings is "All's well that ends." It was a spiritual experience when you said your silent prayer, turned the switch finally and we heard the heavenly sound of the big motor. Kinda made up for the other kind of words you were thinking when the jumper cables were about a foot too short on your new boat.

Oh yeah...the black beast boat. I actually took a couple of other pics (see below). The first was when you were incredulous about them motoring in between us and shore. That's a no no. The other shot below was after they had drifted by us on their wimpy anchor. I was too dumbstruck to even point the camera at them while they were about to swap paint with your boat on the drift. Unbelievable. Just pretended we weren't there...or trying to push us off the spot. Whatever.

As we reminded each other at least a dozen times, that was an epic day...both for fishing and fishing conditions. It's always better when a new fishing buddy can tie his own hooks, put his own bait on and hook his own fish...single handedly. (yeah, I got it). A lot better than having to make the trip totally about them and having to babysit them instead of enjoying the fishing. About the worst for either of us was opening the lid of the live well for the other guy. Some might say it was too often. Not me.

Glad you finally got the fish all processed. Wondered if you were still at it and handn't had a chance to see the post on the board yet.

All's well that ends.
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[PACKFAN]

The wife took a cow during the archery hunt, we both took our antelope up in WY. a couple weeks ago. We are headed back up to WY. Thurs. with our two daughters and eldest son for a week of deer hunting and take our Britt along to chase some pheasant as well.
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