07-11-2009, 11:45 AM
[cool][#0000ff]Hit Rabbit Gulch at Starvation Friday morning. Man, since they paved the road all the way back in the whole character has changed. Can't believe all the trailers and motor homes. Also can't believe all the yoyos who try to launch cabin cruisers from the shoreline...no ramp. There were already a lot of folks there Friday morning and more arriving all day.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]LloydE and myself got launched about 7:30 AM. Only light breezes, air temp mid fifties and water temp just under 64...warming to 69 later in the day.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Started off slow. We found few fish on sonar and even fewer that wanted to play. In the first hour the best we could do was a couple of throwbacker perch. Covered lots of water, from shallow to over 36 feet. Finally started finding a few perch in 25 to 30 feet, but they were usually over thick weeds. Tough to fish with jigs. We harvested more salad than meat.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Later in the morning the bite picked up a bit, but it was sporadic. No schools of fish. Just onesies and twosies. I was dragging a "prospecting" rig...with a couple of dropshot "fligs" (floating jigs)...while vertical jigging with a variety of different lures. Over the course of the morning and into afternoon, I did catch quite a few perch and I caught them on virtually everything I presented in the right zone at the right time. See pics.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Lloyd was not catching as many perch as I was, but so far he had the only walleye...a "teen incher" that came on a homemade floater/spinner rig. I was beginning to think that the few perch in my basket were all I was going to get.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I worked my way over to the buoy line marking the sunken rock reef off the south shoreline. Found a couple more decent sized perch and few more "recycles". Then, when casting my pale perch roadrunner closer to the rocks, I started picking up a few small smallmouth. Much fun. The two biggest were 12" and 14" but they both jumped and thumped me pretty good. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The breezes had been off and on all day, and going into the afternoon a bit of a stronger easterly zephyr started coming up. I figured it was probably time to pack up and go, but wanted to make a last stop on a spot known to produce in the past under the current high water conditions. Good move.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]In anticipation of potential action, I had gotten out my bright orange marker buoy and had it handy in the side pocket of my tube. As I moved over the area I had targeted, I had hits both on my dropshot rig and my jigged Roadrunner. Double. Out went the marker buoy. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Several porky perch later, I hollered at Lloyd, who was not far away, and told him to boogie on over to join the action. I could now see quite a few perch on the screen of my sonar. First real perch school I have found this year.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Lloyd and I enjoyed fairly constant action for the next hour or so. The best approach was using a single rod with a single fire tiger color "Ultra Minnow" jig...tipped with worm. The bite was very light at times and you had to fish with a cocked wrist. When you felt a change in the FORCE, you snapped your wrist and usually went bendo.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]In addition to both of us filling out our 20 fish perch limits, I also scored a wee walleye...14"...to match the one in Lloyd's basket. I had promised him that we would both catch walleye and my promise had been fulfilled...barely.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]We got off the water in midafternoon and it is good we did. The parking areas around tiny little Rabbit Gulch were filling up with mega rigs and ocean going vessels. We chortled as we watched one guy trying to launch where we had launched. We knew from our launch that there were several huge boulders just offshore. No problem for tubers, but the big outboard on that guy's boat did not fare too well. He did not seem happy when he pulled the boat back out of the water and assessed the damage. I'm sure it only got better after we left, but we had miles to travel and fish to fillet.[/#0000ff]
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[url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=50714"][#63626b]LOVELY LAUNCH.jpg[/#63626b][/url] (292 KB)
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[url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=50716"][#63626b]FLIG - RED HEAD.jpg[/#63626b][/url] (345 KB)
[url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=50717"][#63626b]FLIG - PALE PERCH.jpg[/#63626b][/url] (197 KB)
[url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=50718"][#63626b]FLIG - TIGER.jpg[/#63626b][/url] (254 KB)
[url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=50719"][#63626b]REDHEAD TUBE.jpg[/#63626b][/url] (176 KB)
[url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=50720"][#63626b]JINGLE JIG.jpg[/#63626b][/url] (183 KB)
[url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=50721"][#63626b]PALE PERCH ROADRUNNER.jpg[/#63626b][/url] (219 KB)
[url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=50722"][#63626b]ULTRA MINNOW MUNCHER.jpg[/#63626b][/url] (232 KB)
[url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=50723"][#63626b]SMALL SMALLIE.jpg[/#63626b][/url] (188 KB)
[url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=50724"][#63626b]FUN FOURTEEN INCHER.jpg[/#63626b][/url] (239 KB)
[url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=50725"][#63626b]WEE WALLIE.jpg[/#63626b][/url] (186 KB)
[url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=50726"][#63626b]ONE FOR THE BASKET.jpg[/#63626b][/url] (412 KB)
[url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=50727"][#63626b]LLOYD GETS HELP.jpg[/#63626b][/url] (238 KB)
[url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=50728"][#63626b]LLOYD'S LIMIT.jpg[/#63626b][/url] (329 KB)
[url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=50729"][#63626b]TUBEDUDE'S TWENTY.jpg[/#63626b][/url] (258 KB)
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[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]LloydE and myself got launched about 7:30 AM. Only light breezes, air temp mid fifties and water temp just under 64...warming to 69 later in the day.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Started off slow. We found few fish on sonar and even fewer that wanted to play. In the first hour the best we could do was a couple of throwbacker perch. Covered lots of water, from shallow to over 36 feet. Finally started finding a few perch in 25 to 30 feet, but they were usually over thick weeds. Tough to fish with jigs. We harvested more salad than meat.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Later in the morning the bite picked up a bit, but it was sporadic. No schools of fish. Just onesies and twosies. I was dragging a "prospecting" rig...with a couple of dropshot "fligs" (floating jigs)...while vertical jigging with a variety of different lures. Over the course of the morning and into afternoon, I did catch quite a few perch and I caught them on virtually everything I presented in the right zone at the right time. See pics.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Lloyd was not catching as many perch as I was, but so far he had the only walleye...a "teen incher" that came on a homemade floater/spinner rig. I was beginning to think that the few perch in my basket were all I was going to get.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I worked my way over to the buoy line marking the sunken rock reef off the south shoreline. Found a couple more decent sized perch and few more "recycles". Then, when casting my pale perch roadrunner closer to the rocks, I started picking up a few small smallmouth. Much fun. The two biggest were 12" and 14" but they both jumped and thumped me pretty good. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]The breezes had been off and on all day, and going into the afternoon a bit of a stronger easterly zephyr started coming up. I figured it was probably time to pack up and go, but wanted to make a last stop on a spot known to produce in the past under the current high water conditions. Good move.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]In anticipation of potential action, I had gotten out my bright orange marker buoy and had it handy in the side pocket of my tube. As I moved over the area I had targeted, I had hits both on my dropshot rig and my jigged Roadrunner. Double. Out went the marker buoy. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Several porky perch later, I hollered at Lloyd, who was not far away, and told him to boogie on over to join the action. I could now see quite a few perch on the screen of my sonar. First real perch school I have found this year.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Lloyd and I enjoyed fairly constant action for the next hour or so. The best approach was using a single rod with a single fire tiger color "Ultra Minnow" jig...tipped with worm. The bite was very light at times and you had to fish with a cocked wrist. When you felt a change in the FORCE, you snapped your wrist and usually went bendo.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]In addition to both of us filling out our 20 fish perch limits, I also scored a wee walleye...14"...to match the one in Lloyd's basket. I had promised him that we would both catch walleye and my promise had been fulfilled...barely.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]We got off the water in midafternoon and it is good we did. The parking areas around tiny little Rabbit Gulch were filling up with mega rigs and ocean going vessels. We chortled as we watched one guy trying to launch where we had launched. We knew from our launch that there were several huge boulders just offshore. No problem for tubers, but the big outboard on that guy's boat did not fare too well. He did not seem happy when he pulled the boat back out of the water and assessed the damage. I'm sure it only got better after we left, but we had miles to travel and fish to fillet.[/#0000ff]
[url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=50714"][#63626b]LOVELY LAUNCH.jpg[/#63626b][/url] (292 KB) [url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=50715"][#63626b]GULCH GLASS.jpg[/#63626b][/url] (183 KB) [url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=50716"][#63626b]FLIG - RED HEAD.jpg[/#63626b][/url] (345 KB) [url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=50717"][#63626b]FLIG - PALE PERCH.jpg[/#63626b][/url] (197 KB) [url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=50718"][#63626b]FLIG - TIGER.jpg[/#63626b][/url] (254 KB) [url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=50719"][#63626b]REDHEAD TUBE.jpg[/#63626b][/url] (176 KB) [url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=50720"][#63626b]JINGLE JIG.jpg[/#63626b][/url] (183 KB) [url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=50721"][#63626b]PALE PERCH ROADRUNNER.jpg[/#63626b][/url] (219 KB) [url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=50722"][#63626b]ULTRA MINNOW MUNCHER.jpg[/#63626b][/url] (232 KB) [url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=50723"][#63626b]SMALL SMALLIE.jpg[/#63626b][/url] (188 KB) [url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=50724"][#63626b]FUN FOURTEEN INCHER.jpg[/#63626b][/url] (239 KB) [url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=50725"][#63626b]WEE WALLIE.jpg[/#63626b][/url] (186 KB) [url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=50726"][#63626b]ONE FOR THE BASKET.jpg[/#63626b][/url] (412 KB) [url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=50727"][#63626b]LLOYD GETS HELP.jpg[/#63626b][/url] (238 KB) [url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=50728"][#63626b]LLOYD'S LIMIT.jpg[/#63626b][/url] (329 KB) [url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=50729"][#63626b]TUBEDUDE'S TWENTY.jpg[/#63626b][/url] (258 KB)[signature]